Men's Ice Hockey | 12/30/2016 1:06:00 PM
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After a two-week hiatus, the Alaska Nanooks hockey team returns to competition this weekend, facing an old Central Collegiate Hockey Association rival on the road by taking on the No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a two-game nonconference series at the Compton Family Ice Arena on Saturday, Dec. 31 and Sunday, Jan. 1. Puck-drop on Saturday is slated for 12:05pm AKST, while Sunday's New Year's Day game is scheduled for 10:05am AKST.
Where to Watch and Listen
Nanook fans who can't make the trip to Notre Dame can watch Saturday and Sunday's game free of charge online only on the NBC Spots Live Extra page or on the NBC Sports App. Fans will need to sign in using their TV cable provider to watch the games digitally. Please note that both games will not be televised on NBC Sports.
Bruce Cech and Eric Jamieson will be calling the game live from the Compton Family Ice Arena on 820sports.com or ESPN 820 AM Fairbanks.
Last Time Out
Alaska hockey returns to action after a two-week holiday break from competition. The Nooks were last seen splitting the weekend with the Bowling Green State University Falcons in a two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series Dec. 16-17 at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks. The Nanooks posted their first Friday night win of the season in a 3-2 victory over the Falcons in the opening-game of the weekend, but dropped a 6-3 contest to BGSU on Saturday.
WCHA Standings
The Nooks (6-12-2, 5-9-2-2 WCHA) currently occupy the seventh-place spot in the conference standings with 19 points on the season. Only one conference point separates the Nanooks from the sixth-place slot, as the Ferris State Bulldogs sit in sixth place with 20 points. The Bemidji State Beavers remain in first place in the WCHA standings with 43 points.
An Old, Familiar Foe
The Alaska Nanooks and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are old friends, as both teams competed in the now-defunct Central Collegiate Hockey Association, which disbanded after the 2012-13 season. The Nooks joined the conference in 1995 and left after the 2013 season for the WCHA, while the Fighting Irish participated in the league from 1981-1983 and 1992-2013. Notre Dame is now a member of Hockey East and will be moving to the Big Ten in the 2017-18 season.
All-Time Series
The Nooks are 25-30-4 against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish all-time, with their first competition coming as a 6-4 win for Alaska on Jan. 15, 1985 on the road. The last time these two teams met was on Jan. 19, 2013 where Alaska defeated Notre Dame 2-1.
All About that Bas(s)
Senior forward Marcus Basara continues to lead the Nooks in scoring, as the Port Moody, British Columbia native has registered seven goals and eight assists for 15 points on the season. Basara is currently riding a four-game point streak after recording one point in each of Alaska's last four games (2G, 2A). Alone, Basara also ranks first on the Nanooks in goals per games played (0.35) and points per games played (0.75).
Double-Digit Dudes
Besides Basara, only four other Nanooks have recorded double-digit figures when it comes to total points. Sophomore forward Chad Staley (6G, 7A) and junior defenseman Zach Frye (4G, 9A) have each collected 13 points on the season, while senior forward Brandon Morley (1G, 9A) and freshman forward Troy Van Tetering (6G, 4A) have posted 10 points each.
Golden Frye
Junior defenseman Zach Frye will look to continue his hot-streak from the Bowling Green series, as the Spokane, Washington native has recorded five points (1G, 4A) in Alaska's last six games. Frye ranks second on the team in overall scoring with four goals and nine assists for 13 points, but leads the Nanooks alone in power play points (8), shots on goal (59), shots on goal per games played (2.95) and blocks (32), while trying for first on the team in assists (9), power play goals (3) and power play assists (5). Frye's eight power play points ties him for first in the WCHA, while his 2.95 shots on goal per games played average ranks him third in the conference.
Rookies on the Come-Up
After posting the game-winning goal in Dec. 16th's 3-2 victory over Bowling Green, freshman forward Colton Leiter currently leads all WCHA rookies in game-winning goals with two. Additionally, Leiter and fellow-freshman forward Ross Heidt are tied for second against other WCHA rookies in power play goals with three each.
Freshman forward Troy Van Tetering leads all Nanook rookies in total points with six goals and four assists for 10 points. Furthermore, Van Tetering has registered a goal in four of Alaska's last five games. In total, eight of Alaska's nine newcomers who have dressed in at least one game this season have accumulated at least one point thus far.
Don't Call it a Comeback
As a team, the Nooks rank first in the WCHA in goals in ties with eight and goals when trailing with 25. Alaska is also tied for first in unassisted goals with seven and lead the league in assisted goals per games played (0.35) and unassisted goals per game (.135).
Additionally, the Nanooks rank second in the conference in power play goals with 19 and sixth in the league in total scoring, averaging 2.60 goals per game.
Scouting the Opponent – No. 12 Notre Dame
The Alaska Nanooks hockey team will bring in the New Year taking on the No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-6-2, 5-3-1 Hockey East) in a two-game nonconference matchup in South Bend this Saturday (Dec. 31) and Sunday (Jan. 1). The Fighting Irish are currently on a two-game winning streak, defeating Boston College 3-2 on Dec. 10 and Massachusetts 3-0 on Dec. 3.
Notre Dame is led by junior forward Anders Bjork, who's posted 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 17 games this season, which ranks him sixth amongst all NCAA Division I hockey players. Seven other skaters have registered double-digit figures in ND's 17 games this season, with Andrew Oglevie placing second amongst the Fighting Irish with eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points.
The Fighting Irish are backstopped by Buffalo Sabres pick Cal Peterson, who boasts a .913 save percentage, 2.26 goals against average and a 9-6-2 record on the year.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Hockey team page on Facebook.
