# 2022–23 Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey season

The 2022–23 Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey season was the 73rd season of play for the program and the 38th at the Division I level. The Nanooks represented the University of Alaska Fairbanks and were coached by Erik Largen in his 4th season.

## Season

With nearly half of the team's roster changing in the offseason, Alaska was a mystery when the season began. Senior transfer Matt Radomsky was given control of the crease but the rest of the team would take some time to sort out. Unsurprisingly, it took the offense a while to build some chemistry as the Nanooks averaged slightly more than 2 goals per game over the first two months of the season. That wasn't much improvement over the year before, however, whereas they had started out 1–12 the previous season, the 2023 Nanooks were in a much better position. The defense, led by co-captain Garrett Pyke, did a tremendous job insulating Radomsky and allowed an average of less than 25 shots against per game. The relatively light workload and Radomsky's strong play helped keep the team afloat in the early part of the season and they held a .500 record by mid-November.
Just before Thanksgiving, Alaska travelled south to take on #7 Penn State. Though they lost both games, each defeat was only by a single goal and demonstrated that the Nanooks could compete with the college hockey elite. After the winter break Alaska fulfilled that promise by splitting two consecutive weekends against ranked opponents, including then-#1 Denver. With a winning record and several impressive wins, the Nanooks were suddenly alive for the NCAA tournament berth, having risen up to 22nd in the national rankings. After a couple of weeks off, Alaska entered the stretch run of its season with 12 games remaining. Alaska had a fairly easy slate of games but this left them with catch-22; because they weren't going to participate in a conference tournament, Alaska would have to be at least #15 in the national rankings to make the NCAA tournament. To do that they needed to win, however, they wouldn't get much credit for wins over low-ranked teams. Of all their opponents in those final 12 games, only Arizona State was above 50 (out of 61 teams) and they were still in the bottom half. Because of this,Alaska would likely need to go undefeated, or very close to, to have any chance of getting into the top 15. With little room for error, that's exactly what the Nanooks did.
Over a 6-week span, Alaska's offense came into its own and helped the team go 11–1 to end the regular season. The streak gave the team its first 20-win season in 21 years and raised them up to #12 in the rankings. However, when the team finished its schedule on March 4, many other clubs still had games to play. Alaska had to wait and see how the rest of the teams fared before they could punch their ticket to the tournament. By mid-March they had been overtaken by Minnesota State and, as the conference tournaments progressed, they were pushed down to #15. Entering championship weekend, Alaska was in the final position for an at-large bid but were in a relatively good position. For various reasons, the winners of the Atlantic Hockey, Big Ten and CCHA tournaments would not affect the Nanooks. What Alaska needed was for each of the ECAC Hockey, Hockey East and NCHC to be won by a team that was ranked higher than the Nanooks. While Hockey East and the NCHC obliged, Colgate stunned three higher-seeded teams to capture the ECAC crown. That upset shrunk the at-large field to the top-14 teams, leaving Alaska out in the cold.
In spite of the misfortune at the end, this was still the best season for the Nanooks in 35 years, the final season of the Great West Hockey Conference.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Jakob Breault | Forward | Canada | Left program (retired) |
| Antonio Di Paolo | Defenseman | Canada | Left program (retired) |
| Filip Fornåå Svensson | Forward | Sweden | Transferred to Massachusetts Lowell |
| Gustavs Dāvis Grigals | Goaltender | Latvia | Graduate transfer to Massachusetts Lowell |
| Didrik Henbrant | Forward | Sweden | Transferred to Maine |
| Caleb Hite | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Kristaps Jākobsons | Defenseman | Latvia | Left program (retired) |
| Roberts Kaļķis | Defenseman | Latvia | Signed professional contract (Iisalmen Peli-Karhut) |
| Matt McKim | Forward | Canada | Transferred to Acadia |
| Riley Murphy | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Jordan Muzzillo | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Wichita Thunder) |
| Austin Ryman | Goaltender | United States | Transferred to Bethel |
| Nátán Vertes | Forward | Hungary | Signed professional contract (Fehérvár AV19) |
| Antti Virtanen | Defenseman | Finland | Graduation (signed with Tappara) |
| Ēriks Žohovs | Forward | Latvia | Left mid-season; signed professional contract (Fehérvár AV19) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Braden Birnie | Forward | Canada | 21 | Weyburn, SK |
| Kyle Gaffney | Forward | United States | 21 | Plymouth, MI |
| Will Hilfiker | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Middletown, NJ |
| Xavier Jean-Louis | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Miami, FL |
| Ricards Landmanis | Defenseman | Latvia | 20 | Ventspils, LAT |
| Lassi Lehti | Goaltender | Finland | 20 | Espoo, FIN |
| T. J. Lloyd | Defenseman | Canada | 22 | Lloydminster, SK; transfer from Bowling Green |
| A. J. Macaulay | Defenseman | Canada | 20 | Bonnyville, AB |
| Cade Neilson | Forward | England | 21 | Lafayette, LA |
| Matteo Pecchia | Forward | Canada | 22 | Nobleton, ON; transfer from Western Michigan |
| Zachary Power | Forward | Canada | 21 | Glencoe, ON |
| Matt Radomsky | Goaltender | Canada | 23 | Winnipeg, MB; transfer from Holy Cross |
| Quinn Rudrud | Forward | United States | 21 | Farmington, MN |
| Jonny Sorenson | Forward | United States | 22 | St. Louis Park, MN; transfer from Minnesota |

