WCHA Release | WCHA Composite Schedule | Alaska 2018-19 Schedule

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – In accordance with the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), head coach Erik Largen has announced the 2018-19 schedule for the Alaska Nanooks hockey team on Wednesday. The season features a trip to Arizona State University for the first time in program history, a non-conference series at home against NCAA tournament qualifier St. Cloud and 28 conference matchups.

The Nanooks, who went 11-22-3 overall this past season (9-17-2-1 WCHA), finished eighth in the league standings at the conclusion of the regular season and made it to the WCHA postseason for the fourth time in program history (since joining the conference prior to the 2013-14 season). Despite falling in two games to the Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks in the WCHA quarterfinals, the Nooks claimed their sixth-straight Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup over in-state rival Alaska Anchorage and had two players earn All-Conference honors.

This upcoming season, Alaska will host 17 contests at the Carlson Center and will play in 17 matchups on the road. The Nanooks will kick-off the upcoming season with the annual Blue vs. Gold game on Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Patty Ice Arena.

The Nanooks will officially open the 2018-19 regular season with a two-game non-conference series on the road against the Arizona State University Sun Devils on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6 in Tempe. Since ASU became an NCAA Division I ice hockey member in 2015-16, the trip will mark the first time the Nanooks have ever travelled to Arizona to take on the Sun Devils. The last time Alaska and ASU faced-off against one another was in UAA's Kendall Classic in on Oct. 10, 2015, where the Nooks were handed a 2-1 loss in Anchorage.

Alaska will take on the St. Cloud State University Huskies in a two-game non-conference series for their home opener on Oct. 12-13. The Nooks fell 6-3 and 5-4 in overtime at St. Cloud last season and are hoping to seek revenge over the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) foe in the upcoming year. Last season, St. Cloud (25-9-6 overall, 16-4-4 NCHC) fell in the NCHC Championship game to Denver before falling 4-1 to Air Force in the 2018 NCAA Regional Tournament.

Closing out the non-conference portion of the 2018-19 schedule, Alaska will take on the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves in a home-and-home series Oct. 19-20. The Nooks will host the Seawolves on Friday, Oct. 19 at the Carlson Center before travelling 365 miles south to take on UAA at the Sullivan Arena on Saturday, Oct. 20. Both games will take place at 7:07pm Alaska Time and will count toward the Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup standings.

The Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup will feature a best-of-six series against the Seawolves this season.

"I really like the schedule we have for the upcoming 2018-19 season," head coach Erik Largen said on Wednesday. "We have a good balance in the first and second half and a very competitive non-conference schedule. We will face three tough teams right out of the gate but I think getting those challenges out of the way early on will help us become a better team down the stretch."

Alaska opens up the conference schedule by traveling to Mankato, Minnesota to take on the MSU Mavericks in a two-game series at the Verizon Center on Oct. 26-26. After enjoying a bye-week the first week of November, the Nooks hit the road once again, this time traveling to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan for a two-game conference series against the Lake Superior State Lakers Nov. 9-10.

The Nooks return to home base to host the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers Nov. 16-17 at the Carlson Center before sneaking off to Houghton, Michigan to face the Michigan Tech Huskies in a two-game series over Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 23-24).

The Alaska Nanooks will be home for the entire month of December, kicking-off a six-game homestand. Alaska will host the Ferris State Bulldogs Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at the Carlson Center before taking on the Lake Superior State Lakers in Fairbanks Dec. 7-8. Following the holiday break, Alaska will host the Northern Michigan Wildcats Jan. 4-5 to open up the New Year.

The second half of the season will be a busy one for the Nooks, as they travel to Bemidji State Jan. 11-12 before returning home to host the Bowling Green Falcons Jan. 18-19. The Nooks will close out January on the road, taking on the UAH Chargers in Alabama at the Von Braun Center on Jan. 25-26.

Alaska will host in-state rival UAA in Fairbanks Feb. 8-9 before traveling to Bowling Green, Ohio to take on the BGSU Falcons Feb. 15-16. The Nooks will host the MSU Mavericks in their final home series of the season Feb. 22-23 before closing out the 2018-19 regular season versus the Seawolves Mar. 1-2 in Anchorage.

"The WCHA is a tough league to compete in week-in and week-out," Largen said of the conference slate. "We know that in order to be successful in this league, our players and our staff need to be prepared to compete against every opponent."

The 2019 WCHA Playoffs begin Mar. 8-10 with a best-of-three quarterfinal series, while the semifinals will also feature a best-of-three series Mar. 15-17. The WCHA Championship game will be on Saturday, Mar. 23 with all postseason play being held on the highest-remaining seeds' campuses.

"The group we have for next year is motivated and excited about the opportunities next season will bring us," Largen concluded. "We're going to focus on our training and being mentally prepared for the work that lies ahead of us in order to obtain the success we want."

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Hockey team page on Facebook.

*Please note, all game times and dates are subject to change.