UAA surrendered a season-high 42 shots to Minnesota State-Mankato on Friday night and generated a season-low 12 shots, and the result for the Seawolves predictably reflected those numbers: a road loss.
UAA sophomore goaltender Olivier Mantha delivered a season-high 40 saves and kept his team in the hunt deep into the third period of a 2-0 Western Collegiate Hockey Association defeat at the Verizon Wireless Center.
UAA's offense has not furnished a goal in 122 minutes, 37 seconds – the equivalent of more than two regulation games – and that drought dates back to Mason Mitchell's goal less than three minutes into a 1-1 tie with Penn State a week ago.
The Seawolves' offense began weakly, with six shots in a first period when UAA faced four Mavericks power plays, and proved increasingly unthreatening from there. UAA mustered four shots in the second period and two in the third period, with both of those coming in the late going.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but Minnesota State-Mankato's Bryce Gervais, who notched the game-winning goal, fired nine shots on goal and eight different Mavericks cranked three shots or more. UAA sophomore Tad Kozun was the only Seawolf with as many as two shots.
The only bright spots for the Seawolves were Mantha, their stalwart, who made his ninth straight start, and their penalty-killing crew, which snuffed all seven Mavericks power plays. Mantha, who stopped 36 shots in that 1-1 tie with Penn State, raised his save percentage to .918 from .913.
Mantha has endured this drill before. He stopped a career-high 49 shots in a 4-0 loss at Mankato last season, when the Mavericks outshot the Seawolves 53-12.
UAA, which is 1-4-1 in its last six games, dropped to 6-5-2 overall and 3-3-1 in the WCHA heading into Saturday's series finale. Minnesota State-Mankato improved to 7-6-2 overall and 6-1-2 in league, and pushed its unbeaten streak to four games (2-0-2).
Mantha held the Mavericks in check until deep into the second period, when Minnesota State-Mankato made the Seawolves suffer for their turnover. UAA captain Austin Sevalrud tried to play the puck up the wall, but Gervais threw his body against the glass to keep the puck in UAA's zone. Mavericks freshman center Ryan Schwalbe of Anchorage picked up the loose puck and fed Gervais, who beat Mantha high to the glove side with a backhander from the slot for this team-high fifth goal and a 1-0 lead.
That lead held until more than 15 minutes elapsed in the third period – and, mind you, the Seawolves did not muster a shot in those first 15 minutes of the period.
Mavericks freshman winger Chandler Madry, the former Fairbanks Ice Dog, delivered the dagger with less than five minutes to go when he flicked a high floater from the right circle over Mantha to furnish a 2-0 cushion.
Madry's strike was his first college goal and came in his second game for the Mavericks.
Mavericks freshman Jason Pawloski bagged his first college shutout.
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockeyblog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr
UAA 0 0 0 -- 0
MSM 0 1 1 -- 2
First Period -- None. Penalties – Hubbs, UAA (tripping), 5:41; Leask, UAA (tripping), 9:37; Tatchell, UAA (slashing), 13:39; Mullin, MSM (charging), 14:07; Sevalrud, UAA (elbowing), 19:34.
Second Period – 1, MSM, Gervais 5 (Schwalbe), 15:03. Penalties – Coatta, MSM (hooking), 2:37; Nelson, MSM (tripping), 5:46.
Third Period – 2, MSM, Madry 1 (Huntebrinker), 15:29. Penalties – Sevalrud, UAA (boarding), 1:35; Mitchell, UAA (tripping), 5:31; Foguth, MSM (roughing), 7:59; Schmeisser, MSM (roughing), 7:59; Mitchell, UAA (charging the goalie), 7:59; Kozun, UAA (roughing), 7:59; Williams, UAA (roughing), 7:59; Blueger, MSM (tripping), 16:37; Knowles, MSM, double-minor (roughing), 16:37; Mitchell, UAA (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:37; Azurdia, UAA (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:37.
Shots on goal – UAA 6-4-2—12. MSM 16-13-13—42.
Power-play Opportunities – UAA 0 of 4. MSM 0 of 7.
Goalies – UAA, Mantha, 5-5-2 (42 shots-40 saves). MSM, Pawloski, 4-0-2 (12 shots-12 saves).
A – 3,189 (4,832). T – 2:20.
Referees – Bobby Lukkason, Brady Johnson. Assistant referees – Neil Missling, Matt Anderson.