SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Alaska Nanooks hockey team hits the road for two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series against the Lake Superior State University Lakers on Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The Nanooks (2-4-0 overall, 1-1-0 WCHA) travel to the "UP" and look to spoil the Lakers' current undefeated record (4-0-0 overall, 2-0-0 WCHA).
Where to Watch & Listen
Nanook fans can watch all Alaska hockey games (home and away) live on WCHA.tv on Friday and Saturday. Hockey fans can purchase a single-team pass for $89.99, which gives live and archived coverage for all Nanook hockey's non-conference home games, all WCHA regular season games (home and away) and all potential 2017 league postseason games (home and away). Other packages include a single-team road pass ($44.99), a single-team monthly pass ($19.99), a league-wide nightly pass ($9.99) or a single-team nightly pass for ($8.99).
Furthermore, longtime Alaska Nanooks hockey commentator Bruce Cech will be broadcasting live from the Taffy Abel arena for both Friday and Saturday's contest on ESPN 820 AM Fairbanks or 820sports.com.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks opened conference play last weekend, splitting with the No. 9th-ranked Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks on Friday and Saturday at the Patty Ice Arena. Despite a shorthanded goal from Austin Vieth on Friday, the Nooks still fell 7-1 to the Mavericks before bouncing back Saturday to defeat MSU 4-2. Freshmen forward Colton Leiter and Ross Heidt recorded their first collegiate goals in the win, with fellow-rookie defenseman Danny Kiraly tallying a game-high three points in the WCHA contest from three assists.
All-Time Series
The Nooks trail 21-34-6 all-time against the Lake Superior State Lakers, with the team's first meeting coming as an 8-6 win for the Nooks on Oct. 10, 1986. The last time these two teams faced one another was in Fairbanks on Dec. 4-5, 2015 with a sweep for the Lakers – their first in Fairbanks since the 1996 season.
WCHA Standings
The Nooks now sit in seventh place in the early WCHA standings with a 1-1-0 conference record and three WCHA points. Lake Superior ranks fourth in the conference with a 2-0-0 record and six points. The Bemidji State Beavers sit in first place in the league with a 4-0-0 WCHA record and 12 points.
Double-Dipping
In Saturday's 4-2 win over No. 9th-ranked Minnesota State, three different Nanooks recorded multi-point games. Freshman defenseman Danny Kiraly led the Nooks with three assists, while freshman forward Ross Heidt (1G, 1A) and senior forward Brandon Morley (2A) each chipped in two points.
Morley Leading
Senior captain Brandon Morley not only leads the team off the ice, as the Burnaby, British Columbia native also leads the Nooks in points (5), assists (5), assists per game (0.83), points per game (0.83) and plus/minus (+4). Furthermore, Morley has tallied two multi-point games already this season and contributed one game-winning assist.
Goals All Around
Junior defenseman Zach Frye, sophomore forward Chad Staley, junior forward Austin Vieth and freshman forward Troy Van Tetering are all tied for first on the team in goals with two apiece.
Additionally, Frye, Staley, redshirt-junior defenseman Justin Woods, freshman forward Colton Leiter, freshman defenseman Tristan Thompson and senior forward Marcus Basara are all tied for power play goals, each collecting one so far this season. Staley leads the team in power play points (3) and goals per shots on goal (.286).
Rookies Chipping In
Of the nine Nanook hockey rookies that have dressed in at least one of the six games this season, six of them have recorded at least one point. Kiraly leads all freshmen with three points, while Van Tetering, Hiedt and Leiter have collected two points each.
Scouting the Opponent – Lake Superior State
After a weekend sweep on the road against Alabama Huntsville, the Lakers move to a 4-0-0 overall record and 2-0-0 in conference play. The Lakers and the No. 1 ranked North Dakota (5-0) are now the only two undefeated teams in the nation, with LSSU tied for first in NCAA DI with a six goals per games played average. Lake Superior is now tied with the Mankato Mavericks for the NCAA lead with a +15 goal margin and rank fourth in the nation with a 28% power play rating.
The Lakers had two skaters win weekly awards from the conference office on Monday, with sophomore forward Diego Cuglietta taking the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week and freshman defenseman Collin Saccoman capturing the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week titles. Cuglietta posted three goals and +4 rating against Huntsville last weekend (including a game-winning goal and a shorthanded tally), while Saccoman recorded three assists against the Chargers.
Coaches Corner
"Lake Superior has had a great start to their season, sweeping Michigan State at home and UAH on the road. This is a very good team that we will have to be ready to compete against this weekend. Our process is still the same, and that is to make sure we are prepared to play Nanook Hockey. We have seen the results when we are on-point with our identity. The challenge is to bring that effort and structure every night. We believe this group is growing and we are looking forward to the challenges that WCHA road hockey will bring this weekend." – head coach Dallas Ferguson on this weekend's matchup.
