University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

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HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Nanooks had plenty to be happy about on this Valentine's Day.
 
Alaska used a four-goal second and had its third straight game with 40 shots on net to rout Michigan Tech 7-3 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association series opener Friday night at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
 
Senior center Cody Kunyk (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Business Administration) scored two goals for the second straight game and fourth time this season while sophomore right wing Nolan Huysmans (Ponoka, Alberta/Business Administration) tied a career high with three points on a goal and two assists, leading the Nanooks (13-12-4, 10-11-2 WCHA) to the first Friday road victory this season and first since Jan. 18, 2013 – a 5-4 win at Notre Dame.
 
The victory also marked the second time during the Dallas Ferguson era that the Nanooks scored seven goals with the other time coming back on Feb. 26, 2010 – a 7-4 triumph at Alaska Anchorage.
 
The Huskies (12-15-6, 10-9-4 WCHA) saw their four-game win streak come to an end and as they allowed seven goals for the second time this year – a 7-3 defeat at Notre Dame back on Oct. 20.
 
Four other Alaska skaters recorded multi-point nights in the win, as junior left wing Garrick Perry (Apple Valley, Minn./Communication) and sophomore center Tyler Morley (Burnaby, British Columbia/Business Administration) both recorded a goal and assist while senior left wing Colton Beck (Langley, British Columbia/Business Administration) and rookie left wing Brandon Morley (Burnaby, British Columbia/Business Administration) had a pair of helpers each.
 
Junior netminder Sean Cahill (Calgary, Alberta/Business Administration) won his third straight outing to improve his record to 5-3-1 after he made 24 saves on 27 shots faced and also helped the 'Nooks penalty kill go 2-for-3 while a man down.
 
North Pole native Pheonix Copley took the loss against his hometown team, falling to 8-9-5, after allowing five goals on 33 shots through two periods. Jamie Phillips played the third for MTU and gave up two scores on seven shots.


Alaska converted on both of its power-play opportunities, marking the second game in a row the Nanooks scored twice on the man advantage. The one bright point for the Huskies was in the face-off circle, where the hosts won 40-31.
 
The Nanooks took a brief 1-0 lead at 15:33 with a bang-bang play in front. On the power play, senior defenseman Michael Quinn (Surrey, British Columbia/Geography) fired a shot from the point that was stopped by Copley but the puck slid through and after Beck tried to tap it in, Huysmans crashed the net for his sixth goal of the year.
 
MTU answered back with a power-play goal of its own 52 seconds later at 16:25 to tie it at 1-1. Alex Petan dished the puck off to an open David Johnstone and he beat Cahill five-hole with a goal from between the circles.
 
In the second, Alaska regained the lead 83 seconds in. Brandon Morley took a feed from his brother and ripped a shot that was redirected off the stick of Perry to make it a 2-1 game. At the 8:06 mark, freshman center Josh Erickson (Roseau, Minn./General Studies) had an initial shot saved by Copley, collected his own rebound and fired it in the net for his second of the year.
 
The Huskies got it back to 3-2 just past the 14 minute mark when Blake Hietala took a pass from his cousin Tanner Kero, and beat Cahill out front. The Nanooks surged right back with two goals from Kunyk separated by 20 seconds. Kunyk scored once off a rebound at 16:19 and possessed the puck from Beck down ice and beat Copley on the breakaway.
 
In the third, junior left wing Jared Larson (Apple Valley, Minn./Business Administration) redirected a shot by Huysmans five-hole on Phillips to make it a 6-2 ballgame at 5:49. The Nanooks stretched it to 7-2 at 9:08 when Perry wrapped around the net and fed to a surging Tyler Morley, who scored stick side.
 
MTU ended the game's  scoring 26 seconds later when Jacob Johnstone took a shot from the right corner, and the puck went in off the skate of a Nanook.
 
Alaska and MTU close the season series Saturday night at 7:07 p.m. EST.