MANKATO, Minn. – The Alaska Nanooks hockey team rolls into the 2018 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament this weekend, with a best-of-three quarterfinal series against the Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks this Friday, Mar. 2 and Saturday, Mar. 3 (and Sunday, Mar. 4 if necessary) at the Verizon Wireless Center in downtown Mankato. Puck-drop is slated for 4:07pm AKST each night.
Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks hockey team didn't end the 2017-18 season on the note they were hoping for, as they fell victim to a WCHA sweep at home to in-state rival Alaska Anchorage. The Nanooks fell 5-3 on Friday before dropping Saturday's contest at the Carlson Center, 3-2.
All-Time Series
All-time against Minnesota State, Alaska leads 15-9-2 with the first-ever meeting coming as an 8-2 victory for the Nanooks on Nov. 14, 1983. The Nooks hold a 10-3-0 record over the Mavericks in Fairbanks but in Mankato, MSU leads 3-6-0.
We Meet Again
This weekend's quarterfinal series will be the third and fourth meeting between the Minnesota State Mavericks and the Alaska Nanooks this season, as MSU travelled to Fairbanks for a two-game WCHA series Jan. 12-13. The Nooks shutout the Mavericks 5-0 in game one before falling the Minnesota State on Saturday, 5-1.
This will be the second-straight season the Nanooks have travelled to Mankato, Minnesota to face the Mavericks in the quarterfinal round of the WCHA Playoffs, as MSU swept Alaska last season 3-0 in game one and 4-1 in game two to advance to the semifinal round of the WCHA Playoffs and ending the Nanooks' 2016-17 season.
Jeff Sauer WCHA Championship Trophy
On Wednesday, the WCHA announced the introduction of the Jeff Sauer WCHA Championships Trophy, which is to be awarded each season to the WCHA Postseason Tournament Championship, beginning with the 2018 League playoffs and championship. Sauer was a player for Colorado College in the 1960s, continuing through 31 years as head coach of the Tigers (1971-82) and Wisconsin (1982-2002) and for 14 seasons (2003-17) in various consulting capacities to the Commissioner and Association Office.
Frye Named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week
Following last weekend's series versus UAA, Alaska senior defenseman
Zach Frye was named the WCHA's Defensive Player of the Week after posting two goals and two assists for a league-best four point weekend among blueliners. Frye registered two assists in Friday's 5-3 loss before two goals in Saturday's 3-2 defeat. Frye also led all league defensemen in shots on goal this past weekend with 13. It was Frye's third WCHA weekly honor of his career, all coming in the second half of this season.
Best of the Blueline
Frye and the rest of the Alaska defensive core are not only getting things done defensively, but also offensively, as well. The Nooks defensemen are tied for first in the nation in goals (27), even-strength goals (62), extra-attacker points (7), first goal for team (38) and last goal for team (33).
Sharing the Wealth
Of the Nanooks' 26 players that have appeared in the lineup this season, 24 have tallied at least one point, with 11 registering double-digit figures. Three Alaska players have collected 20-or-more points, surpassing last year's number of only two players. Furthermore, Frye becomes the first player on the Nanooks since
Tyler Morley ('16) in the 2015-16 season to collect 30-or-more points.
Fresh Fry(e)
Among league defensemen, Frye ranks first in goals (10), goals per games played (0.30), shots on goal (114) and shots on goal per games played (3.45) and ranks second in points with 31. On the Nanooks, Frye ranks first on the team in goals, assists (21), points, assists per games played (0.64), points per games played (0.94), shots on goal and shots on goal per games played. The Spokane, Washington native is tied for first on the team in power play goals (3), power play points (7) and game-winning goals (2).
Scouting the Opponent - #3 Minnesota State Mankato
The Nanooks are facing one of the hottest teams in the nation right now, as the Mavericks went on a 9-0-1 run in their past 10 games to earn the WCHA Regular Season title. In fact, the Mavericks' last loss was to the Nanooks on Jan. 13 in Fairbanks. Offensively, MSU is led by senior forward C.J. Suess, who leads the league in scoring with 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points. Suess, along with Zeb Knutson (38 points), Marc Michaelis (37 points) and Jake Jaremko (35 points) all rank within the top-six in the conference in scoring. On the back end, MSU's senior goaltender Connor LaCouvee has backstopped the Mavericks to a 20-3-1 record with a league-best 1.72 goals against average and .917 save percentage.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooskHockey on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Hockey team page on Facebook.
