Nanooks Hit the Road: Game Three Showdown in the Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup!

ANCHORAGE – The Nanooks ice hockey squad is gearing up for a single encounter at Alaska Anchorage tomorrow. Saturday’s matchup is the third game of the Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup, with the series standing at 1-1. 

Saturday, Jan. 18

at Alaska Anchorage | 7:07 p.m.

Anchorage | AVIS Alaska Sports Complex

Watch Here | Live Stats | Listen Live | KSUA 91.5 FM

Previous Match (Exhibition Victory vs. Simon Fraser)

• Alaska initiated the scoring on Saturday evening with two goals in the first period. Luke Johnson scored both, putting the Nanooks ahead 2-0 just 11:48 into the match. The first goal was redirected off his skate following a shot from Dean Spak. Johnson established position in front of the net before directing the puck into the goal. Almost seven minutes later, he scored again, quickly making it 2-0 for the Nanooks after a pass from Spak.
• Simon Fraser retaliated with a goal less than two minutes later, bringing the score to 2-1 by the time the first intermission arrived. 
• Haden Kruse boosted the lead to 3-1, scoring 4:22 into the second period, followed by Fyodor Nikolayenya and Brendan Ross, who made the score 4-1 and 5-1 before the second intermission. In the third period, SFU narrowed the gap to 5-3, but with just 54 seconds left, Bryce Monrean netted one last goal, sealing a 6-3 exhibition win for the Nanooks.

Get to Know the Opponents – UAA Seawolves

• UAA is spearheaded by Dimitry Kebreau, who has accumulated 17 points over 24 games this season, including five goals and 12 assists. Their top goal scorer is Ryan Johnson, with nine goals and five assists, totaling 14 points. 
• Greg Orosz has spent the most time in goal for Anchorage. He has played in 18 games, recording a 4-10-2-0 record with a 3.27 GAA and .881 save percentage. 
• Tyler Krivtsov has participated in 11 games this season for UAA, with a record of 1-7-1-0, a 3.05 GAA, and a .893 save percentage. The Seawolves have a power-play rate of 12-75 (16%) and a penalty kill rate of 67-90 (74.4%).
• UAA averages 12.68 blocked shots per game, with a cumulative total of 317 blocks. 
• They have scored first in 10 games, earning two game-tying goals and three goals with an extra attacker. 
• Matt Shasby is the head coach for UAA. In his third season with the Seawolves, he holds a career record of 32-53-6 (.385) as the head coach of UAA.

