Freshman forward Brady Risk and his Alaska Nanooks hockey teammates seem to have found their scoring touch.
Risk scored three times and added an assist on Friday night as the Nanooks earned their first road win of the season, skating to a 6-2 victory over the University of Maine Black Bears in Orono, Maine.
After skating to a 1-1 tie in the first period, the Nanooks scored five straight goals before Maine registered the final tally of game. It was the Nanooks biggest offensive output of the season.
“The guys came out strong and played hard from start to finish tonight,” Nanooks coach Erik Largen said via cell phone following the game. “We’re finally starting to put a few pucks in the net and that helps get everything rolling.”
Risk scored Alaska’s first three goals of the game.
His first goal came at 11:04 of the first period with assists going to Caleb Hite and Eriks Zohovs.
After Maine tied the score on a power-play goal by Adam Dawe in the final minute of the first period, Risk picked up his hat trick scoring twice in the first three minutes of the second.
His second goal came just 24 seconds into the middle period and put the Nanooks ahead for good with assists going to Garrett Pyke and Didrik Henbrant, who had three assists on the night.
Risk collected his hat trick and registered the game-winning goal at 2:50 of the second period with assists going to Henbrant and Filip Fornaa-Svennson.
“He scored three different ways,” Largen said. “The first one was a one-timer off a nice assist from Hite, the second was kind of a dirty tip-in from in front of the net and the third was a good finish to a rush up the ice.”
Payton Matsui and Fornaa Svennson added goals in the second period to give the Nanooks a 5-1 lead and Simon Falk tallied early in the third period to put the game away.
Maine’s Edward Lindelow put the puck in the net midway through the third period, but Alaska goalie Gustavs Grigals stood tall the rest of the way to preserve the victory.
Grigals made 37 saves on the night. Alaska scored on six of its 27 shots on goal.
“Maine is a team that likes to shoot a lot and Gustavs was great tonight,” said Largen. “He made big saves when we needed them just as he’s done all season. We were finally able to give him some offensive support tonight.”
The Nanooks were 0 for 2 on the power play Friday night, while Maine was 1 for 6 with a man advantage.
The 5-13-1 Nanooks played the 2-12-4 Black Bears again on Saturday night in Orono.
