The big news for the night was that a game we all thought would be on TV didn't pan out. I could speculate on the exact nature of the problem but I won't. Dr. Cobb stopped by the chat room and apologized and indicated GCI told them it wasn't a problem on their end. So since I didn't see the game and it didn't come on at 7PM as I'd hoped I'm not going to bother with any analysis. What the hell could I really know about a game I didn't see.
Instead, I'm going to give you a cut/paste job of the most excellent recap that UAA's Assistant SID Dallas Baldwin supplies for the GoSeawolves.com website. If you don't go over there for all the particulars that I seemingly never provide then you're not getting the full picture. Educated sports journalists know exactly how to present the relevant information and quite honestly Dallas does a great job. It's not "fun" to write up a recap and give all the details. What she does makes me look like the dilettante that I really am.
MADISON, Wis. - A pair of goals by senior forward Josh Lunden wasn’t enough to lift Alaska Anchorage over Wisconsin, dropping the Western Collegiate Hockey Association series with a 6-2 loss on Saturday at the Kohl Center.Normally, it would be inappropriate to copy an entire article that someone else published even when it's been properly attributed; copying just a part of the article and linking readers to the remaining text is the accepted best practice. Since I see this as an attempt to promote the excellent work from Dallas, I hope UAA won't sue me (even if I also admitted I'm doing this as a sort of "cop out").
The Badgers (6-3-1, 4-3-1 WCHA) swept the Seawolves (4-8-0, 2-6-0 WCHA) for the third time in two seasons with three Wisconsin goals following both of Lunden’s tallies.
The Seawolves were on the board first with Lunden’s strike at 15:32 on the second shot of the game. Junior defenseman Luka Vidmar and junior forward Tommy Grant were credited with the assists on Lunden’s fourth goal of the season.
Celebration was cut short as the Badgers retaliated with a goal just 11 seconds later by senior forward Ben Street, tying the game 1-1. Wisconsin took the lead at 12:37 of the second period with a goal by senior forward Blake Geoffrion, followed by the game-winner at 2:32 (Patrick Johnson).
With UW on the power play, Lunden added his second tally of the evening and 5th of the season at 6:36 of the third - the first shorthanded goal of his career - bringing the Seawolves within one at 3-2. Senior forward Kevin Clark - current UAA point leader with nine - registered the helper.
A minute later, UM added their fourth goal at 7:42 off the stick of freshman Craig Smith - his second in the series. The final two goals for the Badgers were on the empty net.
The Badgers placed a season-high 42 shots on net after hitting UAA with a season-high 37 shots on Friday night. The Seawolves were held to a season-low 13 shots on net. Junior goaltender Bryce Christianson (2-4-0) posted a season-high 36 saves in the loss - just two shy of his career best. Junior Scott Gudmandson (2-1-1) picked up the win with 11 saves.
Both teams were scoreless on the man advantage - UAA (0-3) UW (0-7). The Seawolves were sent to the penalty box 10 times, serving 20 minutes, while the Badgers were 6-12.
The Seawolves failed to receive any points this weekend, maintaining their 8th place ranking in the league with Michigan Tech with four points apiece.
Lunden's tallies mark the first two-goal game for him since March 6, 2009 against Minnesota-Duluth. Lunden leads all current UAA scorers with 44 goals - breaking him into the top 20 on the all-time career list.
The Seawolves will return to the Sullivan Arena on Nov. 20-21 for a conference series with Minnesota State. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:07 p.m. AST both nights.
So take a moment sometime and send Dallas an email and tell her how much you appreciate all the hard work she does for the program. All the UAA contact email addresses are here.
Here's the boxscore.
38 comments:
Please don't let it be along character building year Lord.
Since we get swept on our road trips, it is VITAL that UAA sweeps Mankato this weekend. If not, we risk ending up in last place again.
Seawolves, we die hard fans want the Sully full, just as much as you do. Winning at home is the only way to get 'em back. So lets win this next Friday nights game, and then follow it up with the sweep on Saturday.
After the win and excellent play against DU, some fans who had turned to the Aces have remarked to me "I would go again, that was some of the best hockey I have seen in years". Let's not disappoint them.
Puke, this kind of play makes me sick. 12 shots on goal? 12? Are you kidding me? What is wrong? Is there something in the water on campus that every year we get to go through this shit?
And what shit are you going through? Do you study full time, spend every other week on the road, play in a half-full barn off of campus and then travel to Wisconsin and ND and UM and see what real community support is like? You either support your team or you don't. (Root for the home team. If they don't win it's shame.) These are student athletes for Christ's sake. What came first, the chicken supporting Anchorage fans or the egg winning team? What makes me puke are "fans" who need their ego boosted by young men playing their hearts out. (And if you don't see their frustration, then you're blind.) Cheer for the Yankees. It's much easier that way. This team will come around. Let the finger pointing begin.
