ANCHORAGE, Alaska. ? Alaska Anchorage?s Chris Takir scored the game-tying goal with 1:48 remaining in the third period to rally the host Seawolves to a 3-3 tie with the Canisius College hockey team in the opening round of the Nye Frontier Classic Friday evening. UAA won the shootout after the game 2-1 to determine the pairings for the championship bracket. Canisius (0-0-1) will face Massachusetts at 4:05 p.m. AST in the consolation game, while the Seawolves advance to face Minnesota in the championship.
Canisius opened the scoring just 2:18 into the first period on a goal by junior Jon Durno. The goal was set up by sophomore Joey Coccimiglio, who took control of the puck behind the UAA net and found Durno alone in the slot for a 1-0 Canisius lead. Junior Andrew Dawe also assisted on the play. The one-goal margin would hold up until the 8:40 mark as UAA freshman Merit Waldrop created a turnover in the neutral zone and beat Canisius senior goalie Bryan Worosz to knot the game at a goal apiece after the opening period.
UAA would strike first in the second period, scoring on their third power-play of the stanza on Waldrop?s second goal of the game. Waldrop snapped a shot from the slot through traffic that trickled into the net inside the left post. Tyler Cherwinski and Spence Gilchrist assisted on the goal for the Seawolves. Even though UAA controlled most of the offensive play for the second period, Canisius would rally to draw even at 2-2 with 1:26 remaining in the period on a goal by sophomore Billy Irish-Baker. Irish-Baker?s shot from the right face-off circle beat UAA netminder John DeCaro between the pads. Freshman Mike Ruberto and senior Josh Zavitz assisted on the goal.
The Griffs netted the go-ahead goal at the 4:12 mark of the third period on a tally by junior Tim Songin. Songin victimized DeCaro between the pads for the third Canisius goal, which was assisted by classmate David Ovcjak. Tarkir?s goal in the final minutes knotted the score at 3-3 and the game could not be decided in the five-minute overtime.
Worosz finished with 27 saves for Canisius. DeCaro posted 16 saves for UAA.
Canisius will face UMass, who lost 1-0 to Minnesota, in the consolation game of the Nye Frontier Classic Saturday, Oct. 16, at 4:05 p.m. AST (8:05 p.m. EST).
