ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Erik Haula scored twice in a decisive second period as the 4th-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers outlasted the UAA Seawolves, 2-1 in game one of a best of three WCHA playoff series on Friday night.
All of the scoring took place in the second period, but the regular season WCHA champion Gophers took control by outshooting the Seawolves in the frame, 16-4. Minnesota held a 34-17 advantage in shots for the game, but UAA's Brad Gorham made things interesting by scoring with two seconds left in the period to make it 2-1.
Kent Patterson's final save of the night came with less than five seconds to play, when the first team all-WCHA goaltender denied Daniel Naslund's effort to tie the game.
UAA drops to 9-24-2 overall and faces elimination in Saturday's game two.
