# 2018–19 Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey season

The 2018–19 Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey season was the 70th season of play for the program, the 35th at the Division I level and the 6th in the WCHA conference. The Nanooks represented the University of Alaska Fairbanks and were coached by Erik Largen, in his 1st season.

## Season

After just one season with Lance West behind the bench, Alaska brought in Erik Largen as the program's 27th head coach. The Nanooks had trouble finding their game early in the season under their new leader and began 0–7–1. While some of the struggles were caused by a difficult schedule (6 games came against ranked opponents), Alaska's offense was paltry in those matches. The team averages less than 2 goals per game and were shut out on three occasions.
The team improved in November and saw some modest gains in their scoring production. Freshman goalie, Gustavs Dāvis Grigals, also got a turn in net and helped propel Alaska to four wins over a four-week span. While it looked like the team may be rounding a corner, both Grigals and nominal starter Anton Martinsson struggled as the calendar turned to January and the Nanooks ended up with a 5-game losing streak.
Martinsson recovered first and helped the team right the ship down the stretch. Alaska showed some grit with wins over Bowling Green and Minnesota State when both were ranked in the top-10. The Nanooks were also able to take three out of four games from Alaska Anchorage to claim their seventh straight Governor's Cup.
In the WCHA Tournament, Alaska continued to show improvement when they fought hard against 2nd seed, Northern Michigan. The team took a 4–2 lead into the third period but couldn't stop the Wildcats from tying the game in the waning seconds. The Nanooks fought hard in the overtime, firing 14 shots on goal in just over 30 minutes, but they couldn't solve Atte Tolvanen. While NMU won the game, the team didn't fold and continued to press in the second game. Alaska got out to a 2–0 lead by the midpoint of the game but again could not hold the lead and surrendered 4 goals over a 20-minute span. Tyler Cline scored with Martinsson on the bench to close the gap to 1 but the Nanooks couldn't get the tying marker and saw their season slip away despite a gutsy performance.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Kyle Froese | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Wisconsin–Eau Claire |
| Zach Frye | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with San Jose Barracuda) |
| Ross Heidt | Forward | Canada | Transferred to Red Deer |
| Aaron Herdt | Forward | United States | Transferred to Concordia |
| Nick Hinz | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Danny Kiraly | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Wisconsin–Stevens Point |
| Tayler Munson | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Austin Vieth | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Peoria Rivermen) |
| Justin Woods | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Jacksonville IceMen) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Matthew Doran | Defenseman | United States | 21 | St. Louis, MO |
| Colin Doyle | Forward | Canada | 20 | Campbellford, ON |
| Chase Ellingson | Forward | United States | 21 | Blaine, MN |
| Jake Gresh | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Avon, CT |
| Gustavs Dāvis Grigals | Goaltender | Latvia | 20 | Riga, LAT |
| Caleb Hite | Forward | United States | 21 | Grand Blanc, MI |
| Chris Jandric | Defenseman | Canada | 19 | Prince George, BC |
| Jordan Muzzillo | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Capron, IL |
| Samuel Ruffin | Forward | United States | 19 | Westfield, IN |
| Antti Virtanen | Defenseman | Finland | 20 | Kittilä, FI |

