Seawolves 4 - MTU 0: Well Earned and Deserved

If ever a hockey team deserved an outcome it was the UAA Seawolves tonight. So often I've echoed Coach Shyiak's assertions that the Seawolves are better than their record would indicate and tonight they were rewarded with a "W" for their outstanding effort. It wasn't the first time we UAA fans have seen our team outplay and opponent. But it was the first time in quite a while (I ain't looking it up) that we saw them get that "W" at home. Big huge well-earned congratulations to the team. Not a single skater in green and gold tonight looked as if they believed anything other than victory would be the result. Everyone looked confident. Everyone looked like they just were not going to be denied. And you know what? It's great to see them play that way and get the win. That'll make their late night pizza's taste better. That 3 Musketeers bar will be sweeter. Even a simple drink of cold water from the faucet tastes better tonight. UAA fan blog commenter and Chugiak resident Will Shaw (section 213, row 2) couldn't even jinx Jonny O with his talk of "shutouts" while there was still 14 minutes left in the game. Lucky for him that MTU didn't score otherwise he'd have walked out dripping from the Coca-Cola I would have dumped on his head!

Congrats to Jonny O on the shutout. Congrats to the goal scorers (Tarkir @ 4:46 of the 1st; Lunden @ 6:38 of the 1st; Waldrop @ 4:35 of the 2nd and Lovdahl @ 7:58 of the 2nd). 10 different players made it onto the scoresheet. Tarkir's goal was a result of going hard to the net following a shot. Lunden's goal resulted from quality cycling deep in the MTU zone and a sweet pass from Kevin Clark. Waldrop's goal came from a bit of a scramble in front and being in the right place at the right time. Lovdahl's goal was an absolute rocket from inside the blueline on the power play. Four completely different situations and all of them important lessons as well as something that has been preached by the staff. Work the puck deep, go hard to the net, play good positionally and shoot the puck. Sound simple? It is simple. Simple hard-nosed smart hockey well-executed in all phases. The hitting game was plainly evident and forceful all night long particularly in neutral ice and in MTU's zone. The Huskies trapped for the entire game but it never really presented a problem as the Seawolves skated through it and/or just forced their way through neutral ice. Defensively, the team was very sound. If there was a glitch or mistake then someone was there to cover it up. Once again the team did a good job blocking lanes and forcing the opponent wide. Of the 18 shots he faced probably only 3 or 4 were from prime scoring areas. And when a good shot did get through he was Jonny O on-the-spot. No sloppy rebounds; no juggled shots; a solid all around performance in the net and a shutout to show for it. Congratulations are certainly in order for that as well.