FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- A pair of first half goals from John Mullally and Nolan Huysmans lifted the Alaska Nanooks hockey Blue Team over the Gold team on Saturday night, 2-0, in front of a standing room only crowd at the Patty Ice Center.
Mullally made the most of his unofficial Nanook debut, as the freshman from Timberlea, Nova Scotia collected a backdoor goal less than five minutes into the game to give the Blue team a 1-0 lead. Seven minutes later, Blue pushed its lead to two, as Huysmans broke from the defense to score an unassisted breakaway goal.
"Tonight really gave us a bit of a starting point for this season," said head coach Dallas Ferguson after the game. "We got to evaluate some players outside of the practice setting, and we really liked what we saw tonight. The pace was good, the ability to try to extend the play was there. There was a lot of good things about tonight, but we have to put it in perspective. We're still in the early portion of our season and we still have some things we can focus on."
The game was broken down in two 25-minute halves with a modified running clock. Ferguson split his team into two 11-man groups and the head coach was pleased with his player's stamina, as the teams used a two-line rotation throughout the night.
Junior goalie Davis Jones and freshman Jesse Jenks both kept a clean sheet, as each player saved 13 shots on the night.
"Both Davis and Jesse did really well, and John Keeney really settled down after allowing the two goals in the second. The Gold team really put the pressure on John in the second half, but he responded well to it. The group had a lot of positives tonight, but we're going to move forward and go back to work on Monday."
The Blue Team dominated the shot chart, as they held a 31-19 advantage. Blue's defensive line held strong in the opening half, allowing Gold to just nine shots over the 25-minute frame. Senior captain Tyler Morley fired off a game-best six shots, but failed to find the net.
The Nanooks entertained the standing room only crowd in between the halves, as the team held a skills competition. Both Blue and Gold teams took part in three competitions, fastest shot, fastest skater and a shootout. Senior alternate captain Alec Hajdukovich won the fastest skater competition, as he defeated Austin Vieth in a single-elimination tournament. Huysmans captured the hardest shot title, with a 105 mph slap shot and Blue defeated Gold, 5-2, in the shootout, with Davis Jones picking up six saves.
Coach Ferguson was impressed with the turnout for tonight's Blue vs. Gold game, and says that he and his team really appreciated the support as they prepare for the 2015-16 season.
"The fans is what makes playing here so special. They are passionate and really care for the program. This is a fun night because our guys get to show off their skills and afterwards we had a Skate with the Nanooks, where everyone who came tonight was able to go out on the ice and interact with the team. It's a nice way to kick off the season and we're appreciative of all the support we got."
The 2015-16 preseason continues on next Sunday, as the Nanooks take on Mt. Royal. The puck drops at 3:07 p.m., as Alaska takes to their home at the Carlson Center for the first time this season.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like Alaska Nanooks Hockey on Facebook.
