ORONO, Maine - The Alaska Nanooks hockey team will remain on the road, this time heading to Orono, Maine for a matchup with the Maine Black Bears.

Friday, Jan. 7, 2022 at Maine
Live Video >> https://bit.ly/3q2UZtM
Live Stats >> https://bit.ly/3q0EKgF
Media Notes >> https://bit.ly/3f0jotK
Alfond Arena, 3:37 p.m. AKT

Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022 at Maine
Live Video >> https://bit.ly/3q2UZtM
Live Stats >> https://bit.ly/3q0EKgF
Media Notes >> https://bit.ly/3f0jotK
Alfond Arena, 3:05 p.m. AKT

Last Time Out
Alaska went to #8/8 Denver and rebounded after a tough loss on night one. On night one, Daniel Allin got the start in goal and unfortunately gave up seven goals as the Pioneers ran away with a 7-2 win. After falling behind 4-0 Brady Risk got the Nanooks on the board and just before the game ended, while down 7-1, Matt Koethe scored his first career goal, making it 7-2 to end the night.

Despite the loss, Allin hung in the entire game and ended up saving 35 shots-on-goal from Denver. On night two, Gustavs Davis Grigals returned to net and stopped 43 shots-on-goal. He allowed four, but kept the Nanooks in the game. After falling behind quick, RISK answered again, tying it at 1-1. Denver took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission before stretching their lead. Connor Mylymok scored his first of the night making it 2-2 but Denver quickly made it 4-2. Mylyomok scored his second, a flashy between the legs, pulling the Nanooks back within one at 4-3 heading into the third. In the third Anton Rubtsov tied it at 4-4 with just over five minutes remaining forcing OT. In OT, Grigals stopped all six shots-on-goal by Denver. 

Denver thought they'd won the game in OT but a review showed a high-sticking before putting the puck in the back of the net. That tie was the second tie in four years with Denver for Alaska after tying at Magness Arena on Oct. 20, 2018, 3-3. The Pioneers won the next three matchups before Alaska battled to another tie on New Years Day 2022. The last time the Nanooks played a New Years Eve/Day series came during the 2016-17 season when they took in the new year at Notre Dame at Compton Ice Arena. They fell to the Fighting Irish 5-0 and 4-0.

#NookNotes

• The Nanooks and Maine Black Bears will face off for the first time since the 2014-15 season when the two matched up in Anchorage on Oct. 11, 2014. The Nanooks took the win, 5-2 over the Black Bears using two goals in the first and three in third. Colton Sparrow scored the game-winning goal for the Nanooks. 
• Alaska continues their run of being a second-period team. 16 of their 34 goals on the season have come in the second period. Only six have been scored in the first period during their first 18 games.
• The 'Nooks are looking for their first road-win of the season. They're currently 0-9-1. They snapped their losing-streak with a 4-4 tie at Denver. That tie was the Nanooks first tie since the 2019-20 season when they tied Bowling Green in back-to-back games on Feb. 14-15. Tied 2-2 in game one and 3-3 in game two. 
• BRADY RISK has taken the lead back for the team-leader in points. The freshman is up to 13 points on the season as a rookie. He is the first rookie to score double-digit points since CHRIS JANDRIC scored 15 in 2018-19. RISK is the team-leader in goals scored (5) and tied for the lead in assists (8).
• FILIP FORNAA SVENSSON is tied with RISK with eight assists. He has also scored three goals for 11 points on the season. 
• GARRETT PYKE has shown tremendous growth from the blue-line as the sophomore enters this weekend's matchup with 10 points. He has three goals and seven assists on the season after scoring three points/assists in his rookie season (2019-20).
• Rookie CONNOR MYLYMOK scored two games against Denver in the 4-4 tie. One of those goals, an inbetween the legs shot, came in at #7 on Jan. 1, 2022's SC Top 10. 
• GUSTAVS DAVIS GRIGALS upped his save percentage to .908 after making 43 saves in game two at Denver. He is the main netminder for Alaska, starting 15 of the 18 games this year. He is 33rd in the country in save percentage and 38th in goals allowed average. 
• JAKOB BREAULT is the leader in the face-off circle for the Nanooks. The rookie has won 145 of 245 bouts this season for a win percentage of .592. HARRISON ISRAELS also wins .592 of his bouts, winning 84 and losing 58 on the year. BREAULT is 65th in the country in faceoff wins. 
• With two, one from RISK and the latest from FORNAA SVENSSON, the Nanooks are 15th in the country for shorthanded goals. Arizona State leads the NCAA with five.

Meet the Opponents

• Maine is coming off of their second win of the season. They tied on Dec. 10, 2021 against Union College, 1-1 OT, before defeating Union 4-3 on Dec. 11, 2021. Their only other win of the season came against Merrimack, a 6-5 OT win on Nov. 12, 2021 at home. 
• Maine has seven one-goal games this season. Both wins have come by one goal. Both wins have also come at home as they hold a 2-6-3 home record. They are 0-5-1 on the road. 
• BEN BARR is the bench boss for Maine. He is in the middle of year one with the Black Bears after spending five seasons with UMass as associate head coach. He helped UMass to a 94-75-10 record, including 72-26-6 over the span of the last three years. While at UMass, BARR went to three NCAA Tournaments, back-to-back Frozen Four Championship Game appearances and the 2021 National Championship. 
• JAKUB SIROTA, LYNDEN BREEN and DAVID BREAZEALE lead the way for Maine. The Black Bear's leading-scorers all have eight points on the year. SIROTA has three goals and five assists. BREEN has two goals and six assists and BREAZEALE has one goal and a team-high seven assists. 
• They've got a duo of goalies who split time in net. VICTOR OSTMAN is the mainstay between the pipes for Maine. He has nine starts and 10 games played this season. Through 597:46 minutes in the crease, OSTMAN is stopping .897 shots on goal and allowing 3.01 goals per game. His counterpart, MATTHEW THIESSEN has seen 439:16 minutes in net this season and allows 2.73 goals per game while stopping .898 of all shots on goal. 
• DONAVAN VILLENUEVE-HOULE is the leading goal-scorer for Maine, scoring five times on the season. 
• In the faceoff circle, LYNDEN BREEN will be the main Black Bear. He's averaging a win 48.4% of the time, winning 151 bouts while falling 161 times. 
• On the power-play, BEN POISSON and BREEN both have three points. Both have scored one goal and picked up two assists. 
• Maine as a team is one of the better at killing the power play. They kill 83.3% of opponents power-play opportunities (8-48).
• On the flip side, they are one of the worst in the country at converting the power play. They convert on only 8% of power plays, going 4-50 so far through the season. 
• Maine and Alaska are similar in when they score. Maine has scored half of their goals (30) in the second period (15), scoring only eight in the first period and only six in the third. They've scored one OT goal. 
• Maine's defense gives up a lot of first and third period goals, giving up 17 in the opening period and 19 in the final period so far this season. 
• The Nanooks have been called for 90 minor penalties and four major penalties this season. Maine has that number nearly cut in half as they've been called for 48 minor and two major on the season. 
• The Nanooks can expect a loud setting as Maine is averaging 3,401 fans per game this season through 11 games.

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