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Alaska Weekly Notes
UAA Weekly Notes
Denver Weekly Notes
Western Michigan Weekly Notes
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – It will be a busy weekend in Fairbanks as Alaska will host the 2013 Brice Alaska Goal Rush hockey tournament, Oct. 18-19, at the Carlson Center.
Joining the Nanooks (1-1-0) in the sixth-annual event is rival Alaska Anchorage and a pair of National Collegiate Hockey Conference members, Denver and Western Michigan.
The Seawolves (2-0-0) will open the event against the Broncoes (0-2-0) at 5:07 p.m. Friday, followed by the 'Nooks and Pioneers (2-0-0) at 8:07 p.m. On Saturday, UAA faces DU at 4:07 p.m. and Alaska faces WMU at 7:07 p.m. in the tournament finale.
Alaska split in its season-opening weekend at the Kendall Hockey Classic in Anchorage, taking a 6-1 victory from Air Force before suffering a 4-1 setback against then-No. 10/13 Quinnipiac. Both senior center
Cody Kunyk (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Business Administration) and sophomore defenseman
Colton Parayko (St. Albert, Alberta/Business Administration) were named to the All-Classic team. On Monday, Parayko was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Week.
Kunyk scored twice in Friday's win over AFA and Parayko notched three assists to lead the Nanooks in scoring for the weekend. Sophomore right wing
Nolan Huysmans (Ponoka, Alberta/Business Administration) scored two goals during the tournament while redshirt junior
Jared Larson (Apple Valley, Minn./Business Administration) contributed one score and one helper. As a team, Friday's win showcased Alaska's penalty kill as it went 7-for-7, killing off three majors and scoring one shorthanded goal.
About the Visiting Teams:
Alaska Anchorage (2-0-0)
Alaska Anchorage, which is ranked just outside the top-20, has been a part of every Brice Alaska Goal Rush since 2008 and brings in a 6-4 record all-time, with two championships (2008, 2011). The Seawolves opened the season a week ago with a 3-1 win over then-No. 10 Quinnipiac and a wild 4-2 come-from-behind win over Air Force to claim their third straight Kendall Hockey Classic title.
Jordan Kwas was named the Most Valuable Player after recording a hat trick in UAA's win Saturday and also dished out an assist on the game-winning goal with just over three seconds remaining. Joining Kwas on the All-Classic team was Brett Cameron, and Rob Gunderson.
UAA was predicted to finish ninth in both the WCHA preseason media and coaches' polls and are led by first-year head coach Matt Thomas. He came to Anchorage following nine years in the ECHL where he posted a 342-225-80 career record, ranking fifth on the league's all-time wins list. Last season with the Stockton Thunder, Thomas led the squad to the Kelly Cup finals.
#12 Denver (2-0-0)
Twelfth-ranked Denver makes its first trip to the Brice Alaska Goal Rush hockey tournament this weekend and brings in a 2-0-0 record and a No. 12 national ranking. The Pioneers opened the season with a home sweep against Merrimack last weekend, posting a pair of shutouts, 1-0 and 4-0.
DU had five different players score on the weekend, and had three others dish out a pair of assists each. Nolan Zajac had one score and one helper and Sam Brittain was named NCHC Goaltender of the Week after making 53 saves with two clean-sheet victories.
Denver was predicted to finish fourth in the inaugural season of the NCHC and is led by first-year head coach Jim Montgomery. Montgomery came to DU after three years with the USHL's Dubuque. He also was on the staffs at RPI and Notre Dame previously following his playing career at Maine.
Western Michigan
Western Michigan is no stranger to Fairbanks and the Nanooks as it returns to the Carlson Center this weekend for its first Brice Alaska Goal Rush appearance.
The Broncos enter this weekend with a 0-2-0 record following a pair of defeats to then-No. 8 Notre Dame — by scores of 4-0 (away) and 3-0 (home).
Western and Alaska met every year when both were members of the now defunct CCHA, including last year when the Nanooks and Broncos split the season series in the Last Frontier on Nov. 16-17, 2012. Alaska rolled to a 6-1 victory in game one before WMU rallied from a 2-0 deficit, scoring three unanswered in the final 20 minutes, with the game winner coming with only 2:44 remaining.
The Broncos were selected to finish fifth in the first year of the NCHC and are led by third-year bench boss Andy Murray. Murray led Western to a 19-11-8 record last year in his second season and has 40 career wins since joining the program in July 2011. He is a former NHL head coach, boasting 333 professional victories in 10 years, six with the Los Angeles Kings and four with the St. Louis Blues.
Important Links for the Brice Alaska Goal Rush
Friday, Oct. 18
Western Michigan vs. Alaska Anchorage, 5:07 p.m. (AKDT)
Live Stats UAA Audio WMU Audio Live Video
#12 Denver vs. Alaska, 8:07 (AKDT)
Live Stats Alaska Audio Denver Audio Live Video
Saturday, Oct. 19
#12 Denver vs. Alaska Anchorage, 4:07 p.m. (AKDT)
Live Stats UAA Audio Denver Audio Live Video
Western Michigan vs. Alaska, 7:07 p.m. (AKDT)
Live Stats Alaska Audio WMU Audio Live Video
