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2024–25 Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey season

2024–25 Alaska Nanooks
men's ice hockey season
ConferenceIndependent
Home iceCarlson Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA HockeyNR
Record
Overall12–14–6
Home3–3–1
Road8–10–5
Neutral1–1–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachErik Largen
Assistant coachesChris Brown
P. D. Melgoza
Casey Mignone
Captain(s)Braden Birnie
Alternate captain(s)Chase Dafoe
Kyle Gaffney
Matt Koethe
Brayden Nicholetts
Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey seasons
« 2023–24 2025–26 »

The 2024–25 Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey season was the 75th season of play for the program and 40th at the Division I level. The Nanooks represented the University of Alaska Fairbanks, played their games at the Carlson Center and were coached by Erik Largen in his 6th season.

Season

As the Nanooks entered the season, the team's biggest task was integrating the new players into the system. With more than half of the roster changing in the offseason, coach Largen had his work cut out for him. That fact was illustrated in Alaska stumbling out of the gate. After a decent performance in a loss for the season opener, the offense bottomed out and could barely score for the rest of October. It was only through a solid defensive effort that the team was able to end its losing streak with a shutout but the season had already been dealt a blow. In November the forwards morphed itself into a credible unit and the team began to crawl back towards .500 but a few subpar games in goal kept the team on the losing side of the ledger.

When Alaska began the second half of its season at the Holiday Face–Off, the team was mired in the bottom half of the PairWise rankings and had almost no shot at a tournament bid.[1] However, after Nicholas Grabko's play had slumped before the break, the team began to rotate the starting position between him and Lassi Lehti. The move appeared to pay dividends as the team went on a solid run from late December to late February, going 6–3–3 over the span.

After finally getting back to even, the Nanooks finished off their fairly disappointing season with a sweep at the hands of Long Island. Due in part to their limited schedule of 32 games, the lowest number Alaska had managed to play in 35 years, the Nanooks were only able to win 12 games throughout the season, tying the lowest total for the team under Largen.[2]

Departures

Player Position Nationality Cause
Arvils Bergmanis Defenseman  Latvia Left program (retired)
Edvards Bergmanis Forward  Latvia Left program (retired)
Dawson Bruneski Defenseman  Canada Graduation (retired)
Pierce Charleson Goaltender  Canada Graduate transfer to Niagara
Chase Dubois Forward  Canada Graduation (signed with Diables Rouges de Briançon)
William Hambley Goaltender  Canada Left program (retired)
Harrison Israels Forward  Canada Graduate transfer to Omaha
Xavier Jean-Louis Defenseman  United States Left program (retired)
T. J. Lloyd Defenseman  Canada Graduation (signed with Savannah Ghost Pirates)
A. J. Macaulay Defenseman  Canada Transferred to Bemidji State
Caleb MacDonald Defenseman  Canada Transferred to North Dakota
Cade Neilson Defenseman  United Kingdom Transferred to Michigan Tech
Derek Pys Defenseman  Canada Left program (retired)
Brady Risk Forward  Canada Graduate transfer to Omaha
Jonny Sorenson Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Iowa Heartlanders)
Filip Wiberg Forward  Norway Left program (retired)

Recruiting

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Noah Barlage Defenseman  Canada 21 Humboldt, SK
Adam Cardona Defenseman  Canada 20 Beaconsfield, QC; transfer from Massachusetts Lowell
Caelum Dick Defenseman  Canada 20 Sherwood Park, AB
Nicholas Grabko Goaltender  United States 24 Channahon, IL; graduate transfer from Bentley
Matt Hubbarde Forward  Canada 24 Pickering, ON; transfer from Providence
Luke Johnson Forward  United States 22 St. Cloud, MN; transfer from Minnesota Duluth
Haden Kruse Forward  United States 21 Nisswa, MN
Luke LaMaster Defenseman  United States 24 Duluth, MN; graduate transfer from Wisconsin
Bryce Monrean Forward  United States 21 Anchorage, AK
Fyodor Nikolayenya Forward  Belarus 21 Minsk, BLR
Trenton Penner Forward  Canada 21 Winkler, MB
Peyton Platter Forward  United States 20 Eau Claire, WI
Cole Plowman Goaltender  Canada 21 Winnipeg, MB
Carson Reed Defenseman  United States 20 Warroad, MN
Matt Rickard Defenseman  United States 25 Coventry, RI; graduate transfer from American International
Nathan Rickey Defenseman  United States 20 New Lenox, IL
Brendan Ross Forward  Canada 21 Calgary, AB
Dean Spak Forward  Canada 21 Calgary, AB
Tyler Waram Defenseman  United States 21 Edmonds, WA

