Senior goalie Dan Ragusett stopped all 24 shots he faced Thursday night, leading Northern Michigan to a 3-0 shutout win over Alaska-Fairbanks.
Eleven of Ragusett’s saves came in the third period, after his teammates had earned a three-goal cushion in the opening two stanzas. Chris Gobert led that offensive attack, netting a goal and an assist, while Chad Theuer and Terry Harrison each recorded a goal as well.
The Wildcats (10-6-5, 6-5-4 CCHA) outshot the Nanooks, 28-24.
Theuer opened the scoring halfway through the first, when his wrist shot went off UAF goalie Lance Mayes and into the net to make it a 1-0 game. Gobert and Fred Mattersdorfer each earned assists on the play. The goal was Theuer’s fifth of the season.
NMU added to that lead midway through the second, when Gobert displayed his individual skills, carrying the puck into the zone and scoring to make it 2-0. Gobert made his move with a Nanook defender draped over him and a delayed call coming against UAF. Freshman defenseman Justin Kinnunen added an assist, netting his first career point in his first game as a blueliner.
Harrison capped the win at 15:35 of the second, scoring on a breakaway off a pass from defenseman Jimmy Jackson.
Both teams failed to convert on the power play, with NMU going 0-for-8 and UAF 0-for-7.
The shutout was the eighth of Ragusett’s career, and the first for the Wildcats against Alaska-Fairbanks (6-9-4, 4-7-4). The two teams will conclude their weekend series Friday night at the Berry Events Center.
