In two disappointing games this weekend, the Nanook men’s hockey team dropped two games, each 3-1, to the Michigan State Spartans.

“I’m extremely proud of the guys,” coach Doc DelCastillo said after Friday’s game, “We played the type of game that I think you need to play to beat a team like Michigan State.”

Friday’s game looked promising, as just five minutes into the game, junior Tyler Eckford scored on the defending National champions off a power play pass from junior Adam Naglich. The Nanooks held onto that lead for just about five minutes, when Tim Kennedy, MSU’s top returning scorer, put the puck past Alaska goalie Chad Johnson for the equalizer.

The tie held throughout the second period, and near the end of the third period, Kennedy struck again, putting the Spartans up by one. The intensity picked up towards the end of the game, with 10 minutes in penalties on each side, more than the first two periods combined. The penalties frustrated coach DelCastillo.

“If there’s one thing I would change about the game it’d be the discipline,” he said, “I don’t think you can spend as much time as we did in the penalty box and be successful.”

With just 58 seconds to go in the game, DelCastillo called a time out and pulled goalie Chad Johnson for a try at the one-man advantage. With 25 seconds remaining, MSU’s Chris Mueller chipped a puck towards the Alaska net, and luckily missed. However, his teammate Daniel Vukovic was luckier. His shot with 14 seconds remaining hit the net and sealed the Nanooks’ loss, 3-1.

Saturday’s game was similar for the Nanooks, however, the Spartans started off the scoring. Just under a minute into the contest, MSU captain Brian Lerg five-holed goalie Wylie Rogers to take the early lead. The Nanooks continued to fight however, and despite a scare, a goal that was waived off due to MSU players being in the crease, came back later in the period.

Freshman Landon Novotney, who has had an impressive record so far in the Nanooks’ sparsely-scheduled early season, put the puck past goalie Jeff Lerg from a very wide shot. “I figured just put one on net and see what was gonna happen, and sure enough, Lerg misplayed it and I scored off the play,” Novotney said after the game.
Unfortunately, that was the last of the scoring for the Nanooks, though not for lack of chances. Novotney had five solid shots on goal, but none could get past Lerg.

“A tremendous amount of respect for Lerg down in the net,” said coach DelCastillo after Saturday’s game, “I thought he gave up a questionable one which he usually don’t do in the first period and then I think he made up for it in the second and third.”

Lerg made 26 saves throughout the night, shutting down point-blank shots and an odd-man rush by Novotney and fellow freshman Dustin Sather.

The Nanooks couldn’t capitalize on power play opportunities, or in some cases, keep their power plays, including when MSU’s Justin Abdelkader got a 5 minute major penalty, and one second later, junior Adam Naglich was whistled for a tripping penalty. Late in the second period, senior Brandon Gawryletz was whistled for an elbowing penalty, and the Spartans took advantage of the power play and a faked shot caused goalie Wylie Rogers to commit, and although he stumbled across and got a piece of the shot, which came from the opposite side of the net, it still trickled over the line.
The Nanooks held their place through the third period, and in a near repeat of the night before, coach DelCastillo called a time out with about a minute and a half to go. Rogers was pulled with only 42 seconds left on the clock. Just 10 seconds later, freshman Landon Novotney got a penalty for goaltender interference, and instead of returning Rogers to goal, DelCastillo chose to keep five players on the ice.

When asked after the game to explain that decision, DelCastillo explained: “I could care less if we lose 2-1 or 3-1, and I wasn’t going to go shorthanded … sometimes in a hockey game you just have to go for it and we tried to go for it and it seems like both nights it cost us.”

With four seconds remaining, MSU’s Kennedy put the puck in the Nanook net, again sealing their fate.

“I don’t think it was much different than last night,” Coach DelCastillo said after the game, “I think we did a better job of staying out of the box which was probably our main key last night and that cost us the game.”

The Nanooks have had a slow schedule this October, with their only other games being road losses to the Anchorage Seawolves. “We’ve played a bad 11 minutes out of those 4 games and we haven’t had one win,” DelCastillo told fans and media after Saturday’s game, “[The fans and community] should be proud of how these guys played.”

Next weekend, the Nanooks head to Ann Arbor, Mich. to play the University of Michigan. They then have a week off and over Thanksgiving weekend head to Nebraska-Omaha to face coach DelCastillo’s former team.