Box Score ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Five months ago, the Alaska Nanooks and Alaska Anchorage Seawolves were unsure if they would face each other on the ice again. Tonight on Oct. 25, 2019 they played their first of four scheduled meetings in the annual Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup. The Nanooks walked away with the game one victory, 2-1 over their in-state rivals. This win pushes Alaska over the .500 mark on the season and keeps them undefeated in WCHA play at 4-3-0, 3-0-0-0 WCHA.

Tonight's game was the first in UAA's new venue, the Seawolf Sports Complex on the campus of Alaska Anchorage. In front of a sold out crowd, the Seawolves grabbed the first goal of the game. 15:43 minutes into the first, Brayden Camrud put a one-timer top-shelf past Nanooks, Sr., goalie, Anton Martinsson. Alaska did not shy away from the small-deficit, outshooting the Seawolves, 15-6. The Nanooks were due. With just 46 seconds remaining in the first period, Jr., forward, Max Newton took a centering pass in front of the UAA net from Sr., defenseman, Tristan Thompson and worked the puck past Anchorage's Kris Carlson to tie the game up at one.

After the first intermission, the Seawolves attack turned up a level, bringing 10 shots at Martinsson, the Nanooks net-minder turned away all UAA attackers. The Nanooks on the other hand, grabbed the lead back thanks to Thompson connecting during an Alaska power play. 9:38 into the middle period, Thompson took a pass from Sr., forward, Colton Leiter and Fr., forward, Eriks Zohovs and found the back of the net, making it 2-1 'Nooks. Alaska took that lead into the second intermission.

An Alaska penalty after the second period horn gave Anchorage a power play to start the final 20 minutes. The Nanooks defense held strong, not allowing UAA any open opportunities. The UAA attack had one more jolt in them, however, outshooting the Nanooks in the third, 3-11. Martinsson stayed strong in the net and rejected all 11. Down the stretch, the Nanooks defense stepped up big in securing the victory. With less than two minutes remaining, the Seawolves took a one-man advantage into their offensive zone, firing a number of shots into defenders and bodies in front of the Alaska net. Martinsson ended the night with 26 saves and the 'Nooks defense blocked seven UAA shots.

Head coach Erik Largen was happy with the result from tonight but feels there still room for improvement, "We are happy with the result tonight. Although there are areas we need to clean up, it is good to learn these lessons through victories instead of defeats. We know we have to be a lot better tomorrow to compete against a really good Anchorage team."

This win is Alaska's fourth consecutive against their rival, having won every matchup since Feb. 8 of last season. The Nanooks will look to grab a 2-0 season lead and advantage in the race for the Governor's Cup tomorrow night in Anchorage. The game is scheduled for a 5:07 p.m. AKT puck drop back in the Seawolf Sports Complex on the campus of Alaska Anchorage.

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