Men's Ice Hockey | 11/30/2016 5:09:00 PM

MANKATO, Minnesota – The Alaska Nanooks hockey team will hit the road this week, traveling to Mankato, Minnesota for a two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series against the Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks at the Verizon Wireless Center on Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 3. Puck-drop both days is scheduled for 4:07pm AKST.

Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks suffered a sweep at home last weekend, falling 4-1 on Friday and 2-1 on Saturday to the Michigan Tech Huskies at the Carlson Center. Freshman forward Ross Heidt scored Alaska's lone goal on Friday on the power play, while senior forward Marcus Basara cleaned up in front of the net to pull the Nooks to within one on Saturday.

WCHA Standings
The Nanooks continue to sit in eighth place in the conference standings with 11 points, registering a 4-9-1 overall record and a 3-6-1-1 record in WCHA play. Alaska will face Mankato this weekend, who currently rank fourth within the WCHA with a 5-4-1 conference record (8-5-1 overall).

All-Time Series
The Nooks lead the all-time series against the Mavericks 14-5-1 and snapped a three-game losing streak to Mankato after defeating them earlier this season on Oct. 22 in a 4-2 decision at the Patty Center. The Nooks dropped the first game of the series on Friday, Oct. 21, falling 7-1. The first-ever meeting between the two teams came as an 8-2 win for the Nooks in Fairbanks on Nov. 14, 1983.

Live in Fairbanks
Fox 7 Fairbanks will be broadcasting both Friday and Saturday's game from the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato. Friday's broadcast is scheduled for 8:30pm AKST and will be tape delayed following NCAA Football. Saturday will begin at 7:30pm AKST, tape delayed following NCAA Football once again and will be rebroadcasted at midnight.

Shooter McGavin
Senior forward Marcus Basara leads all Nanook players in scoring with 10 points, including a team-high five goals. Basara also leads the team in goals per games played (0.36), points per games played (0.71), shots on goal (39) and shots on goal per games played (2.79), while also tying three others with one game-winning goal. Basara has also registered at least one point in six of Alaska's last nine games.

Staley Special (Teams)
Sophomore forward Chad Staley continues to be the special team's difference for the Nooks, as six of Staley's nine points this season came on the power play, including four power play assists.

Rookie Contributions
Alaska's freshman class has helped the Nooks significantly on the scoresheet, with eight of the nine rookies that have dressed this season recording at least one point thus far. Freshman forwards Ross Heidt (4G, 2A) and Troy Van Tetering (2G, 4A) lead the freshman class with six points each, while Heidt leads the entire team in power play goals this season with three. Fellow-freshman forward Colton Leiter leads the team in goals per shots on goal (.214) and face-offs won (108), while tying the team-high in game-winning goals with one.

Don't Call it a Comeback
As a team, the Nanooks are tied for first in the league for goals when trailing with 16 this season. Despite being outscored by their opponents 33-47 (-14) throughout the season, Alaska is only -2 when it comes to the third period (11-13). In conference play, the Nooks fall short to their opponents in shots on goal in every period besides the second (90-90) and overtime (6-1, +5).

Scouting the Opponent – #15 Minnesota State Mankato
After an idle week over Thanksgiving, the Mavericks will be looking for payback against the Nanooks this weekend, as they were unable to complete the sweep earlier this season against Alaska, splitting the weekend 7-1 and 2-4. Two weeks ago, sophomore goaltender Jason Pawlowski stopped 62 of 64 shots for a .969 save percentage in a two-game series against the Minnesota Gophers Nov. 18-19 to be named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week.

Minnesota's freshmen have racked up 14 goals and 25 assists for 39 points in 14 games this season, led by rookie blueliner Ian Schied, who's posted three goals and six assists for nine points already this season. Minnesota State has outshot their opponents in 10 of their 14 games this year.

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks  hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Hockey team page on Facebook.