UAF Wins First United Collegiate Hockey Cup

Senior captain Chase Dafoe scored 24 seconds into 3-on-3 overtime to lift top-seeded Alaska Fairbanks to a 4-3 victory over second-seeded Lindenwood in the championship game of the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Cup on Saturday in Missouri.

Michael Citara and Peyton Platter each recorded a goal and an assist for the victorious Nanooks (15-15-3 overall), who also got 39 saves from senior goaltender Lassi Lehti in his final appearance in a UAF uniform. Jacob Fletcher scored one goal and set up another for the host Lions (15-15-0), including the tying goal with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. Liam Beerman stopped 18 shots for Lindenwood, which outshot UAF, 42-22, at the Centene Community Ice Center. The Nanooks won 32 out of 58 total faceoffs.

Citara, defenseman Nathan Rickey and Lehti were all named to the UCHC All-Tournament team, while Lehti was also named MVP. Lehti also backstopped UAF to the Adirondack Winter Invitational championship in Lake Placid back in November. 

Long Island defeated Stonehill, 4-3, in the consolation game of the tournament, which featured all five NCAA Division I independent men's hockey programs. UAF, which had a first-round bye as the top seed, defeated Stonehill in a shootout on Friday to advance to the title game, while Lindenwood topped LIU on Thursday to earn its championship contest berth. Alaska Anchorage finished in fifth place after falling to Stonehill and LIU.

Alaska Ties at Quinnipiac

Alaska (Fairbanks) snapped a four-game losing streak and completed a five-game road trip with a 2-2 tie at No. 5 Quinnipiac on Tuesday night at the M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Conn. The visiting Nanooks then outscored the home team in the ensuing shootout, three to two, although the result will be officially recorded as a tie for NCAA purposes.

Chris Pelosi opened the scoring for the host Bobcats with a first-period power-play goal. Misha Danylov then tied matters for the Nanooks halfway through the third period, before Ethan Wyttenbach scored just under four minutes later for Quinnipiac. Alaska then knotted the contest again with less than two minutes remaining in regulation on a power-play tally by Peyton Platter, with the primary assist going to Michael Citara. It was the Nanooks' fourth power-play goal in two games, and Citara's fourth assist in that same span.

Lassi Lehti finished with 39 saves in net for the Nanooks, while Matej Marinov made 14 stops for the Bobcats, as Quinnipiac outshot Alaska, 41-16. The Bobcats also won 34 of 57 total face-offs.

Alaska (2-8-1 overall) returns home to face Simon Fraser in an exhibition contest on Saturday, while Quinnipiac (5-2-2) will enter ECAC Hockey conference play on the road at Harvard and Brown this weekend.