Alaska Game Notes (10/25/13)
Alaska Game Notes (10/26/13)
Mercyhurst Weekly Notes
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Alaska will complete its non-conference portion of the schedule this Friday and Saturday when it plays host to Mercyhurst, Oct. 25-26, at the Patty Ice Arena on campus.
It will be a blast from the past this weekend as the Nanooks will wear retro jerseys that replicate uniforms worn when Alaska called Patty Ice Arena home. The last time Alaska took on another program on campus came back on Sept. 30, 2010, when it routed Windsor (Ontario) 9-0 in an exhibition game. The on-campus facility, which seats just 1,350, has not been the primary venue for the 'Nooks since the 1989-90 season.
The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. on both nights and tickets are sold out for this weekend's series. It is recommended those with tickets arrive early as the arena will fill up quickly. For students unable to get in to the game Friday, there will be a tailgate party that will web stream the game, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Student Rec Center.
The Nanooks (2-1-1) are coming off a win and tie at the Brice Alaska Goal Rush which saw them rally from two goals down to defeat then-No. 12 Denver 3-2 in overtime to go with a 3-3 tie against Western Michigan the following night. By virtue of a 1-0 shootout win Saturday night with WMU, Alaska claimed its second straight tournament title and fourth in the six-year history.
Senior center
Cody Kunyk (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Business Administration) was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after scoring two goals, both on the power play, and adding one assist.
Joining Kunyk on the All-Tournament Team were rookie goaltender
Davis Jones (St. Albert, Alberta/Elementary Education) and junior left wing
Garrick Perry (Apple Valley, Minn./Communication).
Jones, who was
named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Week earlier Tuesday, picked up a win and tie in his first two collegiate starts after posting 54 saves, a 2.32 goals against average and a .915 save percentage (54/59). He also stopped Western on all three shootout attempts in Saturday's title game to lead Alaska to the tournament crown.
Perry scored tallied one goal and a pair of assists over the weekend, which included his game-winning overtime score with only 25.2 seconds to go against the Pioneers on Friday. He also assisted on the game-tying score with 1:09 remaining in regulation Saturday. His goal Friday, which saw him lunging forward and going parallel to the ice prior to taking the shot was named
college hockey's top play of the week by NCAA.com on Tuesday.
Amongst the rest of the WCHA, Kunyk ranks tied for first in goals (4), tied for third in power-play goals (2) and tied for sixth in total points (5). Sophomore defenseman
Colton Parayko (St. Albert, Alberta/Business Administration) and senior defender
Michael Quinn (Surrey, British Columbia/Geography) are both tied for second in assists (4) and sophomore right wing
Nolan Huysmans (Ponoka, Alberta/Business Administration) is tied for fifth in goals (3).
Jones is fourth in the conference with a 2.32 goals against average and fifth with a .915 save percentage while sophomore net minder
John Keeney (Twin Peaks, Calif./Business Administration) is sixth with a 2.50 GAA.
As a team, the Nanooks are first on the power play, converting on 25 percent (4/16) of their man advantages. They are also tied for third defensively, allowing 2.5 goals per game, while also ranking fourth in scoring, with 3.25 goals per game.
About Mercyhurst:
The Lakers, out of Erie, Pa., enter this weekend's series with a 1-4 overall record after falling in the home opener to Ferris State (2-3) and splitting on the road at Merrimack (3-2, 2-5).
MU was predicted to finish second in the Atlantic Hockey Association Preseason Coaches' Poll and return 21 letter winners from a last year's squad that finished 19-17-5 and advanced to its conference title game.
Last year's scoring leader
Matthew Zay has two goals and two assists this season to lead the Lakers through five games and
Ryan Misiak has one goal and two assists while
Anthony Mastrodicasa has netted a pair of goals.
They have allowed 21 goals this season (4.2 avg.) while scoring just nine (1.8 avg.). A third of their scoring has come on the power play (3-27, .111) but have given up six scores while a man down (21-27 PK, .778).
The Nanooks have met the Lakers three times since 2008, outscoring them 15-3 in those meetings. Alaska downed MU 5-2 at the 2011 Brice Alaska Goal Rush, 5-1 at the 2009 Kendall Hockey Classic and 5-0 at the 2008 Brice Alaska Goal Rush.
Important Links for this weekend's series:
Live Stats:
alaskananooks.com
Live Audio:
ESPN Radio 820 AM KCBF
Live Video:
Stretch Internet ($8.00 fee)
