MILWAUKEE, Wisc. - The Nanooks hockey team heads to Milwaukee for their first-ever appearance in the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off. They join UConn, Ferris State, and Wisconsin in the field of teams.

Saturday, Dec. 28
vs. RV UConn | 10:30 a.m. AKST
Fiserv Forum | Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Watch Here ($$) | Live Stats | Listen Online | KSUA 91.5 FM | Tickets

Sunday, Dec. 29
Opponent TBD | Time TBD
Fiserv Forum | Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Watch Here ($$) | Live Stats | Listen Online | KSUA 91.5 FM | Tickets

Last Time Out

• The Nanooks are coming off of a split at home against the Augustana Vikings. In game one on Dec. 6, the Vikings grabbed a 3-1 win in the Nanooks' return to the Carlson Center. Broten Sabo scored the lone goal for Alaska, capitalizing on the power play.
• Night two saw the Nanooks grab a 2-1 win behind goals from Kyle Gaffney and Chase Dafoe (PPG, GWG).
• In net, Lassi Lehti made 29 saves for his first win of the year in goal. Dafoe's power-play goal gave Alaska three-straight games with a power-play goal. 

#NookNotes

• Alaska is playing in it's first-ever Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off and it's second-straight mid-season tournament after participating in the Great Lakes Invitational last season. They fell to Michigan Tech and beat Ferris State to take third last year. 
• Alternate Captain Brayden Nicholetts has officially gone pro as the senior signed with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) on Dec. 11, 2024. In 67 games for the Nanooks, he tallied 16 points with eight goals and eight assists. He was named Alternate Captain this year.
• Kyle Gaffney not only leads the Nanooks in goals scored (5), but he is tied for the scoring lead with nine points. He enters the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off with a three-game point streak and four points in those four games. He also leads the Nanooks with a pair of power-play goals.
• Chase Dafoe's game-winner against Augustana was his first goal in eight games, giving him three on the season. That was his first GWG of the season. The Nanooks are 2-1-0 when Dafoe scores.
• Matt Hubbarde leads the way with seven assists; he is also tied with Gaffney, Matt Koethe and Broten Sabo for the team-lead with nine points. He has three assists in the last four games.
• Sabo leads the Nanooks with a pair of game-winning goals this year. He is second among the Independent ranks and 22nd in the nation.
• Nicholas Grabko is ranked in GAA, save percentage and shutouts. He's 41st in the nation with a 2.48 GAA, 47th with a .909 save percentage and 19th with his lone shutout. All of those are ranked in the top-three for independent ranks; he is tied for first with his one shutout.
• Lassi Lehti made his second appearance of the season on Dec. 7 against Augustana - the junior posted a 29-save win in the 2-1 victory.
• This will be the first-ever matchup between the Nanooks and Huskies - UConn became a program in 1960-61 but did not move to Division I until the 1998-99 season. They joined the Atlantic Hockey Association in 2003-04 before joining Hockey East in 2014-15. 
• Alaska has blocked 215 shots this season, good for 13.44/game. Nine skaters have 14+ blocks this year; William Lawson-Body leads the way with 20 blocks. As a team, the Nanooks are 24th in the nation in blocks.
• The Nanooks blocked 26 shots on Nov. 29 at Minnesota (T, 1-1 OT, SOW) - that is the most this season and was the most since Feb. 3, 2023 when they blocked 30 shots in a 2-1 win over Arizona State.
• Matt Rickard has two game-tying goals this season to lead the way for the 'Nooks. He has the only two game-tying goals for Alaska this season.
• Chase Dafoe leads the Nanooks in the faceoff circle this season. The Alternate Captain has won .529% of his bouts, winning 119 and dropping 106. His 119 is also a team-high. Kyle Gaffney follows with 116 wins and a .475 win percentage.
• After zero power-play goals through the first seven games, the Nanooks have now been successful six times, including one power-play goal in each of the last three games.
• The Nanooks have added four signings for next season already this year. Jhett Larson of the WHL's Red Deer Rebels, Beau Courtney of the WHL's Everett Silvertips, Calvin Vachon of the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks, and Jackson Anderson of the BCHL's Surrey Eagles.
• Colton Parayko (2012-15) was named to Team Canada for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off in Boston and Montreal. This will be the first 4 Nation's Face-Off roster appearance for the blueliner.
• The Face-Off is set for February 12-20 in Boston and Montreal and can be seen on TNT, ESPN, and ABC in the United States and Sportsnet and TVA in Canada. For more information, visit NHL.com.
• In 10 seasons in the NHL, Parayko has skated in 685 games, scoring 65 goals and dishing out 206 assists for 271 career points.
• The Alaska Nanooks Department of Athletics is now accepting nominations for the Alaska Nanooks Hall of Fame Class of 2025. All submissions are due by April 30, 2025 to be considered for induction. Head to AlaskaNanooks.com for more information on how to nominate.
• The Nanooks finished a weekend series with Minnesota in Minneapolis Thanksgiving weekend. It wrapped up 12 straight road games, the longest recorded streak in the program's 41 years in Division I. Fourteen flights, six bus rides, approximately 21,033 miles by air and 1,835 miles by bus. The circumference of Earth is about 24,901 miles, so the Nanooks almost made it around the world in terms of mileage. (Chris Murphy - College Hockey News)

Meet the Opponents (UConn Huskies)

• UConn is the most successful shorthanded team in the nation. They have scored five SHG between three players. 
• Jake Percival and Ryan Tattle are third in the nation with two SHG and Tabor Heaslip follows with one, good for 14th in the nation.
• Tattle is the leading scorer for the Huskies with 11 points through 15 games. He's scored six goals and added five assists.
• Kai Janviriya is the leading distributer with seven assists. Percival leads the Huskies in scoring with seven goals. 
• Tyler Muszelik has been the main netminder for UConn this season, seeing time in 11 games for 647:55 minutes in net. He has a 5-4-1-0 record, 2.59 GAA, .897% and has made 245 saves.
• UConn is 2-2-0 over their last four games. They beat Boston College at home on Nov. 15, 5-4 before knocking off UMass Lowell on Nov. 22, 4-1. They fell the next day to UMass Lowell, 1-0 and then fell to Boston College on the road on Dec. 4, 2-1 OT.
• Mike Cavanaugh has coached the Huskies since 2013 and holds a 165-189-39 (.469) career record at UConn.
• UConn currently sits in sixth place in the Hockey East Standings. They are 4-6-1 in Hockey East play.
• The Huskies play two similar opponents as the Nanooks this season. They've already played UMass twice (10/25-26, T/W) and they will play Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 12, 2025. They face UMass one more time this season on Feb. 7, 2025. 
• The Nanooks head to UMass on Jan. 24-25, 2025.

What's to Come

• This week kicks off the second half of the season for the Nanooks hockey program. 
• Since 2021, the Nanooks are 31-17-4 in the second half of the season. Last year, from the Great Lakes Invitational and on, Alaska went 8-8-2 in the second half. Two seasons ago, they went 13-3-0 from New Year's Eve on and in 2021-22, they went 10-6-2 in the second half.
• Alaska will be back on the road to officially open 2025. They will travel to Duluth, Minn. for a two-game series with the Bulldogs on Jan. 3-4 at AMSOIL Arena. 

Day Two
The Nanooks will face either Ferris State or Wisconsin on Sunday, Dec. 29. They will play for the Championship or Third Place depending on Saturday's results. 

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