{"id":100663,"date":"2019-11-06T14:00:06","date_gmt":"2019-11-06T20:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/?p=100663"},"modified":"2019-11-06T01:32:56","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T07:32:56","slug":"the-season-finally-in-full-swing-alaska-getting-back-to-business-as-usual-in-fairbanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2019\/11\/06\/the-season-finally-in-full-swing-alaska-getting-back-to-business-as-usual-in-fairbanks\/","title":{"rendered":"The season finally in full swing, Alaska getting back to ‘business as usual’ in Fairbanks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Alaska split with Bemidji State on home ice last weekend (photo: Paul H. McCarthy).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After everything that happened in Alaska during the offseason, you can be sure that Erik Largen is relieved to be able to just focus on hockey again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kinda been business as usual for us here,\u201d the Nanooks head coach said this week. \u201cIt\u2019s been nice to get going with the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lots of words were written in the offseason about the University of Alaska school system slashing budgets (and potentially the Nanooks hockey program). Also on the table is a proposed new conference featuring seven of the Nanooks\u2019 current WCHA opponents (and not them).<\/p>\n

But while that might have been hanging in the air for the Nanooks before the season officially started, it\u2019s not something Largen\u2019s team is dwelling on now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve talked about it with them,\u201d Largen said. \u201cFor us, we feel good about where we\u2019re at and the future of our program. We don\u2019t have any concerns here. Our guys have all the necessary resources to be successful, and their focus is on their academics and their abilities to develop every day as a player. I don\u2019t think they\u2019ve had to worry about any of that other stuff, and that hasn\u2019t been a focus point at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps that freedom from worry is the reason behind the Nanooks\u2019 surprising start. At 5-5-0, Alaska already has a signature win over a top-10 team on the road, a WCHA road sweep and are currently sharing the top of the conference standings with Northern Michigan.<\/p>\n

Largen contrasted this season\u2019s start \u2014 which has featured a win at Penn State, a sweep of Michigan Tech, splits with Bemidji State and Alaska Anchorage and a hard-fought sweep by Denver \u2014 with last season\u2019s. The Nanooks started 0-7-1 thanks to an early schedule that had them at Arizona State, Denver and Minnesota State and hosting St. Cloud State.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first eight games we\u2019re 0-7-1 last year, and you\u2019re playing against all teams that made the NCAA tournament that year,\u201d he said. \u201cOf course, you don\u2019t realize that until you look back on the year. This year, we played a number of teams that will make the tournament, but you get a couple wins and you play well, you get some confidence in yourselves and your teammates and it ends up being contagious.\u201d<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one key word for the Nanooks this season, it\u2019s \u201cconfidence.\u201d Largen used it a number of times, notably when discussing the much-buzzed-about series at Penn State. The Nanooks had lost 7-0 on Thursday night, but Largen didn\u2019t think the score reflected their play.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw that if we were skating and managing our game against them, we were going to be fine. And in the second game, I thought we played really well,\u201d Largen said. \u201cUs getting the first goal in that game is huge, it gives us confidence, it gives you life right away. And in the third period, when you think there\u2019s going to be a push, we were the ones who pushed on them and responded very well.\u201d<\/p>\n

It ended with a historic 4-0 win for the Nanooks that night. The victory featured goals from Colton Leitner, Max Newton and Justin Young and a 35-save shutout from Anton Martinsson, who has played so well this season that he is second in the WCHA in save percentage (.933).<\/p>\n

The Nanooks have been successful with a two-goaltender rotation so far, with Martinsson, a senior, and sophomore Gustavs Grigals splitting time in the nets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have confidence in both guys, it\u2019s just been about who\u2019s got the last win, who\u2019s got the last result and going from there,\u201d Largen said. \u201cWith Gustavs\u2019 maturation coming in the second year, he\u2019s done a really nice job. And Anton is a senior for us, and he\u2019s been through in a lot of different situations. He\u2019s played a lot of important games for us. He knows he can be successful when he\u2019s playing the game the right way and playing the game he needs to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

With such a strong goaltending tandem, to go along with a solid group of offensive contributors, is this the year that Alaska breaks out? The Nanooks haven\u2019t had first-round home ice since 2013-14, their first year in the WCHA. (They also would have qualified for it in 2014-15, but they ended up being ineligible for postseason play that year.)<\/p>\n

As of now, Largen says, that\u2019s the goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019ve talked about,” he said. “We want to give that opportunity to the Fairbanks community and to our campus. That\u2019s important for our group. That\u2019s our bigger goal, but our smaller one is improving every weekend and getting points every weekend in the WCHA. And so far, so good.\u201d<\/p>\n

First loss for Mavs<\/h4>\n

The WCHA no longer has any unbeatens remaining. You can thank Bowling Green for that.<\/p>\n

The Falcons were able to rally from a 2-0 deficit on the road in Mankato and beat Minnesota State 3-2 in overtime on Friday night, handing the Mavericks their first loss of the season.<\/p>\n

“Minnesota State is as good a team as there is in the country,\u201d Bowling Green head coach Ty Eigner told the school\u2019s website after the game. \u201cFor our guys to come in here and play a good game against them is really important. It’s a great learning experience for our guys and a great opportunity to continue to build on.”<\/p>\n

Connor Ford ended up with the game-winner for the Falcons, who are now 2-1 in overtime games already this season.<\/p>\n

The Mavericks weren\u2019t down for very long. On Saturday night they earned the split with a 5-1 victory, putting the game away with a three-goal third period.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a good response game,\u201d Minnesota State head coach Mike Hastings said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a pretty good record here at home over the last year and at the beginning of this season. You need to go through some adversity. We did, and we wanted to see how it would play out tonight\u2026. When you play a quality opponent they\u2019re going to maske pushes and you have to be able to sustain a lead or defend a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two WCHA front-runners will meet again in mid-January in Ohio. Circle that one.<\/p>\n

Wildcats keep streaking<\/h4>\n

Since losing their season opener to instate rivals Michigan State, Northern Michigan hasn\u2019t been beaten since. NMU is currently 6-1-1, with that loss to the Spartans their only blemish.<\/p>\n

This weekend\u2019s series against Alabama Huntsville vaulted them to the top of the conference standings along with Alaska. The Wildcats won 5-3 and 4-2, with WCHA leading scorer Griffin Loughran going off for four points in the series. He has eight goals and four assists through eight games for NMU so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t win the league early in the year, but you can lose it,\u201d Wildcats head coach Grant Potulny told the Marquette Daily Mining Journal<\/i> after Saturday\u2019s game. \u201cWe\u2019ve taken care of business so far and to keep banking points is so important, especially with the way the playoff format sets up. Home ice is paramount and it\u2019s king and the more we get now, the better off we\u2019ll be later.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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