FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks hockey program and the Face-Off Club hosted the 2022-23 Nanooks Hockey Banquet on Sunday, March 5 to celebrate the end of the 22-23 regular-season.
With many looking forward to the opportunity of playoff hockey, this gave the team time to relax and celebrate the amazing run they've put together so far. On Friday and Saturday, March 3-4, the Nanooks completed a sweep of the Lindenwood Lions in the Carlson Center, grabbing a 4-1 win on night one and routing the Lions 8-0 on night two to finish the regular-season with a 22-10-2 record. The 22 wins for the Nanooks is the most in a single-season since the 2001-02 year when Alaska finished 22-12-3, 15-10-3 CCHA.
Under Guy Gadowsky that season, the Nanooks made it to the second-round of the CCHA Playoffs before falling to Ohio State 6-5 OT in Columbus, Ohio. The 22 wins is also the third-most in program history and this season was the third time the Nanooks have won 22 games. Alongside this season and 2001-02, the Nanooks also won 22 games in 1983-84 under Ric Schafer. That year, competing at the NCAA Division II level, the Nanooks went to the NCAA DII semifinals before falling to the 1984 National Champions, Bemidji State.
This season, since Dec. 1, 2022, the Nanooks are 17-3-0. After being swept on the road at #7/7 Penn State and falling to 5-7-2 on the year, the 'Nooks turned it around and then some, sweeping the season-series with UAA, 6-0, sweeping ASU this season, 4-0, going 3-1 against LIU and 2-0 against Lindenwood. Alaska paired this 15-1-0 record against Independent teams with series splits at #19/17 Notre Dame on New Year's weekend and a split the following week at #1/2 Denver. With this run of wins, the Nanooks saw two five-game winning streaks from Dec. 9, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2022 and Jan. 27, 2023 to Feb. 10, 2023 before wrapping-up the regular-season with a six-game winning streak, their longest since the 2013-14 season where they posted a seven-game streak from Jan. 31, 2014 to March 7, 2014.
All of the successes came together Sunday night as the Face-Off Club and the hockey staff awarded the student-athletes 12 different awards for their efforts on and off the ice.
2022-23 Nanooks Hockey Team Awards
Now that the regular-season is over, the Nanooks await their fate in the 2023 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Selection Show. The Selection Show is slated for a 2:30 p.m. AKT showing on ESPNU.
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.
