Lake Superior State freshman goaltender Terry Denike stopped 39 University of Alaska-Fairbanks shots to help the Lakers defeat the Nanooks 4-1 for their first CCHA win of the season.
“The win was good, and Denike’s performance was sound,” said Laker coach Frank Anzalone.
Senior Chris McNamara put the Lakers on the board with a shorthanded goal at the 17:39 mark of the first period. Adam Nightingale added the assist on McNamara’s second goal of the season.
The Nanooks tied the game at 1-1, when Bobby Andrews scored his third of the season just over four minutes into the second period.
With 1:52 remaining in the second, senior Jeremy Bachusz netted the go-ahead goal and eventual game-winner, which put the Lakers up 2-1. Bachusz’s goal was his first in nearly a year, after missing most of last season while suffering from the Epstein-Barr virus.
Both teams went scoreless for the majority of the third period until Kyle Anderson broke through with an unassisted goal to give the Lakers a 3-1 lead.
Lake State gained momentum from Anderson’s goal and after the Nanooks pulled goaltender Preston McKay in favor of the extra attacker, junior Aaron Davis scored from just outside the circle to the right of the net. Davis’ goal was his first of the year and was also unassisted.
The Nanooks out-shot the Lakers 40-20 but couldn’t get much past Denike, who after recording both losses to Michigan State, earned his first collegiate win.
“There were times in the game that we worked very hard, despite not having the skill level that UAF has. The bottom-line was that we were able to keep them at bay, even though we did not play consistently all night,” said Anzalone.
LSSU improves to 2-4-0 overall and 1-3-0 in the CCHA. McKay stopped 16 shots for the Nanooks, who are now 6-2-0 (2-2-0 CCHA).
LSSU and UAF played a disciplined game as only two penalties were awarded during the game. Both calls were on Lake State.
Lake State will travel to Ferris State for a two-game series against the Bulldogs Nov. 2-3, while the Nanooks are headed back to Alaska where they will host the University of Michigan for two games next weekend.
