FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks hockey team returns to competition this week, as they host in-state rival Alaska Anchorage in a two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series this Friday, Feb. 8 and Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Carlson Center. The weekend series will also kick-off the first two games of the coveted Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup. Puck-drop both nights is scheduled for 7:07pm AKST.
 

Opponent	Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (2-22-2, 1-17-2-1 WCHA)
Dates & Times	Friday, Feb. 8 at 7:07pm AKST | Saturday, Feb. 9 at 7:07pm AKST
Location	Carlson Center | Fairbanks, Alaska
Ticketing Promotions & Activities Schedule	Ticketing Promotions & Deals (All Weekend) - All kids 8th grade & under will receive free general admission (limit two kids per one adult) - $5 pound of wings at any concession stand & $4 Coors Light pints Friday, Feb. 8 6pm: UAF Fun Zone (Hosted by Hockey Week in Fairbanks) | Pioneer Room Saturday, Feb. 9 6pm: Governor's Cup Reception (Hosted by UAF Chancellor Dan White) | Pioneer Room | Open to the public Intermissions: UAF Fun Zone | Pioneer Room End of Game: Skate with the Nanooks
Game Notes	Nanooks | Seawolves
Follow Along	Live Stream: FloHockey.tv ($) 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 game live on FloHockey.tv, as well as every 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.

Weekend Specials
This weekend, the Alaska Nanooks Ticketing Office is offering free general admission to any kids in the eighth grade or under with a paying adult. There will be a limit of two kids per one adult. The Carlson Center will be hosting a food special with one pound of wings for $5 at any concession stand and $4 Coors Light pints.

Hockey Week in Fairbanks Continues
This weekend, Hockey Week in Fairbanks will be hosting a UAF Fun Zone in the Pioneer Room on Friday at 6pm and between periods on both days at the Carlson Center. The UAF Fun Zone will include bubble hockey, box hockey, hardest shot, button-making, design your own jersey and other fun family-friendly activities.

Additionally, there will be a Governor's Cup Reception on Saturday at 6pm in the Pioneer Room that is open to the public. The reception will include remarks from UAF Chancellor Dan White, UAF Hockey Alumni Association President Scott Roselius and Randy Zarnke. There will be snacks, popcorn and soft drinks provided.

And lastly, there will be a Skate with the Nanooks and autograph signing session following Saturday's game against UAA.

Last Time Out
Prior to coming off of a bye-week, the Alaska Nanooks posted a sweep on the road Jan. 25-26, defeating the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers 3-1 on Friday before earning a 5-2 victory on Saturday. The pair of wins marked Alaska's second conference sweep of the season following their Nov. 30 – Dec. 1 wins against Ferris State at home. Furthermore, it marked Alaska's first WCHA road sweep since Feb. 9-10, 2018 against then-No. 20th-ranked Northern Michigan.

WCHA Standings
Alaska currently sits in seventh place in the WCHA standings with 26 points through 20 conference games with an 8-11-1-1 mark in league play. Alaska's weekend opponent, UAA, currently ranks 10th in the standings with six points through 20 games (1-17-2-1)

All-Time Series
The Alaska Nanooks trail the all-time series to the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves 66-91-12, with the first meeting between the two teams resulting in a 3-13 loss for the Nooks on the road on Nov. 16, 1979. The Nanooks are 28-49-6 in Anchorage and 38-42-6 in competitions in Fairbanks. The Nooks are currently riding a two-game losing streak to UAA, with the Seawolves claiming a 3-5 and 2-3 sweep in Fairbanks Feb. 23-24, 2018.

#AKGovCup
This weekend's series will also count toward the coveted Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup, a best-of-four series between the Nanooks and the Seawolves. The Nanooks are seeking their 14th title overall and seventh-straight since 2012.

Alaska holds the all-time record over the Seawolves in the #AKGovCup 13-8, winning consecutive titles from 2010-2018, but the 2010, 2011 and 2012 titles were vacated due to NCAA infractions sanctioned prior to the 2014-15 season. The Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup first appeared during the 1993-94 season and has been determined by a shooutout on eight different occasions.

The 2019 #AKGovCup will be determined by whichever team collected the most WCHA points at the conclusion of the four-game series. A team that wins in regulation or 5-on-5 overtime receives three (3) points, while the losing team will receive zero (0). A team that wins in 3-on-3 overtime or a shootout receives two points (2), while the losing team receives one (1) point.

