UNIVERSITY PARK, Penn. - The Alaska Nanooks hockey program heads to Penn State for a midweek two-game matchup. 

Tuesday, Nov. 22
Penn State | Live Stats | Live Video ($$) | KSUA 91.5 FM
3:00 p.m. AKT | Pegula Ice Arena | University Park, Penn. 

Wednesday, Nov. 23
Penn State | Live Stats | Live Video ($$) | KSUA 91.5 FM
1:00 p.m. AKT | Pegula Ice Arena | University Park, Penn. 

Where to Watch
This week's games will be available for a subscription on the Big Ten Network. Live stats can be found for free using the links above. You can also listen to all of the play-by-play action on KSUA 91.5 FM with Bruce Cech calling the game. You can also find live audio on KSUAradio.com. 

#NookNotes

• The Nanooks have a quick turnaround following a 1-0-1 trip to RPI this past weekend that resulted in a 3-1 win on Friday, Nov. 18 and a 3-3 tie on Saturday, Nov. 18 (RPI won the shootout).
• GARRETT PYKE scored his first goal of the season and grew his team-leading points total to eight ... the blueliner leads the 'Nooks in points through 12 games after posting a career-high 19 last season.
• JONNY SORENSON tallied a shorthanded goal against RPI on Saturday, Nov. 19 - he became the second Nanook to score a SH goal, joining HARRISON ISRAELS. The Nanooks have surrendered three shorthanded goals this season.
• Current head coach for Penn State, GUY GADOWSKY, is a former Nanooks hockey head coach. He coached the Nanooks for five seasons from 1999-2004, going 68-89-22 (.441) for the Nanooks in the CCHA.
• SORENSON and ISRAELS are both tied for 11th in the NCAA Division I with their solo shorthanded goal.
• MATT RADOMSKY is currently 21st in the nation in goals against average with 2.22 on the season. He is also 36th in the nation with a .500 win percentage (5-5-2).
• The Nanooks are riding seven-straight games with two or more goals a game dating back to their shutout loss on Oct. 13, 2022 to Michigan Tech in Fairbanks. They are 3-3-1 since that loss.
• KYLE GAFFNEY recorded his first-career goal in the 3-1 win at RPI on Friday, Nov. 18 - this highlighted his first multipoint game of his career as he also recorded an assist on MATT KOETHE's goal 18:45 into the third securing the win. 
• After two points in six games, SORENSON has turned up the heat, recording five points over the last six games, including three goals over the last five games. 
• ANTON RUBTSOV found the back of the net for the first time this season on Saturday, Nov. 19 at RPI. The sophomore lit the lamp for the first time in 22-23 after netting nine goals a year ago in his rookie season. 
• The Nanooks have scored the first goal in seven of their 12 games this season. Six of their 26 goals have come on the man-advantage this season (6-46 on PP). 
• Alaska is the third-most penalized team in the nation in terms of penalty minutes per game; they average 15.92 minutes per game in the box. 
• They are seventh in the nation in total penalty minutes (191). Only Arizona State has more in the Independent ranks (195) and Miami (OH) leads the nation with 225 penalty minutes. 
• Penn State and Alaska are tied 1-1-0 in the all-time record books. The Nanooks Oct. 18, 2019 victory was vacated. The lone victory for Alaska came back on Oct. 18, 2014, a 4-3 win in the Carlson Center.

Meet the Opponents

• Penn State enters this midweek matchup as the #7/7 team in the nation according to the USCHO and USA Today polls. They currently sit in fifth-place according to the Men's Division I PairWise Rankings. The Nanooks are #34 in the current PairWise Rankings. 
• Penn State has scored first in 11 of their games this season with three goals coming unassisted. Seven of their 55 goals have come on the power play and they have not scored unassisted - they have allowed one shorthanded goal this season. 
• The Nittany Lions are one of the best teams in the country in the faceoff circle, winning 55.7% of the faceoffs (490-390). 
• PSU trends towards scoring early or late...they have scored 18 of their 55 goals in the first period and 22 in the third period. They have tallied one OT goal and 14 in the second period. 
• Penn State is fresh off of a series-split against #17/18 Michigan State on Nov. 18-19 at home. They took game one with a 4-3 win before falling 7-3 to the Spartans. 
• PSU is 7-2-0 on home-ice and 4-1-0 on the road ... they have not played a neutral site game this season. Penn State (Big Ten) is 5-3-0 in conference with a sweep earlier this season over Wisconsin on Oct. 28-29 (2-1 & 4-0), a split at home against #1/1 Michigan on Nov. 4-5 (W, 3-0 & L, 4-3 OT) and a split the following weekend at #1/1 Minnesota on Nov. 10-11 (W, 4-2 & L, 3-1).
• Penn State became the first team in NCAA Ice Hockey history to defeat the current #1/1 team in the nation in back-to-back weekends. 
• In the Nittany Lions' win over Michigan State, Jimmy Dowd, Jr. got the scoring started 10:35 into the first, making it 1-0 PSU. Matt Basgall of MSU tied the game up two minutes later and MSU took the lead five minutes later, taking a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. PSU tied it up 16:22 into the second as Christian Berger scored but 23 seconds later MSU regained the lead. PSU tallied two goals in the final period including the winner 19:03.4 into the period, as Tyler Gratton scored with 56.6 seconds left on the clock giving PSU the 4-3 win. 
• GUY GADOWSKY is in his 12th-season as the Nittany Lions head coach. He is 183-155-24 (.539) with PSU and is 356-353-61 (.502) in his lifetime as a head coach. 
• Penn State is still a relatively new program to the NCAA Division I ranks, joining full-time in 2012-13. They have two NCAA Tournament appearances, coming in back-to-back seasons in the 2017 NCAA Tournament and 2018 NCAA Tournament. They won the 2017 Big Ten Tournament Championship and were the 2020 Big Ten Regular-Season Champions. 
• Penn State is 3-3-0 against ranked teams this season ... The Nanooks will break a three-week streak of playing ranked opponents. 
• Penn State swept St. Thomas earlier on Oct. 20-21 (6-2 & 3-2 OT) and will also face Notre Dame twice this season, sharing two opponents with the Nanooks this season.

Looking Ahead

• Alaska turns around quick and heads to #7/#7-ranked Penn State. 
• After Penn State, the Nanooks will take a bye week into their next home games against the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Dec. 9-10. This will be the first matchup between Alaska and UAA since the final regular-season games of the 2019-20 season that resulted in a pair of Nanook wins and their 11th-straight Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup victory.
• The Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup will continue the following weekend in Anchorage at the Seawolf Sports Complex on Dec. 16-17. 
• Following Anchorage, the Nanooks will head into Holiday break before ending 2022 and beginning 2023 in South Bend, Ind. at Notre Dame. Notre Dame currently sits in #19/#19 in the USCHO/USA Hockey Magazine Polls. The Nanooks return to the Compton Family Ice Arena for the first time since the 2016-17 season on the same dates (Dec. 31/Jan. 1).
• Alaska will have their first full series in 2023 at the current #1/#1 Denver on Jan. 6-7 at Magness Arena. The two teams met last season and after a Denver win, the Nanooks took the National Champs to a 4-4 tie that featured two goals from Connor Mylymok.

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.