FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks hockey program had seven members named to the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-American Scholar Program. 

This honor is presented in recognition for outstanding academic performance, along with on-ice contributions during the 2022-23 NCAA ice hockey season. Krampade, LLC, a Lincoln, Neb. based company focused on electrolyte replacement to mitigate cramps and to enhance athletic performance, has been the naming sponsor for the All-American Scholar Program since 2017. 

The Krampade All-American Scholar Program is a distinguished recognition presented to more than 1,000 student-athletes by the AHCA. This award is presented to NCAA Division I and Division III men and women who have maintained a 3.6 GPA and have played in 40 percent of their team's games during the season. 

Head coach Erik Largen praised his athletes work ethic both on and off the ice, "It's great to see our team not only be able to achieve so much on the ice but off the ice as well. These individuals really went above and beyond in the classroom."

Braden Birnie, Karl Falk, Harrison Israels, Xavier Jean-Louis, Markuss Komuls, Lassi Lehti and Jonny Sorenson were all selected to the All-American Scholar Program for their efforts in 2022-23. Birnie, a business administration major has maintained a 3.89 GPA while in Fairbanks and posted a 3.93 this past term. Falk has maintained a 3.78 GPA in Alaska while studying business administration and had a 4.00 this past semester. Harrison Israels holds a 3.90 GPA and posted a 3.80 GPA while studying business administration this past semester. Xavier Jean-Louis currently holds a 3.96 and posted a 3.92 while studying business administration in his first year at UAF. Komuls posted a 3.87 GPA and 4.00 this past term while studying security and disaster management in his Master's program. Lehti holds a 4.00 GPA and is studying business administration and Sorenson rounds out the list with a 4.00 GPA while studying business administration for his Master's program. 

The Nanooks hockey team posted a team GPA of 3.46 with a 3.46 in the fall and 3.45 in the spring. On the ice, the Nanooks posted their most successful season since the 2001-02 season; they went 22-10-2, matching the 01-02 win total (22-12-3, 15-10-3 CCHA). After going 17-3-0 in their final 20 games, including wins at #19/20 Notre Dame and #1/2 Denver, the Nanooks pushed their way to a final PairWise Ranking of #14 but missed out on the NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament. 

The Nanooks 2023-24 season schedule has been announced and can be found HERE.

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey program, follow @NanooksHockey on Instagram or Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks Hockey team page on Facebook.