SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College men's hockey team, ranked 20th in this week's USA Hockey/The Rink Live Division I national poll, won the shootout but formally settled for a 3-3 (OT) tie against the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Friday night at Messa Rink.

Juniors Carter Korpi and Nate Hanley both scored in the shootout and classmate Kyle Chauvette made one stop to help guide the team to the shootout win.

Three different goal scorers found the back of the net for the Garnet Chargers. Senior Cullen Ferguson led the way with two points (0-2-2). Hanley and junior Brandon Buhr scored their fourth and third goals of the season, respectively, while first-year Riley Brueck registered his first collegiate goal.

The early minutes were all Union. Ferguson had a partial breakaway chance that was stopped by Alaska's goaltender Nicholas Grabko. Later in the frame, Ferguson sent a breakaway pass from the defensive end to Hanley in the neutral zone. The junior skated in alone and rang a shot off the post that bounced in for the score.

Union added two goals in the second period to make it a 3-0 game. Only 13 seconds into the middle frame, Brueck struck for his first collegiate tally. Korpi took the puck behind the net and faked a wraparound shot, but instead passed the puck to Brueck on the doorstep for the score. About halfway through the period, junior Nick Young fired a shot from the point and Buhr redirected the shot past Grabko for his third goal of the season.

The Nanooks stormed back in the third beginning with a goal at 10:19 of the third stanza. Matt Koethe forced a turnover in the defensive end of the ice and the Nanooks capitalized on a diving goal from Anton Rubtsov. Down by two, Alaska pulled Grabko with 4:46 to play in the period in favor of the extra attacker. The move paid off as Rubtsov scored his second of the game. Alaska tied the game with 20 seconds to go to force overtime.

Union tallied five shots in the extra frame, but Grabko made all five stops to send the game to a shootout.

For the first time this season, Union was outshot as Alaska held a 34-19 advantage.

Chauvette stopped 31 shots while Nicholas Grabko made 16 saves.

The series with the Nanooks concludes tomorrow with the annual Faculty & Staff Appreciation Game. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Messa Rink.