The Seawolves have played three road series finales in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association this season and each game has ended the same way: With their scoring-by-periods line filled with zeros.
Coming off a particularly dramatic overtime victory Friday night, UAA couldn't pull off the sweep Saturday night, when Colorado College sophomore Joe Howe stopped 26 shots to lift the Tigers to a 2-0 win at the World Arena in Colorado Springs.
That marked the third straight time the Seawolves have opened a league road series with a stirring performance and then been stifled in the rematch.
In October, UAA lost 3-2 in overtime at Minnesota-Duluth, then was beaten 6-0 the next night. Earlier this month, UAA won 5-4 at Bemidji State, then fell 4-0 the following evening.
Friday night, the Seawolves used Matt Bailey's short-handed, game-tying goal in the waning seconds of regulation and Tommy Grant's strike in overtime to win 4-3. Saturday, though, Howe racked his second shutout this season and the fifth of his career.
The outcome amounted to the 12th time in UAA's 14 games that things were decided by one goal or finished tied -- Colorado College's win was wrapped by an empty-net goal from sophomore wing William Rapuzzi of Anchorage in the final minute. Rapuzzi has scored seven of his 12 career goals in seven games against the Seawolves.
Still, the Seawolves (4-8-2, 3-6-1 WCHA) received another strong effort from freshman goalie Rob Gunderson, who stopped 18 shots. In three starts against the Tigers (6-7-1, 3-5-0 WCHA) this season -- CC beat UAA 4-3 in UAF's Brice Alaska Goal Rush tournament in October -- Gunderson has fashioned a .907 save percentage.
The only shot that eluded him Saturday before an announced crowd of 6,920 was Archie Skalbeck's goal two minutes into the second period.
The Seawolves did continue to keep Tigers leading scorer Jaden Schwartz under wraps. Schwartz has earned 9-9--18 totals in 11 games against opponents other than UAA, but the Seawolves have held the first-round NHL draft pick (St. Louis Blues) without a point this season and saddled him with a minus-3 rating.
Despite being in so many close games this season, the Seawolves have yet to win consecutive games. They next entertain Wisconsin (7-6-3, 3-5-2 WCHA) in a league series that opens Friday at Sullivan Arena.
That series opens a run of three consecutive WCHA home series for the Seawolves, who remained tied for seventh place in the 12-team league.
Seawolves notes
Though they have been bageled three times in 14 games, the Seawolves still are a long way from the school record for most times shut out in a season.
The 2002-03 team -- that's the club that won its season opener and then went 0-28-7 the rest of the way -- played shutout victim eight times, including five times in its last 15 games.
UAA recruit Sam Mellor, a forward who plays for the Trail Smoke Eaters of the British Columbia Hockey League, has been named to Team West for the two-game Canadian Junior Hockey League Prospects Game in Dauphin, Manitoba, on Dec. 7-8.
Entering Saturday, Mellor owned 23-21--44 totals in 24 games.
Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
UAA 0 0 0 0 -- 0
CC 0 1 0 0 -- 0
First Period -- None. Penalties -- Leinweber, UAA (hooking), 1:26; R. Schwartz, CC (roughing), 12:35; Sproule, UAA (roughing), 12:35; Gorham, UAA (elbowing), 15:16.
Second Period -- 1, CC, Skalbeck 2 (Behrend), 2:08. Penalties -- Portwood, UAA (tripping), 6:36; Guentzel, CC (boarding), 9:07; CC bench minor, served by Johnson (too many men), 13:03; McDermott, CC (tripping), 19:15.
Third Period -- 2, CC, Rapuzzi 3 (Dineen), 19:06 (en). Penalties -- Sproule, UAA (holding), 8:05; Parkinson, UAA (tripping), 10:13; R. Schwartz, CC (hooking), 10:36; Lowery, CC (interference), 13:57.
Shots on goal -- UAA 5-8-13--26. CC 7-8-5--20.
Power-play Opportunities -- UAA 0 of 5; CC 0 of 5.
Goalies -- UAA, Gunderson, 3-5-1 (19 shots-18 saves). CC, Howe, 5-6-1 (26-26).
A -- 6,920 (7,380). T -- 2:09.
Referees -- Derek Shepherd, Marco Hunt. Assistant referees -- Stephen Stankevich, Scott Staudte.
UAF 5, Ohio State 2
No. 14-ranked UAF scored five unanswered goals in the last half of Saturday night's game to earn a 5-2 victory at Ohio State. Behind Scott Greenham's 37 saves and Cody Kunyk's goal and two assists, the Nanooks (8-5-3) squeezed four points out of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association series -- they earned three points Saturday and one in Friday's 3-3 tie that earned Ohio State an extra point for a shootout win.
Colton Beck and Ron Meyers each added one goal and one assist for UAF, which sits fourth in the 11-team conference. Nik Yaremchuk furnished two helpers.
By DOYLE WOODY
dwoody@adn.com