With each potential point in the standings lost, UAA's margin for error in its quest for a playoff spot becomes thinner, like the ice after each pass of a Zamboni dry-scraping the rink.
And with just eight Western Collegiate Hockey Association difficult regular-season games remaining, the Seawolves' postseason ambitions remain in perilous position.
Eight of nine eligible teams in the WCHA will make the league playoffs – UAF is prohibited from postseason play because of NCAA violations in previous seasons.
At the moment, UAA is the team on the outside looking in, sitting last in the league, trailing the eighth-place tie between Alabama-Huntsville and Lake Superior State of Michigan by two points. While the Seawolves have two games in hand on Alabama-Huntsville, they also face an obstacle other than their two-point deficit – both the Chargers and Lakers own tie-breakers over the Seawolves.
UAA's grind to the finish line – it lost twice last weekend at No. 1-ranked and league-leading Minnesota State-Mankato -- continues Friday night when it opens a home series against No. 5 Michigan Tech.
"If we're going to get in (the playoffs), we have to win,'' said UAA coach Matt Thomas. "I figure we have to go .500 to give us a chance.
"We just need to win. We can't put ourselves in a spot where someone else has to win for us to get in.''
The Seawolves have gone 2-8-0 since the holiday break, sandwiching four-loss streaks, including the current one, around two wins at rival UAF in the first two games of the four-game Governor's Cup.
After falling 5-2 and 4-0 at Minnesota State-Mankato to wrap a 0-4-0 road trip, UAA's challenge doesn't get easier.
Michigan Tech sits second in the conference. It has won six straight games. It swept UAA in Houghton in November, 2-0 and 3-1. The Huskies rank seventh nationally in scoring (3.50 goals per game) and third in defense (1.87 goals against per game), and sport superb special teams. They possess dynamic upperclassmen scorers – Tanner Kero, Alex Petan, Malcolm Gould and Blake Pietila have combined for 50 goals and 120 points in 30 games. And they have a junior goaltender, Jamie Phillips, with sublime stats – 21-6-1, 1.85 goals-against average, .930 save percentage and three shutouts.
Compounding UAA's situation is that it does not play either Alabama-Huntsville or Lake Superior State again, depriving it of a chance to earn points while at the same time denying those clubs points. Alabama-Huntsville plays a series at Lake Superior State this weekend and the worst thing that can probably happen for UAA is a series split between the Chargers and Lakers.
The Seawolves, meanwhile, must earn points against a punishing schedule. After this weekend, they travel to Bemidji State in Minnesota, where the Beavers are strong on home ice, then finish by entertaining Bowling Green and UAF. Bowling Green is ranked No. 8 and UAF no doubt will be looking to avenge its two Governor's Cup losses and will be doubly motivated in a series that marks the end of its season.
"The thing that has eluded us is 60 minutes (of sound play) and a lack of goal production at key times,'' Thomas said. "It's not like we're playing brutal, it's just we're not getting results, and results are what you have to have this time of year.''
Seawolves notes
UAA received strong goaltending when it lost twice at Michigan Tech in November. Freshman Olivier Mantha stopped 44 shots in the 2-0 loss and red-shirt sophomore Michael Matyas stopped 24 of 26 shots in the 3-1 loss that came with a Huskies' empty-net goal.
Both Seawolves' goals last week at Minnesota State-Mankato came on the power play. UAA has not scored an even-strength goal in 125 minutes, 8 seconds. That dates back to Scott Allen's game-tying, extra-attacker goal with 19 seconds left in regulation in a 3-2 overtime loss at Northern Michigan.
Friday's ticket promotion: Buy four tickets for the price of one using promo code 'score' at ticketmaster.com.
Saturday's ticket promotion: Buy two tickets for $20 using promo code 'wins' on ticketmaster.com.
A Skate With The Seawolves session is set for 1-3 p.m. Sunday at Westchester Lagoon.
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockey-blog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr
No. 5 Michigan Tech
22-7-1, 17-4-1 WCHA
at
UAA
7-15-4, 4-14-2 WCHA
Friday and Saturday, Sullivan Arena, 7:07 p.m.
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