Published Mar 7, 2023 by Paula C. Weston The most underrated story, to me, though was Alaska, which moved into 13th in the Pairwise after sweeping Lindenwood. It looks like, barring some massive weirdness where four low seeds win their conference, that the Nanooks are heading to the NCAA tournament. Given what happened with the overall Alaska hockey conversation, how much of a major storyline is it, now that Erik Largen’s bunch is apparently dancing in 2023?
Paula: The Alaska story is enormous. I’m just hoping that this helps to write a next season – a lot of next seasons – for the Nanooks.
Alaska finished the season with a six-game win streak and have lost only one game in their last 12, a 3-1 road decision against LIU (Feb. 11). The Nanooks have played themselves into this NCAA tournament position with solid wins over Omaha, Northern Michigan, Notre Dame and Denver, plus their 22-10-2 season.
The Nanooks are averaging 3.06 goals per game and have the fifth-stingiest defense in the country, allowing 2.18 per. Senior goaltender Matt Radomsky has the sixth-best (2.05) GAA in the nation and a respectable save percentage (.916). In single-elimination NCAA tournament play, the Nanooks may do some damage.
And they would be hungry to do so. Now is not the time to discuss the future of independent teams and rant (again) about the need for realignment to accommodate independents and grow the sport, but Alaska hockey has powerful motivation to draw attention to itself in positive ways.
The Nanooks – a sentimental favorite of mine from covering the old CCHA – are the D-I sport with the potential to focus a national gaze on the University of Alaska’s flagship campus in Fairbanks.
Alaska is sitting in a good spot – as you say, barring several upsets by teams lower in the PWR – for the NCAA tournament, and now the Nanooks will wait out the next two weeks to see their fate.
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