MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Alaska Nanooks hockey program will head to Marquette, Mich. for a two-game series against old CCHA/WCHA opponent, Northern Michigan (4-4-0, 1-1-0 CCHA). The 'Nooks will return to the Berry Events Center for the first time since 2019 during the 2019-20 WCHA season. 

Friday, Oct. 28
Northern Michigan | Live Stats | Live Video ($$$) | KSUA 91.5 FM (Listen Online Free)
Marquette, Mich. | Berry Events Center | 3:07 p.m. AKT | Media Notes

Saturday, Oct. 29
Northern Michigan | Live Stats | Live Video ($$$) | KSUA 91.5 FM (Listen Online Free)
Marquette, Mich. | Berry Events Center | 2:07 p.m. AKT | Media Notes

Where to Watch
This weekend's matchup will be live on FloHockey.tv. Flo requires a subscription. You can also listen along with Bruce Cech on KSUA 91.5 FM or KSUAradio.com for free. Live stats are available for free using the link above or on the Nanooks hockey schedule page on www.alaskananooks.com.

#NookNotes

• The Nanooks and Northern Michigan Wilcats renew their old WCHA rivalry for the first time since the 2019-20 season; the Nanooks final year playing games in the WCHA.
• JONNY SORENSON tallied the third multi-point game by a Nanook this season. In game one (W, 3-2 OT), the graduate-transfer picked up two assists. He assisted on HARRISON ISRAEL'S shorthanded goal and assisted on the game-winner by BRADY RISK in overtime. He currently leads the Nanooks in points with three goals and two assists for five points.
• BRADY RISK and GARRETT PYKE are next with four points. RISK has two points and two assists while PYKE has four assists.
• The Nanooks have 19 players on the roster who have picked up at least one point and 14 with two or more points. A.J. MACAULAY tallied his first-career point for Alaska in game one of the Omaha series. He picked up the secondary assist on RISK's game-winner.
• CONNOR MYLYMOK and BRADY RISK will be out for game one at Northern Michigan. They were both given a 10-minute misconduct and match penalty after game two at Omaha (L, 2-3 OT).
• The Nanooks lead NCAA Division I in team penalty minutes with 144 total. They are second in team penalty minutes per game and lead independent DI schools, averaging 18 minutes/game.
• HARRISON ISRAELS leads all independent players and is third in the NCAA Division I with 90 faceoff wins. JAKE WISE (Ohio State) leads the NCAA DI with 99 wins.
• COLIN DOYLE, SIMON FALK, BRADY RISK are all tied for 14th in NCAA DI hockey with their one game-winning goal.
• MATT RADOMSKY currently sits in 28th with his 2.35 goals against average, this currently leads all independent netminders. He is 46th in the nation with his .902 save percentage.
• HARRISON ISRAELS its tied for first with 31 others in shorthanded goal. His shorthanded goal at Omaha was the first since Feb. 19, 2022 at LIU (W, 4-3).
• This will be the first matchup between Alaska and NMU since Jan. 25, 2020 in Fairbanks. The Nanooks went 1-2-1
• against NMU that season. Their 3-2 win on Nov. 16, 2019 has since been vacated and their 4-4 tie on Jan. 24, 2020 has also been vacated.
• Northern Michigan owns the all-time series against the Nanooks; 13-44-12. The Nanooks are 3-25-7 at Northern Michigan and 9-18-5 at home.
• Head coach Erik Largen signed a four-year contract extension on July 28, 2022, keeping him on the bench through the 2025-26 season.

Meet the Opponents

• The Wildcats enter this weekend's matchup with the Nanooks at 4-4-0, 1-1-0 CCHA and are coming off of a weekend-split with Nanook rival, Alaska Anchorage. UAA traveled to Marquette a week ago and fell to NMU on night one, 9-1, before turning around and knocking off Northern 3-1. 
• NMU opened the season at home against Bowling Green. They fell in their regular-season opener 6-4 before winning night two 4-3. 
• The Wildcats were picked second in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Coaches' Preseason Poll. They earned 61 points with two first-place votes. Minnesota State Mankato was picked to win the CCHA this season.
• AJ VANDERBECK was named to the All-CCHA Preseason Team. He led the CCHA with 24 goals a year ago and posted 43 points. JOEY LARSON was named the Preseason CCHA Rookie of the Year.
• VANDERBECK and TANNER VESCIO wear the captain's 'C' for Northern Michigan. DAVID KEEFER and ANDRE GHANTOUS are alternate captains. 
• Northern went 20-16-1, 12-13-1 CCHA a year ago and fell to Minnesota State in the CCHA Semifinals 8-1 after beating Lake Superior State in a best-of-three series in the Quarterfinals. 
• AJ VANDERBECK leads the Wildcats with 11 points on six goals and five assists. He currently sits in second in the nation with six goals, two game-winning goals and points.
• The Northern Michigan Wildcats are coached by Grant Potulny. He is currently in his sixth season as the NMU head coach and led NMU to a second-place finish in 2017-18, 18-19, a third-place finish in 2019-20 and T-fifth-place finish in 2020-21 before taking fifth in the first year of the new CCHA in 21-22. 
• On Oct. 21, 2022 the Wildcats welcomed Anchorage to Berry Events Center. They took a 1-0 lead in the first on an AJ VANDERBECK goal. That 1-0 lead stood through to the second when they posted four goals to take a 5-0 lead into the third. KRISTOF PAPP scored two before VANDERBECK added another and VINCENT DE MEY scored the fifth. In the third, ALEX FRYE, DAVID KEEFER, MICHAEL COLELLA, DE MEY tallied five more to close out the Seawolves 9-1. UAA's lone goal came from CONNOR MARRITT. 
• Night two was a completely different story as UAA grabbed a 3-1 win over the Wildcats. Northern Michigan got on the board first 7:23 into the first as ARTEM SHLAINE made it 1-0 but with 35.1 seconds left in the opener, CONNOR MARRITT of UAA scored to tie it at 1-1. The tie stuck through the entirety of the second and late in the third, it was JAMIE COLLINS who scored the game-winner. Former Nanook CALEB HITE set up COLLINS, dishing the puck across the slot to the slashing COLLINS who beat the NMU netminder to make it 2-1 Seawolves. HITE then tallied an empty-netter to make it 3-1 Seawolves with less than a minute remaining in regulation. 
• Northern Michigan is currently #33 in the most recent Pairwise Rankings. The Nanooks came into this weekend ranked at #38.

