Jan. 23, 2008

Miami Series Notes

• Alaska trails Miami in the all-time series, which stands at 12-28-4, while they trial 7-10-2 in Fairbanks; however, the Nanooks are 2-2-1 in the last five games against the RedHawks.

• When the teams met in Oxford earlier this season, Alaska dropped the first game 3-1, before responding with a 3-0 stonewalling of the then ranked No. 1 RedHawks. It was the second time in as many years that the Blue and Gold upended Miami when it was atop the National rankings.

• Last year Alaska hosted then-ranked No. 10 Miami at the Carlson Center on Feb. 2-3, 2007. The Nanooks proved rude hosts beating the RedHawks 2-1 the first night in overtime and coming away with a 2-2 tie in the rematch.

• Senior goalie Wylie Rogers owns a 3-2-1 career record against the RedHawks, and is unbeaten (3-0-1) in his last four starts. Rogers' has been stellar for the Blue and Gold when facing the Nationally ranked RedHawks: he made 41 saves in a 4-3 upset over then No. 1 Miami in Oxford on Feb. 3, 2006; he combined for 52 saves on Feb. 2-3, 2007 to help Alaska beat (2-1 OT) and tie (3-3 OT) then No. 10 Miami at home; he turned aside 32-of-32 shots last month (Dec. 8) to backstop the Nanooks to their first shutout (3-0) over the (then ranked No. 1) RedHawks in program history.

• Junior defenseman Tyler Eckford leads the Nanooks in scoring against Miami with 2-3-5 in 6 career games. He is trailed by senior forward Ryan Muspratt, who has a team-best three goals (3-0-3, 8 gp) against the RedHawks, and sophomore center Dion Knelsen (0-3-3, 4 gp).

• This week's CCHA All-Access show (airs Friday at 7:05 and 10:05 p.m. EST on Fox Sports Net Detriot) will feature the first of a two-part segment on the Alaska Nanooks hockey program.

• Junior defenseman Tyler Eckford notched his 22nd point of the season with an assist on freshman defenseman Jeff Penner's goal late in the third period Saturday night, matching his points total for all of the 2006-07 season (5-17-22, 39 gp). His next point will mark a new career-best.

• Sophomore forward Dion Knelsen extended his team-best scoring streak to 10 games last Friday night against UNO with an assist on the Nanooks lone goal, only to see it halted Saturday night.

• Alaska's senior defenseman T.J. Campbell earned a penalty shot Friday night, the Nanooks first since Nov. 5, 2005, when Jordan Emmerson beat Ferris State's Mitch O'Keefe. Although Campbell was denied by UNO's Kauffman Friday, he responded with his first goal of the season and just the second of his career in Saturday's rematch. His first goal was also scored at home on Feb. 10, 2006 in a 4-3 win over Bowling Green.

• Senior left wing Aaron Lee, who leads all Nanooks in career games played with 132, has 28 goals and 21 assists in that span and is just one point shy of his 50th career point.

• Rookie forward Ryan Hohl, a recent transfer from Bowling Green, picked up his first career point in last Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to UNO.

• UNO's sweep of Alaska marked the Blue and Gold's first time they were swept in a conference series since Nov. 9-10, 2007, when then No. 2 Michigan took the pair of weekend encounters in Ann Arbor. Since snapping its 7-game losing streak with a tie at UNO on Nov. 24, the Nanooks had earned at least one point in each conference series prior to last weekend.