SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Nanooks hockey team stays on the road for a matchup with Augustana this weekend at MIDCO Arena. The Nanooks and Vikings met earlier this season in Fairbanks, splitting the series. 

Friday, Feb. 21
at No. 20/RV Augustana | 4:07 p.m. AKST
Sioux Falls, South Dakota | MIDCO Arena

Saturday, Feb. 22
at No. 20/RV Augustana | 3:07 p.m. AKST
Sioux Falls, South Dakota | MIDCO Arena

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Last Time Out
The Nanooks split with Lindenwood last weekend in St. Charles, Mo. In game one, the Nanooks pulled out a 2-1 OT victory with Matt Hubbarde scoring the game-winner in the extra period. Night two saw the Lions put up five goals on the Nanooks and grab their first-ever win over Alaska. 

#NookNotes

• Four Nanooks are ranked in national rankings for respective categories. Kyle Gaffney has won 235 faceoffs this season, good for 68th in NCAA Division I and second in the Independent ranks. He trails only Josh Zary of LIU.
• Broten Sabo has scored four game-winning goals for the Nanooks this season; that total is 11th in the nation and first among Independent skaters. He is tied with Evan Orr of Stonehill for GWG.
• Matt Hubbarde carries 13 goals to his name this season. His 0.50 goals per game average is 28th in the nation and first Independently. He also has one hat-trick performance this season, good for tied for fifth in the nation. Anthony Lucarelli of LIU has the only other hat trick by an Independent skater this season. 
• Nicholas Grabko is third Independently with his lone shutout this season. That ranks him 36th in the nation.
• Grabko is the Nanooks Hobey Baker Award nomination this season. The goalie has posted a 2.83 GAA on the year and picked up five wins in net for the 'Nooks.
• Alaska is 7-2-2 when scoring first this season. On the other hand, they are 3-10-4 when their opponents score first. 
• The Nanooks are 4-4-4 when outshooting their opponents and 5-7-1 when being outshot. 
• In one-goal games this year, the Nanooks are 5-3. Three of those are overtime victories, and two of their three losses are overtime losses. 
• Chase Dafoe leads the Nanooks with four power-play goals this season. Kyle Gaffney trails with three power-play tallies, and Broten Sabo has a pair. Matt Hubbarde, the Nanooks leading goal scorer, has scored once on the man-advantage.
• Hubbarde also leads the Nanooks in shooting percentage, scoring 13 goals on 56 shots (23.2%)
• William Lawson-Body (33) and Carson Reed (32) lead the Nanooks in blocked shots this season. They are the only two Nanooks with 30+ blocked shots. 
• As a team, the Nanooks have blocked 346 shots this season, good for 12.35 per game.
• Lassi Lehti started four-straight games for the Nanooks from Jan. 31-Feb. 14 and went 3-0-1 with a pair of wins over Alaska Anchorage (Jan. 31-Feb. 1), a tie against UAA on Feb. 8, and another victory over Lindenwood on Feb. 14.
• In that span, Lehti posted a 1.46 GAA, .944 save percentage on 101 saves and only six goals allowed. 
• Since Jan. 3, Matt Hubbarde has posted 12 points on 10 goals and two assists. He had a seven-game goal scoring streak, and an eight-game points streak before it was snapped at Lindenwood on Feb. 15. In that span, the Nanooks went 4-3-3, 2-0-1 at home, 2-3-2 on the road. In that goal-scoring streak, Hubbarde also tallied a hat trick on Feb. 1 against UAA, a four-point performance.

Meet the Vikings

• Augustana closed out its CCHA schedule last weekend where it collected four of six points against Michigan Tech. The Vikings secured a 5-1 win last Friday before it tied Saturday's contest 4-4 in front of a sold-out crowd.
• The Nanooks are a familiar opponent for the Vikings with this weekend marking its fourth series in program history. Augustana split in its last meeting with Alaska where it won game one by a score of 3-1 before it fell 2-1 in game two. 
• Freshman defenseman Easton Young was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week earlier this week after his three-point weekend against Michigan Tech. Young, a Grand Rapids, Minnesota native has recorded three goals and nine assists for 12 points. 
• Last week, Josh Kotai was named a semifinalist for the 2025 Mike Richter Award announced by the Hockey Commissioners Association. Kotai is one of 10 semifinalists for the award, awarded annually since 2014 to the top goaltender in men's Division I hockey. The 10 semifinalists were selected from the watch list of 35 goaltenders released on Jan. 15 and were singled out by a panel of voters from across the hockey community.

Looking Ahead
The Nanooks will be on the road three-straight weeks to wrap up the 2024-25 season. Lindenwood last week, Augustana this weekend and LIU next weekend to end the season. 

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