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Series Notes]
FAIRBANKS, AK - The No. 13/12 Alaska Nanooks are in Kalamazoo, Michigan this weekend, where they will take on the Western Michigan Broncos in a pair of Central Collegiate Hockey Association games. The Blue and Gold trail the Broncos 18-22-4 in the all-time series and 8-13-0 at Lawson Arena. Here are this week's need to know notes about the WMU series and Alaska Hockey.
• Last year the teams were clustermates and met four times during the regular season. The teams split their four encounters first the two in Fairbanks on Dec. 19-20 (W 6-3, OT L 2-3) and then pair at Lawson Arena (L 0-3, W 4-3).
• SR F
Dion Knelsen leads the Blue and Gold with 2-7-9 in 11 career games against WMU. JR F
Dustin Sather leads in points-per-game against the Broncos with 1-7-8 in six career games (1.33).
• Last Friday night Alaska participated in its first CCHA shootout of the year and then Saturday it saw its longest shootout since its inception last season. The Nanooks prevailed 2-1 both nights improving to 6-2 in CCHA shootouts.
• This weekend's series at WMU marks Alaska's second road trip of the season. They went 2-2 on their first trip to the Lower 48 last month, splitting series at Bowling Green and Lake Superior State.
• Alaska's power play saw its best single-game production of the year last Friday against the NMU going 3-for-6. After boasting one of the strongest penalty kills and team defenses over the past few years, the Nanooks' power play is on the rise with a 22.2 efficiency (16-of-72) good for third in the CCHA and 16th in NCAA.
• FR F Andy Tarnato was named the CCHA Rookie of the Week (Nov. 30) and the CCHA Rookie of the Month for November. He is now eligible for the national rookie of the month award to be announced on Friday night. He has tallied two points in each of the last five outings and leads Alaska skaters with 7-11-18 in 14 games played, placing him 1st in the CCHA and 2nd among NCAA Division I rookies in points per game (1.29).
• Six Nanooks are riding multi-game scoring streaks, led by FR F
Nik Yaremchuk's team-best six-game streak that ties the longest streak by any player this season. He has 2-6-8 in the last six games, followed by Taranto's 4-6-10 in the last five, Sova's 0-5-5 in the last four, and SO D
Bryant Molle's 1-2-3 in the last three.
