The Alaska Nanooks men’s ice hockey team secured a 3-0 exhibition win over the UNLV Rebels on Friday night in Fairbanks. The Nanooks established an early lead with two goals in the first period and added another in the second, holding off UNLV for the remainder of the game.
Tommy Cronin opened the scoring for Alaska, assisted by Trent Penner and Noah Barlage. “Penner fired a shot on net, and off of a save and a battle out front, Barlage shuffled the puck to Cronin who had an empty net to work with and buried the goal,” according to the team’s report. Peyton Platter extended the lead late in the first period after receiving passes from Michael Citara and Braden Birnie. “Birnie found a slashing Platter as he entered the slot. Platter fired a quick wrister past UNLV netminder Doug Wakelyn making it 2-0 for the first intermission.”
In the second period, Misha Danylov scored Alaska’s third goal with an assist from Adam Cardona. “Cardona found a loose puck near the corner and found Danylov in front of the crease. After a nifty move, Danylov found the back of the net, taking the hit from a Rebel defender and beating Wakelyn for a 3-0 lead.” Despite generating 50 shots on goal through two periods, Alaska did not score in the third but maintained control to finish with a shutout victory.
Goaltender Lassi Lehti stopped all 17 shots faced, recording one save in the first period, ten in the second, and six in the third. The Nanooks converted one of their four power-play opportunities; Platter’s goal came during a man-advantage situation. Defensively, Alaska blocked eight shots, with Braden Birnie and Nathan Rickey each recording two blocks.
On faceoffs, Alaska won nearly 58 percent overall. Chase Dafoe led with ten wins out of sixteen attempts, while Peyton Platter won eight of twelve draws and Rylen Roersma claimed six out of eight.
The Nanooks are scheduled to play Briercrest tomorrow night at 7:07 p.m. at Carlson Center.
For updates on Alaska Nanooks hockey, fans can follow their official social media accounts: Instagram (@NanooksHockey), X (@NanooksHockey), and Facebook (Alaska Nanooks Hockey).
