Austin Sevalrud remembers the intensity of the games played in a hostile environment, against a rival no less -- so much at stake, and every shift mattered.
That was two years ago, when UAA's current captain was a sophomore and the Seawolves came back from a Game 1 overtime loss to beat UAF twice in Fairbanks to win the first-round Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff series and advance to the league's Final Five.
"That was as close as I've felt to a junior hockey playoff series – best-of-7 – because we ended up playing Fairbanks seven times that season,'' Sevalrud said. "There were overtime games, there were injuries, there were battles.
"It was so cool. (Current) freshmen and sophomores don't know what that's like, and I hope they find out.''
With two weeks left in this WCHA season, UAA sits precisely on the playoff bubble – eighth place on a 10-team circuit in which only the top eight teams make the playoffs.
And that makes this weekend's home series against league-leading Minnesota State-Mankato pivotal, because ninth-place UAF is only two points behind UAA and entertains the Seawolves in a regular season-ending series in Fairbanks.
The Seawolves last season finished 10th – no playoffs for them -- and obviously don't want to endure that disappointment again.
"This series is huge,'' Sevelrud said, "and really, at the end of the day, it might still all come down to that series in Fairbanks.''
Both UAA and UAF this weekend face difficult opponents, UAA at home and UAF on the road at Michigan Tech, which is tied for second place and can still win the league.
UAA is coming off a split of a home series against seventh-place Lake Superior State – the Seawolves followed last week's excruciating 3-2 loss with a 5-2 win. UAF, meanwhile, last week split a home series with Bowling Green, gaining its win on Tayler Munson's short-handed strike with 8.8 seconds to go.
Speaking of game-winning strikes, UAA junior winger Brad Duwe remembers a couple in those playoffs two years ago. After UAF beat UAA 2-1 in OT, Duwe, then a freshman, delivered the game-winning goals in a 2-1 victory in Game 2 and a 5-4 victory in the decisive Game 3.
"Being a freshman, I really didn't understand the playoffs,'' Duwe said. "Seeing our seniors and juniors, who had battled to get to (the Final Five) and hadn't, it was eye-opening how important it was.
"I remember, 'Oh, my, this is happening.' ''
UAA senior center Blake Tatchell, who furnished three assists in that decisive Game 3 playoff win, including the principal one on Duwe's game-winner, wants to cap his college career by heading back to the playoffs.
"It's do or die – your season's on the line,'' Tatchell said. "You play with urgency.''
UAA's only certainty entering the weekend is that just four games stand between it and either the playoffs, or another season on the outside looking in.
The league-leading Mavericks await.
Seawolves notes
Sophomore center Matt Anholt's current seven-game point streak is the longest by a UAA player this season. He owns 3-6—9 totals in that span and was the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week after earning 3-1—4 totals in the series split with Lake Superior State.
Tatchell has played in all 138 UAA games in his career. He sits 20th on the program's all-time scoring list with 31-70—101 totals. At No. 19 is defenseman Lloyd Degelman (1982-86), who possessed a wicked shot and earned 35-69—104 totals in 97 career games.
Speaking of ironmen, Minnesota State-Mankato senior forward Bryce Gervais has played in all 154 Mavericks games in his career. Gervais had three goals in the Mavericks sweep of the Seawolves – 2-0 and 6-2 -- in Minnesota in November and has six goals in his last six games against UAA.
UAA sophomore winger Anthony Conti owns a three-game point streak (0-4—4).
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockeyblog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr
No. 18 Minnesota State-Mankato
15-10-7, 13-4-7 WCHA
at
UAA
11-16-3, 8-14-2 WCHA
Friday and Saturday, Sullivan Arena, 7:07 p.m.
TV: Live, GCI Channel 1 and 999 (HD)