Suffice to say Blake Tatchell's line shifted its game into high gear Saturday afternoon in Fairbanks.
UAA's senior center and his wingers, sophomore Tad Kozun and freshman Jeremiah Luedtke, racked four goals in the first half of a game at the Brice Alaska Goal Rush tournament to spearhead a 6-2 victory over American International College.
Tatchell delivered two goals and two assists, Kozun scored two goals and added a helper, and Luedtke piled on four assists to give UAA (3-1-0) a perfect weekend in the Golden Heart City.
Sophomore winger Anthony Conti scored UAA's other two goals and sophomore goaltender Jared D'Amico, in his first game of the season, stopped 25 shots.
UAA in Friday's tournament opener generated a third-period comeback to bag a 4-3 victory over Rensselaer.
No such drama was required Saturday, when Tatchell opened the scoring five minutes into the game at the Carlson Center and Kozun struck twice on first-period power plays. Tatchell's line accounted for one-third of UAA's season-high 42 shots on goal – Tatchell fired a game-high six shots on goal, and Kozun and Luedtke each cranked four.
UAA led 5-0 by the time AIC (0-3-0) got on the board.
UAA third-year coach Matt Thomas said Tatchell's top line answered the bell after a lackluster performance against Rensselaer.
"They were a little disappointing (Friday) and we challenged them today before the game and they obviously heard the challenge and responded,'' Thomas said. "You always want production out of your top line, but they weren't playing very well on both sides of the puck. They didn't play a very strong game so we just made a challenge to play a better game all the way around. The guys just stepped up.
"It's funny what a little bit of a challenge and some hard work will do for you. They just worked hard and played well in our end and created (opportunities).''
Tatchell, UAA's leading scorer as both a junior and a freshman, was limited to one assist in the season's first three games. His four-point performance gives him 25-59—84 totals in 112 career games. That's more than three times as many points as any other current UAA skater.
Kozun's three goals tie him for the team lead with freshman defenseman Wyatt Ege, whose two third-period goals Friday engineered UAA's comeback win.
The Seawolves were perfect on special teams, converting both their power plays and killing both AIC power plays. That was an improvement – UAA entered with just two power-play goals in 17 chances and it had surrendered four power-play goals on opponents' 13 opportunities.
UAF (2-2-0) secured the championship of its tournament for the fourth straight year with Saturday night's 4-2 comeback win over Rensselaer. The Nanooks, who received two goals and an assist from sophomore center Tayler Munson of Fairbanks for the second straight night, seized the title by virtue of a better goal differential that UAA. UAF was plus-7 to UAA's plus-5.
UAA this week opens Western Collegiate Hockey Association play when it travels to Alabama-Huntsville (1-1-0).
The Seawolves are seeking to rebound from a last-place finish on the 10-team circuit last season, when they did not qualify for the league playoffs.
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockeyblog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr