By CRAIG REMSBURG

Senior Sports Writer

MARQUETTE – It was not the homecoming coach Walt Kyle and his Northern Michigan University hockey team were hoping for Friday night.

Playing at the Berry Events Center for the first time since Dec. 12, the Wildcats dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to WCHA foe Alaska-Fairbanks.

Alec Hajdukovich notched his third game-winning goal of the season at 3:11 of the extra session to lift the Nanooks of coach Dallas Ferguson over the Wildcats.

“It’s really disappointing,” Kyle said. “We did a lot of things well, but we also made mistakes. We worked hard, but part of working hard is being smart. I don’t think we were very smart.

“We also had a 2-on-1 and a 3-on-1 and didn’t capitalize on them.”

Hajdukovich took a pass from Nolan Huysmans to NMU goalie Atte Tolvanen’s right and beat the latter with a quick shot.

Northern (8-9-6 overall, 6-7-4 WCHA) had tied the score at 11:45 of the third period when Barrett Kaib blasted a slap shot from the top of the circle past UAF netminder Jesse Jenks.

The latter wound up with 27 saves while Tolvanen came up with 26 stops.

“In parts of the game we played well,” said NMU forward Shane Sooth, who scored a power-play goal in the second period on a breakaway set up by a nice pass from linemate Darren Nowick.

“But we also put ourselves in trouble by taking penalties (eight for 16 minutes). It takes us out of a flow and hurts our team.”

Added Kaib: “Personally, I put us in a tough position. I made one bad play on a puck on their second goal (by Huysmans).

“The boys deserved a win and I was one of the seasons why we didn’t finish (UAF) off.”

Northern’s penalty kill stoned the Nanooks (7-12-4, 5-10-4), including a 5-on-3 disadvantage for 1:12 in the opening period.

“That was a positive,” Sooth said. “But for us to win night-in and night-out, every man has to do his job. Tonight, not every man did that.”

The two teams will play at 7 p.m. tonight at the BEC.

“We have to play a disciplined game and limit our turnovers,” Sooth said.

Kyle, who gave his team a “C,” said his Wildcats will have to do something even more:

“We have to score more goals,” he said.

Craig Remsburg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 251. His email address is cremsburg@miningjournal.net.