Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup stays in Fairbanks!

FAIRBANKS -- As 2006 opens, Alaska's college hockey equation is right back where it was in 2005.

And 2004. And 2003. And 2002.

Namely, the players in the state's premier pucks program wear blue and gold, and their fingerprints are all over the Governor's Cup.

UAF took the measure of UAA for the fifth consecutive season, snuffing the Seawolves 3-0 before 4,336 fans on Saturday night to retain the Governor's Cup with a 3-1 advantage in the annual four-game season series.

"We got the Cup! We got the Cup! We got the Cup!'' the Nanooks chanted as they huddled on the Carlson Center ice to celebrate their superiority and have team pictures snapped.

The Nanooks gathered around the Cup as still photographers clicked off shots and television cameras rolled. Each player, coach and support staffer extended a hand, with four fingers and thumb extended.

The Drive For Five was complete.

That it was successful was largely courtesy of a baby-faced, blond, 20-year-old sophomore goaltender from Fairbanks. Wylie Rogers may look like a kid, but he's The Man when he faces the boys in green and gold.

Rogers stopped 33 shots to record his second career shutout of UAA and his school record-tying fourth career shutout.

Seawolves, who's your daddy? Wylie Rogers.

In seven career games against UAA, Rogers' numbers are numbing. He is 5-1-1 with a 1.27 goals-against average and .953 save percentage. The only time the Seawolves have beaten him came earlier this season, and even that was a 2-1 squeaker.

Rogers, who as a freshman in high school flew to Anchorage twice a week to practice with the Alaska All Stars competition team, makes no secret of his love of beating the Seawolves.

He grew up in Fairbanks, so he understands this rivalry that dates back to 1979 and has included a Governor's Cup competition for the last 13 seasons.

"I don't think it actually hit me until between the second and third periods,'' Rogers said. "We were getting ready for the third period and I said, "I not only want to beat these guys, I don't even want to give them a chance.''

The Nanooks owned a 3-0 lead, and Rogers made it stand, stopping 13 third-period shots.

Earlier, Rogers kept the Seawolves humble by stopping Matt Jolly's breakaway backhander in the second period, when the game still was scoreless. Later in the period, with UAF leading 1-0, he squeezed his pads to stop a redirected shot that was bound for his five-hole. And in the last five seconds, he rebuffed power-play shots by Chris Tarkir and Justin Johnson.

"If I can not let any of their players hold the Governor's Cup, the Fairbanks Nanooks have done their job,'' Rogers said.

Rogers, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's All-Rookie goalie last season, has struggled at times this season and surrendered playing time to freshman Chad Johnson. But UAF head coach Tavis MacMillan, the former Nanook skater and assistant coach, knows Rogers' regard for the rivalry.

So he started Rogers in both games here. Rogers backstopped the Nanooks to a 4-2 win Friday.

"I think the Cup inspires a lot of people, and it probably inspires him more than anyone,'' MacMillan said. "He shows up in big games. Chad and he have both played well.

"This was more of a hunch, (with Rogers) being a Fairbanks kid and understanding this rivalry and how much it means to him.''

Granted, the Seawolves gave Rogers some help. They went scoreless on 10 power plays Saturday -- and scoreless in 17 power plays on the weekend. They looked indecisive and devoid of confidence with the man advantage.

"If you can't score on the power play, you're not going to win, bottom line,'' said UAA coach Dave Shyiak.

Just as they did Friday, the Nanooks on Saturday scored two of their goals during 5-on-3 advantages. The first one, by defenseman Darcy Campbell, came when UAA, already down a man, lost another man when Shyiak barked at referee Craig Lisko and received a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct.

"I hold myself accountable,'' Shyiak said.

The loss was the Seawolves' season-worst fourth straight and left them frustrated, forlorn and searching for answers.

"We're fragile right now, and confidence is low,'' Shyiak said.

That was the case for the Nanooks entering this series. They had concluded the first half of their season on a 0-4-1 skid.

But two wins over their intrastate rival buoyed the Nanooks' confidence heading into a four-game conference road trip to Michigan.

"We got the Cup! We got the Cup! We got the Cup!'' they chanted.

When it comes to playing the Seawolves, they easily could have chanted, "We got Wylie! We got Wylie! We got Wylie!''

This column is the opinion of Daily News reporter Doyle Woody. He can be reached at dwoody@and.com.