Men's Ice Hockey | 1/12/2017 7:13:00 PM
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Alaska Nanooks (6-14-2, 5-9-2 WCHA) hockey team kicks off a two-week Western Collegiate Hockey Association road trip by taking on the Ferris State Bulldogs at the Ewigleben Arena this Friday, Jan. 13 and Saturday, Jan. 14. Puck-drop both nights is slated for 3:07pm AKST.
Last Time Out
Before enjoying a bye-week, the Alaska Nanooks hockey team faced a familiar foe over New Year's weekend, taking on the then-No. 12th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a two-game nonconference series at the Compton Family Arena in South Bend. The Nooks fell 5-0 on Saturday, Dec. 31 before the Irish completed the sweep and defeated Alaska 4-0 on Sunday, Jan. 1.
WCHA Standings
The Nooks are currently tied in seventh place in the WCHA standings with Lake Superior State (9-12-1, 6-9-1-0 WCHA), each with 19 points. Alaska's weekend opponent, the Ferris State Bulldogs, sit in the sixth place position, only three points ahead of Alaska with 22 points. Only four points (or less than two wins) separate the fifth-place Alabama Huntsville Chargers from the tied seventh-place placeholders Alaska and LSSU, which holds the eighth and final WCHA playoff spot. The Bemidji State Beavers (15-8-3, 15-3-2-2) remain in first place in the conference standings with 49 points.
All-Time Series
The all-time series between the Alaska Nanooks and the Ferris State Bulldogs is currently tied at 34-34-6, with the first game between the two teams coming as a 8-4 loss for the Nanooks on Jan. 11, 1985. Last season, Alaska tied Ferris State in back-to-back nights on Nov. 20 (2-2) and Nov. 21 (3-3), before suffering a sweep at home on Feb. 5 (4-0) and Feb. 6 (2-1). This weekend's series will be the first time these two teams have faced each other during the 2016-17 season.
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 has recorded at least one point in four of Alaska's last six games and alone, leads the Nanooks in goals per games played (0.32) and points per games played (0.68).
Double-Digit Guys
Besides Basara, only four other Nanooks have recorded double-digit figures when it comes to total points this season. 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.
Team Misc.
As a team, Alaska ranks sixth in the conference in scoring, averaging 2.36 goals per game. The Nooks lead the conference in unassisted goals with seven, goals when tied with eight and goals when trailing with 25.
The Nooks have recorded at least one power play goal in 14 of their last 22 games this season, being held to zero power play tallies in just eight contests during the 2016-17 season. Alaska is third in the league in power play goals per games played, averaging 0.86.
Scouting the Opponent – Ferris State
The Bulldogs lost and tied the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves in Anchorage last weekend, falling 4-1 on Friday night before tying 2-2 on Saturday, ultimately winning the shootout for the extra conference point. Senior forward Gerald Mayhew currently paces the Bulldogs' offense, recording 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points in 19 games. Sophomore goaltender Darren Smith continues to back-stop the Bulldogs, playing in 15 games this season with a 2-12-1 record and a 2.97 goals against average.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Hockey team page on Facebook.
