FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Contact: Dave Geringer, Sports Information Director
(907) 474-6805 or 6807

Nanooks Even Governor’s Cup as Rogers Blanks Seawolves, 6-0

ANCHORAGE, AK–Youth was served in the second game of the Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup at Sullivan Arena Saturday night.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks’ hockey team got a shutout from freshman goaltender Wylie Rogers (Fairbanks, AK/Victoria BCHL) in his first collegiate start, and got goals from four freshmen, a sophomore and a senior en route to a 6-0 victory over the University of Alaska Anchorage and a 1-1 tie in the series.

Rogers stopped 21 shots, 10 in the first period in which the Seawolves outshot UAF, 10-6, but trailed, 1-0, after a goal by sophomore defenseman Nathan Fornataro (Calgary, AB/Calgary-AJHL) of the Nanooks. Fornataro’s shot deflected off a UAA player in front of the net and beat Seawolf goaltender Nathan Lawson.

Freshman left wing Troy Newton (Kimberley, BC/Trail-BCHL) stole the puck, broke in alone and made it 2-0 on a shot over Lawson’s shoulder three minutes into the second period. Senior center Jared Sylvestre (Bonnyville, AB/Bonnyville-AJHL) made it 3-0 moments later, and freshman forward Aaron Lee (Calgary, AB/Sherwood Park-AJHL) scored his first goal as a Nanook when he converted a pass from sophomore left wing Jordan Emmerson (Abbotsford, BC/Merritt-BCHL) and made it 4-0 at the 8:28 mark of the middle period. A pair of freshmen, Ryan Muspratt (Calgary, AB/Camrose-AJHL) and Ryan McLeod (Fernie, BC/Salmon Arm-BCHL) scored in the third period to make it 6-0.

“The two keys to the win were the play of Wylie Rogers and the fact that we had six different players score goals,” said UAF Head Coach Tavis MacMillan. “We haven’t had that kind of distribution before, and that’s why we won. Wylie made some big saves for us, especially in the first period.”

 “Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition,” said UAA Head Coach John Hill. “Fairbanks was opportunistic, they were hungry and they won the special teams battle. Wylie Rogers came up big for them, he was outstanding.”

UAF improved to 2-2 with the victory, while UAA lost for the first time this year and fell to 2-1-1 with the defeat. Alaska Fairbanks will return to action when they host British Columbia in a pair of exhibition games next weekend. The Nanooks and Seawolves will play the final two games of the four-game Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup series when they meet March 4th and 5th at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.

-UAF HOCKEY-