While there are no such things as moral victories in sports, there are such things as litmus tests that gauge where a team stands at a given point in the season.
After opening its 2024-25 campaign against reigning national champion and top-ranked University of Denver, the University of Alaska Anchorage hockey team faced another tough challenge over the weekend with a two-game home series against another nationally ranked opponent, No. 9 Colorado College.
Following a decisive 2-1 loss to the Tigers in the first game Friday night, the Seawolves fought hard but fell Saturday in a 2-0 shutout at the Avis Alaska Sports Complex.
“It’s a good measuring stick for where we’ve come through eight games,” UAA head coach Matt Shasby said Saturday. “(Friday) night was a good game and I think our guys left a lot on the ice, and I feel like our first two periods tonight was more of a recovery from last night’s competition, but we’ve come a long way in eight games.”
Shasby said the Seawolves need to start capitalizing on special teams in order to get the puck in the back of the net more often, especially in tight games.
“Our power play needs to start clicking,” Shasby said. “We’ve just got to be able to find a way to generate 5-on-5. I don’t think we have the skill level to create too many pretty goals, so we have to figure out ways to get some dirty ones.”
UAA failed to capitalize on any of their three power play opportunities, including a five-minute major in the first period, and only outshot Colorado College 5-3 when they had the numbers advantage on the ice.
“At the end of the day, our power play has got to start putting one in a night for us to have a chance,” Shasby said.
While the Seawolves weren’t able to seize those prime scoring opportunities, they didn’t let the Tigers score on their two chances either.
“We were good on the kill tonight,” Shasby said. “It’s been an emphasis because we’ve struggled a little bit earlier in the year, but for the most part, special teams was a bit of a wash tonight. They had had a weird kind of lob goal, and the hometown kid (Bret) Link was able to get one while he was in town, so congrats to him.”
Colorado College’s Link, who is from Anchorage, said he had north of 30 family members and friends in attendance for Saturday night’s game and was grateful for the chance to play in front of them and score the first goal of the game in the opening period.
“It was unbelievable,” Link said. “Getting the chance to just to play here, first of all, is crazy and to be able to contribute, that was very special for me.”
Growing up in Anchorage, he always imagined himself playing on the Seawolves home ice after attending so many games, and it was even sweeter to be able to do so this weekend and emerge victorious.
“I watched a ton of games growing up, just dreaming that I could play here one time, and to be able to get the chance is just crazy to think about,” Link said. “It was really cool being able to not (only) come here and play, but get two wins.”
UAA was facing an All-American goaltender in this series with Kaidan Mbereko of Colorado College recording 18 saves on Saturday and preventing 27-of-28 shots from finding the back of the net the night before.
The Seawolves (1-7-0) will have a two-week break in action before facing off with in-state rival University of Alaska Fairbanks in the first installment of the annual Governor’s Cup series.
“The guys that have been here for two years have seen Fairbanks raise the Governor’s Cup each of the last two, so it’s a point of emphasis for our upperclassmen to put on a good effort,” Shasby said.