UAA's it's-a-new-day marketing theme carried over into the new year Friday.
The Seawolves opened 2014 with a novel result: A road win over Wisconsin.
UAA scored 37 seconds into the nonconference game and never trailed en route to a 3-2 win over the 13th-ranked Badgers, a win that marked the Seawolves' fourth this season over a nationally ranked team.
The nonconference win in Madison, Wis., vaulted the Seawolves past the .500 mark at 9-8-2.
The outcome ended a slew of streaks, including:
• Wisconsin's six-game winning streak;
• Wisconsin's 11-game undefeated streak at the Kohl Center;
• Wisconsin's 15-game home winning streak over UAA, which dated back to 2005.
For the Seawolves and first-year coach Matt Thomas, it was the first victory this season on an opponent's home ice. Earlier, UAA beat Denver on neutral ice in Fairbanks and tied Bemidji State in Bemidji, Minn.
UAA took a 1-0 lead on its first shot of the night when junior Scott Allen scored his team-leading 11th goal of the season off a pass from Brett Cameron. A glove save by senior Chris Kamal near the end, with Wisconsin's goaltender on the bench in favor of a sixth attacker, preserved the victory.
Wisconsin -- UAA's former rival in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association until joining the new Big Ten hockey league this season -- tied the game early in the second period on Tyler Barnes' power-play strike.
UAA answered with goals from a pair of sophomores to lead 3-1 after two periods and chase goaltender Landon Peterson (15 saves).
At 8:07, Ben Mathhews made it 2-1 with his first collegiate goal, with assists going to Andrew Pettitt and Zack Rassell. At 18:35, Blake Tatchell scored on the power play -- after fanning on his first shot, he made contact on his second to beat Peterson.
The Badgers (10-6-1 overall) made it a one-goal game on Mark Zengerle's power-play goal at 14:32 in the third period. At the end they were denied by Kamal's glove save on a shot that came after the Badgers had sent Joel Rumpel, Landon's replacement in goal, to the bench for an extra attacker.
Kamal stopped 26 shots for his second straight win in net.
UAA and Wisconsin meet again Saturday at 4 p.m. AST. Another UAA victory would mark the team's first sweep in Madison since 2000.
UAA 1 2 0 -- 3
Wisconsin 0 1 1 -- 2
First Period -- 1, UAA, Allen, 11 (Cameron), :37. Penalties -- none.
Second Period -- 2, Wisconsin, Barnes, 8 (Mersch, Zengerle), 1:22 (pp); 3, UAA, Matthews, 1 (Pettitt, Rassell), 8:07; 4, UAA, Tatchell, 6 (Kwas, Leask), 18:35 (pp). Penalties -- Van Allen, UAA (hooking), :44; Matthews, UAA (holding the stick), 3:14; Simonelli, Wisconsin (holding), 5:19; Williams, UAA (interference), 12:10; Schulze, Wisconsin (high sticking), 12:46; McCabe, Wisconsin (elbowing), 13:08; Mersch, Wisconsin (high sticking), 18:04.
Third Period -- 5, Wisconsin, Zengerle, 2 (Barnes, Mersch), 14:32 (pp). Penalties -- McCabe, Wisconsin (tripping), 3:42; Coldwell, Wisconsin (holding), 13:21.
Shots on goal -- UAA 5-13-11--29. Wisconsin 8-10-10--28.
Power-play Opportunities -- UAA 1 of 5. Wisconsin 2 of 4.
Goalies -- UAA, Kamal, (2-1-0) (28 shots-26 saves). Wisconsin, Peterson, (3-5-1) (18 shots-15 saves); Rumpel (11 shots-11 saves).
A -- 8,411. T -- 2:20.
Referees -- McInchak, Pochmara. Linesmen -- Czech, Shikowsky.
Anchorage Daily News