Special-teams struggles cost UAA hockey team dearly in season-opening loss to No. 1 ranked Denver

In hockey, efficiency on special teams can make or break a game for the team that capitalizes on scoring opportunities when it has the numbers advantage on the ice and defends well when it doesn’t.

The University of Alaska Anchorage men’s hockey team was already facing a daunting challenge to open the regular season, facing top-ranked and reigning Division I national champion Denver University with local legend David Carle at the helm.

Despite coming out swinging in front of a packed house at the Avis Alaska Sports Complex, four Denver goals on the power play proved to be the difference for the Seawolves as they fell to the Pioneers 6-2 on Saturday night.

“The crowd was great and once again our fan base showed up to see us compete and at the end of the day, we took too many penalties against the No. 1 team in the country and you’re not going to be able to win doing that,” UAA head coach Matt Shasby said. “Overall, it was a great environment and great first game of the year for everybody and a lot for us to learn from.”

The arena erupted when Anchorage’s own Aiden Westin scored the first goal for the Seawolves to tie the game 1-1 on a power play with 6:32 left in the first period.

“It was nice,” Shasby said. “Any time we can execute on our special teams late in the power play and a great shot by him.”

After that, Denver scored the next five goals until UAA sophomore defenseman Joey Potter tacked on another goal in the final minute of the third period on a late lapse by the Pioneers.

“I thought we had a decent first period (but) took too many late penalties in the first that allowed them to get that second (goal),” Shasby said. “It’s one of those things where it’s a period by period experience and we weren’t good enough in the second.”

The Seawolves didn’t roll over despite getting outshot 38-12 and racking up 27 minutes of penalty minutes.

“Denver laid off the gas a little bit in the third and just kind of allowed the clock to tick down, but I was proud of our guys to continue to push through to the end, and I’m happy for Joey Potter to get his first collegiate goal,” Shasby said.

While he wished the end result was different, getting to compete against a team of the quality of the Pioneers was an opportunity for the Seawolves to grow.

“Obviously fighting this high above our weight class, we’re going to have some struggles,” Shasby said. “With it being the first weekend of the year, there’s a lot to pull from and learn from.”

While he liked what he saw from his team in 5-on-5 situations, Shasby knew coming in that for the Seawolves to have a chance at pulling off the upset, “It has to be a perfect 60 (minutes) and you can’t take penalties.”

A homecoming to remember

Typically, when a visiting coach and team hits the road for a game, they’re heading into a hostile environment but that was anything but the case for Carle, who felt right at home on the campus he spent plenty of his childhood on.

“It’s nice to have some family and friends in town to be here to cheer you on,” he said. “It’s just a joy to be home and bring our team here and expose them to Alaska. Anyone that is from here is proud of being from here, and I’m no different.”

At the onset of the game, he was hit with waves of nostalgia from his childhood skating in the rink the Seawolves used for camps and practices.

“It’s great to be home, it’s great to see the Anchorage program back and I think Matt is doing a great job,” Carle said. “I just think about myself as a child growing up as a season-ticket holder coming to these games, so it’s great to see the community support and a full building.”

Even though his team won convincingly, he was impressed by the fight the Seawolves put up from start to finish.

“They’re well-organized and detailed,” Carle said. “I thought they made us work for things and I was proud of our guys’ effort throughout the whole 60 minutes. Obviously, our power play executed at a high level tonight. 5-on-5, I thought the play was pretty even but the special teams was certainly a difference.”

Carle believes that the Seawolves are a great role model for the younger generation of aspiring Division I athletes to strive to emulate.

“If Seawolf hockey wasn’t here, I don’t think my brothers and I go on and have the careers that we do in hockey, so it’s really important for this community to have this team here so it was great to see a sold-out building,” he said.

Carle said since the Seawolves program was revived, it more closely resembles the team he grew up loving and rooting for.

“I think the right person is leading this program,” he said. “I believe there is a lot of momentum building to continue to grow and build the right way.”

Growing up, Carle looked up to Shasby and several other Seawolves greats and Alaska hockey legends but now it’s the other way around.

“The roles are reversed,” Shasby said. “He’s the creme de la creme of college hockey coaches and his future in this game is incredibly bright. I was excited for our group to go up against that group because they are so well coached and everything they do is incredible and fun to watch.”

Denver won Sunday’s game 4-1 to earn a sweep of the series. Dimitry Keabreau scored in the final two minutes of the 3rd period for UAA’s only goal.