The UAF hockey team (1-5) began their New York road trip with two games against the Clarkson University Golden Knights (5-2) on Friday and Saturday. They trailed early in both games, resulting in comeback efforts that ended in a win and a tie. Friday: Nanooks take opener behind two-goal third period UAF began the series on a high note with a 3-1 win over the Golden Knights on Friday behind a pair of third-period goals.
It helped them pull away for their second consecutive victory. Clarkson started out strong in the opening period, as they put up 26 total shots and went on two power play opportunities. It seemed their efforts had led to a score in the final seconds when a goal was signaled for the Golden Knights, but was called off after review due to goalie interference.
The second period proved to be more balanced for UAF. They fell behind on the power play thanks to a Jared Mangan goal for the hosts, but they managed to pull back on a Chase Dafoe equalizer later on. Now in the final period of regulation, Alaska took control.
Cade Ahrenholz capitalized on a misplaced pass from behind the net in the Nanooks’ offensive zone, which led to him giving the team their first lead of the night. With around two minutes left, Kyle Gaffney doubled the advantage to give the game its final score of 3-1 and see the Nanooks pick up their second win in a row. The trio of Dafoe, Ahrenholz and Gaffney combined to help the Nanooks score three goals.
It marked the first time since their season.