## Standings

2018–19 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #6 Minnesota State †* | 28 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 68 | 99 | 43 | 42 | 32 | 8 | 2 | 147 | 76 |
| Northern Michigan | 28 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 56 | 82 | 57 | 39 | 21 | 16 | 2 | 104 | 96 |
| #13 Bowling Green | 28 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 55 | 77 | 52 | 41 | 25 | 11 | 5 | 133 | 75 |
| Lake Superior State | 28 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 91 | 69 | 38 | 23 | 13 | 2 | 123 | 93 |
| Bemidji State | 28 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 45 | 71 | 63 | 38 | 15 | 17 | 6 | 95 | 94 |
| Michigan Tech | 28 | 13 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 43 | 68 | 63 | 38 | 14 | 20 | 4 | 90 | 101 |
| Alaska | 28 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 40 | 57 | 81 | 36 | 12 | 21 | 3 | 72 | 114 |
| Alabama–Huntsville | 28 | 8 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 28 | 61 | 93 | 38 | 8 | 28 | 2 | 67 | 129 |
| Ferris State | 28 | 7 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 68 | 96 | 36 | 10 | 23 | 3 | 90 | 123 |
| Alaska Anchorage | 28 | 2 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 29 | 86 | 34 | 3 | 28 | 3 | 40 | 115 |
| Championship: March 23, 2019 † indicates conference regular season champion (MacNaughton Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Broadmoor Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| September 29 | 7:07 PM | vs. Simon Fraser* | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Martinsson | W 13–1 | 1,995 | |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 6 | 5:05 PM | at Arizona State* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Martinsson | L 0–3 | 644 | 0–1–0 |
| October 7 | 1:00 PM | at Arizona State* | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Martinsson | L 0–5 | 921 | 0–2–0 |
| October 12 | 7:07 PM | vs. #5 St. Cloud State* | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Martinsson | L 2–3 | 1,308 | 0–3–0 |
| October 13 | 7:07 PM | vs. #5 St. Cloud State* | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Grigals | L 2–6 | 1,646 | 0–4–0 |
| October 19 | 5:05 PM | at #9 Denver* | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Altitude | Martinsson | L 1–4 | 4,363 | 0–5–0 |
| October 20 | 5:05 PM | at #9 Denver* | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Altitude2 | Martinsson | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 4,316 | 0–5–1 |
| October 26 | 4:07 PM | at #7 Minnesota State | Verizon Wireless Center • Mankato, Minnesota | | Martinsson | L 0–4 | 3,913 | 0–6–1 (0–1–0) |
| October 27 | 4:07 PM | at #7 Minnesota State | Verizon Wireless Center • Mankato, Minnesota | | Martinsson | L 1–3 | 4,136 | 0–7–1 (0–2–0) |
| November 9 | 3:07 PM | at Lake Superior State | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Martinsson | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 1,087 | 0–7–2 (0–2–1) |
| November 10 | 3:07 PM | at Lake Superior State | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Grigals | W 4–3 | 1,860 | 1–7–2 (1–2–1) |
| November 16 | 7:07 PM | vs. Alabama–Huntsville | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Martinsson | L 4–3 | 1,826 | 1–8–2 (1–3–1) |
| November 17 | 7:07 PM | vs. Alabama–Huntsville | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Grigals | W 2–1 | 1,928 | 2–8–2 (2–3–1) |
| November 23 | 3:07 PM | at Michigan Tech | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan | | Grigals | L 1–2 | 2,605 | 2–9–2 (2–4–1) |
| November 24 | 3:07 PM | at Michigan Tech | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan | | Martinsson | L 2–7 | 2,218 | 2–10–2 (2–5–1) |
| November 30 | 7:07 PM | vs. Ferris State | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Grigals | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 1,562 | 3–10–2 (3–5–1) |
| December 1 | 7:07 PM | vs. Ferris State | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Grigals | W 6–2 | 1,723 | 4–10–2 (4–5–1) |
| December 7 | 7:00 PM | vs. Lake Superior State | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Grigals | L 1–4 | 1,694 | 4–11–2 (4–6–1) |
| December 8 | 7:07 PM | vs. Lake Superior State | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Martinsson | L 2–5 | 2,007 | 4–12–2 (4–7–1) |
| January 4 | 7:07 PM | vs. Northern Michigan | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Grigals | L 0–4 | 1,753 | 4–13–2 (4–8–1) |
| January 5 | 7:07 PM | vs. Northern Michigan | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Martinsson | L 2–4 | 1,923 | 4–14–2 (4–9–1) |
| January 11 | 4:07 PM | at Bemidji State | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | | Martinsson | L 0–3 | 2,798 | 4–15–2 (4–10–1) |
| January 12 | 2:07 PM | at Bemidji State | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | | Martinsson | W 2–1 $^{OT}$ | 3,016 | 5–15–2 (5–10–1) |
| January 18 | 7:07 PM | vs. #9 Bowling Green | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Martinsson | W 4–1 | 1,327 | 6–15–2 (6–10–1) |