#NookNotes

• Alaska returns to NCAA action following two mid-season exhibition matches against Simon Fraser at home on Jan. 10-11.
• The Nanooks emerged victorious against the Red Leafs with a 2-1 overtime win and a 6-3 win on the second night. 
• Broten Sabo is currently ranked eighth in the nation for three game-winning goals this season. He is the top performer among independent skaters and is tied with Carter Rapalje from LIU.
• Chase Dafoe ranks 17th nationally with one short-handed goal this season, which also places him third among independent skaters. David Gagnon (Lindenwood) and Carter Rapalje (LIU) lead the independent rankings with two SHG each.
• Nicholas Grabko currently ranks in the top-50 across three major goalie statistics. He is 43rd in GAA at 2.48 and 43rd in save percentage with .912. He is also 29th in the nation with one shutout this year. 
• Alaska ranks 13th nationally with 10.90 penalty minutes per game. They stand 16th with a total of 218 penalty minutes.
• On Jan. 3 at UMD, the Nanooks recorded 0 penalty minutes. The last occasion they achieved 0 PIM in a game was on Oct. 16, 2015, which concluded as a 7-2 home victory over AIC.
• On Dec. 29, 2024, in a match against Ferris State, the Nanooks recorded the second-most points by their skaters in a game, totaling 11 points during their 4-1 victory, with their highest being 15 in a 6-4 win against Union on Nov. 9, 2024.
• The win over UMD on Jan. 4 marked the first in hockey program history. Prior to this, the Bulldogs led the all-time series 6-0-0. The series now stands at 6-1-1. 
• Saturday’s matchup is a crucial game three of the Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup, with the series tied at 1-1. The last instance the Nanooks lost to UAA more than once in a season was in 2017-18, when they won the Cup that year, 4-2.
• The Alaska Nanooks lead the Cup series 21-8. Overall, Alaska holds a lead with a total of 54-39-8 in the Governor’s Cup (44-39-8 after vacated wins).
• UAA is ahead in the series in Anchorage with a score of 23-22-3, while the Nanooks have the upper hand in Fairbanks at 21-16-5. Additionally, the Nanooks lead in overtime matches with a record of 5-4-8. Alaska has secured an OT victory over the Seawolves in the past three seasons.
• The last victory for the Seawolves in Fairbanks was on Feb. 8, 2018, when they won 4-1 at the Carlson Center. Alaska went on to capture the Cup that year with a score of 3-1.
• Since the start of the 2009-10 season, where a 13-year streak for the Cup began, the Nanooks have posted a record of 37-13-2 against their in-state rivals.
• Kyle Gaffney has recorded four points in his last three matches and eight points over his last seven outings. The center is leading the Nanooks with 13 points, which include five goals and eight assists. He tops the Nanooks with four multipoint games this season.
• In his last eight appearances, Matt Hubbarde has scored five points, with two goals and three assists. The forward ranks third on the team in scoring with 11 points from four goals and seven assists.
• Broten Sabo leads the ‘Nooks with two power-play goals and three game-winners. His 12 points are the highest among the defensive players and second overall on the team. 
• The Nanooks are outperforming their opponents in blocked shots this season with a total of 249 to 194, averaging 12.45 blocks per game. 
• William Lawson-Body has a team-best 26 blocked shots this season, with Carson Reed following closely with 23 blocks. 
• Alaska’s record stands at 6-1-1 when they score first this year. Conversely, they are 1-8-3 when their opponents take the lead first. 
• In matches decided by one goal, the Nanooks hold a record of 4-3.  
• The Nanooks have already announced four signings for the upcoming season: Jhett Larson from the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, Beau Courtney from the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, Calvin Vachon from the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks, and Jackson Anderson from the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles.
• Colton Parayko (2012-15) has been selected for Team Canada to compete in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off in Boston and Montreal. This marks the blueliner’s first appearance on the 4 Nations Face-Off roster.
• The Face-Off is scheduled for February 12-20 in Boston and Montreal and will be broadcast on TNT, ESPN, and ABC in the United States, and on Sportsnet and TVA in Canada. For further details, visit NHL.com.
• The Alaska Nanooks Department of Athletics is currently accepting nominations for the Alaska Nanooks Hall of Fame Class of 2025. All nominations must be submitted by April 30, 2025, to be eligible for consideration. Please visit AlaskaNanooks.com for guidelines on how to submit a nomination.
• The Nanooks recently wrapped up a weekend series with Minnesota in Minneapolis during Thanksgiving weekend, concluding a stretch of 12 consecutive road games— the longest streak recorded in the program’s 41 years in Division I. This included 14 flights, six bus rides, covering approximately 21,033 miles by air and 1,835 miles by bus. The circumference of the Earth is approximately 24,901 miles; thus, the Nanooks nearly traveled around the globe in terms of distance. (Chris Murphy – College Hockey News)

Upcoming Matches

• Alaska will embark on a three-game road trip before their final homestand. Jan. 18 at Alaska Anchorage, followed by Jan. 24-25 at UMass.
• The last home series will occur on Jan. 31-Feb. 1 and Feb. 8 against Alaska Anchorage, concluding the Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup.

Stay Connected with the ‘Nooks
IG – @NanooksHockey
X – @NanooksHockey
FB – Alaska Nanooks Hockey