## Roster

As of August 12, 2022.

## Standings

2022–23 NCAA Division I Independent ice hockey standingsvte :
| | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #15 Alaska | 34 | 22 | 10 | 2 | 104 | 74 |
| Alaska Anchorage | 28 | 8 | 19 | 1 | 66 | 106 |
| Arizona State | 39 | 18 | 21 | 0 | 115 | 112 |
| Lindenwood | 30 | 7 | 22 | 1 | 92 | 134 |
| Long Island | 36 | 13 | 22 | 1 | 116 | 123 |
| Stonehill | 25 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 102 | 95 |
| Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| September 24 | 7:07 PM | Simon Fraser* | | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Exhibition) | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 6–0 | 1,612 | |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 1 | 7:07 PM | American International* | | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Radomsky | T 1–1 $^{OT}$ | 1,950 | 0–0–1 |
| October 2 | 4:07 PM | American International* | | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 2–1 | 1,410 | 1–0–1 |
| October 7 | 4:07 PM | at St. Thomas* | | St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, Minnesota | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 4–2 | 821 | 2–0–1 |
| October 8 | 3:07 PM | at St. Thomas* | | St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, Minnesota | FloHockey | Radomsky | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 738 | 2–1–1 |
| October 13 | 7:37 PM | Michigan Tech* | | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Radomsky | L 0–2 | 1,912 | 2–2–1 |
| October 14 | 7:07 PM | Michigan Tech* | | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Radomsky | L 2–6 | 2,124 | 2–3–1 |
| October 21 | 4:00 PM | at Omaha* | | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Radomsky | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 6,414 | 3–3–1 |
| October 23 | 11:00 AM | at Omaha* | | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Radomsky | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 4,697 | 3–4–1 |
| October 28 | 3:07 PM | at Northern Michigan* | | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 2–1 | 2,338 | 4–4–1 |
| October 29 | 2:07 PM | at Northern Michigan* | | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Radomsky | L 2–3 | 2,321 | 4–5–1 |
| November 18 | 3:00 PM | at Rensselaer* | | Houston Field House • Troy, New York | ESPN+ | Radomsky | W 3–1 | 1,965 | 5–5–1 |
| November 19 | 3:00 PM | at Rensselaer* | | Houston Field House • Troy, New York | ESPN+ | Radomsky | T 3–3 | 1,711 | 5–5–2 |
| November 22 | 3:00 PM | at #7 Penn State* | | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Radomsky | L 2–3 | 5,271 | 5–6–2 |
| November 23 | 1:00 PM | at #7 Penn State* | | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Radomsky | L 1–2 | 5,521 | 5–7–2 |
| December 9 | 7:07 PM | Alaska Anchorage* | | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup) | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 5–2 | 2,712 | 6–7–2 |
| December 10 | 7:07 PM | Alaska Anchorage* | | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup) | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 7–2 | 3,034 | 7–7–2 |
| December 16 | 7:07 PM | at Alaska Anchorage* | | Seawolf Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup) | | Radomsky | W 4–0 | 666 | 8–7–2 |
| December 17 | 6:07 PM | at Alaska Anchorage* | | Seawolf Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup) | | Radomsky | W 1–0 | 810 | 9–7–2 |
| December 31 | 1:00 PM | at #19 Notre Dame* | | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | Peacock | Radomsky | W 3–2 | 4,878 | 10–7–2 |
| January 1 | 1:00 PM | at #19 Notre Dame* | | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | Peacock | Radomsky | L 0–2 | 4,911 | 10–8–2 |
| January 6 | 5:00 PM | at #1 Denver* | | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Altitude 2 | Radomsky | W 3–1 | 6,221 | 11–8–2 |
| January 7 | 4:00 PM | at #1 Denver* | | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | | Radomsky | L 2–7 | 6,254 | 11–9–2 |
| January 27 | 7:07 PM | at Alaska Anchorage* | | Seawolf Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup) | | Radomsky | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 872 | 12–9–2 |
| January 28 | 7:07 PM | Alaska Anchorage* | | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup) | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 3,423 | 13–9–2 |
