SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - The Nanooks hockey team heads to the Empire State for a matchup with RV Union on Friday and Saturday this week. They face the Garnet Chargers for the second time in two years.
Friday, Dec. 12
at RV Union | 3 p.m. AKST
M&T Bank Center | Schenectady, New York
Saturday, Dec. 13
at RV Union | 1 p.m. AKST
M&T Bank Center | Schenectady, New York
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Watch Here (Game Two) |
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Last Time Out
The Nanooks returned home last weekend for a one-game exhibition against Grand Canyon on Dec. 6. Alaska picked up a 4-2 win in Fairbanks after winning the Adirondack Winter Invitational Thanksgiving week in Lake Placid, NY. They knocked off St. Lawrence and Clarkson for the mid-season tournament title.
Heading East
- The Nanooks and Garnet Chargers met in Schenectady last season where Alaska went 1-0-1 in the final season of the Frank L. Messa Rink at Achilles Center.
- Alaska and Union have met four times in team history. Union is receiving votes in both national polls this week; they are the seventh team to be ranked or receive votes that the Nanooks face this year.
- These are the third and fourth games in New York for the 'Nooks - they will play six total in the Empire State.
The First Fleet
- William Fleet picked up his first NCAA goal in the St. Lawrence victory over the Thanksgiving break.
- His first goal also went down as the game-winner as the 'Nooks defeated SLU 2-0.
Let's Meet the Garnet Chargers
- Union comes into this weekend getting votes in both polls. They are currently T-6th in ECAC standings with 11 points and a 3-4-1 conference record.
- The Garnet Chargers have four skaters with 15+ points. They are led by Brandon Buhr and Tyler Dunbar, who both have a team-high 19 points. Parker Lindauer follows with 18 and Ben Muthersbaugh has 16.
- Buhr and Dunbar rank fourth and fifth in the ECAC in scoring.
- Cameron Korpi has three shutouts in net for Union this season. The sophomore has a 2.12 GAA, .908 save percentage, and 8-5-2 record.
- Union was predicted to finish fifth in the ECAC Preseason Coaches Poll with 93 points.
What's Coming Up
- This road trip ends 2025 for the Nanooks.
- They will open up the 2026 portion of the schedule on the road at Providence on Jan. 2-3 before heading back to New York for Cornell on Jan. 9-10.
- Alaska returns home on Jan. 16-17 when they host Alaska Anchorage for the first games of the 2025-26 Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup.
- That return home also kicks off three-straight weekends at home. In those weeks they'll face UAA, Lindenwood and LIU.
Rookie Numbers
- Rylen Roersma is leading the Nanooks' freshmen core with four points. Davis Borozinskis, Misha Danylov and Fleet all have three.
- Roersma paces the goal scoring two with a pair of goals and a pair of assists.
- Fleet leads the rookie blue-liners with his three points on one goal and two assists.
- In net, Calvin Vachon has a 3.74 GAA and .876 save percentage in four appearances
National Leaders
- The Nanooks have a handful of individuals showing up in the national statistics.
- Chase Dafoe is 45th in Division I with 143 faceoff wins. That total also ranks him second in the Independent rankings behind just Billy Renfrew (184) of Stonehill.
- Dafoe also has three power-play goals this season, ranking him 38th in the nation and third among Independent scorers.
- Lassi Lehti is climbing the ranks among goaltenders in Division I. He ranks 31st in the country with his 2.44 GAA; that ranks second to just Liam Berrman (1.99) of Lindenwood in the Independent rankings.
- His .926 save percentage ranks 19th in the NCAA Division I and is second independently, behind Beerman again (.930).
- Lehti's one shutout is 14th in the nation and he is one of four in the Independent ranks with a shutout this season.
- Michael Citara has proven himself as a points machine, the graduate-transfer has 14 points for 1.08 points per game through 13 games. His points per game total is 46th in the nation and fourth in Independent ranks.
- His 0.54 goals per game leads the Independent rankings and ranks 35th in NCAA DI.
Empire State of Mind
- The Nanooks will play in New York six total times this season. They are currently 2-0-0.
- They face Union twice this weekend and then face Cornell on Jan. 9-10 in Ithaca, NY.
Keep it On a Platter
- Peyton Platter has scored all nine of his points this season in the last nine games after opening the season scoreless in the first four games.
- In the last four games, he has two goals and four assists for six points, including two multipoint games against Princeton on Nov. 1 and Clarkson in the ADK championship.
National Player of the Month
- Michael Citara was named the Independent Player of the Month for the month of November.
- The wing posted seven points in the month of November, helping the Nanooks to a 2-1-1 record and an Adirondack Winter Invitational Championship.
- He had two multipoint performances, including a three-point/assist game at Princeton on Nov. 1 before scoring two goals in the championship game of the ADK, a 3-2 win over Clarkson.
- He added an assist in the OTT/SOW at Quinnipiac on Nov. 4 and another goal on Nov. 28 in the 2-0 shutout of St. Lawrence.
- He now leads the Nanooks with seven goals, seven assists, and 14 points.
Goalie of the Month
- Lassi Lehti was named the Independent Co-Goalie of the Month after his strong performances in the month of November.
- Lehti went 2-0-1, including his first shutout of the season against SLU at the Adirondack. He made 19 saves in that win.
- He added 39 saves in the 2-2 OTT/SOW at Quinnipiac on Nov. 4 and 21 saves in the ADK championship over Clarkson. He had a .954 save percentage and a 1.28 GAA over the three games.
- This is the third Independent Monthly honor of his career and second this season.
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