Your Alaska Nanooks took on the Arizona Sun Devils this weekend to officially start their NCAA division I season. Arizona had a shutout against Alaska, leaving the Nanooks with a scoreless season thus far.
Alaska played Arizona for the second and third time in their collegiate ice hockey history, Alaska played against Arizona for the first time with a 1-2 loss back in October of 2015.
Saturday nights game had Alaska trail behind two goals early on in the game with #33 junior goaltender and Sweden native Anton Martinsson making nine saves before letting in two goals, thirty-seconds a part. For the remainder of the game, Martinsson would make an additional 20 saves, giving the goaltender a 0.935 save percentage.
The Nanooks pulled Martinsson with two minutes and fifteen seconds left on the clock in hopes of getting back in the game, and even though the Nanooks were able to keep the puck out of the empty net for a short while, Arizona scored their third goal of the game with an empty netter 41-seconds into the six on five man advantage.
A similar game played out for Sunday afternoon as Arizona scored three goals in the first period. The Nanooks had a goalie change coming into the second period, bringing in #30 freshman goalie Gustavs Davis Grigals of Latvia, playing his first NCAA division I hockey game. Grigals would play a perfect second period, however Arizona would score two mid-period goals against the freshman in the third. Grigals would play a 0.909 save percentage game.
Your Alaska Nanooks lost both games, Saturday night with a 0-3 loss, and Sunday afternoon with a 0-5 loss.
Alaska will play at home in the Carlson Center Friday, October 12th against no. 6 St. Cloud State University at 7:07 PM AKDT, or you can listen to the game live on KSUA 91.5 FM or online at ksuaradio.com/stream/