FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks hockey team welcomes the Denver Pioneers to town for their season-opening weekend at the Carlson Center. The #4-ranked Pioneers return to Fairbanks for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
Saturday, Oct. 7
vs. Denver | 5:07 p.m.
Carlson Center | Fairbanks
Country Theme - Cowbell Giveaway
Watch Here | KSUA 91.5 FM |
Live Stats |
Listen Online |
Tickets
Sunday, Oct. 8
vs. Denver | 5:07 p.m.
Carlson Center | Fairbanks
Watch Here | KSUA 91.5 FM |
Live Stats |
Listen Online |
Tickets
Welcome Back, Fairbanks!
The Nanooks are home and they're hungry for bigger and better things following their exciting 2022-23 season! A season ago, they finished with their most wins since the 2001-02 season, a 22-10-2 record, and were just shy of breaking into the NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament. This season, they open up by receiving votes in both the USCHO and USA Hockey/The Rink Live men's college hockey polls.
Country Theme
Saturday, Oct. 7 will be a country themed night. Break out the boots, dust off the hat and come out to the barn for some Nanooks hockey. We'll be handing out A-Bear cowbells to a select number of fans!
Sunday, Fun Day!
If you attend either Fairbanks Ice Dogs game on Friday, Oct. 6 or Saturday, Oct. 7, SAVE YOUR TICKET STUB! If you bring your stub to the Sunday, Oct. 8 game against Denver at 5:07 p.m. you'll receive a discount at the box office. Adult tickets with your Ice Dogs ticket will be $10 and all kids tickets with an Ice Dogs ticket will be $5. Must present your Ice Dogs ticket from Oct. 6-7 to receive deal.
Fresh Faces
Alaska welcomes 11 newcomers, featuring five transfers and six incoming rookies. The transfers include Cade Ahrenholz (Colorado College), Dawson Bruneski (Maine), Pierce Charleson (Michigan State), Chase Dafoe (Providence) and William Hambley (Western Michigan).
The remaining newcomers are; Edvards Bergmanis (Springfield - NAHL), William Lawson-Body (Oklahoma - NAHL), Caleb MacDonald (Whitecourt - AJHL), Derek Pys (Sherwood Park - AJHL), Broten Sabo (St. Cloud - NAHL) and Filip Wiberg (Maine - NAHL).
Returning Stars
The Nanooks are returning a lot of their talent from the 2022-23 season. They have the eighth-most returning goals from a season ago with 80, the 10th-most returning points with 214, the eighth-highest percentage of returning goals with 77% and the sixth-highest percentage of returning points with 77%. The Nanooks four-highest scorers from a season ago have all returned. Payton Matsui and Jonny Sorenson led the blue and gold with 28 points each a year ago. Matsui posted nine goals and a team-high 19 assists while Sorenson scored 10 goals and assisted on 18 others. Brady Risk (23 points) and Chase Dubois (22 points) return as well. Risk led the Nanooks in goal-scoring with a team-high 13 and Dubois posted 11 goals and 11 helpers.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks hosted the Vancouver Island Mariners last weekend for their lone-exhibition matchup of the season. They took care of business, defeating VIU 8-1 behind goals from Brady Risk, T.J. Lloyd, Jonny Sorenson, Arvils Bergmanis, Cade Neilson, Edvards Bergmanis and Broten Sabo.
Get Your Tickets!
The University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Alaska Nanooks Department of Athletics have partnered with eTix as the exclusive provider for tickets to all Alaska Nanooks home events for the 2023-24 season. Grab your hockey and court sport season tickets today! Call 907-474-NOOK (6665) or visit the Patty Center Box Office for more information.
Back in the Flo of Things
The Nanooks are back for another season on FloHockey.tv. Never miss any of the action at the Carlson Center with a FloSports subscription as Bruce Cech brings you all the action on both FloHockey.tv and KSUA 91.5 FM.
Do You Hear That Ring?
The Nanooks rifle team will receive their 2023 NCAA Rifle Championship rings on night one this weekend. Former Nanook, Rylan Kissell will drop the puck on Saturday, Oct. 7 before the game and the rest of the Nanooks team will receive their rings during the first intermission break.
Denver Pioneers
The Pioneers return to Fairbanks for the first time since the 2019-20 season. That weekend was also opening-weekend for both sides and saw DU grab a sweep of the Nanooks. Last season, the Nanooks traveled to Denver and knocked-off the #1/2 Pioneers on Jan. 6, 2023, 3-1. Jonny Sorenson, Brady Risk and Garrett Pyke tallied the goals for the Nanooks.
Denver enters this weekend #4/5 in the national polls. They are fresh off of their second-consecutive 30-win season that saw them finish 2022-23 with a 30-10-0 record. They won the Penrose Cup as the regular-season champions in the NCHC, made it to the NCHC's Frozen Faceoff semifinals before falling. They entered the NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament as the Northeast Regional #1-seed but fell to Cornell to end the season. Massimo Rizzo, their leading-scorer a year ago, returns after posting 46 points on 17 goals and a team-high 29 assists. Denver lost their leading goal-scorer Carter Mazur (22). He also led Denver in power-play goals (8) while Rizzo led them in power-play points (19). Denver will have new talent in net as they look to replace Magnus Chrona, who started in every game last season in his final year with the Pioneers.
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