GAME DAY CENTRAL: Alaska vs. Miami
Alaska Game Notes - Saturday Update
OXFORD, Ohio - Alaska continues postseason play tonight at 7:05 p.m. with the second game of their best-of-three second round playoff series against the No. 7 Miami RedHawks. The Nanooks must win tonight's game at Steve Cady Arena to keep their season alive by forcing a third and deciding game on Sunday at 7:05 p.m.
The Nanooks have reached the CCHA quarterfinal round in four of the last five seasons including three consecutive appearances under head coach
Dallas Ferguson. The Blue and Gold are 4-9 all-time in the CCHA quarterfinals, including Friday's 4-1 letdown at the hands of the seventh-ranked RedHawks.
Here are the need to know notes about the Miami series and Alaska Hockey:
• Alaska continues second round playoff action tonight against the Miami RedHawks facing elimination from the tournament. The Nanooks must win tonight's encounter to force a third and deciding game in the series with Miami in order to keep their 2010-11 season alive.
• The Blue and Gold have reached the CCHA quarterfinal round in four of the last five seasons including three consecutive appearances under head coach
Dallas Ferguson. The Blue and Gold are 4-9 all-time in the CCHA quarterfinals.
• The Nanooks and the RedHawks are meeting for just the second time in the playoffs. Their only prior postseason encounter was a best of three series in Oxford Mar.11-13, 1994, when the programs' current head coaches -
Dallas Ferguson and Enrico Blasi - were playing for their respective squads. The RedHawks won the series 2-1, winning the first game 3-5 and the third 3-4 while the Blue and Gold dominated the second game 6-1.
• Alaska is 19-28 all-time in the CCHA postseason. That includes an 8-3 mark at home, a 9-21 ledger on the road and a 2-4 record at neutral sites. Since
Dallas Ferguson took the reigns in 2008-09, the Nanooks are 6-7 in the second season, which includes their only NCAA Tournament appearance last March against the eventual NCAA Champion Boston College Eagles.
• SR D
Bryant Molle scored Alaska's lone goal in Friday's contest with the RedHawks. The Nanook blueliner one-timed a pass from rookie
Cody Kunyk to beat MU's Cody Reichard for his second goal of the season and Kunyk's team-best 30th point of the year. Molle's last score was the Nanooks only strike in a 2-1 loss to Northern Michigan on Nov. 20.
• With the lone assist on Molle's tally last night, FR F
Cody Kunyk notched his team-best 20th point of the season and extended his team-high season point scoring streak to six games. He has two goals and seven assists in the last six contests for 12-18--30 on the season.
Alaska Nanooks at Miami Series Notes