Roster

As of August 3, 2024.[3]

No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2 United States Carson Reed Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2004-04-20 Warroad, Minnesota Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
4 Canada Noah Barlage Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2003-03-28 Humboldt, Saskatchewan Madison Capitols (USHL)
5 United States Tyler Waram Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2003-03-13 Edmonds, Washington Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)
6 United States Matt Rickard Graduate D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-07-28 Coventry, Rhode Island American International (AHA)
7 United States Broten Sabo Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2002-08-09 Rosemount, Minnesota St. Cloud Norsemen (NAHL)
8 United States Will Hilfiker Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2001-08-07 Middletown, New Jersey Bonnyville Pontiacs (AJHL)
9 Canada Dean Spak Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2003-02-21 Calgary, Alberta Okotoks Oilers (BCHL)
10 United States William Lawson-Body Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2002-04-04 Grand Forks, North Dakota Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL)
11 United States Haden Kruse Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2003-03-25 Nisswa, Minnesota Janesville Jets (NAHL)
12 Canada Adam Cardona Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 2003-10-05 Beaconsfield, Quebec Massachusetts Lowell (HEA)
13 Belarus Fyodor Nikolayenya Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 2003-02-28 Minsk, Belarus Anchorage Wolverines (NAHL)
14 Russia Anton Rubtsov Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1999-03-06 Saint Petersburg, Russia Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL)
15 Canada Braden Birnie (C) Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-08-19 Weyburn, Saskatchewan Steinbach Pistons (MJHL)
16 Canada Trenton Penner Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-02-23 Winkler, Manitoba Winkler Flyers (MJHL)
17 United States Luke Johnson Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2001-10-15 St. Cloud, Minnesota Minnesota Duluth (NCHC)
18 Canada Brendan Ross Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2003-07-08 Calgary, Alberta Blackfalds Bulldogs (BCHL)
20 United States Cade Ahrenholz Junior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 2002-11-30 Lakeville, Minnesota Colorado College (NCHC)
23 Canada Caelum Dick Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2003-11-21 Sherwood Park, Alberta Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
24 United States Peyton Platter Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2003-11-02 Eau Claire, Wisconsin Chippewa Steel (NAHL)
25 United States Luke LaMaster Graduate D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1999-10-17 Duluth, Minnesota Wisconsin (USHL)
26 United States Nathan Rickey Freshman D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2003-11-20 New Lenox, Illinois Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL)
27 Canada Matteo Pecchia Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-06-05 Nobleton, Ontario Western Michigan (NCHC)
28 Canada Brayden Nicholetts (A) Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-08-27 Spruce Grove, Alberta Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL)
31 Canada Cole Plowman Freshman G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 2003-03-24 Winnipeg, Manitoba Steinbach Pistons (MJHL)
32 United States Bryce Monrean Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2003-05-28 Anchorage, Alaska Kenai River Brown Bears (NAHL)
34 United States Kyle Gaffney (A) Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-09-05 Plymouth, Michigan Aberdeen Wings (NAHL)
35 Finland Lassi Lehti Junior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2001-11-29 Espoo, Finland Minot Minotauros (NAHL)
37 Canada Chase Dafoe (A) Junior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2002-02-25 Peachland, British Columbia Providence (HEA)
39 Canada Matt Hubbarde Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-04-15 Pickering, Ontario Providence (HEA)
40 United States Matt Koethe (A) Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-09-28 Minnetonka, Minnesota Fairbanks Ice Dogs (NAHL)
50 United States Nicholas Grabko Graduate G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2000-02-06 Channahon, Illinois Bentley (AHA)

