Ben Almquist scored two hat tricks and Max Hegleson tallied six points to carry the Seawolves to a series sweep against Stonehill College.
By Avery Williamson
It was a weekend full of hat tricks and blowouts for Seawolf fans as the team dominated Stonehill College on March 1 and 2. Their lopsided sizeable victories marked the highest scoring games since UAA defeated Alabama Huntsville 15-4 in 1992. It was also the first home sweep for the Seawolves since 2014 when they won the series against Minnesota State.
Going into the series, Head Coach Matt Shasby said the team was unsure of how the games would play out.
“Stonehill has had a wide range of performances throughout the year against some really quality opponents, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect going into the weekend,” he said. “We emphasized controlling our efforts and making sure we had everything we needed to be successful.”
The team was beyond successful, recording a 9-3 win the first night and a 12-2 win the second night.
In the first matchup, Ben Almquist shined as he scored three of UAA’s goals for a hat trick. Fittingly, Almquist, a senior, was first to get the team on the scoreboard, recording a goal five minutes into the game. Gunnar VanDamme and Connor Marritt assisted the goal.
Nine minutes later, Davis Goukler scored his first goal of the season to extend the Seawolves’ lead to 2-0. Conor Cole and Karter McNarland both grabbed assists for the goal.
Stonehill responded 20 seconds later with its first goal of the night, but the Seawolves didn’t let this phase them. As the team served a penalty for having too many players on the ice at once, Riley Thompson scored an unassisted short-handed goal, giving the Seawolves a 3-1 lead going into the second period.
History repeated itself as Almquist was the first to score in the second period, recording his second goal of the night with Helgeson tallying the assist.
Aiden Westin extended the lead to 5-1 less than two minutes later. His goal was assisted by Karter McNarland.
Stonehill scored again two minutes later, but the Seawolves took back their four-goal lead with a goal by Matt Johnson, assisted by Porter Schachle and Matt Kinash. Carson Kosobud then extended their lead to five-points with his first goal of the season 30 seconds later. Schachle and Kinash also assisted Kosobud’s goal.
Going into the final period with a 7-2 lead over the visitors, the Seawolves didn’t put on the brakes. With ten minutes left in the game, Riley Thompson scored the eighth goal of the night with an assist by Helgeson. Stonehill scored their final goal for the game a minute later.
With three minutes left in the game, Almquist concluded the scoring with a hat trick to carry the Seawolves to a huge 9-3 victory. The goal was assisted by Thompson and Helgeson.
“I was really proud of our leadership to have the team ready to compete,” Shasby said.
“The increased puck possession allowed us to work on the offensive side of the game both in the offensive zone and in transition.”
Coming back with high spirits the second night, the team did not disappoint as Almquist scored his second hat trick of the weekend and Helgeson nabbed one too.
Helgeson got the puck rolling five minutes into the game as he scored the first goal of the night. Thompson assisted the goal.
Marritt extended UAA’s lead only three minutes later with a goal assisted by William Gilson and Matt Allen, but it didn’t stop there. A minute later, the crowd was right back on their feet as Schachle scored the third goal of the night. Brandon Lajoie tallied the assist.
With a little over five minutes left in the first period, Stonehill connected with the net to score their first goal of the night. The Seawolves headed into the second period with a comfortable 3-1 lead over the visitors.
Almquist scored his first of three goals less than a minute into the second period to continue the Seawolf momentum. Matt Johnson and Helgeson assisted the goal.
Eight minutes into the period, Lajoie headed to the penalty box for hooking, leaving the Seawolves down a skater. This didn’t faze them, though, as Helgeson scored a short-handed goal and Schachle grabbed an assist.
Less than a minute later, UAA freshman Karter McNarland extended the Seawolves’ lead to 6-1 with his third goal of the season. Kosobud assisted the goal.
As the clock ticked down to three minutes left, Almquist scored back-to-back goals to record a hat trick. Helgeson and Thompon assisted the first goal and Hegleson and Kosobud assisted the second. Stonehill then scored their last goal of the night with two minutes left in the second period.
Though a Seawolf victory was in sight, the team continued to play aggressively. Gunnar VanDamme increased the team’s lead with a power-play goal three minutes into the final period. McNarland and Joey Lamoreaux assisted the goal.
Four minutes later, Helgeson secured the team’s second hat trick with a goal assisted by Brett Bamber and VanDamme.
VanDamme scored again with less than nine minutes left in the game, with Carter Belitski and Cole assisting the goal.
Schachle concluded the scoring for the night with less than a minute left in the game. Lajoie and Jonhson grabbed the assists for the goal and the Seawolves secured the colossal 12-2 victory over the visitors.
“I was happy with the variety of goals we scored,” said Shasby. “I was also happy with the fact that guys that haven’t been able to put up points throughout the season got on the scoresheet.”
With their impressive performances, Helgeson and Almquist led the Seawolves in goals the season with 14 apiece.
Looking forward, Shasby said the team will focus on their power play. “We still need to be better on our power play and we will spend some time on that leading up to ASU.”
Don’t miss the Seawolves’ season finale against Arizona State University on March 8 and 9 as they prepare to take down yet another nationally-ranked opponent.
Watch a highlight reel of the series against Stonehill.
UP NEXT
The Seawolves conclude their season against Arizona State University at the Alaska Airlines Center on March 8 and 9.
Join us to celebrate the season at our Year-End Banquet. This is a great opportunity to meet all of your UAA Seawolf players, say goodbye to our seven departing students, talk with coaching staff about their year and get a preview of what’s in store for next year.
Join fellow fans as we learn who stood out on this year’s team. Find out who is:
- Most inspirational
- Most improved
- Most community-minded
- Best student athlete
- Fan favorite
- Who has the most Seawolf grit