GAME REPORT - NAHL FAIRBANKS AT MAINE 1.3.2020
Fairbanks 5 – Maine 4 (NAHL)
Androscoggin Bank Colisee on January 3, 2020.
The Maine Nordiques hosted the Fairbanks Ice Dogs who traveled across the country for this game. This was a highly contested game with back and forth action in the first two periods and the teams trading off on the lead.
Maine opened the scoring at 13:12 of the first period when Cole Ouellette intercepted a pass in the neutral zone creating a 2 on 1. Ouellette entered the zone and dished the puck to Emmanuel Sanchez, who sent the puck back to Ouellette, who finished the play with a stick-side high goal.
Fairbanks responded approximately two and a half minutes later, on the powerplay, when Oliver Kjaer scored his 12 th goal of the season, from a blast from the point, only 6 seconds into the man advantage. Fairbanks built on this momentum with a net front goal by Tyler Dewesse to give Fairbanks the lead heading into the first intermission. Maine almost tied the score in the final minute of the first, but Mattias Scholl denied Noah Kane with a gorgeous stick save.
Fairbanks did not let up when the second period started. Luke Ciolli made a nifty move around a defender then hit Adam Eisele with a pass down low and the play was finished up by Tim Erkkila who was streaking in from the weak side point to finish off the Grade A opportunity.
Maine immediately fought back from the two goal deficit with Noah Kane and Ignat Belov scoring approximately 35 seconds apart to tie up the game at 3. Kane scored off the rebound of a Timmy Kent odd-man rush shot and Belov scoring short side on a 2 on 1 with Kent driving far post.
Maine continued to capitalize on their chances with Cannon Green scoring the go-ahead goal at 16:31 of the second period through the five hole on a partial breakaway.
Despite heading into the final period down a goal, Fairbanks showed why they are one of the top teams in the league. From the start of the third to the end of the game, Fairbanks controlled the play, leading to a 13 to 2 shot advantage. Jasper Lester scored 4:26 into the third period to tie up the game off a faceoff play.
Fairbanks did not let up its pressure ultimately resulting in the game winning goal about halfway through the third period when Matt Koethe found a loose puck in the slot and fed Luke Ciolli for the goal.
Top Players
Luke Ciolli (Fairbanks) (Army) – Top line center. Good skater with shifty lateral movement and good hands. Plays strong through the middle. Good vision. Strong penalty killer. Consistently buzzing around the puck throughout the game.
Noah Kane (Maine) (Mercyhurst) – Dynamic playmaker type with very good speed. Aggressive forechecker. Displays great East-West vision in the offensive zone. Drives the net hard. He has a quick release on rush shots, with low accurate placement.
Matt Koethe (Fairbanks) (Univ. of Alaska-Fairbanks) - 200 foot, all situations player who can finish. Good speed. Has the ability to transition the puck up ice. Strong possession player. Very strong defensive skills with a consistently solid backcheck.
Cole Ouellette (Maine) (Uncommitted) – Big, physical defender. Good stick. Defends the rush very well consistently forcing players to the outside. Makes quick, decisive, crisp outlet passes. Displays some poise with the puck. Possesses good hockey IQ.
Official Summary - NAHL