Power play success gives hockey 3-2 win against Merrimack
October 22, 2012
Jamie Foland
474-6807
Three power play goals in the second period lifted the Alaska hockey team to a 3-2 non-conference win against Merrimack in game two of the 2012 Brice Alaska Goal Rush on Friday night at the Carlson Center.
The Nanooks won for the first time this season as they improved to 1-1-1 on the year and will play the University of North Dakota (1-0-0) Saturday night at 7:05 p.m., for the Brice title, while the Warriors dropped to 1-2-0 and will play Alaska Anchorage (1-1-1) in the early game Saturday at 4:05 p.m. Earlier Friday, UND cruised to a 5-0 win over UAA.
Alaska got its man-advantage goals from freshman Tyler Morley, sophomore Trevor Campbell and junior Cody Kunyk, all within a timespan of less than 13 minutes of the middle period. For Merrimack, Quinn Gould and Mike Collins scored even-strength goals that gave it the early two-goal lead.
The Nanooks outshot the Warriors 33-29 with Alaska senior goaltender Steve Thompson making 27 saves and MC netminder Sam Marotta tallying a game-best 30 stops. Alaska was 3-for-9 on the power play while Merrimack was 0-for-4.
Merrimack opened the scoring 14:47 into the first period. Alaska's Kaare Odegard fumbled the puck in the neutral zone and a pair of MC skaters went the other way on a fast break.Steve Thompson made the initial save on a shot by Brian Christie, but Gould pushed the puck past Thompson to give it the 1-0 advantage.
The Warriors upped the lead to 2-0 just over two minutes into the second period when Collins received the puck on the defensive end, went coast-to-coast and fired a laser from the left wing that found the net.
The Nanooks got on the scoreboard at 4:37 of the second with a power play goal by freshman Tyler Morley. Josh Atkinson took a shot from the point and Morley, positioned out in front, tipped it through for his second goal in as many games to cut the deficit to one.
Alaska squared the game at 2-2 with yet again another power play score in the second period at 8:45. Trevor Campbell received a cross-ice pass from Jarret Granberg and he fired it past the goalkeeper for his first career score that ignited the crowd and erased the deficit.
Kunyk gave the 'Nooks the lead with the game-winning goal with 2:49 to go in the second when he unloaded a fiery wrister from the left side that found the net for his first goal of the year.
Merrimack had a few chances in the closing moments of the game as it went empty net but Thompson and the Nanook defense held off MC for the 3-2 win.