| February 3 | 7:07 PM | Arizona State* | | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 2–1 | 2,016 | 14–9–2 |
| February 4 | 7:07 PM | Arizona State* | | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 5–2 | 2,892 | 15–9–2 |
| February 10 | 11:00 AM | at Long Island* | #20 | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Radomsky | W 5–3 | 372 | 16–9–2 |
| February 11 | 10:00 AM | at Long Island* | #20 | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Radomsky | L 1–3 | 230 | 16–10–2 |
| February 17 | 7:07 PM | Long Island* | | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 3–2 | 1,912 | 17–10–2 |
| February 18 | 7:07 PM | Long Island* | | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 6–3 | 2,817 | 18–10–2 |
| February 24 | 5:00 PM | at Arizona State* | | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona | Pac-12 Insider | Radomsky | W 4–2 | 4,716 | 19–10–2 |
| February 25 | 5:00 PM | at Arizona State* | | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Radomsky | W 4–2 | 5,010 | 20–10–2 |
| March 3 | 7:07 PM | Lindenwood* | #18 | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 4–1 | 2,417 | 21–10–2 |
| March 4 | 7:07 PM | Lindenwood* | #18 | Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska | FloHockey | Radomsky | W 8–0 | 3,562 | 22–10–2 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Alaska Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Jonny Sorenson | F | 34 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 19 |
| Payton Matsui | F | 34 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 6 |
| Brady Risk | F | 33 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 22 |
| Chase Dubois | F | 34 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 6 |
| Garrett Pyke | D | 34 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 40 |
| Anton Rubtsov | F | 33 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 22 |
| T. J. Lloyd | D | 34 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 10 |
| Harrison Israels | C | 34 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 12 |
| Kyle Gaffney | F | 33 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 13 |
| Matt Koethe | F | 34 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 33 |
| Simon Falk | RW | 32 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 8 |
| Markuss Komuls | D | 34 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 16 |
| Arvils Bergmanis | D | 34 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 79 |
| Brayden Nicholetts | F | 19 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 24 |
| Colin Doyle | C | 27 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| A. J. Macaulay | D | 33 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 12 |
| Connor Mylymok | LW | 29 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 83 |
| Karl Falk | D | 31 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 24 |
| Braden Birnie | F | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 19 |
| Xavier Jean-Louis | D | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Cade Neilson | C | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Zachary Power | C | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Will Hilfiker | D | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Matt Radomsky | G | 34 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Lassi Lehti | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Allin | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ēriks Žohovs | C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Matteo Pecchia | LW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | | | 104 | 175 | 279 | 477 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Matt Radomsky | 34 | 1992:08 | 22 | 10 | 2 | 68 | 742 | 2 | .916 | 2.05 |
| Daniel Allin | 2 | 40:06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0 | .867 | 2.99 |
| Lassi Lehti | 1 | 10:47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | .833 | 5.56 |
| Empty Net | - | 16:59 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 34 | 2060:00 | 22 | 10 | 2 | 74 | 760 | 2 | .911 | 2.16 |

## 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 | 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 | 27 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | - | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 20 | NR | NR | 18 | 16 | 15 | 15 | - | 15 |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.