FAIRBANKS, Alaska – After almost a month off from competition, the Alaska Nanooks hockey team returns to the Carlson Center to host a pair of Western Collegiate Hockey Association contests against the Northern Michigan University Wildcats this Friday, Jan. 4 and Saturday, Jan. 5. Puck-drop both nights is scheduled for 7:07pm AKST.
Where to Watch & Listen
Fans who cannot make this weekend's games in Fairbanks can stream the game live on FloHockey.tv, as well as every home and conference contest for the remainder of the 2018-19 season. Longtime Nanook hockey commentator Bruce Cech will be live from the Carlson Center on KSUA 91.5 FM in Fairbanks or anywhere online at ksuaradio.com in the link posted above.
Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks fell in back-to-back WCHA games at home to the Lake Superior Lakers prior to the holiday break, falling 4-1 to the Lakers on Friday, Dec. 7 before dropping Saturday, Dec. 8's matchup, 5-2. The losses marked Alaska's first WCHA sweep at home by an opponent since Feb. 23-24 against Alaska Anchorage.
WCHA Standings
The Nanooks currently sit in seventh place in the WCHA standings with 14 points, having collected a 4-7-1-1 mark in conference contests. The Nanooks' weekend opponent, Northern Michigan, sits in fourth place with 24 points, posting an 8-4-0-0 record in conference play. The Michigan Tech Huskies hold on to first place in the standings with a 9-2-1-1 WCHA record, registering a league-high 29 points.
All-Time Series
All-time against the Northern Michigan Wildcats, Alaska trails in the series record 13-38-12, posting a 9-15-5 mark in games played in Fairbanks. The first meeting between the two programs resulted in an 8-6 loss for the Nanooks on the road on Dec. 1, 1989. The Nanooks are currently riding a two-game losing streak to the Wildcats, having fell 2-1 in overtime on Feb. 9 before dropping Feb. 10's away contest 4-1. Alaska's last win against Northern Michigan came as a 4-1 decision at home on Feb. 18.
Individually All-Time
Senior defenseman
Nikolas Koberstein and senior forward
Ryker Leer hold the team record for most games played against Northern Michigan with 10 each. Four Nanooks tie for a team-best two points against NMU, including junior forward
Kylar Hope (one goal, one assist), sophomore forward
Steven Jandric (two assists), sophomore forward
Max Newton (one goal, one assist) and sophomore forward
Justin Young (one goal, one assist). Of the eight Nanooks who have registered at least one goal against NMU, junior forward
Tristan Thompson has collected the only power play tally, while Newton has scored the only game-winning goal.
In net, junior goaltenders
Niko DellaMaggiore and
Anton Martinsson have both seen time against the Wildcats, with Martinsson appearing in three games (152:08 combined minutes) with a 0-3-0 record, while DellaMaggiore has played in two games (85:30 combined minutes) with a 1-0-0 mark against Northern Michigan.
Goalie Assist
Last season, junior goaltender
Anton Martinsson registered his first and only collegiate point thus far with an assist on junior forward
Tyler Cline's goal against the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Nov. 17, 2017. Martinsson's assist came exactly five years after the Nanooks' last goaltender assist, courtesy of former netminder John Keeney ('16) on Nov. 17, 2012 against Western Michigan University. No Alaska goaltender has registered a point since Martinsson last season.
Heating Up
Four Nanooks closed out 2018 on a high note, having registered at least four points in Alaska's last four games. Junior defenseman
Tristan Thompson leads the pack by collecting five points (two goals, three assists) since Nov. 30 against Ferris State, while junior forward
Kylar Hope (one goal, three assists), junior forward
Kyle Marino (two goals, two assists) and sophomore forward
Max Newton (four goals) have each produced four points.
Jandric Contributions
Of Alaska's 102 points this season, brothers Chris and
Steven Jandric have accounted for 21 of them. Freshman defenseman
Chris Jandric currently leads the Nanooks in points with 11 (three goals, eight assists), while sophomore forward
Steven Jandric is tied for second on the team in points with 10 (five goals, five assists). Additionally, of the Nanooks' 36 power play points this season, the Jandrics have contributed nine of those points.
C. Jandric is tied for second in the WCHA among rookie defenseman in power play goals (2) and game-winning goals (1) and ranks first in the league in goals per shots on goal with a .136 average.
S. Jandric ranks second in the WCHA in game-winning goals with three, having registered all three within Alaska's last seven games. In those seven games prior the holiday break, S. Jandric has tallied three goals and three assists for six points, including two multi-point games.
Scouting the Opponent – Northern Michigan
The Wildcats entered the holiday break with a WCHA sweep at home over Ferris State, defeating the Bulldogs 4-1 on Dec. 14 before posting a 4-2 victory on Dec. 15. Individually, four Wildcats have tallied double-digit points this season, led by senior forward Troy Loggins, who has tallied eight goals and seven assists for 15 points through 19 games. Loggins is followed closely behind by junior defenseman Philip Beaulieu (14 points), senior forward Adam Rockwood (11 points) and junior forward Darien Craighead (10 points).
In goal, senior netminder Atte Tolvanen has backstopped the NMU Wildcats through 19 games this season, posting a 9-10-0 record. Tolvanen currently leads the WCHA in games played and starter (19), minutes (1127:51), time percentage (98.8%), saves (490), shots (533) and shutouts (3). The Vihti, Finland native ranks fourth in the league in save percentage with a .919 and sixth in goals against average with a 2.29.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Hockey team page on Facebook.
