FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks hockey team opens the 2015-16 home schedule this weekend, as they'll host American International College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the 2015 Brice Alaska Goal Rush. The Nanooks will take on AIC on Friday, Oct. 16, and conclude with RPI on Saturday, Oct. 17. The opening face-off is set for 7:07 p.m. for both games.
The Nanooks will seek their fourth-straight BAGR title and their fifth title overall in the Brice. The Brice Alaska Goal Rush dates back to the 2008 season and no team outside of the state of Alaska has won the BAGR title, as Alaska Anchorage has won the only remaining titles in 2008 and 2010.
The Seawolves will once against be competing in the Brice, as they'll open with RPI on Friday before closing out with American International on Saturday. Both UAA games will start at 4:07 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks went 0-2-0 at the Kendall Hockey Classic last weekend, as they fell 3-0 to then No. 17-ranked St. Cloud State and 2-1 in Arizona State.
Tyler Morley scored the team's lone goal during the season-opening weekend, as he found the back of the net in the opening period against the Sun Devils. Morley's performance earned him a spot on the 2015 Kendall Hockey Classic All-Tournament Team.
All-Time Series | AIC & RPI
This will be the first time since the late 80's that the Nanooks and the Yellow Jackets have seen each other on the ice. AIC owns the 2-0-0 lead over Alaska in the all-time series as they took a pair of games against the Nanooks during the 1981-82 season. This will be the first meeting between the two programs as NCAA Division I teams, as their last meeting came as they are NCAA Division II teams.
Alaska owns a 1-0-1 lead over RPI in their two meetings. The Nanooks won the first game 5-4 in New York, but the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie in a 2009 meeting, which also took place at the Brice Alaska Goal Rush.
Honorary WCHA Defensive Player of the Week
Junior Justin Woods made his long awaited return to the ice after winning his bout against cancer last season. The Fairbanks native played in both games for the Nanooks at the Kendall Hockey Classic, marking the first time he was on the ice since the 2013-14 season.
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association named Woods their Honorary Defensive Player of the Week for his courageous return to the ice.
Davis Jones Saving and Loan
Junior goaltender Davis Jones started the 2015-16 season off on a strong note, as he posted 27 saves against the Huskies of St. Cloud. The 27 saves marks a career-best against a non-conference opponent for Jones.
Fresh Faces
Six freshmen saw action during the first weekend of games for Alaska. LW Ryker Leer was featured in both games, while Chad Staley, John Mullally, Jack Weiss, Jordan Burns and Nikolas Koberstein each saw action in one contest.
Coaches Corner
"We are excited to be playing again in this tournament. It's a great tradition here in Fairbanks and we are bring up some unfamiliar teams this year. The Brice gives us a chance to compete against some non-conference opponents at home and gives our fans the chance to see some different teams play. It's a really exciting weekend and has been a good event. For us, we've seen some growth from the beginning of last week to this week. We were not happy with the two losses in Anchorage, but I felt like we had some growth in our games. We are focusing to continue our growth and we will take it game-by-game." – Head Coach Dallas Ferguson on returning home for the Brice Alaska Goal Rush
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