Sports

UAA hockey team earns 3-3 tie with No. 4-ranked North Dakota

Rarely in their history of travels to Grand Forks, N.D., have the Seawolves departed the windswept plains packing anything but their hockey gear, personal luggage and a litany of laments.

Yet even after surrendering a game-tying, extra-attacker goal with 68 seconds left Saturday night, UAA returns home Sunday possessing a rare commodity -- a point in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings.

One night after getting thumped by North Dakota for the second time in a three-game span, UAA rebounded with a strong third period and a well-earned 3-3 tie against the nation's No. 4-ranked team.

That proved an emphatic answer to the Seawolves' last two results against the Sioux -- a 4-1 WCHA loss on Friday and a 5-0 nonconference setback to North Dakota a week earlier in Fairbanks.

Saturday's tie, buoyed by Rob Gunderson's 30 saves and third-period goals from Tyler Currier and Jordan Kwas, marked just the seventh time in 34 games that UAA has managed either a tie or win in Grand Forks. Dating back to 1985, UAA is 3-27-4 on the North Dakota campus.

The tie also furnishes the Seawolves (2-2-2 overall, 0-1-1 WCHA) some comfort heading into an idle weekend.

Trailing 2-1 through two periods, UAA forged a 2-2 tie when Currier delivered the first short-handed goal of his career and his fourth career goal in 73 games. That strike three minutes into the period marked UAA's fourth shortie in just six games after managing just two in 36 games a season ago.

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The Seawolves earned a 3-2 lead midway through the third when Kwas bagged his second goal of the season.

Derek Forbort's extra-attacker goal with 68 seconds sent the teams into overtime, where each fired three shots on goal.

After mustering just 18 shots on goal Friday, UAA unleashed 30 shots on North Dakota junior goaltender Clarke Saunders, who shut them out in Fairbanks.

UAA got off 11 shots in the first period alone Saturday and seized a 1-0 lead when Scott Allen deflected Austin Sevalrud's shot from left point four minutes into the game.

North Dakota's Corbin Knight finished a lovely tic-tac-toe play later in the period for a 1-1 tie. Brendan O'Donnell made a spinning, cross-ice pass from atop the left circle, hitting Danny Kristo low in the right circle. Kristo immediately relayed the puck across the top of the crease and Knight roofed a backhander.

Rocco Grimaldi's goal 13 minutes into the second period gave North Dakota (2-1-1, 1-0-1 WCHA) its only lead of the evening at 2-1.

UAA coach Dave Shyiak made a couple of moves with his forward lines that paid dividends.

He moved Allen, a left wing, off junior Matt Bailey's line and onto the line centered by freshman Blake Tatchell. Allen's goal was his team-high fourth.

Left wing Kory Roy moved up to that spot on Bailey's line and both those players assisted on Kwas' goal.

Seawolves notes

Allen's four goals have come in just six games. He scored three goals in 28 games as a freshman last season.

Allen (4-1--5), Bailey (1-4--5) and senior wing Alex Gellert (3-2--5) are tied for the team lead in scoring. Gellert in six games has already matched the five points in accumulated in 25 games a season ago.

Sevalrud, a freshman, picked up his first career point with the assist on Allen's goal.

UAA went 0 for 2 on the power play and is 1 for 19 with the man advantage. On the other hand, while opponents have gone 5 for 26 on the power play, the Seawolves have struck for those four short-handed goals.

Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.

UAA 1 0 2 0 -- 3

UND 1 1 1 0 -- 3

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First Period -- 1, UAA, Allen 4 (Sevalrud, Gellert), 4:05; 2, UND, Knight 2 (Kristo, O'Donnell), 13:39. Penalties -- Rowney, UND (cross-checking), 8:13; Knight, UND (hooking), 16:35; Warner, UAA (hooking), 19:00.

Second Period -- 3, UND, Grimaldi 2 (Mattson, MacWilliam), 12:55. Penalties -- None.

Third Period -- 4, UAA, Currier 1, 3:19 (sh); 5, UAA, Kwas 2 (Roy, Bailey), 10:25; 6, UND, Forbort 2 (Rowney), 18:52 (ea). Penalties -- Williams, UAA (slashing), 2:07.

Overtime --None. Penalties -- None.

Shots on goal -- UAA 11-6-10-3--30. UND 12-9-9-3--33.

Power-play Opportunities -- UAA 0 of 2. UND 0 of 2.

Goalies -- UAA, Gunderson, 1-0-2 (33 shots-30 saves). UND, Saunders, 1-1-1 (30 shots-27 saves).

A -- 11,581 (11,634). T -- 2:27.

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Referees -- Butch Mousseaux, Craig Welker. Assistant referees -- Andy Carton, Nathan Freeman.

By DOYLE WOODY

dwoody@adn.com

Doyle Woody

Doyle Woody covered hockey and other sports for the Anchorage Daily News for 34 years.

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