More than 20 months, and 18 hockey games, had passed since UAA last won outside the state, so it seemed fitting the Seawolves' game-winning strike Saturday night was delivered by a junior who is a portrait in perseverance.
Junior Connor Wright, playing his first game of the season and just the eighth of his career, scored his first career goal in the second period, and it stood up as the difference in UAA's 3-2 victory at Alabama-Huntsville.
Wright, a 23-year-old walk-on from Anchorage, scored off a Blake Leask rebound to give the Seawolves a 3-1 lead deep into the second period. That cushion proved vital when Alabama-Huntsville's Max McHugh scored with less than eight minutes left at the Von Braun Center, where the Chargers outshot the Seawolves, 14-2, in the last 20 minutes.
Even so, UAA's Western Collegiate Hockey Association win earned it a three-point weekend to open conference play. The Seawolves (4-1-1 overall, 1-0-1 WCHA) and Chargers (1-2-1 overall, 0-1-1 WCHA) skated to a 3-3 tie Friday.
In stretching its unbeaten streak to four games (3-0-1), UAA won Outside for the first time since winning at Lake Superior State in Michigan on Feb. 8, 2014 -- the Seawolves had gone 0-16-2 Outside since. The three road points Outside marked the first time UAA has secured three points out of state since a tie and win at Huntsville on Jan. 17-18, 2014.
Anchoring UAA's successful weekend was sophomore goaltender Olivier Mantha, who stopped 37 shots Saturday after turning aside 35 on Friday, and furnished a .935 save percentage in the series.
The Seawolves on Saturday staked themselves to a 2-0 lead, just as they did Friday, when they fell behind 3-2 before senior center Blake Tatchell's third-period equalizer held up for a tie.
Saturday, sophomore winger Anthony Conti opened the scoring 12 minutes into the game, beating Carmine Guerreiro (19 saves) high to the glove side. Sophomore center Matt Anholt and senior utility man Blake Leask – he's played defense, center and wing in his Seawolves career – furnished the assists.
Junior winger Dylan Hubbs stretched UAA's advantage to 2-0 five minutes into the third period, with Conti assisting.
Chargers freshman Jetlan Houcher pulled his club to within a goal at 2-1 with a power-play strike 62 seconds after Hubbs' goal.
Wright, who played three seasons of junior hockey, two in Alaska and one Outside, moved into the lineup because the Seawolves were without two freshman forwards. Winger Mason Mitchell served a one-game, WCHA-imposed suspension for his major penalty Friday – he was booked for contact to the head just 82 seconds into that tie – and center Nicolas Erb-Ekholm sat out with an upper-body injury.
Wright's goal less than one minute after a Seawolves power play expired regained momentum for UAA.
UAA returns home to entertain Bowling Green in a WCHA series that features a pair of matinees. The games at Sullivan Arena are Saturday at 2:07 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2:07 p.m.
Seawolves notes
Anholt's assist gives him at least one point in all six games this season. His 2-5—7 totals come after he put up 2-7—9 totals in 34 games as a freshman.
Anholt is tied for the team lead in scoring with Tatchell (3-4—7) and freshman winger Jeremiah Luedtke (1-6—7).
Conti's goal was his third and gives him 3-1—4 totals in four games after earning 4-6—10 totals in 32 games as a freshman.
Conti and Leask each generated their third multiple-point games as Seawolves.
Mantha entered the series with a .881 save percentage and raised it to .907.
UAA went 0 for 4 on the power play, snapping a streak in which it scored at least one power-play goal and went 5 for 10 in that stretch.
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockey-blog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr
UAA 1 2 0 -- 3
Ala.-Huntsville 0 1 1 -- 2
First Period – 1, UAA, Conti 3 (Anholt, Leask), 12:09. Penalties – Wright, UAA (tripping), 8:16.
Second Period – 2, UAA, Hubbs 2 (Conti), 4:48; 3, Ala.-Huntsville, Houcher 1 (McHugh, Brears), 5:50 (pp); 4, UAA, Wright 1 (Leask), 14:49. Penalties – Dusyk, UAA (interference), 5:41; Buri, Ala.-Huntsville (slashing), 6:53; Van Allen, UAA (hooking), 9:24; Parker, Ala.-Huntsville (tripping), 12:00.
Third Period – 5, Ala.-Huntsville, McHugh 3 (Champagne, Saulnier), 12:21. Penalties – Kestner, Ala.-Huntsville (slashing), 3:17; Marooney, Ala.-Huntsville (hooking), 15:02.
Shots on goal – UAA 10-10-2—22. Ala.-Huntsville 17-8-14—39.
Power-play Opportunities – UAA 0 of 4. Ala.-Huntsville 1 of 3.
Goalies – UAA, Mantha, 3-1-1 (39 shots-37 saves). Ala.-Huntsville, Guerriero, 1-2-1 (22 shots-19 saves).
A – 2,261 (6,602). T – 2:19.
Referees – Tommy Albindia, Dan Kovarik. Assistant referees – Doug Martinson, Ben Cobb.