MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Alaska Nanooks hockey team continues their two-week Western Collegiate Hockey Association road trip by heading north to take on the Northern Michigan University Wildcats in a two-game series on Friday, Jan. 15 and Saturday, Jan. 16 at the Berry Events Center in Marquette, Michigan. Puck-drop is set for 3:07 p.m. AST both nights.
After gaining two points in a weekend split against the Alabama Chargers, the Nanooks (6-12-4 overall, 4-10-4 WCHA) are tied for eighth place in the WCHA standings with in-state rival Alaska Anchorage with 12 points. The Northern Michigan Wildcats (8-8-6 overall, 6-6-4 WCHA) are tied for fifth place in the standings with Ferris State, each with 16 points.
Where to Watch & Listen
Fans have the option to purchase a single game pass for $7.99 on WCHA TV or watch all WCHA games on a certain day for $9.99. The WCHA recently announced the option to purchase a league-wide half-season pass for $64.99 or single-team half-season pass for $44.99.
Longtime Nanook hockey commentator Bruce Cech will be providing live play-by-play report throughout the game from the Berry Events Center for this weekend's series. The program will be broadcasted live on ESPN 820 am Fairbanks and will also be broadcasted online in the link above.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks kicked-off their two-week roadie with a trip down south to Huntsville, Alabama for a two-game series against the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers. The Nanooks defeated the Chargers 6-3 on Friday, before falling to 3-1 on Saturday.
All-Time Series
The Wildcats lead the all-time series against the Nanooks 34-12-12, with the first game between the two teams coming as an 8-6 loss to the Nanooks, who were on the road, on Dec. 1, 1989. This weekend's series will be the third and fourth time these two teams have met this season, as the Nooks hosted the Wildcats Nov. 6-7 at the Carlson Center. The Nanooks split the weekend, winning Friday night's contest 5-2, before falling to the Wildcats on Saturday to the same score. The Nov. 6-7 series was also Parent's Weekend for the Nanooks, as senior forward Tyler Morley had a five point weekend (3G, 2A) and brother (junior forward) Brandon Morley put up a goal in Saturday's contest in front of their parents in attendance.
(Still) On the Road Again
The Alaska Nanooks haven't recorded a conference home win since Nov. 6, 2015 against the Wildcats, moving to a 1-6-1 WCHA record at the Carlson Center. The Nanooks must enjoy their time away from Fairbanks, as they post a 3-4-3 record on the road.
By day, the Nanooks are 5-4-1 on Friday evening contests but post a 1-8-2 record for Saturday evening games. By month, Alaska was 2-4-0 in October, 2-4-2 in November, 1-2-1 in December and currently sit at 1-2-1 in January.
Scoresheet Friendly
In Friday's 6-3 win over the Chargers, three Alaska Nanooks had a multi-point game. Combining for six points on the night, junior forward Marcus Basara (1G, 1A), senior forward Nolan Huysmans (2A), and senior forward Tyler Morley (1G, 1A) each collected two points. Furthermore, 10 different Alaska Nanooks contributed at least one point in the win.
Doin' the Most
Collecting two points in last weekend's UAH series, senior forward Tyler Morley now leads all WCHA players with 21 points (11G, 10A in 21 games played). T. Morley also leads the league in goals (11), shots on goal (83) and shots on goal per game (3.95).
Even more impressive, T. Morley has registered a league-high seven points (3G, 4A) in games played in the New Year (four). Saturday's loss was the first time in five games T. Morley hadn't recorded a point.
Stayin' Alive
Junior forward Marcus Basara is keeping his point-streak alive, tying a team-high four games. Basara's assist on Saturday's 3-1 loss moves him to two goals and three assists for five points, starting Jan. 2 against Bemidji State.
Offensive Defenseman
Sophomore defenseman Zach Frye is tied for first in the WCHA in assists with 10 and leads the WCHA in assists per game with 0.45.
Hajdukovich in the Clutch
Senior forward Alec Hajdukovich posted the game-winning goal in Friday's 3-1 victory over the Chargers, marking the Fairbanks native's second game-winning goal in five games. Hajdukovich's first game-winner was a 3-2 win over in-state rival Alaska Anchorage on Dec. 11. Hajdukovich now leads the Nanooks in game-winning goals this season.
Don't Leave Your Seats
Per the WCHA weekly release, 44 of the first 80 WCHA games have either been ties (15) or one-goal decisions (29), with 23 overtime contests. Nineteen (19) league games have featured a tie-breaking, third-period game-winning goal (including six in the last five minutes of regulation), with an additional eight victories coming in overtime.
Scouting the Competition – Northern Michigan Wildcats
The Wildcats are coming off a WCHA-weekend split against No.18 Minnesota State Mankato last weekend, defeating the Mavericks 3-1 for the first time in program history, before falling to MSU 3-1 on Saturday.
NMU is led by Dominik Shine and Darren Nowick, each with 16 points this season. Shine, who was named WCHA Player of the Month for December, extends his point streak to six games and his goal streak to five games after last Saturday's contest. Since December, Shine has been a part of 12 of Northern Michigan's 18 goals. Nowick is ranked second amongst the Wildcats in goals (5) and points (8) since December.
On the defensive side, Atte Tolvanen and Mathias Israelsson combined to turn away 81 of Minnesota State's 85 shots last weekend. In three games against MSU, Tolvanen has made 104 saves and only allowed four goals. Tolvanen has already collected three WCHA Rookie of the Week honors this season. Jordan Klimek leads the WCHA in plus/minus with +14.
Coach Ferguson's Thoughts
"I expect this weekend to be an extremely competitive series. Each team plays hard and if history has anything to do with the outcome of the games, I would expect to see a tight score. We want to finish our road trip the right way. We got a split last weekend and we need to find ways to gather points before we head into a buy-week.
For us to have success this weekend, we need to play disciplined with and without the puck. Northern Michigan will make you pay if you are not disciplined within your own game. Our special teams have been trending in the right direction over the last handful of games, but we need to continue to improve our special teams this weekend if we want to have success." – Coach Ferguson on this weekend's series.
