Team Alaska isn't expected to contend for the crown at USA Hockey's Tier I National Championships for U-14 boys, but the host club furnished its fans a dramatic, delightful victory Friday.
The Alaskans used Teddy Stevens' 42 saves and Hunter Paek's goal in the waning seconds of overtime at the Subway Sports Centre to deliver a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Thunderbirds.
On the second-day of a 16-team, five-day tournament at the highest level of American youth hockey, Paek scored off assists from Asa Kinnear and Jeffrey Bertrand with just 14 seconds left in OT.
Alaska (1-1-0) earned a 1-0 lead just 96 seconds into the game when Brandon LaJoie scored off a Kinnear helper. Killian Kieker-Olson forged a 1-1 tie for Colorado (1-1-0) deep into the second period.
But Stevens stopped 15 shots in the third period and five in overtime to set the table for Peak.
Meanwhile, four teams improved to 2-0-0 with victories Friday, the second day of three days of pool play before elimination games Sunday and the championship game Monday. Shattuck-St. Mary's of Minnesota, Little Caesars of Michigan, the Chicago Mission and the Boston Jr. Eagles all remain unscathed, and all on Friday clinched quarterfinal berths.
Details of some games were unavailable because of difficulties encountered with USA Hockey's digital scoring.
Here's how the other games went:
Shattuck-St. Mary's 6, Compuware 0: Robert Mastrosimone scored one goal and added two assists for Shattuck, and Huston Karpman and Alexander Hodges each generated one goal and one assist to support Derek Mullahy's 22-save shutout.
Little Caesars 4, Team Illinois 0: Zach Allen stopped 12 shots and Jacob Badal led Little Caesars with one goal and one helper. Laker Aldridge, Niklas Andrews and Jack Chauvin also scored.
New Jersey Colonials 3, Buffalo Jr. Sabres 2: The Colonials rallied for three third-period goals, two of which came from John Farinacci, who bagged the game-winning strike. A comeback was possible because goaltender Matt Schoer, who entered the game trailing 2-0 after barely three minutes were played, rebuffed all 20 shots he faced.
Chicago Mission 4, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 1: Aeden Drossos scored two goals, Luke Toporowski and Gerald Mulack added goals and Frank Tummillo racked two assists in support of 14 saves from Chicago goalie Jackson Bernard.
Other scores: Team North Dakota 4, Belle Tire 3; Boston Jr. Eagles 2, LA Jr. Kings 0; Mid Fairfield Jr. Rangers 2, Thunder 1.