Standings

Overall record
GP W L T GF GA
Alaska 32 12 14 6 73 87
Alaska Anchorage 34 6 23 5 75 117
Lindenwood 32 8 22 2 65 86
Long Island 34 20 12 2 111 77
Stonehill 34 12 22 0 76 106
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Exhibition
September 28 7:07 pm Grand Canyon* Big Dipper Ice ArenaFairbanks, Alaska (Exhibition) FloHockey   W 5–4   
Regular Season
October 5 7:07 pm Penn State* Big Dipper Ice ArenaFairbanks, Alaska FloHockey Grabko L 3–4 OT 2,242 0–1–0
October 6 5:07 pm Penn State* Big Dipper Ice ArenaFairbanks, Alaska FloHockey Lehti L 0–5  1,925 0–2–0
October 11 3:07 pm at Michigan Tech* MacInnes Student Ice ArenaHoughton, Michigan Midco Sports+ Grabko L 1–2 OT 3,156 0–3–0
October 12 2:07 pm at Michigan Tech* MacInnes Student Ice ArenaHoughton, Michigan Midco Sports+ Grabko L 1–2  2,894 0–4–0
October 18 3:00 pm at #18 Notre Dame* Compton Family Ice ArenaNotre Dame, Indiana Peacock Grabko L 1–4  4,866 0–5–0
October 19 2:00 pm at #18 Notre Dame* Compton Family Ice ArenaNotre Dame, Indiana Peacock Grabko W 1–0  4,396 1–5–0
November 1 3:00 pm at Clarkson* Cheel ArenaPotsdam, New York ESPN+ Grabko W 3–1  2,352 2–5–0
November 2 3:00 pm at Clarkson* Cheel ArenaPotsdam, New York ESPN+ Grabko T 3–3 OT 2,633 2–5–1
November 8 3:00 pm at Union* Achilles RinkSchenectady, New York ESPN+ Grabko T 3–3 OT 1,267 2–5–2
November 9 12:00 pm at Union* Achilles RinkSchenectady, New York ESPN+ Grabko W 6–4  1,681 3–5–2
November 15 7:07 pm at Alaska Anchorage* Avis Alaska Sports ComplexAnchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup)   Grabko W 3–2  675 4–5–2
November 16 5:07 pm at Alaska Anchorage* Avis Alaska Sports ComplexAnchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup)   Grabko L 1–6  712 4–6–2
November 29 4:00 pm at #3 Minnesota* 3M Arena at MariucciMinneapolis, Minnesota Fox 9+ Grabko T 1–1 OT 9,580 4–6–3
November 30 2:00 pm at #3 Minnesota* 3M Arena at MariucciMinneapolis, Minnesota Fox 9+ Grabko L 2–5  9,933 4–7–3
December 6 7:07 pm Augustana* Carlson CenterFairbanks, Alaska FloHockey Grabko L 1–3  3,005 4–8–3
December 7 7:07 pm Augustana* Carlson CenterFairbanks, Alaska FloHockey Lehti W 2–1  3,117 5–8–3
Holiday Face–Off
December 28 10:30 am vs. Connecticut* Fiserv ForumMilwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off Semifinal)   Grabko L 1–4  6,625 5–9–3
December 29 10:30 am vs. Ferris State* Fiserv ForumMilwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off Consolation Game)   Lehti W 4–1  4,920 6–9–3
January 3 4:07 pm at Minnesota Duluth* AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota   Lehti T 2–2 OT 5,128 6–9–4
January 4 3:07 pm at Minnesota Duluth* AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota   Grabko W 2–1 OT 5,172 7–9–4
January 10 7:07 pm Simon Fraser* Carlson CenterFairbanks, Alaska (Exhibition) FloHockey Grabko W 2–1 OT 1,945
January 11 7:07 pm Simon Fraser* Carlson CenterFairbanks, Alaska (Exhibition) FloHockey Lehti W 6–3  3,165
January 18 7:07 pm at Alaska Anchorage* Avis Alaska Sports ComplexAnchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup)   Grabko T 3–3 OT 715 7–9–5
January 24 3:00 pm at Massachusetts* Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Lehti L 2–4  3,058 7–10–5
January 25 2:00 pm at Massachusetts* Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Grabko L 3–7  3,263 7–11–5
January 31 7:07 pm Alaska Anchorage* Carlson CenterFairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup) FloHockey Lehti W 3–1  2,466 8–11–5
February 1 7:07 pm Alaska Anchorage* Carlson CenterFairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup) FloHockey Lehti W 5–1  3,180 9–11–5
February 8 5:07 pm Alaska Anchorage* Carlson CenterFairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup) FloHockey Lehti T 3–3 OT 3,375 9–11–6
February 14 4:10 pm at Lindenwood* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Lehti W 2–1 OT 1,427 10–11–6
February 15 11:10 am at Lindenwood* Centene Community Ice CenterSt. Charles, Missouri   Grabko L 2–5  1,133 10–12–6
February 21 4:07 pm at Augustana* Midco ArenaSioux Falls, South Dakota Midco Sports+ Lehti W 2–1  2,970 11–12–6
February 22 3:07 pm at Augustana* Midco ArenaSioux Falls, South Dakota Midco Sports+ Lehti W 5–3  3,106 12–12–6
February 28 3:30 pm at Long Island* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York ESPN+ Lehti L 2–4  357 12–13–6
March 1 3:30 pm at Long Island* Northwell Health Ice CenterEast Meadow, New York ESPN+ Grabko L 0–2  125 12–14–6
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Alaska Time.
Source:[4]

