FAIRBANKS - Fresh off a sweep of Lake Superior State last weekend, the Alaska Nanook hockey team welcomes the No. 1 nationally ranked Minnesota State Mavericks this weekend as it closes out the home portion of its schedule.
Tickets for both games will be available as a "buy one get one half-off" promotion with the Carlson Center providing "buy one get one free" soft pretzels. Friday, Kinross Fort Knox is the game day sponsor and will be giving away one golden nugget necklace to one lucky fan in attendance at the game. "Kinross has a heart of gold" and will be teaming up with the American Heart Association to raise awareness and accept donations. Saturday, the Nanooks will be honoring Dr. Cary S. Keller and Sportsmedicine Fairbanks for his generous contributions and their seven seniors as part of their "Senior Night" festivities.
Dates: Feb. 13 | Feb. 14
Time: 7:07 p.m. AKT
Watch: wcha.tv
Listen: KCBF 820 AM
Live Stats: alaskananooks.com
Alaska Game Notes
Minnesota State Game Notes
WCHA Weekly Release
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, Alaska ended its four game losing streak and six game winless streak with a sweep of Lake Superior State to move into fifth place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Garrick Perry scored the eventual game winning goals in both games as the Nanooks won Friday night, 3-1, and Saturday night, 2-1. Tyler Morley and Jared Larson scored in Friday's win while Shawn Hochhausen opened the scoring on Saturday.
LAST MEETING
The Mavericks and Nanooks met earlier this season in Mankato. Alaska took the first game against then ranked No. 2 Minnesota State, 5-4, in overtime with Austin Vieth netting twice, including the game-winner. Tyler Morley also scored twice with Tayler Munson contributing in the win. The following night, Minnesota State bounced back to beat Alaska, 5-2.
SERIES HISTORY
Historically, the Nanooks have faired well against their high-powered opposition. Dating back to the two program's first meeting in 1982, Alaska is 12-2-0 against the Mavericks. Prior to last season's series, Alaska was 10-0-0 against then Mankato State from 1982-1995.
RARE BREED
Alaska has handed the No. 1 team in the country one of its five loses, including only two in the conference. In fact, the Mavericks have not lost a conference game since the Nanooks won in overtime (Minnesota State's loss to Bemidji State on Januray 24 was a non-conference game played in the North Star College Cup).
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
The last time Alaksa played on Valentine's Day was last season, when the Nanooks defeated Michigan Tech as part of a WCHA series sweep. Prior to that, Alaska had not played on the holiday since 2008 (a vacated win over Western Michigan).
POINT OF EMPHASIS
Nanook defensemen played a part in every assisted goal this weekend. The two that were unassisted (an empty netter and 4-on-4 breakaway) were the result of strong defensive plays forcing turnovers in the neautral zone. Colton Parayko, Zach Frye, Josh Atkinson and Trevor Campbell all recorded assists. Of note, the Nanooks are 5-0-0 when Atkinson assists a goal.
WINNING TOUCH
Garrick Perry scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season over the weekend, and each proved to be the eventual game winner. He scored Alaska's second goal in the first period in Friday's 3-1 win, a power play goal, and its second in Saturday's 2-1 win. Perry is now fourth on the team in goals (6) and points (17) and is third with 11 assists.
GREAT 38
Alaska goalie Sean Cahill earned two wins in Alaska's sweep of LSSU while posting a save percentage of .951 and allowing just one goal in each game. He made 39 combined saves and the only two goals he allowed were power play goals.
FOUR SCORE
Alaska is undefeated when it scores four or more goals this season. The Nanooks boast a 7-0-1 record when they post 40 or more shots, including the two wins against LSSU last weekend.
SENIOR NIGHT
With Alaska wrapping up its final home weekend of the 2014-15 season, the Nanooks will honor its seven seniors this year in Justin Tateson, Garrick Perry, Trevor Campbell, Nolan Kaiser, Nolan Youngmun, Jared Larson and Sean Cahill.
