HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Alaska Nanooks hockey team kicks off their two-week Western Collegiate Hockey Association road trip by taking on the University of Alabama-Huntsville in a two-game series on Friday, Jan. 8 and Saturday, Jan. 9 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Puck-drop is set for both nights at 4:07 p.m. AST. Additionally, Friday's league contest will be shown live on American Sports Network (ASN).
With both the Nanooks and the Chargers sitting at the bottom of the WCHA standings, Alaska and Alabama-Huntsville are hungry for those four WCHA points up for grabs. The Nooks (5-11-4 overall, 3-9-4 WCHA) currently sitting in ninth place in the WCHA standings with 10 points, look to break-away from the Chargers (4-14-2 overall, 2-10-2 WCHA), who sit in 10th place with six points.
American Sports Network (ASN) Coverage
Alaska and Alabama-Huntsville will make the WCHA's debut on the American Sports Network's (ASN) national college hockey package on Friday, Jan. 8 at 7:07 p.m. CT (4:07 p.m. AST). The game will also be broadcasted live on ASN's 107 nationwide affiliates, spanning 39 states and including MASN's Dish Network (Ch. 432) and Direct TV (Ch. 640) stations. Joel Goldber will be providing play-by-play commentary duties, alongside former University of Minnesota All-American and two-time All-WCHA player Pat Micheletti.
Where (Else) 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 just announced the option to purchase a league-wide half-season pass for $64.99 or a single-team half-season pass for $64.99.
Longtime Nanook hockey commentator Bruce Cech will be providing live play-by-play from the Von Braun Center for this weekend's series that will be broadcasted live on ESPN 820 Fairbanks and will also be broadcasted online in the link above.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks returned home to the Carlson Center for a rare Saturday-Sunday series against the Bemidji State Beavers Jan. 2-3 to kick-off 2016. The Nanooks were defeated 6-5 in overtime on Saturday, before tying 1-1 in overtime on Sunday.
All-Time Series
The Nanooks lead the all-time series against the Chargers 22-7-1, with the first game between the two teams coming as a 10-6 win for the Nanooks on Dec. 11, 1987. The last meeting between the two teams was on Feb. 28, 2015, where the Nanooks pulled out a 5-4 overtime win on the Chargers, sweeping Alabama-Huntsville at the Von Braun Center last season.
WCHA Standings
Although the Alaska/Bemidji series was the WCHA games last weekend, it still moved things around in the WCHA standings. The Nanooks currently sit in ninth place in the WCHA standings with nine points, while the Chargers hold the tenth place position with six points. A weekend sweep for the Chargers makes for a ninth place tie between the Nanooks and the Chargers, while the Nanooks hope to gain separation if they land any points this weekend.
On the Road Again
The Alaska Nanooks haven't recorded a conference home win since Nov. 6, 2015 against the Northern Michigan Wildcats, moving to a 1-6-1 WCHA record at the Carlson Center. But with a two-week WCHA road trip on the horizon, the Nooks are looking to improve their conference road record which currently sits a 2-3-3.
Plenty of Nooks with Points
Six different Alaska Nanooks had multi-point games in last weekend's series against the Bemidji State Beavers on Jan. 2-3. In Friday's 6-5 overtime loss, four Nanooks had a two-point game or better. Following the weekend, three Alaska Nanooks are on a two-game point streak or better.
Doin' the Most
Senior forward Tyler Morley concluded last weekend's series with five points (2G, 3A), leading all WCHA players in points for the week of Dec. 28-Jan. 3, while also putting himself on a three-game point streak (Dec. 12 – Jan. 3, 3G, 3A). In Friday's loss, T. Morley collected a career-high four points. In the WCHA, T. Morley is now tied for first in points (19), tied for first in points per game (1.00), first in shots on goal (78) and first in shots on goal per game (4.11).
Offensive Defense
For the second straight week, sophomore defenseman Zach Frye leads all WCHA defensemen in points (12), assists (10), assists per game (0.50), and is tied for first in shorthanded goals (1).
Disher
Sophomore forward Peter Krieger leads the Nanooks (tied for third in the WCHA) in assists with 12, after dishing out two assists in Friday's 6-5 overtime loss. Furthermore, Krieger also leads the Nanooks in assists per game with 0.60.
Koberstein's Milestone
Freshman defenseman Nikolas Koberstein collected his first collegiate goal in Friday's 6-5 overtime loss, scoring on the Nanooks power play. Koberstein also gathered his first collegiate assist on T. Morley's first goal of the night, marking Koberstein's first multi-point game as a Nanook.
WCHA Competition Heating Up
Per the WCHA weekly release, seven teams are .500 or better in league play. With 7- percent of the WCHA at or above the .500 mark in league play, just three points separate the top three teams in the standings. Additionally, there is only a six point gap between fourth place (home ice advantage in the WCHA playoffs) and ninth place (out of the postseason).
Lot of Five Extra Minutes
Per the WCHA weekly release, 42 of the first 72 WCHA games have been either ties(15) or one-goal contests (26), with 22 overtime contests. Seventeen (17) league games have featured a tie-breaking, third period game-winning goal (including six in the last five minutes of regulation), with an additional seven victories coming in overtime.
Scouting the Competition – Alabama-Huntsville Chargers
Alabama-Huntsville returns home to the Von Braun Center after a weekend in Fargo, North Dakota, taking on the number two team in the country, North Dakota. The Chargers dropped both contests, falling 1-0 on Friday before losing 4-1 on Saturday.
Max McHugh leads the Chargers in points with 16 points (4G, 12A) in 20 games, having recorded four multi-point series earlier to the North Dakota series. McHugh is tied for third in the WCHA (with Krieger) in assists with 12.
Goaltender Carmine Guerriero started in net for both games in last weekend's series, stopping 39-of-39 shots in Friday's 1-0 loss. This season, the goaltender is 11th in the WCHA with a .903 save percentage.
Ferguson's Thoughts
"You've got two teams who are right at the bottom part of the standings, which makes for both teams playing with desperation to get themselves in a position to get into the postseason. Our experience playing against Alabama-Huntsville is that they always show up with great goaltending. And now that they're getting some scoring from some different guys, it'll be a good road series for us. Anytime you're on the road, you have to make sure you're simplifying the game, taking advantage of opportunities and doing your best to control the momentum of the game. Last year when we were down here, it was two very close games. They are a hard team to play against so we need to work and compete at a high level this weekend." – head coach Dallas Ferguson on this weekend's matchup
