Ice Jacks fall in final game

In the final game of the season for the #10 Ice Jacks, NAU falls in overtime to #8 UNLV 4-3 at Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott, Arizona.

The first period of play was slow and conservative for both teams. Each team had thier chances on the power play and on even strength but neither team put one in. The period ended with no score.

The second period saw a lot of action. UNLV got the scoring started three and a half minutes in with a goal by Christian Starr to take the lead 1-0. Thirty seconds later, Nicholas Short got NAU on the board to tie it at one. A minute and a half later with UNLV on the power play, Michael Zenzola put one past Quinn Mason to give UNLV the lead. The tempo of the game continued to be fast until the 7:45 mark when John Beavers of UNLV made the game 3-1 with a power play goal. With it beginning to look like UNLV slowly going away with the game, Taylor Dustin put a power play goal past UNLV goaltender Bradley Werhun at the 6:15 mark to make it 3-2. NAU continued to receive many chances the rest of the period but could not cash in. The score remained that going into the second intermission.

NAU started the third period with momentum. They continued to pepper Werhun with shots, but he and the Rebel defense stayed strong to keep the game 3-2. The Ice Jacks' patience finally paid off when team captain Dillon Shaffer scored at the 8:28 mark to tie it at three. The period continued to be tense with both sides setting themselves up for chances until the final two minutes when things got interesting. After play had stopped around the 1:35 mark, pushing and shoving ensued. Multiple pentalties for both teams came out of it but for NAU it was different. Four Ice Jacks players; Aaron Ghan, Jon Ellis, Kyle Martinez, and Dillon Shaffer, were ejected in the final minute. All four first received minor penalties but after the referees talked things over, all four were thrown out of the game. Robert Silvernail was also ejected for UNLV.

The Rebels finished regulation with a five on three advantage. NAU held up and was able to send the game into overtime. With UNLV still on the five on three power play to start overtime, Michael Zenzola finished the game at 3:45 of the overtime period to give UNLV the 4-3 victory. With this loss, NAU finished the season with a 19-9 record.

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