| January 19 | 7:07 PM | vs. #9 Bowling Green | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Martinsson | L 0–2 | 1,823 | 6–16–2 (6–11–1) |
| January 25 | 4:12 PM | at Alabama–Huntsville | Von Braun Center • Huntsville, Alabama | | Martinsson | W 3–1 | 2,440 | 7–16–2 (7–11–1) |
| January 26 | 7:07 PM | at Alabama–Huntsville | Von Braun Center • Huntsville, Alabama | | Martinsson | W 5–2 | 1,844 | 8–16–2 (8–11–1) |
| February 8 | 7:07 PM | vs. Alaska Anchorage | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup) | | Martinsson | L 1–4 | 2,220 | 8–17–2 (8–12–1) |
| February 9 | 7:07 PM | vs. Alaska Anchorage | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup) | | Grigals | W 2–1 | 2,468 | 9–17–2 (9–12–1) |
| February 15 | 3:37 PM | at #16 Bowling Green | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | | Grigals | L 0–8 | 2,744 | 9–18–2 (9–13–1) |
| February 16 | 3:07 PM | at #16 Bowling Green | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | | Grigals | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 4,252 | 9–18–3 (9–13–2) |
| February 22 | 7:07 PM | vs. #4 Minnesota State | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Grigals | L 1–6 | 1,946 | 9–19–3 (9–14–2) |
| February 23 | 7:07 PM | vs. #4 Minnesota State | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | | Martinsson | W 1–0 | 2,435 | 10–19–3 (10–14–2) |
| March 1 | 7:07 PM | at Alaska Anchorage | Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup) | | Martinsson | W 4–0 | 3,009 | 11–19–3 (11–14–2) |
| March 2 | 7:07 PM | at Alaska Anchorage | Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup) | | Martinsson | W 2–1 | 3,429 | 12–19–3 (12–14–2) |
| WCHA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 8 | 3:07 PM | at Northern Michigan* | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan (WCHA Quarterfinals game 1) | | Martinsson | L 4–5 $^{2OT}$ | 2,326 | 12–20–3 |
| March 9 | 3:07 PM | at Northern Michigan* | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan (WCHA Quarterfinals game 2) | | Martinsson | L 3–4 | 2,960 | 12–21–3 |
| Alaska Lost Series 0–2 ||||||||||
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Alaska Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Steven Jandric | LW | 36 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 71 |
| Tristan Thompson | D | 35 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 40 |
| Kylar Hope | F | 36 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 46 |
| Colton Leiter | C | 36 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 36 |
| Chris Jandric | LW | 28 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 42 |
| Max Newton | F | 32 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 16 |
| Tyler Cline | C/LW | 33 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 40 |
| Kyle Marino | C/D | 35 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 64 |
| Chad Staley | C | 33 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 6 |
| Nikolas Koberstein | D | 35 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 60 |
| Ryker Leer | LW | 36 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 30 |
| Samuel Ruffin | F | 29 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 31 |
| Troy Van Tetering | LW | 33 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Antti Virtanen | D | 34 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 42 |
| James LaDouce | D | 36 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 24 |
| Justin Young | C | 33 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14 |
| Colin Doyle | C | 26 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 54 |
| Brennan Blaszczak | F | 16 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Chase Ellingson | C/RW | 19 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Anton Martinsson | G | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Jake Gresh | D | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Matthew Doran | D | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Jordan Muzzillo | D | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Jack Weiss | G | 28 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 41 |
| Niko Della Maggiore | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gustavs Dāvis Grigals | G | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Caleb Hite | F | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 12 |
| Total | | | 72 | 130 | 202 | 699 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Niko Della Maggiore | 1 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| Anton Martinsson | 25 | 1410 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 64 | 648 | 2 | .910 | 2.72 |
| Gustavs Dāvis Grigals | 14 | 739 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 41 | 367 | 0 | .900 | 3.33 |
| Empty Net | - | 24 | - | - | - | 9 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 36 | 2206 | 12 | 21 | 3 | 114 | 1020 | 2 | .899 | 3.10 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
USCHO did not release a poll in Week 25.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award | Ref |
| Steven Jandric | All-WCHA Third Team | |
| Chris Jandric | WCHA All-Rookie Team | |