BEMIDJI, Minn. -- The Alaska Nanooks hockey will open a two-week, four-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association road trip this Friday, as they open a two-game series with Bemidji State. The Nanooks will take on the Beavers at 4:37 p.m. on Friday before concluding the weekend with a 4:07 p.m. start time on Saturday.
Alaska (3-5-0, 1-2-0 WCHA) will look for its first win away from the friendly confines of the Carlson Center this weekend. The Nanooks are currently 0-4-0 in games played outside the Golden Heart of Alaska, as they went 0-2-0 in the Kendall Hockey Classic in Anchorage to open the season and went winless in their WCHA season-opening series at Minnesota State.
Where to Watch/Listen
Fans can watch this weekend's contest on WCHA.tv. Fans can purchase a single game for $7.99, a day pass to see every WCHA game that day for $9.99 or buy a season pass, which includes every single Alaska Nanooks contest both home and away for $89.99. Fans who are wanting to watch every WCHA game this season can purchase the WCHA season pass for $129.99
This weekend's games will also be broadcasted live on ESPN 820am in the Fairbanks area and worldwide on the 820 Sports App with Bruce Cech providing live play-by-play from the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minnesota.
Both games of this series will also be broadcasted on Fox 7 in the Fairbanks area. Friday's game will be shown live starting at 4:30 p.m., with a rebroadcast airing at 11 p.m. AKST. Saturday will be shown on tape delay, as the game is set to at 7:30 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks were unable to complete the series sweep of the Northern Michigan Wildcats last Saturday, as NMU handed Alaska its first home loss in nine contest with a 5-2 decision. The Morley brother collected both goals in the loss, as Tyler Morley got Alaska on the board in the first period, while Brandon Morley scored in the third period.
All-Time Series
Bemidji State leads the all-time series 5-2-1. The first set of games played between the Beavers and the Nanooks was in 1984, where BSU took both games. It would be 29 years before the two schools played again, as Alaska move to the WCHA ended the famine in 2013. Since then, the two schools have played every year, with Bemidji holding a holding a 3-2-1 advantage in WCHA games. The Beavers swept the season series last year with a 6-1 and 4-3 win at John S. Glas Fieldhouse.
WCHA Offensive Player of the Week
On Monday, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced that senior Tyler Morley has been named the Offensive Player of the Week. It is Morley's first selection of the year and his second-ever WCHA Player of the Week honor.
The senior captain had quite the weekend, as he collected a total of five points in a two-game split against Northern Michigan at the Carlson Center. Morley scored two goals and handed out an assist in Alaska's 5-2 win over the Wildcats on Friday and followed that up with a 1-goal, 1-assist effort against NMU in a 5-2 loss on Saturday. This week's honor for Morley is his first WCHA Offensive Player of the Week selection for his career, as he also garnered the award last season. It is also the second time this season that a Nanook has won the conference's top offensive weekly honor, as sophomore Tayler Munson won back on Oct. 19.
Family Affair
This weekend both Brandon and Tyler Morley each scored a goal in the same game, as they collected each of Alaska's two goals in Saturday's 5-2 loss. It was the sixth time in their careers that the brothers have scored in the same game, with four of those contest coming against Northern Michigan.
Newest Member of the 100-Point Club
With his second goal in Friday's 5-2 win over the Wildcats, senior Tyler Morley became the 33rd member of the program's 100-point club. It would be his second point of a five-point weekend, as captain scored three goals and handed out two assists. He currently has 103 career points.
Scouting the Opposition
Bemidji State comes into this weekend as one of two teams without a victory in WCHA play this season. The Beavers are currently 0-3-1 and are in last place at the start of play this weekend. BSU's lone point came on Oct. 30 with a 0-0 tie at Northern Michigan. Bemidji is 1-4-2 overall this season, but its lone win was an impressive one, as they defeated then No. 3-ranked Minnesota Duluth 3-2 at home.
Gerry Fitzgerald is the team's top point scorer with seven points. Fitzgerald is also the team's top goal scorer with six goals. As a team, the Beavers are tied for ninth, last in the conference, in goals per game average with their 2.00 average, as they've scored 14 goals in seven contests.
The BSU defense has been solid all year, as they are in the middle of the pack of the WCHA in scoring defense. Bemidji opens this weekend in sixth place in the conference in scoring defense with their 2.86 average. The Beavers have allowed 2.86 goals per game.
Coaches Corner
"Playing four games on the road is a challenging part of our schedule, but every game is challenging in the WCHA regardless if it's on the road or home. We will take it period-by-period and stay with our process. We win periods we will get points. This weekend we are going to face a tough team, They play with pace, and have players that can finish plays. Our success will center on our ability to play fast and manage the puck effectively. We need to put ourselves in position to create turnovers and get our transition game going will be very important for us to have success." – Head coach Dallas Ferguson on this weekend.
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