UAA freshman Curtis Leinweber revealed both sides of that equation in a span of about 10 seconds of the third period Saturday night. He turned a gamble into a goal and helped the Seawolves forge a 2-2 tie with Minnesota State-Mankato.
Leinweber committed a turnover, but then quickly forced a turnover, caught the Mavericks on a lousy line change, raced up ice and fed Paul Crowder for the game-tying goal.
Although the Seawolves dominated the Western Collegiate Hockey Association game at Sullivan Arena -- they outshot the Mavericks 33-14 -- they nonetheless trailed 2-1 with about nine minutes to go.
Leinweber and defensive partner Luka Vidmar and the line of center Paul Crowder and Sean Wiles had spent a long stretch deep in the Mankato zone when the puck came to Leinweber at the Mankato blue line. He made a blind, spinning backhand pass that gave the puck to the Mavericks.
As Mankato freshman winger Justin Jokinen carried the puck through the neutral zone, his four teammates went off for a line change.
Jokinen tried to flip the puck deep into the Seawolves' zone. But Leinweber gloved the puck out of the air, dropped it to the ice just inside the UAA zone and looked up to discover the Mavericks changing lines as Crowder lingered in the neutral zone.
Even though Leinweber and Crowder were both at the end of a long shift, the defenseman shrugged off his momentary thought of gaining the red line, dumping the puck and going off for a change. He sensed an opportunity too good to neglect.
"I saw Paulie on the wing and took off,'' Leinweber said. "I said, 'I've got to go. There's no way I can dump and change.' I just slid it over to Paulie, and he did the rest.''
After Leinweber entered the Mankato zone at mid-ice and drew a defenseman to him, he dished to Crowder on the right wing. Crowder had been thinking about heading to the bench for a line change, but decided against it in favor of seizing an opportunity.
"I figured, 'Why not? Make it a 2-on-0, or 2-on-1 or whatever,'' Crowder said. "He got me the puck and (Mavericks goaltender Mike) Zacharias was staying up. I saw five-hole, and I shot it.''
UAA's tie left it 5-3-2 overall and 2-2-2 in the 10-team WCHA, where it is locked in a three-way tie for fifth place with Mankato (4-2-2, 2-2-2 WCHA) and North Dakota.
The Seawolves' rebound from Friday's 5-3 loss means they have not lost back-to-back games in their first 10 games. The last time they went that long without back-to-back setbacks came in the final 13 games of the 2004-05 season, when they finished 5-5-3. That was the season before Dave Shyiak took over as bench boss.
UAA prospered Saturday by staying out of the penalty box (a season-low three penalties), dominating possession and roaring back from a 2-0 deficit less than 15 minutes into the game.
"That was Seawolf hockey,'' said Shyiak, the fourth-year head coach. "We cycled well, transition play was there, we scored a power-play goal and we only gave up 14 shots.''
They also benefited from the emergence of Leinweber, who strained a groin in the first game of the season and missed the next six games. He returned at Michigan Tech last weekend to play one game at wing, but was back on the blue line against Mankato.
And his four assists in the Mankato series -- he had two each night -- makes him UAA's leading scorer among defensemen.
"He's the offensive defenseman we needed,'' Crowder said. "On the power play, he gets the puck to the net and he's calm back there.''
After Mankato's Mike Louwerse scored on the power play less than five minutes into the game and Mick Berge cashed in a turnover late in the first period for a 2-0 Mavericks lead, Leinweber helped initiate UAA's comeback.
With the Seawolves on a power play to start the second period, Brian Bales worked the puck off the right-wing wall and fed Leinweber just inside the blue line in the middle of the ice.
Confronted by a Mavericks penalty killer, Leinweber faked a slap shot, which bought him enough time and space to make a slight lateral move and get a wrist shot on net. Zacharias made the save, but kicked the rebound directly to UAA winger Josh Lunden near the right post. Lunden buried his sixth goal -- he and Crowder each have six, one shy of team leader Tommy Grant.
But that play wasn't the best one Leinweber made. His gem came on the game-tying goal. What the 5-foot-8, 174-pound Leinweber lacks in size, he more than makes up for in anticipation and creativity.
"Right now, he's just playing with great skill, and showing the ability to make plays,'' Shyiak said. "He's fun to watch.''
Seawolves notes
• Crowder leads the Seawolves in points with 6-7--13 totals.
• Grant's three-game goal streak was snapped.
• Sophomore goaltender Bryce Christianson, who made 12 saves, remained undefeated (3-0-2) this season. The goal Christianson surrendered to Berge was the first even-strength goal he had given up in 160 minutes, 59 seconds, or slightly longer than eight periods.
Find Doyle Woody's blog online at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
Mankato 2 0 0 0 -- 2
UAA 0 1 1 0 -- 2
First Period -- 1, Mankato, Louwerse 5 (Davis, Mouillierat), 4:43 (pp); 2, Mankato, Berge 1, 14:20. Penalties -- Crowder, UAA (holding), 4:08; Canzanello, Mankato (slashing), 8:50; Irwin, Mankato (hooking), 10:30; Leinweber, UAA (hooking), 16:32; Mouillierat, Mankato (tripping), 17:20; Kilburg, Mankato (hooking), 19:38.
Second Period -- 3, UAA, Lunden 6 (Leinweber, Bales), 1:30 (pp). Penalties -- Wiles, UAA (hooking), 8:31; Youds, Mankato (holding), 19:11.
Third Period -- 4, UAA, Crowder 6 (Leinweber), 8:49. Penalties -- Kilburg, Mankato (holding), 14:33.
Overtime -- No scoring.
Shots on goal -- Mankato 4-3-7-0--14. UAA 8-13-10-2--33.
Power-play Opportunities -- Mankato 1 of 3; UAA 1 of 6.
Goalies -- Mankato, Zacharias 4-2-2 (33 shots-31 saves). UAA, Christianson 3-0-2 (14-12).
A -- 3,199 (6,251). T -- 2:23.
Referees -- Derek Shepherd, Marco Hunt. Assistant referees -- Scott Sivulich, Steve Glines.
Michigan 3, UAF 2
Seventh-ranked Michigan avenged a Friday loss to UAF by nipping the Nanooks 3-2 Saturday at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.
Brian Lebler scored what proved to be the game-winner for the Wolverines one minute into the third period. The goal gave Michigan a 3-1 lead.
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