Scoring statistics

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Matt Hubbarde C 30 13 10 23 25
Broten Sabo D 32 8 13 21 31
Kyle Gaffney F 32 6 14 20 6
Chase Dafoe F 32 11 6 17 39
Brendan Ross F 31 3 11 14 10
Matt Koethe F 32 2 11 13 24
Peyton Platter C/LW/RW 32 2 11 13 24
Caelum Dick D 25 1 7 8 10
Braden Birnie F 32 4 3 7 12
Matthew Rickard D 25 4 2 6 18
Haden Kruse F 15 3 3 6 2
Luke LaMaster D 27 0 6 6 10
William Lawson-Body F 31 2 3 5 2
Adam Cardona D 31 0 5 5 32
Anton Rubtsov F 13 3 1 4 8
Cade Ahrenholz RW 24 3 1 4 41
Luke Johnson C/LW 15 2 2 4 4
Nathan Rickey D 24 1 3 4 8
Fyodor Nikolayenya F 28 1 2 3 20
Carson Reed D 31 1 1 2 10
Noah Barlage D 15 0 2 2 2
Trenton Penner F 10 0 1 1 4
Cole Plowman G 1 0 0 0 0
Tyler Waram D 1 0 0 0 0
Dean Spak F 3 0 0 0 0
Bryce Monrean F 4 0 0 0 6
Matteo Pecchia LW 6 0 0 0 6
Will Hilfiker D 11 0 0 0 15
Lassi Lehti G 13 0 0 0 0
Brayden Nicholetts F 16 0 0 0 11
Nicholas Grabko G 20 0 0 0 4
Total 73 112 185 386

[5]


Goaltending statistics

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Cole Plowman 1 6:57 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Lassi Lehti 13 735:05 7 3 2 25 303 0 .924 2.04
Nicholas Grabko 20 1182:26 5 11 4 54 480 1 .899 2.77
Empty Net - 35:30 - - - 10 - - - -
Total 32 1959:58 12 14 6 89 785 1 .898 2.72

Rankings

Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 (Final)
USCHO.com NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
USA Hockey NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Note: Neither USCHO nor USA Hockey released a poll in week 12.

References

  1. ^ "Men's Division I PairWise Rankings". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  2. ^ "Alaska Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  3. ^ "2024-25 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Alaska Nanooks. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "2024-25 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". Alaska Nanooks. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  5. ^ "Univ. of Alaska-Fairbanks 2024-2025 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 2, 2022.