HOUGHTON, Mich. - The Alaska Nanooks hockey team moved to 1-2-0 on the season, grabbing their first win of the season at Michigan Tech on Friday, Oct. 13. With the win, the 'Nooks have their first win over a ranked opponent since Jan. 6, 2023 when they beat #1/2 Denver on the road. 

Tech opened up the scoring in the first period. After nearly a full period gone, MTU made it 1-0 Huskies 18:10 into the opening period. Max Koskipirtti tallied the goal, taking the pass from Isaac Gordon. Past the lone-goal, Pierce Charleson made the other eight saves on the Huskies' shots-on-goal. Alaska outshot MTU with 11 SOG, but could not crack Blake Pietila in net. Come the second period, they found the back of the net, both early and often. Only 2:40 into the middle stanza, the Nanooks found the equalizer. Brayden Nicholetts redirected a shot from the slot by Braden Birnie and snuck it past Pietila to tie the game up at 1-1. Birnie earned the primary and Cade Neilson was awarded the secondary assist. Only 1:07 later, while on the penalty kill, Harrison Israels slotted his third goal of the season. Brady Risk intercepted the puck behind the MTU net and found the slashing center for the short-handed goal to take the lead. This was Israels' first game-winner of the year and was Alaska's first short-handed goal since Payton Matsui at Arizona State last season on Feb. 24. 

Israels was not done there. Nearly eight minutes later, this time on the power-play, Israels redirected a shot in front of the MTU net to make it 3-1 Nanooks. This was his second two-goal game of the season and gives him four points through four games. 16:58 into the second, Anton Rubtsov scored his first goal of the season in his first game this year and made it four goals in the second period for the 'Nooks. 

Arvils Bergmanis crashed the front of the net on the attack and after flying through the crease, Rubtsov followed to poke the loose puck into the back of the net. A quick review took place, but the goal was confirmed and made it 4-1 Nanooks after 40 minutes. The third was a scoreless period and saw six SOG from both sides. Charleson kept MTU off the board after allowing the goal in the first and ended the night with 23 saves on 24 attempts, walking away with a .958 save percentage.

The Nanooks finished the night 5/5 on the penalty kill and went 1/4 on the power-play. 

These two teams face each other again tomorrow at 2:07 p.m. AKST in Houghton, Mich. 

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