FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks hockey team officially kicks off their 2023-24 season on Saturday, Sept. 30 with a one-game exhibition against the Vancouver Island Mariners. The Mariners, a club team from Nanaimo, British Columbia, will play UAA on Friday, Sept. 29 before coming to Fairbanks for a matchup with the 'Nooks.
Saturday, Sept. 30
vs. Vancouver Island | 7:07 p.m.
Carlson Center
Watch Here | KSUA 91.5 FM |
Listen Online |
Tickets
Last Time Out
Alaska is on the ice for the first time this season against another team. Last weekend, the Nanook took part in their annual Blue/Gold game which featured a 3-on-3 tournament on night one before the traditional Blue/Gold game on Saturday. On night one, the White team took the win, knocking-off the Blue squd in the championship. On night two, the Gold team grabbed a 3-0 win over Blue.
In the game, the first period was played to a 0-0 tie after the first 24 minutes of play. T.J. Lloyd of the Gold team was awarded a penalty shot but was stopped by Pierce Charleson. On the Blue side, Harrison Israels had a look in front of the net after a Brady Risk shot bounded off a body, but he was turned away by William Hambley, who was in net for Team Gold at the time.
Only three minutes into the second, Jonny Sorenson redirected a shot in front of the net, but Charleson was able to keep the score even at 0-0 to open the second period. With just over 18:00 on the clock, the Yellow team grabbed a 1-0 lead on a Matteo Pecchia goal. Braden Birnie played the puck to behind the goalie before Cade Neilsonhandled it and found Pecchia near the face-off circle to the left of the net. He fired a wrist shot into the back of the net to make it 1-0 Yellow. That lead withstood a penalty shot for Chase Dafoe and the Blue team at the 5:11 mark. Lassi Lehti made the save and maintained the 1-0 lead. Just moments later, A.J. Macaulay grew the Yellow lead to 2-0. Chase Dubois found Payton Matsui across the ice and the junior forward put a pass cross-crease and Macaulay was there to redirect it into the back of the net.
Brayden Nicholetts capped off the night with a backhanded, falling, no-look empty-netter to make it 3-0 Gold. Head coach Erik Largen spoke on the weekend's action and was happy with the fire the guys brought to the ice, "I thought it was good, I thought they looked solid on the five-on-five. The team was moving, it was competitive, they generated a lot of scoring chances which was nice and a lot of guys played a good game individually. There were a lot of positives to take out of the weekend before we get into the exhibition next weekend."
Skills Competition
Alongside the Gold team winning 3-0, the 'Nooks hosted the semifinals and finals of the fastest skater competition, the hardest shot contest and a breakaway goalie competition. T.J. Lloyd won the fastest skater contest, beating Matt Koethe in the finals. In the hardest shot contest, Braden Birnie posted a shot of 97 mph to take the crown and in the final competition, Lassi Lehti was the top goalie in the breakaway competition.
#NookNotes
- Alaska received 40 votes in the Sept. 23, 2023 USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll. Boston University checked in at #1 with 17 first-place votes. Defending champion, Quinnipiac was second with 22 first-place votes but trailed BU in points, 946-916.
- The Nanooks season-opening opponent, Denver, was ranked #4 with 849 points. They were the only member in the top-five not to receive a first-place vote.
- The first three opponents this season for the Nanooks were all in the top-10. Denver (#4) was joined by St. Cloud State (10/20-21) at #7 and Michigan Tech (10/13-14, 12/28) at #10.
- According to Elite Prospects, the Nanooks have the fifth-oldest team in the NCAA with an average age of 22.31. Despite the age, they are the 45th-ranked team when it comes to experience at the NCAA level.
Back on Flo
The Nanooks will be live on FloHockey.tv all season long at home.
Bruce Cech will be on the call, never miss any of the action from the Carlson with a subscription to FloHockey.tv.
KSUA 91.5 FM
He may not be in the Carlson, but
Bruce Cech will still be live for all Nanook games, home and away this season, as he calls the game for both Flo and KSUA 91.5 FM.
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.
This partnership will allow fans the opportunity to purchase tickets in advance online through
Alaska Nanooks Ticketing.
Fans are still able to purchase tickets on-site on game day, however, we are encouraging fans to purchase prior to arrival to avoid lines. Hockey season tickets, All-Court season passes and volleyball/basketball single-game tickets are all available for purchase.
Follow the 'Nooks
Instagram - @NanooksHockey
X - @NanooksHockey
Facebook - Alaska Nanooks Hockey
