Nanooks claim Kendall Classic hockey crown
Published Sunday, October 12, 2008
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Stumble It!ANCHORAGE — Head coach Dallas Ferguson kept preaching to the Alaska Nanooks about getting to the net, even though they came into their second game of the Kendall Hockey Classic with a 1-0 record.
Five different players heeded Ferguson’s words before Saturday night’s game against the Connecticut Huskies in Sullivan Arena. Those five also scored in a 5-0 victory to assure Alaska of the championship in their first appearance in the four-team, 18-year-old tournament. The Nanooks also started the regular season unbeaten for the first time in two years.
The Nanooks finished 1-0-1 in the tournament, which they opened Friday with a 3-2 shootout win against the Northeastern Huskies of Hockey East. The game counted in the NCAA standings as a tie, but it counted in the Kendall Classic as a win.
Northeastern downed the host Alaska Anchorage Seawolves 4-2 in Saturday’s late game, earning the Huskies the runner-up trophy with a 1-0-1 record. UAA finished 1-1-0 and UConn 0-2-0, including a 6-2 loss Friday to the Seawolves.
Ferguson said Alaska’s approach for UConn wasn’t a lot different than its approach for Northeastern.
“It (Connecticut) was another opponent that we don’t know a lot about; but for me, it was about controlling the things we can control,’’ Ferguson said. “I thought that right from the start, the first shift set the tempo for the rest of the game, where we competed for loose pucks and we battled.
“Those are things that Nanooks hockey has to be for part of our identity.”
Junior left wing Ryan Hohl, one of the five scorers Saturday, said the Nanooks followed the example set by Brandon Knelsen against Northeastern. The Alaska junior right wing drove hard to the net for both Nanooks goals and was aided by passes from his brother Dion that bounced off Brandon. Dion also had the lone shootout tally.
“He set a really good example of how we need to play hockey to be successful; especially in our league, it’s so tight,” Hohl said. “We might not be the most skilled team, but we’re going to be the most hard-working team and we’re going to get our goals, and our success is going to be at the net and winning battles and making plays in that crease area.”
While the Central Collegiate Hockey Association team was generating 33 shots Saturday and getting goals from Hohl, Braden Walls, Dustin Sather, Adam Naglich and Cody Rymut, Alaska freshman Scott Greenham was turning away 13 shots to become the second goaltender in the Nanooks’ 29-year history to record a shutout in his first start.
The former netminder for the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League maintained his composure for 60 minutes despite getting rarely tested by the 0-2 Huskies of the Atlantic Hockey Association. His Nanooks teammates helped him kill four UConn power plays, from which the Huskies only produced a combined five shots.
“I think my years in junior really helped out,” Greenham said. “There were a couple of games back then I didn’t have any shots, and I had to keep my head straight throughout the game. I just applied that to this tonight.”
He faced two challenging shots on the night, including one from Daniel Naurato at 17:39 of the third period. The Huskies’ left wing sprinted through the slot between two Nanooks, putting a blistering snap shot on Greenham’s pads.
Greenham joins Wylie Rogers (2004-08) as the only Nanooks to collect shutouts in their first starts. Rogers shut out UAA 6-0 on Oct. 23, 2004, in the second game of the Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup Series.
Rogers, now with the Rio Grande Valley (Texas) Killer Bees of the Central Hockey League, went on to register a Nanooks-record seven career shutouts.
Greenham said that he didn’t envision a shutout in his first collegiate start.
“I didn’t imagine I’d get a shutout,” he said. “I thought I’d do well, and I think over the past couple of the games we played and the exhibition games and now this game, I think I’ve proven that I can play at this level.”
Then he added with a smile, “I’m not saying that I’ll always play like that (shutout).”
His teammates showed in the first period that they were trying to play that way.
Walls, a senior right wing, tipped in his first goal of the season at the right post at 15 seconds into the first period from a rebound of senior center and team captain Adam Naglich’s shot in front of the crease.
