Video Preview (Ferguson, Beck, Quinn)
Game Notes (Game #19 - 1/3/14)
Game Notes (Game #20 - 1/4/14)
FAIRBANKS - Alaska resumes Western Collegiate Hockey Association play this weekend, Jan. 3-4, when it plays host to Minnesota State for the first games of the 2014 year at the Carlson Center.
The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. (AST) on Friday and Saturday. The game will be televised live statewide on GCI Channel 1, except for a tape delay in Fairbanks, which will air at 10 p.m. The game can also be seen on WCHA TV and listened to on ESPN Radio 820 AM KCBF or online at 820sports.com.
The Nanooks (7-8-3, 4-7-1 WCHA) will look to continue their recent success, having gone 2-0-1 in the final three games of December while the Mavericks bring in a league-best seven-game win streak to the 49th state, having not lost since Nov. 22 at Bowling Green.
Last time out for Alaska, it went 1-0-1 on Dec. 13-14 in a road series at Bemidji State, winning its first conference road series of the season. After a 3-3 tie in game one, the 'Nooks stormed out of the gates, scoring twice early in the first as they would go on to win 5-1. That win marked the first victory for Alaska over BSU in program history (1-3-1).
Seven players recorded two points apiece for Alaska, led by two goals by junior left wing
Garrick Perry (Apple Valley, Minn./Communication). A pair of players scored their first goal of the season as senior defenseman
Michael Quinn (Surrey, British Columbia/Geography) and junior left wing
Nolan Youngmun (Anchorage, Alaska/Petroleum Engineering) both found the net in Saturday's win.
Junior goaltender
Sean Cahill (Calgary, Alberta/Business Administration) made 18 saves in Friday's stalemate and rookie netminder
Davis Jones (St. Albert, Alberta/Business Administration) stopped 25 shots in Saturday's victory as he earned WCHA Rookie of the Week Dec. 17) for the second time this year.
The penalty kill was impressive during the series going 13-for-14 while a man down, including a perfect 8-for-8 in the Saturday win, which is the second-most successful PK's without allowing a goal since the hiring of
Dallas Ferguson six years ago.
Senior center
Cody Kunyk (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Business Administration) added two more points to his career total with a pair of helpers Saturday to up his career scoring output to 109 points (49-60—109), moving him into 21st place all-time on the Nanooks' scoring list.
Entering the 2014 calendar year, Kunyk ranks second in the WCHA in points (11-8—19) and goals (11) while sophomore center
Tyler Morley (Burnaby, British Columbia/Business Administration) is tied for eighth in points (7-9—16). Sophomore defenseman
Colton Parayko is tied for fourth with 11 assists this season and Quinn has 10, ranking him tied for 10th.
Scouting Minnesota State:
The Mavericks come to town having won seven straight regular season games, the largest current streak in the WCHA, as they hold an 11-7-0 overall record and 9-3-0 mark in league play. Aside from MSU's exhibition loss in overtime on Dec. 17 against the U.S. National Junior Team, the last time the Mavs lost a game of record came back on Nov. 22, a 4-3 defeat at Bowling Green.
While being 7-1-0 in Mankato on home ice this season, MSU is 4-6-0 away from home - that record includes a three-game road win streak.
Jean-Paul Lafontaine was named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 15 after picking up four points (2g, 2a) in the Mavs' pair of 4-1 wins at Alabama-Huntsville. He leads the team with 16 points and eight goals and eight assists while
Matt Leitner has four tallies and a team-best 10 helpers this year.
Lafontaine has been a force on the power play, leading the league with 11 points on the man advantage (7g, 4a). Leitner has also accumulated nine points (3g, 6a) on the power play.
Cole Huggins, who is 7-3-0 in net, leads the WCHA with a 1.73 goals against average and a .934 save percentage, allowing just 18 goals in 2013-14.
Important Links for this weekend's series:
Live Stats:
alaskananooks.com
Live Audio:
ESPN Radio 820 AM KCBF
Live Video:
America One Sports (WCHA TV)