The last goal of the game UAA was on the PK, it wasn't an empty net. W's goal before that was an empty net goal. So, add a couple of weak goals, and the game was tighter than the score shows.
annabelle, that has been the same story for years. Oh no, if only we had a couple goals here or there. Really. Wow. You don't say. Bottom line is Wisconsin has a better team than UAA this year.
So we are really not as bad as our record indicates? I always thought that you are what you are. What are we? 4 and 8? Not we wanted, not what we expected, but par for a 9th or 10th place team.
-30-
You have to understand the frustration of UAA fans. We have now endured 16-17 straight losing seasons. It gets old. We do go to the games, we are faithful, we bring friends. But the only way the "half full barn" is going to fill up is if the team starts showing some heart and wins games.
Splitting at home and getting swept on the road is a recipe for a last place team, once again.
Frankly, some of the games I watched this year, they looked like they couldn't care less. No jump, no heart. Let's see what they can do this weekend, they should be able to sweep at home.
This isn't USCHO, it isn't SiouxSports, it's not Gopher Puck Live; it's not any sort of fan forum. Instead, I've been attempting here this season to cultivate something beyond those typical insult filled bullshit comments.
I'm not going to edit/delete folks that I know are Seawolves fans. But please have some consideration for others and avoid the pointless insults toward fans who cheer for the same team, Ogie. Seriously. We can disagree amongst ourselves without that shit.
Save it for quanset-hut, ATCO trailer monkeys from FBX and represssed serial murderers from North Dakota.
The wcha is the toughest division in college hockey. When the play und, minnesota, wisconsin and denver. These teams are stacked with nhl draft choices 1st and 2nd round players. They play these players to death.
Our players are top end junior players mostly from western canada.
It is not easy playing in there barns. Our players have had some success against two of the top teams at home.
I am sure the younger players believe minnesota state will be easy.
The seniors will hopefully fill them in quickly, all teams in the wcha are tough, we have not had a lot of success agaist minnesota state the last few year.
We are still in 8 th place, to move up in the standings we have 4 games at home and 2 on the road.
Colorado will be tough, minnesota state series is critical to win.
St cloud series could send everyone home at christmas happy.
All the best to the team the next 6 games.
Let's support them this weekend against minnesota, we have played well at home.
Fan
Ogie, the boys do give a shit otherwise they would not be there. They don't go out to practice every day and workout every day and go to school every day to not. They don't go onto the ice thinking they are not going to win before a game.
Dave-so. Anchorage, I just said that the game could have been different. It was just a comment relating to last night game only, not this season or last seasons. Last night there were positives.
Lunden's shorthanded goal was great, they beat DU and UND, so it could have happened with Wisc. but it didn't. It will this week-end coming up though. Go Seawolves!
As one of the parents of one of the players, they do care more than you think.
This is a very spirited group of players, they are lead by a very talented group of seniors.
Give them a break it is only 1/3 through the season, no team wins those tough road games.
Let's put together a strong weekend against minnesota state.
All the best to all the fans, parents and uaa coaching staff.
Great job Donald.
Do not take minnesota state lightly.
Last three years, our record.
3 wins, 2 ties and 7 loses.
It will be tough.
We need the sweep though, this is a must weekend for the team,
Fan
Ogie: It's you're a fucking loser, university, and aren't. (Those contractions and capitals can really confuse a fella.) An all-around intelligent response. Boy, if only you had the chance you'd have beat State single handed. Won one for the gipper, no doubt. I go to the university. Too much.
Suze: Yeah, I get it. It's the profanilty and negativity of others I don't get.
-30-
Not to beat a dead horse, but I wish you could have seen what the atmosphere was like when the Sully WAS full every game. If you didn't have season tickets, you could hardly get a ticket.
Fans like a winner. It is not fair to compare UND, UW, and UM's fan base to UAA's. Those teams all have successful seasons year after year. They have national championship banners hanging from their rafters. I dare say if they came in last or next to last 17 years in a row, they wouldn't have the fans they have now.
Shyiak mentions over and over how the boys have more fun on the road, and that doesn't go over well with long time season ticket holders. If he's trying to use reverse psychology, it's not working.
The Aces have had successful seasons and have grabbed much of the UAA fan base, I know this for a fact (many friends have switched allegiances). The economy is tight, most families can't afford to support both teams.
Winning is the only answer. It's a two edged sword, because the guys play better with a full house, but the fans aren't going to spend big bucks to watch the home team get beat 6-1.
I know this team is capable of beating anybody in this league, but they are inconsistent. Is it the coaches job to motivate college kids? Or are they capable of doing it themselves?