Thompson, Martinsson Honored by WCHA
Last week, junior defenseman Tristan Thompson was named the WCHA's Defenseman of the Week after leading all conference blueliners in scoring with one goal and two assists for three points. Each of Thompson's three points came in Saturday's 5-2 victory at UAH and all on the man-advantage. Thompson now leads all Alaska players in scoring with five goals and 10 assists for a team-best 15 points.

On Tuesday, junior goaltender Anton Martinsson was named the WCHA's Goaltender of the Month for January. Martinsson led all WCHA netminders in saves with 202, ranked second in shots (213), third in goals against average (1.59) and fourth in the nation in save percentage (.948). Martinsson backstopped the Nanooks to win four of their last five games, including a victory over nationally-ranked Bowling Green on Jan. 18. Furthermore, the Klippan, Sweden native tallied two power play assists and is currently tied for first in the nation in points among goaltenders.

Special Teams Push
In their weekend series at Huntsville, Alaska scored five power play goals, including four in Saturday's game along. From Oct. 6 through Dec. 31 of the season, Alaska had only tallied 12 goals on the man-advantage but have already scored seven PPGs since Jan. 1

On the other side of the spectrum, Alaska killed each of their 11 penalties against the Chargers two weeks ago. The Nanooks have not allowed a power play goal against them in four-straight games, dating back to Jan. 18 vs. Bowling Green, and have killed 21 of their last 21 PK attempts.

Streaking
Sophomore forward Steven Jandric posted an assist in Saturday's 5-2 win over UAH, marking four points (one goal, three assists) in five games. Of S. Jandric's three assists in those five games, two were game-winning helpers. Additionally, junior forward Colton Leiter has now registered four points in four games (two goals, two assists), with two of his four points being game-winning points. Lastly, sophomore forward Max Newton netted a goal in each of Alaska's games in Huntsville and now leads all Nanooks in goals with seven.

Three's Company
In Saturday's 5-2 win over UAH on Jan. 26, junior defenseman Tristan Thompson tied his single-game career-high with a three-point night over the Chargers. It is the second time the Canmore, Alberta native has tallied three points in 60 minutes with his last being the Nanooks' 4-1 win over Bowing Green on Jan. 18. Thompson becomes the fourth Alaska Nanook to register a three-point game this season, joining junior forward Kylar Hope, senior defenseman Nikolas Koberstein and junior forward Colton Leiter. Of Alaska's 28 active players, only five have posted a three-point game throughout their careers as Nanooks.

Inching Toward 100
Four Alaska Nanooks are within 10 games of playing in 100 career games in the Blue and Gold, led by junior forward Troy Van Tetering, who has dressed in 95 career games. Fellow juniors Kylar Hope (90), Colton Leiter (92) and Tristan Thompson (91) are on track to surpass 100 career games if Alaska makes the 2019 WCHA Playoffs and they dress in each of those games. Seniors Nikolas Koberstein (115), Ryker Leer (118) and Chad Staley (117) are the only active Nanooks to surpass the milestone.

Blaszczak's Back
Three weeks ago, sophomore forward Brennan Blaszczak returned to the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus to finish the remainder of the 2018-19 hockey season and academic year after being diagnosed with stage one testicular cancer on Dec. 3. Blaszczak appeared in back-to-back games against the Lake Superior State Lakers Dec. 7-8 following his diagnosis, earning one assist. On Dec. 18, Blaszczak successfully had the tumor removed near his hometown on Troy, Mich and will not have to undergo any further treatment. Blaszczak was cleared by his doctors to start working out with the team again on Feb. 1.

Blaszczak becomes the second Alaska Nanook hockey player to have been diagnosed with testicular cancer in back-to-back years, following senior defenseman Jack Weiss' diagnosis in December of 2017. Weiss underwent chemotherapy treatment in the spring of 2018 before successfully defeating the cancer and official debut back in the Alaska Nanooks lineup on Oct. 6 vs. Arizona State.

Scouting the Opponent – Alaska Anchorage
Like the Nanooks, the Seawolves are coming off of bye-week after hosting the Michigan Tech Huskies in a two-game series in Anchorage. The Seawolves fell 3-0 on Friday, Jan. 25 before earning a 0-0 overtime tie against MTU on Saturday, Jan. 26. The Seawolves earned the extra conference point with a 2-1 shootout win. Individually, Alaska Anchorage is led offensively by Nicolas Erb-Eckholm, who has tallied five goals and four assists for a team-high nine points. In net, Kris Carlson has backstopped UAA in 13 games, collecting a .888 save percentage and a 3.72 goals against average.

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