FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- Senior Tyler Morley became the latest member of the Alaska Nanooks hockey 100-point club on Friday night, as he helped the Nanooks collect their first two Western Collegiate Hockey Association points this season, as Alaska defeated Northern Michigan, 5-2, at the Carlson Center.
Morley entered Friday's contest needing just two more points to become the 33rd player in program history to enter the 100-point club. The senior did not waste anytime waiting around, as he electrified the crowd of 1,887 at the Carlson Center with two first-period goals. The moment was even more special for the Burnaby, British Columbia native, as he was able to reach the milestone in front of his parents who were in attendance.
"It was pretty special. After the second goal went in I took a moment and looked over at my parents because I wanted to get this 100th point for them for helping me through everything in my hockey career. It means a lot to me that they were here and it was super special to get that in front of them and to see their smiles from the stands. I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to get my 100th point."
Morley concluded the night with three points, as he handed out an assist in the second period to push his career total to 101 points. Head coach Dallas Ferguson was proud of his captain after the game and says he still has a lot of great moments ahead of him.
"If Tyler didn't get a point tonight and we won the game he would be just as happy. That's a testament to what kind of player he is," Ferguson said of his captain. "He has been a contributor since the moment he has arrived here and he has a lot of hockey left to play. There are a lot of good players that have player here, especially in recent years, and he will leave here among the best players that this program has produced."
The captain got his team on the board just eight minutes into the game with his fourth goal of the season. The senior raced down and collected a deflection off a Nolan Huysmans shot to get the second-chance goal. Almost six minutes later, Morley extended the Nanooks lead to 2-0 as he scored a power play goal in the close seconds of the advantage to give him his 100th career point.
The Nanooks got off to a hot start in the first period, as Morley's two goal capped off an 11-shot frame for Alaska. Ferguson said after the game that there has been a point of emphasis in scoring first and not playing from behind.
"It was an interesting first period for us," expressed Ferguson. "We had a lot of power play opportunities and sometimes if you don't score you wonder how it will impact the rest of the game. Fortunately, we were able to score and get a lead, which is something we've talked about a lot lately, playing with the lead. We wanted to start out the game the right way and we did that tonight."
It looked like the Nanooks were on the verge of a rout, as just five minutes out of the first intermission sophomore Colton Sparrow netted his second goal of the year. Morley set up the Vernon, British Columbia native to earn his third point of the night. Northern Michigan eventually got on the board at the 10:45 mark of the second period as they snuck in an even-strength goal from Zach Diamantoni just seconds after Alaska successfully killed the NMU power play.
Alaska started the final frame of the night just like the first two periods, by scoring a goal within the first nine minutes of play. This time, it was Zach Frye finding the back of the net just four minutes and 13 seconds in to give his team a 4-1 advantage. The Wildcats would pull back within two midway through the final frame with a Denver Pierce breakaway goal, but Tayler Munson answered Pierce's score just four minutes later with his team-best seventh goal of the season.
The 5-2 advantage would hold until the final horn, as Alaska picked up its first two points in the WCHA this season and improves to 3-0-0 at the Carlson Center this year.
"Obviously getting the first two points of the season is a good feeling," said the head man. "After that first period, we hit a bit of a lull after the third goal we scored, but we responded well in the third period to secure the two points."
Alaska will look for its first two-game sweep of the season tomorrow night, as the Nanooks will conclude its home opening WCHA series with Northern Michigan tomorrow night at the Carlson Center. The first face-off is set for 7:07 p.m.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like Alaska Nanooks Hockey on Facebook.
