UAA hockey takes Governor’s Cup lead in shootout win

There was simultaneously an exhale of relief and a jolt of excitement that filled Avis Alaska Sports Complex on Saturday night as Ryan Johnson’s shootout goal found the back of the net.

Johnson, a freshman forward for the University of Alaska Anchorage hockey team, gave the Seawolves an emotional shootout victory over University of Alaska Fairbanks in the 2024-25 Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup with the goal.

He also saved the Seawolves from what had the potential to be a disastrous loss for the team as they let a late two-goal lead evaporate.

The result goes down as a 3-3 tie, but for the purposes of the Governor’s Cup, the Seawolves earned a 2-1 victory in the shootout to take a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-6 series. The series moves to Fairbanks, with the first of three games scheduled for Jan. 31.

“We went from being pretty pumped to a little down but it’s all good,” Johnson said. “It’s always tough letting a lead go, but we’re resilient. We did our job.”

UAA appeared to be firmly in control of the game late in the third period, holding a 3-1 lead with less than four minutes remaining.

But UAF’s Kyle Gaffney converted a power-play goal on a rebound chance during a 6-on-4 advantage at 16:06 to cut the UAA lead to just 3-2.

And with just nine seconds remaining and their goalie pulled, the Nanooks knotted the game at 3-3 as Matt Hubbarde scored, finding a loose puck after a scramble in front of the Seawolves’ net.

UAA had a few good looks at the empty UAF net during the final minutes, but saw multiple shots slide just wide of the net.

“That’s how you give up a two-goal lead, you don’t execute on clears,” UAA head coach Matt Shasby said. “We had multiple chances to put the puck in the empty net. With just a little more poise, you’re able to close out that game. But credit to Fairbanks for not giving up. If we’re going to end up winning this Gov Cup, we’re going to be in that same situation and we’re going to have to execute better.”

Neither team had quality chances in the 3-on-3 overtime period, leading to the shootout. UAF head coach Erik Largen was happy with his team’s ability to battle back.

“I thought the guys played hard, played well,” Largen said. “We didn’t give up a whole lot, they were just very opportunistic. That’s just how hockey goes sometimes.”

The game was tied 1-1 after the opening period as Johnson opened scoring with a goal for UAA that was matched by a tally from Hubbarde.

The only goal of the second period was scored by UAA’s Max Helgeson, who also earned an assist in the first period on Johnson’s goal. Helgeson also converted UAA’s first shootout goal to knot it at 1-1, setting up Johnson’s shootout-winner.

The UAA defense was especially restrictive in the second period, allowing just three UAF shots.

UAA built a 3-1 lead on Dimitry Kebreau’s wrist shot on the power-play at 12:15 of the third period.

With both teams operating as Division I independents, the Governor’s Cup continues to be a major emphasis on the schedule for both squads.

“It’s tight-checking games,” Largen said. “For us, it’s a big deal. For them it’s a big deal too. Most games are going to be playoff-style games.”

UAF has dominated the Governor’s Cup since UAA was reinstated before the 2021-22 season. But Shasby said this year it’s been a very even matchup.

“We’re in year three of the comeback here,” Shasby said. “We’ve done a nice job of building. The guys that have been here since day one, three years ago, really understand what this means. They do a good job of leading us in understanding the importance of the series.”

UAA goalie Tyler Krivtsov made 20 saves while his counterpart, UAF’s Nicholas Grabko, made 11.

UAA holds a 94-78-14 advantage in the all-time series. UAA (5-17-4) has a weekend off before heading to UAF (7-9-5) for a two-game series starting on Jan. 31.