What Donald posted recently is true. They need to win as a team, support each other, help out their goalies, and never throw in the towel. No more standing around flat footed, we've seen too much of that and I don't understand why, as they have proven they can skate with anybody.
This weekend I want to see the team who played the Saturday game against UND. I want to see players diving to get the puck out of the zone, laying down to block shots, giving it their ALL. When they play that way, you KNOW they want it more than the other team.
WIN. EVERY. SHIFT. We're bringing friends, everyone else try to do the same, okay? Tell your friends about the family promotions, lets get the Sully full again.
Well said, Suze.
Im at every game and have been going since I was 6 years old (over 20 years) so dont give me a lesson on the good old days when the Sully was full...I just comment on what I see
I have never seen the players quit, i have seen the coach quit on the players going in to the third period, sit his top guns and get blasted 6 to 2 or worse, keep games respectable, other coaches in the wcha don't allow that.
They play there seniors and juniors to death in the third.
Shyiak will blame the upperclassman every year, but throw a fourth line out in the last minute, and they will rack other one in on us. Seen and watched this for four years.
Our seniors and juniors will make the difference if played a lot more during the game.
I stand corrected. We are clearly not outmatched on the ice...
And on the attendance issue. Winning will help, alot, but getting local talent on the team is paramount. When the team was winning pre-Christmas break last year the Sully was still empty. People don't care to watch a bunch of kids they've never heard of and have no connection to, I hear it all the time from coworkers and friends. Many of you will disagree. But you have to understand that is because you are a die hard fan... which explains you reading this. The average fan needs more than finishing in last every year with a roster of non-Alaskans. Something has to change, and getting local talent is an easy change to make.
I'm going to be there regardless, so will 3000 others apparently. But to fill the place Shyiak has to find a way to recruit locally.
I agree about recruiting the local kids, but if we have local kids and still continue to come in last, it won't change a thing.
I totally disagree with you on this issue. A perfect example is the Aces. They not only have different line ups each year, but even during the season. Players get called up to the AHL all the time, and the crowd doesn't KNOW who most of the players are, yet they still fill the stands.
The Aces had 5835 last night and 5000 on Friday.
Look at the UAA volleyball team, Saturday's attendance matched the second-biggest turnout in UAA history. They set a school record for consecutive wins. They only have 4 local girls on the team.
When the womens b-ball team was hot, the Wells Fargo was rocking.
It's going to take more than half a season of winning hockey games to draw the fans back. As well as the Aces having a bad season or two.
Didn't I read these comments, 5 years ago? We seem to get to rehash this same storyline year after year and nothing changes. Something is stuck right now, when it seemed like we were making strides. Nothing will be solved in the near future except for the guys desire and determination not to let this year get away from them. They are capable, they have decent talent, what's missing is the things we as fans can't see. What is going on with the Coach/player relationships on and off the ice? We won't know anytime soon. Personally I'd not like to know, I'd like to see the team shrug off this rough start and start to be consistent and being able to compete game in and game out. With that will come the victories and we can start to talk about other, more positive things.
Local talent, they do not want to play at uaa, they go to denver, who we just waxed 7 to 3.
They go to und we just beat 2 to 1.
Kids do not want to play in there home town. We lost crowder, bales, akien, and moir, replace them with rookies. If we sweep minnisota state this weekend we are 4 an 6 in the wcha.
People in anchorage panic, not having a rink on our college site hurts our attendance.
Clark and grant are in the top 18 in scoring in the wcha.
We have two players who have scored 5 or more goals already, that is better than half the teams in the wcha.
Like one person said they change the aces lineup weekly.
Look for positive not negatives.
3000 to 4000 diehard fans are better than 2000 extra people who come just for something to do.
Fan
You only win one game at a time, and win one season at a time, once this team starts winning this weekend. All will be quiet again.
"We lost crowder, bales, akien, and moir, replace them with rookies." What about Robinson?
Right... and when we had them we were in last place.
I'm just telling you what I hear when I talk to people who don't go to games (pretty much everyone in the city). Winning would help, but so would having local talent. And that garbage about local talent not wanting to play at UAA is just that, garbage. Look at the roster from 2002/3. Lots of local kids. I seem to remember the Sully having a lot more life then too. (but that memory may be affected by the haze of college life)
As I said earlier, I hear all the time from people that if UAA is going to finish in last every year it should at least be doing it with local kids. I tend to agree, though I'd rather win with a roster full of Hungarians. Many of the old school Anchoragers don't feel the way I do.
And no, winning one game this weekend will not change anything. Because we'll still be at the bottom of the standings when the final bell tolls.
I'm so damn sick of losing. I can't understand how you all support Shyiak still! Isn't five years of bad recruiting and mediocre second halves enough! What does he have to do to lose your support?
The unarguable point is that what Shyiak is doing is not working. Change or quit Coach.
