FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks hockey team is set to open their 2019-20 season this weekend against the University of Denver Pioneers hockey team. The weekend series will kick-off both teams 2019-20 schedules. Game one of the series will begin at 7:07 p.m. on Oct. 5 and the second of the two will begin at 5:07 p.m. on Oct. 6.

Opponent	University of Denver Pioneers (0-0-0, 0-0-0 NCHC)
Dates & Times	Saturday, Oct. 5 at 7:07 p.m. AKST | Sunday, Oct. 6 at 5:07 p.m. AKST
Location	Carlson Center | Fairbanks, Alaska
Ticketing Promotions & Activities Schedule	Saturday Oct. 5 No promotions Sunday, Oct. 6 Sunday Night Football and Wings Deal Come enjoy Sunday Night Football during the Nanooks hockey game, the Colts vs. Chiefs game will be played before the game and during intermissions. 1 lb. of wings and 8 oz. can of Coors Light for $10
Game Notes	Nanooks | Pioneers
Follow Along	Live stream: FloHockey.tv ($) Live Box Score: CollegeHockeyStats.net (Free) Radio: KSUA 91.5 FM | ksuaradio.com
Social Media	Twitter | Facebook

 
Where to Watch & Listen
Fans who cannot make this weekend's games in Fairbanks can stream the games live on FloHockey.tv, as well as every contest for the entire 2019-20 Nanooks hockey season. Longtime Nanook hockey commentator, Bruce Cech will be live from the Carlson Center on KSUA 91.5 FM in Fairbanks and anywhere online at ksuaradio.com in the link posted above.

Weekend Specials
On Sunday, the Alaska Nanooks will be hosting a Sunday Night Football and wing special before and during the Nanooks hockey game at the Carlson Center. Over the speakers and the jumbo-tron, the Colts vs. Chiefs SNF game will be played during warm-ups and intermissions so you don't miss a thing! You can also purchase 1 lb. of wings and a cold 8 oz. Coors Light for just $10 at the concessions.

Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks are starting their 2019-20 season following a sub .500, 2018-19 season. The Nanooks were 12-21-3, 12-14-2 WCHA last season; a season that saw a lot of promise towards the end. After a 0-7-1 start, the Nanooks managed to go nearly .500 in conference play and ended their season with two hard fought losses at Northern Michigan in the first round of the WCHA Playoffs.

The Nanooks lost some talent but retained a solid returning core for this season. Their top scorers from a season ago return; Steven Jandric (9G, 15A – 24 pts.), Tristan Thompson (6G, 15A – 21 pts.) and Kylar Hope (8G, 12A – 20 pts.).

Fresh Faces
The Nanooks also bring in a fresh new group of young, talented freshman who hope to get a taste of Division I hockey this weekend. They bring in nine freshman, none of which are from the States. Kristaps Jakobsons, Markuss Komuls, Eriks Zohovs and Roberts Kalkis are all from Latvia. Didrik Henbrandt and Filip Fonaa Svensson are both from Sweden.

The remaining freshman are Emils Gransoe, who is from Denmark, Chase Dubois, who is from British Columbia and Garrett Pyke, who is from Ontario.

WCHA Standings
Two weeks ago, the Mankato Free Press released their coaches' and media polls. In the Coaches' Poll, the Alaska Nanooks were voted to the seventh spot and in the media poll, they were chosen to finish eighth.

All-Time Series
Alaska trails the all-time series to the University of Denver, 1-7-1. Denver won the first ever matchup in 1989, winning here in Fairbanks, 5-12. The last meeting between these teams came last season on Oct. 20, 2018 and ended in a 3-3 overtime tie.

Scouting the Opponent – Denver Pioneers
The Denver Pioneers are coming off of a 24-12-5 season under their second year head coach, David Carle. Carle, alongside former Nanooks coaches, Tavis MacMillan and Dallas Ferguson, led the Pioneers to the Frozen Four semifinals in 2019 before their season ended at the hands of UMass.

Denver returns a lot of fire power; their top scorer from a year ago, Liam Finlay returns after a 36 pt. season saw him put in 16 goals and add 20 assists.

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