HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Two weeks after knocking off the No. 1 team in the nation, the Alaska Nanook hockey team is back in action as they close out the regular season with back-to-back road trips, the first of which is against the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers.
Watch Live:
WCHA.tv (subscription required)
Listen:
KCBF 820 AM RadioLive Stats:
www.uahchargers.comAlaska Game NotesLAST TIME OUTLast weekend, Alaska went 1-0-1 against the No. 1 team in the country, Minnesota State. On Friday,
Tyler Morley scored in the second period to force 1-1 tie before he scored two goals on Saturday in Alaska's 3-1 win.
Garrick Perry scored the game winning goal on Saturday, while
Zach Frye picked up two assists.
LAST MEETINGThe Chargers and Nanooks met earlier this season in Fairbanks with Alaska sweeping the series. Alaska took the first game against Alabama Huntsville, 2-1, in overtime with
Alec Hajdukovich and
Tayler Munson scoring the goals. Munson's came 1:23 into overtime to give Alaska the win. The following night, Alaska won 4-0 with
Nolan Huysmans,
Josh Atkinson and
Marcus Basara all scoring power play goals.
Tyler Morley scored Alaska's second, on even strength.
SERIES HISTORYHistorically, the Nanooks have dominated the series against their southern opponents. Dating back to the two program's first meeting in 1987, Alaska is 17-4-1 against the Chargers, and have won nine games in a row against them. Prior to last season's series, Alaska had not played against Alabama Huntsville since 1992. The Nanooks are 5-2-1 in Huntsville.
BEST AGAINST THE BEST The Nanooks finish the season with a winning record against the WCHA leaders, with a 2-1-1 record. Earlier this year Alaska split a series against the Mavericks in Mankato.
AWAY DAYSAlaska finished its home portion of the schedule with a 10-5-1 record, with a wining percentage of .656. The Nanooks will now close out their season on the road, with two games in Huntsville before heading to Anchorage for the final two games of the Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup. Alaska is only 3-8-1 on the road this season.
TYLER'S OFFENSETyler Morley was named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week, last week, for his efforts against MSU this weekend. T. Morley scored three goals over the weekend, including two in Alaska's 3-1 win over No. 1 Minnesota State on Saturday. The junior finished with a team high three points and a joint-team high rating of +3. Morley scored the tying goal on the power play in Friday's 1-1 tie against MSU and scored shorthanded on Saturday to level the game at one before scoring an empty net goal to seal the win.
SEAN'S DEFENSESean Cahill was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week last week. Cahill made 39 saves on 41 shots as he went 1-0-1 against the No. 1 team in the nation this weekend. He posted a 96% save percentage and allowed just one goal in each game over the weekend. On Friday, Cahill stopped the last 17 shots he faced while on Saturday's Senior Night, the lone goal he allowed was a power play goal and he made 24 saves. Over the weekend, Cahill and the Nanook penalty kill were strong, as they neutralized 12 of MSU's 13 opportunities.
WINNING TOUCHGarrick Perry has scored the winning goal in Alaska's last three wins. Against the Mavericks, Perry scored a power play goal to give Alaska a 2-1 lead on Saturday. The Nanooks would go on to win the game, 3-1. Against Lake Superior State the weekend before, Perry scored Alaska's second on both Friday (3-1, W) and Saturday (2-1, W).
REACHING THEIR GOALSThe Nanooks rank fifth in the WCHA in scoring, with 2.67 goals per game. Alaska has only been shut out one time this season, a 3-0 loss to Bowling Green in January, but have recorded five shutouts.
