The Alaska Nanooks men’s ice hockey team lost 4-1 to the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Saturday, October 4, at the Carlson Center. The defeat leaves Alaska with a record of 0-2 to start the season.
Minnesota Duluth scored early, with Jayson Shaugabay netting the first goal just 18 seconds into the game. Harper Bentz added another goal six minutes later, followed by Scout Truman scoring twice—once in the first period and again in the third on an empty net.
Alaska’s only goal came late in the third period when Michael Citara scored his first as a Nanook with just 16 seconds left. Rylen Roersma and Liam Fleet assisted on the play, each earning their first career points for Alaska.
Both teams were effective defensively during penalties; Alaska successfully killed all seven of Minnesota Duluth’s power plays, while UMD went five-for-five on penalty kills. In his debut for Alaska, Calvin Vachon made a total of 20 saves across three periods. The Nanooks also recorded 18 blocked shots, with Adam Cardona leading at four blocks.
Chase Dafoe led Alaska in faceoff wins, securing victory in half of his draws.
Looking ahead, Alaska will travel to Tempe, Arizona for the Icebreaker Tournament at Mullett Arena on Arizona State University’s campus. They are scheduled to play Quinnipiac on Friday, October 10 at 1 p.m., and will face either Arizona State or Notre Dame based on tournament results.
“Michael Citara picked up his first goal as a Nanook with 16 seconds left in the third, making it a 4-1 final. Citara took a pass from Rylen Roersma and found the back of the net from outside the faceoff circle. Liam Fleet picked up the secondary assist as Fleet and Roersma tallied their first-career points as Nanooks.”
