The announced crowd of 2,953 UAA drew for its season-opening hockey game Friday night at Sullivan Arena was larger, by more than 400, than any it attracted last season.
Fans didn't hit the exits celebrating, though.
No. 13-ranked Minnesota took a while to unlimber its arsenal before it unloaded on the Seawolves for a 6-0 nonconference victory that snapped UAA's string of 15 consecutive openers without a loss.
The Gophers, three-time defending Big Ten regular-season champs, used 14 saves from sophomore goaltender Eric Schierhorn of Anchorage, three goals from its deep stable of NHL-drafted defensemen and superior skill to flourish.
The Seawolves, 12-0-3 in 15 previous openers, were shut out in a season opener for the first time in the program's 38 seasons.
Fourth-year UAA coach Matt Thomas was good with his club's effort and couldn't fault junior goaltender Olivier Mantha (33 saves). What he didn't enjoy were little things — easily defended dump-ins, giving up puck possession when holding onto it would have been a wiser choice — that ultimately triggered Minnesota's lethal transition game.
"I thought we needed to be a great back-checking team, and we were a poor back-checking team,'' said Thomas, pinpointing Seawolves deficiencies on Minnesota's first two goals.
Mantha, who was often under siege, was disappointed, but not discouraged.
"It wasn't that bad,'' he said. "There are details — nothing drastic — but if you don't do them, it ends up in the back of your net. We can learn a lot from this game.''
The Seawolves face an immediate chance to improve. They face rival UAF, a fellow Western Collegiate Hockey Association member, on Saturday night.
The 14 shots Schierhorn denied were the fewest the reigning Big Ten Goaltender of the Year has faced in a full college game. Though nervous to play a college game for the first time at home in front of family and friends, and the first time at home at any level since middle school, he banked his fourth career shutout.
"I was saying in there,'' Schierhorn said with a nod toward the visiting dressing room, ''it's probably the easiest shutout of my life.''
The Seawolves, whose power play was the second-worst in NCAA Division I last season, came up empty on five power-play chances and put four shots on Schierhorn with the man advantage. The closest they came to scoring was when sophomore winger Mason Mitchell rang a shot off the left post at even strength early in the third period.
UAA permitted Minnesota two power plays, but one lasted five minutes — senior winger Dylan Hubbs was whistled for a major penalty for unnecessary roughness for a hit on Gophers defenseman Jake Bischoff. But the Seawolves burned off the major, in large part courtesy of Mantha's stinginess — he stopped seven shots in that span of penalty-killing.
Schierhorn's stellar defense — all six blueliners who dressed Friday are NHL draft picks — ate plenty of pucks. Minnesota blocked nearly as many shots (12) as the Seawolves fired shots on goal (14).
"That's a recipe for success,'' Schierhorn said.
Minnesota earned a 1-0 lead when freshman defenseman Ryan Zuhlsdorf, who didn't score a goal in 46 games in the U.S. Hockey League last season, joined the rush midway through the first period. He turned a brief 3-on-2 that was seemingly neutralized into a 4-on-3 and beat Mantha with a wrister from the high slot.
Bischoff, who delivered two goals for his first multiple-goal game as a Gopher, joined the rush in the second minute of the second period and flicked a backhander from close quarters over Mantha's glove. Brent Gates' high, screaming one-timer from the slot, off Jack Ramsey's feed into his wheelhouse, pumped the lead to 3-0 late in the second period.
Bischoff and Gates sandwiched third-period goals around one from freshman center and third-round draft pick Rem Pitlick, who led the USHL last season with 46 goals in 56 games. That was 11 more than any other player on that elite junior circuit.
Pitlick, racing down the left wing, rocketed a slapper over Mantha's glove.
Gopher linemates Connor Reilly and Tyler Sheehy each generated three assists.
Seawolves notes
UAA's loss in the season opener was its first in a season opener since falling to Michigan State, 5-4, in 2000.
Junior winger Tad Kozun, who led UAA with 13 goals last season, should be in the lineup against UAF. He sat out Friday's game because he received a fighting major, and automatic one-game suspension, is the season finale against UAF in March.
Referees nationally have been instructed to crack down on restraining fouls like interference and holding. Still, the Seawolves and Gophers played disciplined, and referees Chris Perrault and Dan Kovarik whistled seven penalties — five on Minnesota, two on UAA, for a combined seven power plays.
The UAA Blueliners Booster Club is still seeking youth teams of any sport to help sell jersey raffle tickets at Seawolves home games as a fundraiser. Teams must be comprised of athletes in eighth grade or below. For more information, call or text Al Haugen at 907-830-4404, or email him at alhaugen@gci.net
UM 1 2 3 — 6
UAA 0 0 0 — 0
First Period — 1, UM, Zuhlsdorf 1 (Reilly, Sheehy), 11:42. Penalties — Novak, UM (goaltender interference), 8:17; Collins, UM (holding), 17:52.
Second Period — 2, UM, Bischoff 1 (Reilly, Sheehy), 1:35; 3, UM, Gates 1 (Ramsey, Sadek), 18:13. Penalties — Gates, UM (slashing), 3:10; Bristedt, UM (cross-checking), 6:48; Hubbs, UAA, major (unnecessary roughness), 9:40.
Third Period — 4, UM, Bischoff 2 (Sheehy, Reilly), 1:24; 5, UM, Remlick 1 (Bristedt, Lettieri), 14:46; 6, UM, Gates (Cammarata, Zuhlsdorf), 15:59. Penalties — Johnson, UM (interference), 9:42; Johnson, UAA (tripping), 12:21.
Shots on goal — UM 8-19-12—39. UAA 4-4-6—14.
Power-play Opportunities — UM 0 of 2. UAA 0 of 5.
Goalies — UM, Schierhorn, 1-0-0 (14 shots-14 saves). UAA, Mantha, 0-1-0 (39 shots-33 saves).
A — 2,953 (6,251). T — 2:16.
Referees — Chris Perrault, Dan Kovarik. Assistant referees — Travis Jackson, Carl Saden.