By Virg Foss
GRAND FORKS -- Too little, too late.
That was the story for the University of North Dakota men's hockey team tonight in dropping a 3-2 Western Collegiate Hockey Association contest to visiting Alaska Anchorage.
The Seawolves (3-2-2 WCHA, 6-3-2 overall) jumped to a 3-0 lead over the sluggish Sioux and survived two late goals by Ryan Duncan (Sr., Calgary, Alberta) at 17:56 of the third period and by freshman Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) at 19:17.
The loss in front of a sellout crowd of 11,772 at Ralph Engelstad Arena -- the 41st home sellout in the new Engelstad Arena -- dropped the Sioux to 3-4 in the WCHA and 3-6 overall.
First goals of season by defensemen Nils Backstrom at 1:07 of the first period and by Curtis Leinweber at 6:58 of the second period staked the Seawolves to a 2-0 lead. Sean Wiles then finished a 2-on-1 rush with his first goal of the year at 13:01 of the second period and a 3-0 lead.
It proved to be too much for UND to overcome, despite the late flurry sparked by assists on both goals by Sioux junior defenseman Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba), back in the lineup after missing one game with upper and lower body injuries.
The Sioux managed just 10 shots on net through two periods before firing 11 at Anchorage goalie Jon Olthuis in the final period. Anchorage was looking for its first shutout win ever over the Sioux in 55 meetings until Duncan took that away with his power-play blast high to the short side late in the game. The goal was the fourth of the season for the Sioux captain, tops on the team.
Anchorage blocked 21 Sioux shots in giving Olthuis plenty of help.
"I think they outworked us for 57 minutes in our own building,'' Duncan said. "That's unacceptable. Thankfully we have another game tomorrow night to hopefully redeem ourselves.''
The Sioux had chances to answer Backstrom's early screen shot from the right point, but Evan Trupp (So., Anchorage, Alaska) and Brad Malone (So., Miramichi, British New Brunsick) missed on partial breakaways in the first four minutes of the game.
A 5-minute major on Anchorage's Jade Portwood early in the third period gave the Sioux an extended power play and a chance to rally. The Sioux mustered just two shots on net on the power play, the same number as Anchorage had shorthanded.
It was a disheartening loss and performance for the Sioux. Even the late rally didn't help much.
"It shows we can do it against this team,'' Duncan said. "But no moral victories for this team. We're a 3-6 team right now, and I think we're much better than that. We've got to turn it around quickly, or else our season will be ending early.''
Hextall scored his third goal in the last three games when he pounded on a loose puck in front of the net off a Genoway shot and shoveled it past Othuis.
The Anchorage goalie made a big pad save on a Jason Gregoire blast (Fr., Winnipeg, Manitoba) with 19 seconds left on a shot that would have tied the game. Olthuis wasn't sure he had made the save, looking behind him for the puck in the net.
"It's disappointing to come out the first 20 minutes and be down like that,'' Hextall said. "We've got to find a way to be ready. It's a 60-minute hockey game, not a 20-minute (game) or two minutes, like we did tonight.''
Sioux senior goalie Aaron Walski (Fargo, N.D.) started the game and gave up all three goals while making nine saves. He was replaced after Anchorage's third goal by freshman Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta), who stopped all six shots he faced.
The Sioux could muster little offense at all through two periods.
"I think we only had eight shots after two periods (actually 10) and that's unheard of and that's unacceptable for the Fighting Sioux.''
It certainly was for UND head coach Dave Hakstol.
"We didn't play with a whole lot of energy, we didn't have a lot of jump in our legs until the last two minutes,'' Hakstol said.
Anchorage, a bigger team than the Sioux, clogged the shooting lanes time and again.
"You've got to have a desire to get to the top of the crease,'' Hakstol said. "You have to have a desire to get bodies and pucks there. When you're playing a half-step slow, it's tough to do against a defensive team. Give Anchorage credit, they're a good defensive team. They played a good road game tonight.''
Hakstol said the Sioux looked "comfortable'' in their performance, and he didn't mean that as a compliment.
"Comfortable is not a very good word to associate with a hockey team.'' Hakstol said. "Especially when we need to be scratching and clawing to get ourselves back to where we want to be.''
Why the Sioux played that way -- especially coming off a strong showing last weekend in splitting on the road at No. 1-ranked Colorado College -- puzzled Hakstol.
"I'm not going to guess why that is,'' Hakstol said. "That's how we looked, from the drop of the puck.''
Missed chances on the good scoring opportunities the Sioux did have factored in, too.
"We didn't make the plays, we didn't answer,'' Hakstol said. "That had a major affect on the hockey game. Had we been able to get one early, that probably injects a little more life into our bench.''
But on this night, the Sioux never got themselves and the crowd into the game until it was too late.
SIOUX NOTES: Duncan led the Sioux in shots on goal with six, followed by Gregoire and senior forward/defenseman Brad Miller (Alpharetta, Ga.) with three each . . . Anchorage is now just 3-23-3 in 29 games against the Sioux played in Grand Forks . . . Sioux senior defenseman Joe Finley missed his seventh straight game with an upper body injury . . . The Sioux were 1-for-7 on the power play with nine shots and Anchorage 0-4 with two shots.
Virg Foss covered Fighting Sioux hockey for the Grand Forks Herald for 35 seasons until his retirement. He now reports on UND home games for Fightingsioux.com.
