Alaska posts overtime win

Jan. 14, 2006

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - There's no doubt about it - Brad McCabe is back.

In his second game back after being sidelined for two months with a knee injury, the Alaska Avalanche forward scored two goals, including the game-winning overtime tally with 4.7 seconds left to lift the Avs to a 5-4 win over the North Iowa Outlaws in North American Hockey League action Saturday at the Menard Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla.

&#8220It feels so awesome to be back,” McCabe said following his game-winner.

The game featured an Avalanche team that looked more energetic than they have all season long, something coach and general manager Keith Morris said is no accident.

&#8220That was throwback hockey tonight,” Morris said. &#8220Up and down the ice. That's the way we're going to play from here on out.”

With the clock winding down in overtime, McCabe took a perfect pass from Richie Leitner, broke into the open and lifted the puck over the shoulder of North Iowa goalie Robby Moss.

Afterward, Morris said having his best offensive player back in the lineup makes a world of difference for the Avs.

&#8220He's an elite-level player in this league,” Morris said of the UAA-bound McCabe.

McCabe put the Avalanche ahead in the first period with a backhahand shot off a perfect Trevor Tolibas pass between the legs of a North Iowa defender. It was McCabe's first goal since rejoining the team Friday after more than two months away from the ice.

Avalanche goalie Nathan Pellegrino made 48 saves to pick up the win.

Pellegrino delighted the crowd with a number of clutch saves during an Outlaw power play to end the opening period. The Alaska goalie stopped all 12 shots he faced in the frame, staking the Avs to a 1-0 lead at the end of 20 minutes of

hockey.

&#8220Night in and night out, our goaltending is as good as it gets,” Morris said. &#8220Adam Kraus and Nathan Pellegrino both have the chance to move on to the next level.”

Leitner put Alaska up 2-0 with a great individual effort as the period got underway. Leitner carried the puck into the Outlaw zone, split two defenders and slipped the puck past Moss.

After a rather lackluster first period, the pace of play picked up considerably in the second after Leitner's goal and a spirited fight between J.C. Richardson and the Outlaws' Jack

Powers.

North Iowa got on the board courtesy of a defensive lapse by the Avalanche. With Alaska on the power play, three Avs skaters collapsed on Mike Wallgren deep in their own zone. None of the Alaska skaters saw Bryant Skarda coming off the bench, but Wallgren did, hitting his teammate in stride to set up an easy score.

The Outlaws tied things up two minutes later, getting a power play goal from Trevor Doden, whose blast from the point sailed cleanly over Pellegrino's stick side shoulder.

The Alaska offense looked sharp Friday, peppering Moss with 43 shots on goal. McCabe and Leitner were particularly tough to handle, consistently creating scoring chances for the Avalanche.

Leitner and McCabe grew up as rivals playing against each other in Southern California, and McCabe said he's enjoying the chance to skate side-by-side with his former nemesis

&#8220I love playing with Richie,” McCabe said.

Alaska forward Victor Nordenson finished off an entertaining second period with a bang, skating across the blue line on a two-on-one with Paulos Shiferaw. Nordenson kept the puck for himself, fooling Moss and giving the Avalanche a 3-2 lead.

A blunder by Pellegrino led to a tying goal for the Outlaws in the third. With Alaska on the power play, the Alaska goalie came out of his net to try and play a loose puck. But Outlaw forward Steve McLeod got to it first, skating around Pellegrino and calmly scoring on the empty net.

Paulos Shiferaw staked Alaska to a 4-3 lead late in the third, but his goal was negated by McLeod's power play goal with just over three minutes left to play. North Iowa's power play was the result of a 5-minute major penalty on Wasilla native Larry Kincaid, who was ejected after rouging up one Outlaw player and ripping the helmet off another.

The penalty didn't hurt too bad, though, as Alaska was able to kill off the final minutes and preserve the tie.

&#8220I was a little scared there,” McCabe said. &#8220Thank God we had a good penalty kill.”

After the winning goal, Avalanche players gathered in the locker room for a raucous postgame celebration that included plenty of shouting and singing. Morris said he believes his team is finally coming together, and Saturday's win could represent a turning point for the club, which has sat in last place in their division for much of the season.

&#8220This is a new season for us,” Morris said.

Contact Matt Tunseth at

352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com