FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks hockey team continues their two-week road trip this week, opening up Western Collegiate Hockey Association play by taking on the No. 7 Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks in a two-game series this Friday, Oct. 26 and Saturday, Oct. 27 in Mankato, Minnesota. Puck-drop both nights at the Verizon Center is scheduled for 4:07pm AKDT.
Where to Watch & Listen
Fans who cannot make this weekend's games in Mankato can stream the game live on FloHockey.tv, as well as every home and conference contest for the remainder of the season. Longtime Nanook hockey commentator Bruce Cech will be live from the Verizon Center on KSUA 91.5 FM in the Fairbanks area or anywhere online at ksuaradio.com in the link posted above.
Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks kicked-off a two-week road trip in the Mile High City last weekend, taking on the No. 9 Denver Pioneers in a two-game nonconference series in Denver, Colorado. Despite taking the lead in both games, Alaska fell 4-1 on Friday, Oct. 19 before skating to a 3-3 overtime tie on Saturday, Oct. 20.
All-Time Series
This will be the 30th and 31st meeting between Minnesota State and Alaska, respectively, with their first meeting resulting in an 8-2 victory for the Nanooks at home on Nov. 14, 1983. Alaska leads the all-time series between the two programs 15-11-2 but is 3-8-0 in Mankato. The Nanooks are currently riding a three-game losing streak against MSU, falling 5-1 on Jan. 13 at home before being swept in the first round of the 2018 WCHA Playoffs last spring 8-2 (Mar. 2) and 6-2 (Mar. 3). The Nanooks' last win against Mankato was at home on Jan. 12, where the Nanooks posted a 5-0 victory over MSU and junior goaltender
Anton Martinsson registered his first career shutout. That win also marks the last time the Nanooks shutout an opponent in conference play and the last time Alaska defeated a nationally-ranked opponent (then-ranked No. 8/6).
Of Alaska's 28-man roster, 16 current Nanooks have played in at least one game against Mankato with five players facing off against MSU a team-high 10 times. Of the 14 skaters, senior forward
Chad Staley has had the biggest point production against the Mavs, collecting three goals and three assists for six points in 10 games. Junior defenseman
Tristan Thompson follows closely behind with two goals and two assists for four points in 10 appearances. In goal, junior netminders
Niko DellaMaggiore and
Anton Martinsson have both seen time against MSU with DellaMaggiore appearing in three games against Mankato, while Martinsson has a team-best combined 67 saves.
Martinsson Named WCHA Goaltender of the Week
Junior goaltender
Anton Martinsson was named the WCHA's Goaltender of the Week on Monday, after a league-leading performance against Denver last weekend. Martinsson's 123:26 in net, 64 saves and .914 save percentage were all top of the WCHA, while his 2.92 goals against average was best among those WCHA goaltenders who started in both games last weekend. The Klippan, Sweden native made 39 stops Friday for a single-game career-best night (including 26-straight in the second and third periods), yielding only three goals in a 4-1 loss. Saturday night, he helped the Nanooks to a tie despite being outshot 16-2 in the third period and overtime, as 14 of his game-high 25 saves came in the final 25 minutes. It is Martinsson's first WCHA weekly award of the 2018-19 season and third of his career.
Currently, Martinsson leads all WCHA goaltenders in games (5), minutes (262:25), saves (126) and shots (140).
Rookie Moves
Freshman defenseman
Chris Jandric currently leads all WCHA rookies and the Alaska Nanooks in scoring with four points. C. Jandric has tallied a league-best four assists through six games and is tied for first among WCHA freshmen in power play assists (2) and power play points (2). After being blanked in Arizona to start the season, C. Jandric posted an assist in back-to-back games against St. Cloud on Oct. 12-13 before registering his first multi-point game on Saturday, Oct. 20 at Denver with two apples.
Leiter of the Power Play
Entering last weekend, Alaska was 0-for-21 on the power play after four nonconference games. That all changed in Denver. Against the No. 9 Denver Pioneers, Alaska went 1-for-5 on Friday before going 2-for-5 on Saturday. Junior forward
Colton Leiter registered two goals on the man-advantage in back-to-back nights, while senior forward
Ryker Leer netted his first special teams goal of the season.
Conversely, the Nanooks' penalty kill went 12-for-13 throughout the weekend, holding the Pios scoreless on the power play on Saturday, going 5-for-5 on the kill.
#StickIt2Cancer
On Oct. 6, senior defenseman
Jack Weiss appeared in the lineup against Arizona State, less than one year after being diagnosed with testicular cancer last November. Weiss missed the second half of the 2017-18 season to undergo chemotherapy treatment in his home state of Minnesota. After successfully defeating cancer, Weiss was cleared to train and get back on the ice over the summer, solidifying his comeback on Oct. 6.
Scouting the Opponent - #7 Minnesota State Mankato
The Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks saw their three-game winning streak come to an end last weekend, as they fell 4-3 to North Dakota last Saturday. Individually, the Mavericks are led by three players tied for a team-best six points through four games. Senior forward Max Coatta and junior forward Parker Tuomie have each tallied four goals and two assists, while junior forward Marc Michaelis has registered three goals and three assists. Rookie netminder Dryden McKay has backstopped Minnesota State in each of their four games this season, posting a .878 save percentage from 101 saves on 115 shots, while also collecting a 3.52 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.
