University of Alaska Anchorage sophomore goalie Jared Whale made 41 saves and the Seawolves got a timely goal to stun No. 6-ranked Wisconsin 1-0 on Friday, earning a split of the weekend series with the Big 10 powerhouse.
Wisconsin bounced back to win 5-0 on Saturday, but the star of the Seawolves’ Friday triumph was Whale, who earned his fifth victory of the season in net.
“Amazing performance by Jared Whale,” head coach Matt Shasby said in a statement. “Our guys found a way to get a lead going into the third period, and we committed to playing well on the defensive side of the puck to close it out.”
Seawolves freshman Gunnar VanDamme scored his first career goal at 18:26 of the second period and provided Whale with all the support he needed.
Ben Almquist and Whale earned assists on the score. UAA got the win despite being on the wrong sides of both puck possession and shots. Wisconsin outshot the Seawolves 41-21 and had an edge in face-offs 34-8.
It was the second win of the season for UAA against a ranked opponent in the Big 10. The Seawolves topped No. 14 Penn State 6-5 on Oct. 27 and are now 2-2 against Big 10 opponents on the year.
UAA (6-9-1) returns home next weekend to host UAF in the Governor’s Cup. The first game of the two-game series is at 7:07 p.m. Friday at the Avis Alaska Sports Complex.