The Alaska Nanooks men’s ice hockey team secured the 2025 Adirondack Winter Invitational title with a 3-2 victory over Clarkson on Saturday, November 29, at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York. The win capped a perfect week for the Nanooks, who finished the invitational with a 2-0 record.
Michael Citara opened the scoring just over two minutes into the first period, assisted by Peyton Platter and Noah Barlage. Clarkson responded with goals from Matthew Mayich and Jace Letourneau to take a 2-1 lead by the end of the first period. The second goal was reviewed for a potential high-stick but was ultimately upheld.
In the second period, Citara scored again to tie the game at 2-2. Misha Danylov provided the primary assist with Lucas Sorace adding another assist on the play. The game remained tied until late in the third period when Rylen Roersma netted what proved to be the game-winning goal after capitalizing on a rebound from Braden Birnie’s breakaway attempt.
Goaltender Lassi Lehti recorded his second win of the weekend by making 21 saves—nine in the first period, five in the second, and seven in the third—holding Clarkson scoreless after their two early goals.
Citara’s performance marked his third multipoint outing of this season and his first multi-goal game. He now leads Alaska with seven goals, seven assists, and fourteen points.
Roersma led Alaska in faceoff wins with nine out of seventeen attempts; however, Clarkson had an overall edge in faceoffs by winning thirty-eight out of sixty-three total draws. Defensively, Alaska blocked nine shots during the match, with Platter leading individually with two blocks.
The Nanooks will return home next Saturday for their final home contest of 2025 against Grand Canyon before traveling to face Union College on December 12 and 13.
