GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The 2023 Great Lakes Invitational is here. Alaska kicks off the 57th annual Invitational on Thursday, Dec. 28 at 11:37 a.m. against the Michigan Tech Huskies in the semifinals before playing in either the GLI Championship or GLI Third-Place game on Friday, Dec. 29. 

Thursday, Dec. 28
vs. Michigan Tech | 11:37 a.m.
Van Andel Arena | Grand Rapids, Mich. 

Watch Here | Live Stats | Listen Online | KSUA 91.5 FM | KTVF 11 | Tickets

Friday, Dec. 29
vs. Ferris State/Michigan State | TBD (11:37 a.m. or 3:07 p.m.)
Van Andel Arena | Grand Rapids, Mich. 

Watch Here | Live Stats | Listen Online | KSUA 91.5 FM | KTVF 11 | Tickets 

Where to Watch
All games can be found on FloHockey - you can also listen along with Bruce Cech on KSUA 91.5 FM or online at KSUAradio.com. On Dec. 14, KTVF 11 announced they'll be carrying the broadcast locally in Fairbanks. Read more below. 

FAIRBANKS, AK - KTVF is pleased to announce the return of Alaska Nanook Hockey to local broadcast television on December 28th and 29th.

KTVF, a Gray Television owned station in Fairbanks, was able to secure partnership for the four game Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) from fellow Gray station, WLUC which serves Michigan's upper peninsula. 

"We are excited for the opportunity to broadcast The Great Lakes Invitational," said general manager Chris Fry, "and are ecstatic our Alaska Nanooks are tournament contenders. We look forward to future opportunities for regional sports partnerships with Gray Television stations around the country."

The 57th GLI starts with a doubleheader matchup on Thursday from Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Game One featuring the Michigan Tech Huskies and the Alaska Nanooks will air on KTVF Channel 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. That game is followed by the Michigan State Spartans versus Ferris State Bulldogs starting at 3:00 p.m. The tournament will conclude Friday on KTVF with the third-place match-up at 11:30 a.m. and the GLI Championship game at 3:00 p.m. All listed game times are in Alaska Standard Time and each of the four tournament games will air live.

The Great Lakes Invitational was first played in 1965. Michigan State has 12 GLI titles in 48 tournaments. Michigan Tech has won the tournament 11 times in 56 tournaments, taking home the MacInnes Cup most recently in 2019. Ferris State will be making its fourth appearance at the tournament and was the runner-up in 2022. Alaska will play in its first Great Lakes Invitational this year.

#NookNotes

• The Nanooks are in their first-ever Great Lakes Invitational this weekend. They'll face Michigan Tech in the Invitational's first game and face either Ferris State (CCHA) or Michigan State (Big Ten) on Friday in the Championship or Third-Place game. 
• These two games mark the first neutral site games for the Nanooks since Oct. 9, 2016 when they fell to the Minnesota Gophers in Anchorage (Sullivan Arena). Alaska lost 6-3.
• Alaska has played a heavy second-period based offense as 27 of their 56 goals this season have come in the second stanza. 
• Defensively, the 'Nooks have allowed the most goals to their opponents in the third period. They've allowed 18 in the final 20 while giving up 10 (first) and 11 (second).
• Their 3-2 loss to Augustana on Dec. 16 was their first OT loss of the season. They tied Michigan Tech on Oct. 14 on the road in their only other overtime game.
• Harrison Israels had an eight-game point streak snapped on Dec. 16 against the Vikings. He looks to repeat his run that lasted from Nov. 4 - Dec. 15. In the eight games, he posted 10 points on six goals and four assists. 
• Five of Israels' team-high 12 goals have come on the man-advantage. He's also tallied one short-handed goal and two game-winners. He's currently +5 on the ice and his .293 shot percentage leads Nanook skaters. 
• Matt Koethe scored his first goal of the season on Dec. 16 against Augustana, the third-year forward gave the Nanooks a 2-1 lead in the third, scoring his first goal since Feb. 10, 2023 against LIU.
• Alaska's 17 power-play goals as a team is good for eighth in the country and third amongst Independent teams. Arizona State leads the way with 25, leading the country and Independent teams.
• Harrison Israels finds himself in the top-25 in five individual categories. He currently sits in 24th for faceoff wins (179), 23rd in game-winning goals (2), 13th in short-handed goals (1), 10th in power-play goals (5) and fourth in goals per game (0.75).
• The Nanooks are 11th in the country with three short-handed goals. Alongside Israels, Braden Birnie and Cade Neilson have tallied one. 
• Brady Risk sits in 13th in the country, averaging 1.31 points per game. He leads the Independent ranks.
• When scoring first, the Nanooks tend to win. They are 6-2-0 when scoring the first goals of the game; their pair of losses came in the opening weekend matchup with Denver at home. 
• Alongside scoring first, the Nanooks are a strong team late when holding on to a lead. They are 9-0-1 when going into the third with the lead. 
• Entering Wednesday, Dec. 27, the Nanooks are 18th in the PairWise rankings. Michigan Tech sits at 40th, Michigan State sits in seventh and Ferris State sits in 62nd. 
• Pierce Charleson is in the top-20 for all major goalie categories. He is currently 19th in winning percentage (0.633), 17th in save percentage (0.918), 14th in shutouts (1) and 13th in goals against average (2.16).

Meet the Huskies

• The 'Nooks and Huskies are meeting for the third time this season on Thursday afternoon. The Nanooks traveled to Michigan Tech early in the season and grabbed a victory and a tie in Houghton, Mich. 
• Since that matchup, the Huskies are 8-7-1. They currently sit at 8-8-3, 4-4-0 CCHA and are on a one-game losing streak. 
• Isaac Gordon is leading the way in scoring for the Huskies with 17 points. His 10 goals is a team-high and his seven assists is tied with four others for the third-highest on the team. 
• Chase Pietila leads the team in assists with 10, good for all 10 of his points on the season. 
• Blake Pietila has seen most of the time in net for Michigan Tech this season. The goalie has played in 16 games, tallying a 7-6-3 record on a 2.71 GAA and .908 save percentage. 
• Tech is converting on 23% of their power plays this season; they've scored 14 power-play goals. They've also allowed 14 goals to their opponents while killing 77% of penalties. 
• The Huskies trend in the second like the Nanooks, scoring 20 of their 50 goals on the season in the second period. They also allow the most goals in the second as their opponents have scored 21 goals in the second. 
• Chase Pietila and Trevor Russell are leading the way with 31 blocks each for the Huskies. 
• As a team, they are averaging 13.32 blocks per game while opponents are averaging 16.11 against MTU this season. 
• The Huskies are fresh off of a split in a home-and-home matchup with Northern Michigan on Dec. 8-9. At home, the Huskies grabbed a 4-2 victory before falling to the Wildcats 3-1 in Marquette, Mich. 

The Rest of the Field
Michigan State and Ferris State meet in the other semifinals matchup of this season's GLI. They play tomorrow at 3:07 p.m. AKST following the Nanooks/Huskies game. 

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