Last Time Out
OMAHA, Neb. - The Alaska Nanooks hockey team fell to the Omaha Mavericks on Sunday, Oct. 23. For the second-straight game in Baxter Arena, the two teams went to OT; this time, it was Omaha taking the 3-2 OT win. This loss dropped the Nanooks to 3-4-1 on the season and gave Omaha their second win of the season as they improve to 2-3-1.

While the scoring did not start until the second period, there was no shortage of looks in the first period. The Nanooks posted seven shots-on-goal while Omaha posted 12. Matt Radomsky, the Nanooks' netminder, made all 12 saves in the first as the 0-0 score held into the first intermission. Both sides saw power-play opportunities go to waste as the Nanooks stalled on two attempts while they killed UNO's lone-attempt in the opening 20 minutes. 11:31 into the second, the Nanooks were on the board, and it came while on the man-advantage. Jonny Sorenson found the back of the net off of a rebound on his initial shot. After Payton Matsui dropped the puck for Sorenson as they entered the attacking zone, Sorenson found Arvils Bergmanis cutting to the net. Bergmanis took it under the goalie line before dropping it to Sorenson just outside of the crease. His first shot attempt was stopped by Omaha's goalie, Simon Latkoczy, but the puck dropped and Sorenson found the back of the net on the rebound. 

Sorenson's goal was his team-leading third. 5:05 later Omaha answered with an equalizer. Jack Randl netted the game-tying goal in the second. Davis Pennington crashed towards the net and his backhand shot-attempt was stopped by Radomsky but fell loose into the crease where Randl put the rebound away. Jonny Tychonick was awarded the secondary. 

Nearly three minutes later, while on the five-minute major man-advantage following a Nolan Sullivan penalty for contact to the head, the Nanooks took the lead right back. This time it was T.J. Lloyd netting his first goal in the blue and gold. Chase Dubois played the puck to Garrett Pyke at the point and off his shot the puck landed just outside the crease where a crashing Lloyd put it away making it 2-1 Nanooks. The 2-1 lead stood through the second intermission until Randl tallied another 2:59 into the third. This goal came while down a man and eventually was the goal that forced overtime for the second-straight night. 

4:37.3 into the 3-on-3 overtime period, the Mavericks completed the comeback and won the game 3-2. Tyler Weiss beat Radomsky in net while on the power play. T.J. Lloyd was called for a slashing penalty, giving the Mavs a fourth skater. Afte Brock Bremer played the puck from Tychonick, he found Tyler Weiss skating into the slot. His one-timer beat Radomsky and the two teams ended with a weekend split. 

Radomsky ended the night with 30 saves.

Looking Ahead

• After their two-game series with Northern Michigan, the Nanooks will come home for nearly three weeks with nothing but bye weeks. 
• They'll hit the road again for a matchup with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18-19. The Nanooks and RPI met four times a season ago as the 'Nooks took three of four on their home-ice. 
• After RPI, the 'Nooks will stay out east for a matchup with Penn State. They'll return to Penn State for the first time since the 2019-20 season. 
• After a few years of waiting, the Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup will officially return on Dec. 9-10, 2022 in Fairbanks as the Nanooks will host the UAA Seawolves. The Cup has not been crowned to either side since the 'Nooks won it for an eleventh-straight time at the end of the 2019-20 regular-season. Alaska will head south to Anchorage for their two-game home series on Dec. 16-17 at the Seawolf Sports Complex on the campus of UAA. 
• Alaska will end 2022 in South Bend, Indiana with a trip to Notre Dame on Dec. 31, 2022 and will ring in the new year at UND with a Jan. 1, 2023 meeting.

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