March
18, 2004
WCHA Final Five
He's
the King: Goaltending Leads UAA
| St.
Cloud State 5,
Minnesota Duluth 1 |
| Team |
Goal |
Str |
| Time |
Assists |
| First
Period |
| No
Scoring |
| Second
Period |
| 1-CC |
Trevor
Frischmon (10) |
EV |
| 9:21 |
B.
Sterling, S. Polaski |
| 1-AA |
Brandon
Segal (1) |
EV |
| 9:51 |
C.
Anderson, B. Arcand-Kootenay |
| 2-AA |
Vladimir
Novak (3) |
EV |
| 10:41 |
J.
Johnson, S. Gilchrist |
| 3-AA |
B.
McMann (2) |
EV |
| 19:24 |
V.
Novak |
| Third
Period |
| 4-AA |
Dallas
Steward (15) |
EN |
| 19:43 |
C.
Kronschnabel, L. Green |
| Goaltending |
| AA:
Chris King, 60:00, 44 saves, 1 GA |
| CC:
Matt Zaba, 30:41, 7 saves, 2 GA; Curtis McElhinney, 27:55,
7 saves, 1 GA |
| Penalties:
AA 4/8; CC 4/8 |
| Power
Plays: AA 0-3; CC 0-3 |
| Attendance:
12,713 |
Chris King
had made believers of the announced crowd of 12,713 at the Xcel
Energy Center, who were voicing their support for Alaska Anchorage
and the Seawolves' goaltender as he led his team against Colorado
College.
So it was
only fitting that UAA's Vladimir Novak, upon scoring the go-ahead
and eventual game-winning goal in Thursday's WCHA Final Five play-in
game, did his best goaltending impression, dropping into the splits
in celebration.
Novak would
be best leaving the goaltending to King, however. The senior goalie
continued his red-hot play of late, stopping 44 shots and proving
to be the difference in Anchorage's 4-1 win. The Seawolves prevailed
despite a 45-18 deficit in shots and a relentless Colorado College
team that needed a win to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
"We didn't
play very well," Alaska Anchorage head coach John Hill said.
"I thought Colorado College took it to us.
"Chris
has been outstanding for us all year," Hill added. "If
he played for a more high-profile team, he'd probably be getting
All-America consideration."
Novak's goal
was part of a three-goal spurt in a 10-minute span for the Seawolves,
which quickly erased a 1-0 CC lead and built support for the underdogs
throughout the surprisingly loud half-full arena.
With the victory
the Seawolves, who finished eighth in the WCHA in the regular
season, continue their improbable postseason run. After winning
just one game last season, Alaska Anchorage will meet the nation's
No. 1 team, North Dakota, in the semifinals on Friday.
With King,
however, they know they have a chance.
"With
goaltending," Hill said, "anything can happen, as you
saw tonight."