“We had a pretty good game yesterday, and we just wanted to keep things going,” Walls said. “Nags, Peto (sophomore left wing Kevin Petovello) and myself wanted to get it deep. We’re big guys and we wanted to beat them with our speed and cycling, and we kept it down low.”
“We had a lot of chances in front, we were using the net for protection, using each other and there was lot of communication, and good things happened.”
UConn coach Bruce Marshall was hoping for something positive from his team’s trip to the 49th State. They were outshot 40-18 by UAA on Friday and Alaska had a 25-5 advantage in shots after the second period Saturday.
“We knew we had our hands full and we were hoping for a little better result (Saturday),” he said. “We gave up three quick ones on mistakes, and they made us pay for it.”
Hohl made it 2-0 at 4:45 of the third after interceptting Huskies defenseman Jordan Behler in the high slot and then scoring at the right post with Derek Klassen’s backhand pass across the crease.
Sather stretched the lead at 18:30 by skating from behind the net and around the top of the right circle to send a wrist shot past a screen and over UConn goaltender Beau Erickson’s glove.
The Nanooks, at 37 seconds into the third period, gained their first power-play goal after missing eight straight chances in Anchorage. Petovello passed across the crease to Naglich in the left circle and the senior waited after Erickson slipped to settle the puck and send a high wrist shot into the net.
Contact staff writer Danny Martin at 459-7586.
Community Discussion
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Congrats to the entire team and coaching staff. What a way to start the season. I liked the way Dallas gave different players a chance to play saturday night. Cody Rymut gets his first collegiate point of his career. Only allowing 13 shots on goal is a tribute to hard work. That ought to bring a large crowd to the Carlson Center this weekend,eh?
Great job! But this very early season tournament got much more press and visual proof than the Women's Volleyball Team's MAJOR UPSET over nationally ranked powerhouse Western Washington.
Had this been the Nanook Icemen scoring such a milestone, there wouldn't be room enough for anything else on Page 1....2...3....I think you get my point.
Not knocking the Nanook Icemen....great job indeed.
But it was TRULY "Ladies Night" last night.....right at home in the Patty Center. Just ask Western Washington.
Hell...the Lady Spikers couldn't even get a picture in the DNM.
Are you kidding me?
One correction: Ryan Hohl is a sophomore, not a junior.
OldSkool...when the women's volleyball team goes on the road and beats a D-I school in a tournament on a neutral site...the headlines will be bright and bold. The DII home volleyball win, even against a nationally-ranked DII school, got the respect and press it deserved. Perspective, please.
Greenham seems to be pretty good, hopefully we see more of him and he can prove himself a little better consindering he wasn't tested very much Saturday.
Thanks for the response "oldacuss" but I stand by my comment.
And I don't need to provide perspective....what I said is the truth.
As far as your "when they travel to, and beat a D-1 school in a tournament on a neutral site" comment, it holds no water.
Their schedule doesn't have them playing D-1 schools on the road at a neutral site.
Whether the Nanook Icemen had won, lost or tied, the "love" from the DNM would have been the same. And since you responded to my first comment, you must know that I'm right.
But I'm not knocking that. I love the Icemen.
Just thought what the Lady Spikers did last night, record a major upset IN CONFERENCE PLAY over the 2007 National Runner-up, a team who had been undefeated after 12 games in 2008, was a bigger deal than an early season NON-CONFERENCE hockey tournament.
Peace!
GO NANOOKS! WE BE CHEERING NEXT WEEKEND!
After being at the Carlson to watch the UBC team & watching the UConn game on tv, I am really impressed the 'shot on goal' improvement. They are taking more of them than they have in a while & I am loving that & their more aggressive play. Go Nooks!
OldSkool, get used to the non-coverage. Fairbanks is a hockey town. I like the other UAF sports, but hockey is where it's at in this town.
Yeah! "AkHockeyFan" you'd think after 23 years here in Fairbanks I'd have a clue.
That smack upside the head I just felt is you getting me back on track with reality.
Peace!
well thats good :)
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