FAIRBANKS – It is another busy weekend for Nanook athletics as a trio of teams are in action over the period of November 7-8. The Alaskan hockey team faces off against Western Collegiate Hockey Association foe Bowling Green on Friday and Saturday while volleyball hosts in-state rival Alaska Anchorage and women's basketball tips off its season with the annual Alumni Game.
HOCKEYAlaska Game NotesBowling Green Game NotesWCHA Weekly Release• The Alaska Nanooks (5-3-0) were swept last weekend against Bemidji State to open up WCHA play. The Nanooks lost on Friday by a score of 6-1 before falling in overtime on Saturday, 4-3.
• Friday's loss was the worst for Alaska since a 6-0 loss to Ohio State University on October 28, 2011.
• Usually resolute defensively, the Nanooks have only allowed six goals on three other occasions since the loss to OSU in 2011. In 2012-13 Alaska lost 6-3 in October to #18 Ferris State and 6-2 to Miami (Ohio) in February. Last season, Alaska fell, 6-4, at home, to Minnesota State.
• Saturday represented the first overtime loss for the Nanooks (not counting CCHA shootout losses) since Nov. 23 2012, when Alaska lost 4-3 in overtime to Northern Michigan. Last season, the Nanooks did not lose a single extra period game, as they went 3-0-3.
• The Nanooks fell out of the USCHO.com poll following the winless weekend. Alaska is still receiving votes in the poll (53).
• For the season, the Nanooks have both started and finished games strongly, in the offensive zone. In third periods so far this season, Alaska is outscoring the opposition, 9-5. Though production is down in the first period (five goals to opponent's seven), Alaska prodcuces more shots (87) in the opening frame than any other period.
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Garrick Perry and
Tyler Morley lead the Nanooks with 6 points. Perry has collected four assists and two goals for the young season while T. Morley has scored a goal and contributed a team-high five assists.
• Last season the Nanooks went 0-1-1 against Bowling Green. Playin in Ohio, Alaska lost Friday's game 3-0 before battling to a 1-1 tie the following day.
• Since 2010, Alaska is 5-3-2 against the Falcons, but have not won since a weekend sweep in 2011.
• The last time the Nanooks swept a weekend conference home-opener was in 2009 when they earned, 3-1 and 3-2 (OT), wins over Ferris State in the CCHA. Since then they are 2-4-2 in conference home-openers.
VOLLEYBALLThe Nanooks enter Saturday's match against the Seawolves having split results in action last weekend against Saint Mary's and Western Oregon.
Last Thursday, Alaska defeated Saint Mary's in four sets and was led by
Tessa Butterfield, who contributed nine kills, while playing all-around, and was nearly immaculate in defense as she made a team-high 15 digs and only had one receiving error.
The following Saturday, however, the Nanooks fell in three sets to Western Oregon despite a match-high 18 kills by
Sam Harthun. Harthun, who also had 20 kills against Saint Martin's, currently ranks third in Alaska history with 1,059 kills.
Earlier this season, Alaska lost to the Seawolves in three sets down in Anchorage, on October 11. The rivalry has been dominated by Anchorage in recent years, as the Nanooks have not defeated the Seawolves since a four set win on Sept. 18, 2010. Alaska's last home triumph over Anchorage was in 2008, when the Nanooks prevailed in five sets.
Overall, Harthun and
Brooke Mattice lead the Alaskan attack with 320 and 226 kills, respectively.
Maddie Davis has contributed 129 while
Riley Podowicz has 112 in her rookie year.
Miranda Grieser has paced the offense all season, with 613 assists.
Defensively, Harthun and Butterfield are the team's top dig leaders with respective totals of 206 and 192.
Samantha Hesterman is also amongst the leaders with 149. At the net, Podowicz leads the team with 53 blocks while
Lilah Hudson is second with 42.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALLThe Nanook women's basketball team opens its season with the annual alumni match at noon on Saturday. The current Alaska roster will tip-off against a group of former Nanook student-athletes in the Patty Gymnasium.
Next weekend, the Nanooks get the regular season underway with games against Chaminade (Fri.) and Holy Names (Sat.) as part of the GNAC/PAC West Challenge.
