University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

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Game Notes (Nov. 8)
Game Notes (Nov. 9)

FAIRBANKS – Alaska leaves the state for the first time this season as it travels to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., for a Western Collegiate Hockey Association road series against No. 14/RV Lake Superior State, Nov. 8-9.

The Nanooks (4-2-2, 1-1-0 WCHA) will hit the ice against the Lakers (4-1-1, 0-0-0 WCHA) Friday at 7:37 p.m. (EST) and Saturday at 7:07 p.m. (EST).
 
LSSU leads the all-time series 31-16-6, including a 23-7-1 mark in games played at the Soo. Last season, Alaska went 1-3-0 against Lake Superior with a home split before falling in both games on the road. The Lakers have not lost in the previous six games at home against the 'Nooks, holding a 5-0-1 record.
 
Last weekend, the Nanooks split their first WCHA home series in program history with a 5-4 win Friday and a 2-1 setback Saturday against Northern Michigan.
 
Sophomore center Tyler Morley (Burnaby, British Columbia/Business Administration) scored the team's first goal each night to lead the Nanooks with a pair of goals on the weekend while freshman Jared Linnell (North Pole, Alaska/General Studies) and junior left wing Garrick Perry (Apple Valley, Minn./Communication) both had two assists each to tie Morley in the points category.
 
In Friday's win, Alaska took advantage of two 5-on-3 power plays, scoring twice in 45 seconds to take a 4-2 lead over NMU. Leading 5-2 entering the third, the Wildcats mounted a rally, scoring twice in 3:56, to cut the deficit to 5-4 with 2:04 remaining but that would complete the scoring, giving Alaska its first WCHA victory.
 
On Saturday, Morley scored just 1:49 into the game but back-to-back Northern goals less than four minutes apart gave the 'Cats a 2-1 lead after one. That would be all the scoring for the evening as Mathias Dahlstrom made 22 saves on 23 shots faced and rookie goaltender Davis Jones (St. Albert, Alberta/Elementary Education) made 28 stops on 30 shots.
 
Saturday's loss marked Alaska's first home loss of the season (3-1-2). The Nanooks enter the week with a 4-0-0 mark on Friday nights but have struggled to get the win on Saturdays, holding an 0-2-2 record to close out weekends.

Senior center Cody Kunyk is nearing a career milestone as he is now at 98 points for his career. In 119 games played, he has scored 43 goals and tallied 55 assists.
 
Around the country, both sophomore right wing Nolan Huysmans (Ponoka, Alberta/Business Administration) and Kunyk are tied for 15th with five goals apiece. As a team, the Nanooks rank 13th with 3.38 goals per game, 16th on the penalty kill (.850, 34/40) and 17th on the power play (.222, 8-36).
 
About Lake Superior State: 
The Lakers bring in a 4-1-1 overall record as they will open WCHA play this weekend following an 0-1-1 week against Wisconsin, tying 3-3 before falling 8-1 the next night.
 
In the latest polls, LSSU ranks 14th in the USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll and are receiving votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Division I Poll.
 
The Lakers are led by rookie Alex Globke, who has two goals and six assists on the season. Kevin Kapalka is 1-0-1 between the pipes and has a 2.40 goals against average and a solid .946 save percentage (87/92), which ranks fourth in Division I.
 
Important Links for this weekend's series:
Live Stats: College Hockey Stats
Live Audio: ESPN Radio 820 AM KCBF
Live Video: America One Sports (WCHA TV)