Friday's Game Notes
Saturday's Game Notes
FAIRBANKS – This weekend is not just a normal Western Collegiate Hockey Association series for Alaska.
Entering the final series of the regular season, the Nanooks (16-12-4, 13-11-2 WCHA) have already clinched a playoff spot but have the opportunity to secure a top four seed and home ice series for the WCHA first round but will also be seeking to win their fifth consecutive Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup as they host arch-rival Alaska Anchorage at the Carlson Center, March 7-8.
The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. AST on Friday and Saturday from the Carlson Center (4,595). Both games can be seen statewide on GCI Channel 1, online at WCHA TV and listened to on ESPN Radio 820 AM KCBF or online at 820sports.com.
The Nanooks and Seawolves (15-13-4, 11-11-4 WCHA) are tied in the Governor's Cup series at 1-1 after the teams split down in Anchorage back in December with UAA winning 3-2 in game one, while Alaska rallied for a 5-4 victory in game two.
Winners of six in a row and eight of its last nine, Alaska, which is tied for third in the league standings, can lock up a home playoff series with one win while Anchorage needs a win to clinch a playoff spot. The Nanooks can finish anywhere from 3-7 while the 'Wolves could find themselves as high as three and as low as nine in the standings. The top eight WCHA teams will advance to the playoffs next week.
Last weekend, Alaska kept the win streak alive as it secured a postseason berth with an upset sweep against league-leading and then-No. 4 Ferris State with 4-1 and 5-3 triumphs at home.
Five players produced three points, led by senior captain
Colton Beck (Langley, British Columbia/Business Administration) who was named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for the second time, as he recorded two goals, an assist and a +5 plus/minus rating in the two wins.
Junior
Garrick Perry (Apple Valley, Minn./Communication) also had two goals and a helper while senior assistant captain
Cody Kunyk (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Business Administration) and sophomore
Tyler Morley (Burnaby, British Columbia/Business Administration) both had one goal and two assists each. Sophomore
Josh Atkinson (Spruce Grove, Alberta/Business Administration) also led the team with three assists.
Junior
Sean Cahill (Calgary, Alberta/Business Administration) continued his hot streak between the pipes as he won his fifth and sixth straight start to improve to 8-3-1. He made 57 saves on 61 shots faced (.934), including a career-best 36 stops in Friday's 4-1 victory.
As a team, Alaska scored nine goals on 60 shots for a 15 percent success rate and went 9-for-10 on the penalty kill. On Saturday, the team went 4-for-4 while a man down and never allowed Ferris State to record one shot on goal on any of its four power-play opportunities.
In the WCHA statistics, Kunyk is tied for the league lead in points with 38 on 18 goals and 20 assists and has a WCHA-best six game-winning goals. Beck ranks fourth with 34 points on 13 goals and a team-high 21 helpers while Morley is tied for sixth with 32 points on 15 scores and 17 assists.
Sophomore
Colton Parayko (St. Albert, Alberta/Business Administration) leads all defenders with 22 points (4-18—22) and is second in the country with 84 blocks while senior
Michael Quinn (Surrey, British Columbia/Geography) is tied for third in the same category with 21 points (2-19--21) and fourth in the NCAA with 79 blocks.
Rookie
Marcus Basara (Port Moody, British Columbia/Business Administration) is tied for second among WCHA rookies with 22 points on 11 goals and 11 assists. Cahill is second in the conference with a 2.25 goals against average and ninth with a .906 save percentage.
The Nanooks lead the WCHA with 3.44 goals per game and have won all six games during the streak by multiple goals as it has outscored opponents 35-11 during the stretch.
Scouting UAA:
The Seawolves enter this weekend's series with a 15-13-4 overall record and sit tied for fifth in the WCHA standings at 11-11-4 entering the final weekend. UAA needs one win to clinch a playoff spot and could receive a home series with a sweep, dependent on other results around the league.
Anchorage is led by
Matt Bailey, who is tied for sixth in the WCHA with 32 points (17-15—32) and is tied with Kunyk with six game winners, while
Jordan Kwas is tied for ninth with 28 points (12-16—28).
Blake Tatchell leads the program with 18 assists while
Scott Allen and Kwas both have five power-play goals.
Austin Coldwell is tops from the UAA blue line as he has 15 points (4-11—15) this season. The Seawolves split time in net with both
Chris Kamal and
Rob Gunderson. Kamal is fourth in the WCHA with a 2.38 goals against average with a .907 save percentage while Gunderson is sixth with a 2.51 GAA and .901 save percentage. Both netminders hold season records of 6-5-1 and 7-6-2, respectively.
UAA, which has lost two straight, is fifth in the league with 2.72 goals per game and ranks third defensively, allowing just 2.69 per outing. Its power play is right behind Alaska in fourth place (18.1%) but the penalty kills is seventh (81.2%).
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)
Live TV: GCI Channel 1 (statewide)
