 | | |  | Alaska Anchorage 4, 10 Wisconsin 2
Kendall Hockey Classic
Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska • Attendance: 3,001
Final Stats | Final Stats  |  | |
| | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | Wisconsin
| 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | Alaska Anchorage
| 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | | | | | Scoring Summary | | 1st | 14:02 | UAA | Kozun (Van Allen, Docken) | | 2nd | 2:31 | WIS | Ustaski (Wagner, Ford) | | 2nd | 3:38 | UAA | Kozun (Hubbs, Van Allen) | | 2nd | 9:23 | UAA | Trupp | | 2nd | 17:01 | WIS | Davison (Hughes, Linhart) | | 3rd | 3:49 | UAA | Allen (Cameron, Coldwell) | | | Goaltender Summary | Min | GA | Sv | | WIS | Rumpel (0-1-0) | 59:30 | 4 | 21 | | UAA | Mantha (1-0-0) | 60:00 | 2 | 27 | | Statistical Comparison
| WIS | ALA | | Shots on Goal | 29 | 25 | | Power Plays | 0-5 | 0-3 | | Penalties-Minutes | 6-12 | 9-29 | | |
Oct. 12, 2014
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Wisconsin fought back multiple times in the final game of the Kendall Hockey Classic, but ultimately could not overcome an early deficit, falling to tournament host Alaska Anchorage, 4-2, Saturday night at Sullivan Arena.
| Fast Facts | | • Matt Ustaski scored first UW goal of 2014-15 | | • Wisconsin outshot UAA, 29-25 | | • Tim Davison earned first career goal | |
A second-consecutive fast start for UW (0-2-0) gave it a 7-0 shot advantage early in the game.
The No. 10/12 Badgers drew multiple penalties in the first period, recording five of their first eight shots on the power play.
The team finished 0-for-5 on the man advantage, while UAA (2-0-0) was 0-for-3.
From the first goal on, it seemed as if Alaska Anchorage got all the bounces.
With just under five minutes left in the opening period, the Seawolves Derek Docken slid a pass from the right defense position to Chase Van Allen on the left side of the ice. The lefty fired a shin-high slapper which deflected off Joel Rumpel's butterflied pads and to the stick of Tad Kozun who battled with a UW defensemen in front. He backhanded the puck with just enough speed and accuracy to bank off the right post and into the net, giving UAA the lead.
Then, madness ensued.
Twelve seconds after scoring its first goal, Alaska earned another great opportunity.
A shot trickled under Rumpel and appeared to ricochet off the post. The puck then hit off the back of the senior goaltender's pads and reversed back toward the goal line. In desperation, Rumpel dove, extending his stick and paddling the puck out of danger.
The goal judge flashed the light behind the net, but the referees said otherwise, allowing play to go on.
The teams went on for over a minute until a whistle prompted an official review of the scoring chance.
The video replay was initially unavailable due to technical difficulties, so the goal judge's call was awarded to UAA.
But following an argument by the Wisconsin coaching staff, the technical difficulties were resolved and the referees confirmed the puck hit the post and, in fact, did not cross the goal line.
The confirmation proved to be a momentum shift, as the Badgers remained just one goal down rather than being forced to crawl out of a two-goal deficit--a daunting task for any team, let alone a young, mostly inexperienced squad in its second game playing together.
The long-awaited first goal of the season for the Badgers came in historic fashion, as freshman Matt Ustaski recorded his first career tally on a rebound in the second period.
Back-to-back goals by the Seawolves put Wisconsin on its heals, but Tim Davison restored the team's confidence with a top-shelf wrister that cut the lead to one.
Unfortunately, though, UAA failed to let up in the third period, picking up another goal to cushion its lead.
The Badgers earned a major power play with 13 minutes left after Brett Cameron was booked for a contact to the head penalty against Davison, which knocked the redshirt freshman's helmet off.
UW earned good chances on the five-minute man advantage, but were unable to convert in the end.
Seawolves freshman goaltender Olivier Mantha played his best hockey in the final 20 minutes of the contest, as the La Tuque, Quebec, native, stopped 12 shots in the period, including an acrobatic, diving save to prevent Adam Rockwood from burying an open-net goal.
UW outshot the Seawolves by four, challenging Mantha 29 times--a massive improvement from the 14 shots it had against Alaska in the first game of the season.
Goaltender Landon Peterson was named to the Kendall Hockey Classic All-Tournament team after recording 30 saves and allowing just one goal against Alaska in the season opener.
Due to a goals allowed tiebreaker, the Nanooks earned the tournament title over Alaska Anchorage, which snapped a four-year stretch in which the Seawolves were champions.
UAA has won the tournament eight times in 24 years.
Wisconsin returns to the ice Fri., Oct. 17 at 7 p.m., in Green Bay, as the team takes on Northern Michigan in the first tilt of a two-game series.
