Men's Ice Hockey | 2/1/2017 5:12:00 PM

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – After more than a month away from the Carlson Center, the Alaska Nanooks hockey team finally returns to their home ice arena this weekend for a two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series against the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers this Friday, Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4. Puck-drop both nights is slated for 7:07pm AKST.

In addition to some competitive conference hockey, the Alaska Nanooks are also hosting a plethora of ticketing promotions and events throughout the weekend, check them out below:
 

Opponent	University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers (7-18-3, 7-12-3 WCHA)
Dates & Times	Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:07pm AKST | Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7:07pm AKST
Location	Carlson Center | Fairbanks, Alaska
Promotions & Events	All Weekend (Both Nights): - Upgrade any GA ticket to Reserved Seating for $5 (Patty Ticket Office Only) - First 250 people through the door will receive FREE Alaska Nanooks cowbell - Kids 8th Grade or under will receive FREE General Admission if wearing a hockey jersey Friday (Feb. 3) Only: - Autism Awareness Night - Pregame at the Pub on campus: giveaways, drink specials & FREE pizza - Student Bus: free transportation to and from the Wood Center & the Carlson Center for UAF Students. Two pick-up times from WC: 6pm or 6:30pm - Students who ride the bus from Wood Center to the Carlson will receive a FREE Nanook Nation t-shirt Saturday (Feb. 4) Only: - Skate with the Nanooks directly following the game
Game Notes	Nanooks | Chargers
Follow Along	Live Stream & Stats ($$): WCHA.tv Free Live Stats: collegehockeystats.net Radio: ESPN 820 AM Fairbanks or 820sports.com
Social Media	Twitter | Facebook

Last Time Out
The Nanooks earned three WCHA points against Bowling Green two weeks ago, defeating the Falcons 3-2 on Friday, Jan. 20 before falling 2-1 in overtime on Saturday, Jan. 21. The overtime loss was Alaska's first conference overtime loss on the season. Since Christmas break, Alaska has gone 2-3-1-1 overall and 2-1-1-1 in WCHA contests.

All-Time Series
The Nanooks lead the all-time series between Alaska and Alabama-Huntsville 28-8-2, with the first meeting between the two teams coming as a 10-6 win for the Nooks on Dec. 12, 1987. This weekend's series will be the third and fourth meeting between the two conference rivals this season, as Alaska tied and defeated Alabama-Huntsville 3-1 and 3-3 on Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12, respectively.

WCHA Standings
After a three-point weekend at Bowling Green Jan. 20-21 and a bye-week Jan. 27-28, Alaska remains in seventh place in the conference standings with 27 points and a 7-10-3-3 mark in WCHA play. Alaska's weekend opponent, Alabama-Huntsville, ranks eighth in the WCHA standings with a 7-12-3-0 conference record and 24 points. Fifth through eighth place (and the final WCHA Playoff spot) is separated by only five points.

Depth Chart
Alaska's notably young lineup proved to be clicking at Bowling Green two weeks ago, as nine of 20 skaters who dressed recorded at least one point, including three rookies. Junior forward John Mullally (1G, 1A) and senior forward Marcus Basara (1G, 1A) were the only Nanooks to record multi-point weekends against the Falcons, with Basara posting an assist and the game-winning goal against BGSU on Friday, Jan. 20.

Daver Standing Tall
Senior goaltender Davis Jones backstopped the Nanooks to a three-point weekend at BGSU, playing in both games against the Falcons and collecting 57 saves throughout the two-game conference series. In January alone, Jones, who has played in each of Alaska's last four games, posted the best save percentage of any WCHA goaltender with a .945. Furthermore, Jones has registered at least 28 saves in Alaska's last four games, helping the Nanooks to a 2-1-1-1 record in each of those conference contests.

Marcus, Marcus, Marcus
After posting an assist and the game-winning goal in Friday, Jan. 20's victory at BGSU, senior forward Marcus Basara continues to pace Alaska's offense, leading the team individually in goals (8), points (18), goals per games played (0.31), points per games played (0.69), shots on goal (79) and shots on goal per games played (2.77). The Port Moody, British Columbia native also leads the team in power play goals (3) and power play assists (5).

Golden Frye
Junior defenseman Zach Frye continues to be both an offensive threat and invaluable on the back end, as the Spokane, Washington native is tied for second on the team in points with 15. Alone, Frye leads Alaska in assists (11), assists per games played (0.42), power play points (8) and blocks (44), and is tied for first on the team in power play goals (3) and power play assists (5).

Double-Digit Guys
Only five players on this year's roster have competed in all of Alaska's 26 games this season, two of which are rookies. Senior forward Marcus Basara and junior defenseman Zach Frye are joined by sophomore forward Chad Staley (6G, 9A), freshman forward Troy Van Tetering (7G, 5A) and rookie forward Colton Leiter (6G, 4A). The group of five, along with senior forward Brandon Morley (2G, 9A), are the only Nanooks to record double-digit points so far this season.

Crossing the Threshold
Only three active Nanooks have played in 100-plus career games thus far, but one junior Nook is inching closer. Junior defenseman Zach Frye has officially played in 91 career games donning an Alaska sweater and is only nine games away from joining the ranks of senior forward Marcus Basara (133), senior forward Brandon Morley (129) and senior forward Josh Erickson (115).

Furthermore, Basara's game-winning goal at BGSU two weeks ago marked his 40th career goal, totaling 86 career points with the help of 46 apples. On the same night, sophomore forward Chad Staley's on freshman forward Tyler Cline's first collegiate goal improves Staley to 20 career points.

The 40-point career mark is in sight for Frye (9G, 29A) and Morley (14G, 23A), as Frye is two points shy while Morley is three points away. Junior forward Tayler Munson (17G, 12A) is only one point away from 30 career points, as well.

Rookie Contributions
Of Alaska's nine rookies who have dressed in at least one game this season, eight have registered at least one point. Six of Alaska's freshmen have recorded five-or-more points this season, with freshmen forwards Troy Van Tetering (7G, 5A) and Colton Letier (6G, 4A) leading the charge, being the only Alaska newcomers to pass the 10-point-or-more mark.

Additionally, Leiter leads all WCHA rookies in game-winning goals (2) and goals per shots on goal (.231).   

Scouting the Opponent – Alabama-Huntsville
The Chargers travel to Fairbanks for the first time this season, after falling 5-2 to the Michigan Tech Huskies last Friday (Jan. 27) before tying MTU 4-4 in overtime on Saturday (Jan. 28), earning one WCHA point for the tie but falling in the shootout. Junior forward Josh Kestner has been pacing the Chargers' offense this season, posting eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points. Sophomore defenseman Kurt Gosselin (9G, 9A) and junior forward Max McHugh (8G, 9A) have also chipped in offensively, registering 18 and 17 points on the season, respectively. Junior goaltender Jordan Uhleski has played in 18 games for the Chargers this season, posting a 5-6-3 record while collecting a .903 save percentage and a 2.84 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.