OnWolves:
See ... isn't that easier than tip toeing around your agenda without actually saying it.
You don't want Shyiak. Nothing wrong with expressing that.
For myself, I'm not ready to assert that we need a different coach. We've had no success to speak of in the WCHA with any coach we've had.
I don't think Brush got a real chance after founding the program and getting it to respectability. I supported Talafous for two years, hated him the 3rd and joined USCHO with the name "AnyoneButTalafousNow" at the beginning of his 4th year. The John Hill debacle soured me further since he claimed this was his dream job and then threw the program under the bus when he was bailing for personal reasons. It has all put me in a state of mind where I want consistency.
Shyiak hasn't done enough in my opinion to bring in local players. If all else is generally equal then I'd rather have a local kid than a guy from somewhere else. I think the hometown boy factor can help a kid develop into more than he might have otherwise been. But for whatever reason the local kids aren't committing.
But in either case, so far I've felt it's more important to support the program for the sake of consistency and hope that at some point the local kids will start wanting to come here again. But it isn't like there has been any historical march by local studs to UAA no matter who the coach. Historic WCHA rosters are littered with great hockey players from Anchorage regardless of who was coaching here. So I think it's unfair to put it all on Shyiak's plate.
I've said consistently since writing this blog (4 years now) that evaluating Shyiak's performance had to wait until after this season, it takes that long for any coach to make a program his own.
So let's see how it goes the rest of the season. I can see that you already know how things will turn out. But I don't. I'm willing to let them actually play all the games.
TIP TOEING AROUND MY AGENDA?! Is that a joke? I've advocated for a change in the coaching position for the past year and a half! Remember firedaveshyiak.com? That was me.
Anyway, I agree with you though, it is not fair to put it all on Shyiak. I actually agree with most of your post. My blood boils when I think about the current state of my Wolves and end up overstating things.
I don't know how the season will pan out. As always, I hope I'm wrong, I just haven't seen anything to make me believe that I will be...
I see lots of complaining about not signing local talent, but I don't think you can name a WCHA player from Alaska that we did not try to recruit. One of the things that fans don't know is who we are trying to recruit, because until they sign, the school can't comment on them.
I am positive that UAA tries to recruit local talent in all sports, but those with offers outside rarely consider us. I spoke with an allstate basketball player last year who was heading out of state and he was offered by UAA, but did not even consider it because he wanted to go outside. He is in some godforsaken school in nowhere Colorado. You just cannot tell an 18 year old that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
I never saw your website. I never heard of it. The "tip-toeing" reference was because now that you've finally said what your bottom line is that everything else you've said was mostly window dressing.
It isn't like you're the only UAA fan that dislikes Shyiak so I'm sure you don't feel like the lone ranger. But I'm sure it should be clear to you that I write this blog in support of the entire program.
And so to do that, I do everything possible to maintain a positive but honest focus. I have a wide audience that spans all who have an interest in the program. I try to write with that wide audience in mind.
There are many private discussions where I express views that I wouldn't mention here. That's because I think those views don't serve the "support the program" motif.
The first question I generally ask someone who wants to see Dave replaced is ... With who? Lets for a second consider that Dave isn't the right man for the job. Throw out a name of someone you think is. I don't see a plethora of quality coaches applying for jobs at other programs in past off-seasons? So the reality is ... that any potential replacement is essentially a gamble.
What's the saying "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't"?
In my mind, Shyiak is far from actually being a "devil" anyway. Would you rather have Talafous?
There is ONE name that I'd support to replace Shyiak. Brush Christiansen. But that ain't gonna happen for about a million reasons. So until and unless someone makes that happen then Dave is my guy because he's got the reins and hasn't done any worse than anyone else.
I hate to give Hill credit, but he did have more success than Shyiak has had. Especially his first year.
Hill:
1st year: 12-19-5
2nd year: 1-28-7
3rd year: 14-23-8
Average: 9-23-5
Shyiak:
1st year: 6-27-3
2nd year: 13-21-3
3rd year: 7-21-8
4th year: 14-17-5
Average: 10-22-5
Shyiak had a good fourth year, let's see what happens this weekend, I am sure he is going to field the strongest and healthy players this weekend.
The upperclassman have played well at home. Yes the team is in 8 the place not 9th or 10th. Baby steps, win this weekend and maybe move up one more spot.
I am sure our players are going to come out strong this weekend.
The first four years are gone, don't live in the past.
Support yuor team this weekend,
2 wins and we are 4 and 6 in the wcha.
fan
Just support the team. That's all. They are proud to wear the UAA colors so jsut cheer them on.
D, whose this band?
What band? Huh?
The pic on the top of this post...
OH. I dunno. When I have a title for a post I go to google images and type it in. When I find a pic I like I use it.
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