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Nanook Nation 2014-2015

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  • Re: Nanook Nation 2014-2015

    So...what to make of this lost season of Nanook hockey?

    For starters, the postseason ban hurt (obviously), but especially so because I think this team could have played for the WCHA championship this year, not to mention an at-large berth in the NCAA's. They were firing on all cylinders by season's end and, more importantly, didn't have major injuries like they did going into the playoffs last year. The five game losing streak that happened about the time of the NCAA penalty announcement was, in my opinion, a direct result of said announcement. The guys said all the right things, but I think it had an effect on play for several weeks before the Christmas break. I think the coaching staff and Parayko deserve major props for holding the team together under the circumstances; this season could have easily been a disaster but instead they laid some great building blocks for next season.

    Speaking of next season...

    Losing Parayko and Campbell at the same time will hurt some defensively, but I think there's enough left and coming in through recruiting that it shouldn't be a huge hole. I'll especially be interested to see Nikolas Koberstein, who is a Canadiens draft pick.

    Davis Jones would appear to be the #1 in net, unless incoming recruit Jesse Jenks raises eyebrows in the fall. Jones was real hot and cold before an injury shut him down...he pitched four shutouts on the season but would vary a lot from game to game. It'd be nice to see Keeney get a few games next year as a senior, too.

    Up front and offensively, we aren't losing a whole lot from the stat sheet outside of Parayko and Garrick Perry to graduation. Assuming he's healthy, I'd expect a big year from Tyler Morley and for Marcus Basara to continue his progression. Additionally, we have three recruits coming in who were averaging close to a point per game in juniors. While those stats don't always translate to the college game, it looks like we have guys coming in who can put the puck in the net.

    I'd expect this team in its current form to continue to contend for a top-four spot in the WCHA. If Parayko was back I'd go so far as to say we would be contending for a Broadmoor Trophy, but as such I think the current group has the potential but still needs to prove it, mainly defensively after losing our top two D-men plus Cahill to graduation.

    Speaking of Parayko...big loss, but what a thrill it was to have him in Alaska. I don't blame him for leaving, though. Short of winning a Broadmoor next season, he had nothing left to prove in the college game. Very few teams had anybody who could come close to matching up with him; watching him in the last two games against UAA, if he wanted to get to a puck, he simply removed whatever Seawolf was over the puck. He could have honed his skills a bit more if he came back, but he was exactly right that to continue to make large scale improvements he needed to make the leap. From what I understand the Blues are pretty well set at defensemen so he should get plenty of time in the AHL to get better. I don't doubt we will see him in the big show eventually. And anytime you can get players like that, even if they leave early, it's a big deal for the program. Thanks for three great years, Colton.
    “We offer no apology for our location at 64 51’21’’ north latitude. We are building for the future and we are confident that well directed effort and education are the forces which make progress possible”

    —UA President Charles E. Bunnell, 1925

    Comment


    • Re: Nanook Nation 2014-2015

      Here's a quick rundown of our incoming recruits for '15 and a brief overview their junior stats for this past season (sorry for the ugly formatting):

      Name, Position & Birthplace Team/League Games Played Goals Assists Total Points
      Jordan Burns, D (Vernon, BC) Powell River (BCHL) 22 3 13 16
      Salmon Arm (BCHL) 26 0 10 10
      Tyler Cline, LW (Blaine, MN) Minnesota (NAHL) 43 22 19 41
      Nikolas Koberstein, D (Barrhead, AB) Sioux Falls (USHL) 30 1 0 1
      Bloomington (USHL) 21 2 6 8
      Ryker Leer, LW (Red Deer, AB) Camrose (AJHL) 57 23 36 59
      Chase McMurphy, C (Chestermere, AB) Surrey (BCHL) 23 7 6 13
      Chad Staley, RW (Kennewick, WA) Prince George (BCHL) 59 22 36 58

      Jesse Jenks, G (Crofton, BC) Prince George (BCHL) 33 3.57 GAA .902 Save %
      “We offer no apology for our location at 64 51’21’’ north latitude. We are building for the future and we are confident that well directed effort and education are the forces which make progress possible”

      —UA President Charles E. Bunnell, 1925

      Comment


      • Re: Nanook Nation 2014-2015

        Sean Cahill headed to ECHL Bakersfield.
        “We offer no apology for our location at 64 51’21’’ north latitude. We are building for the future and we are confident that well directed effort and education are the forces which make progress possible”

        —UA President Charles E. Bunnell, 1925

        Comment


        • Re: Nanook Nation 2014-2015

          Originally posted by Squarebanks View Post
          Sean Cahill headed to ECHL Bakersfield.
          Justin Tateson wore #67 tonight for the Huntsville Havoc in the Southern Professional Hockey League...

          Comment


          • Re: Nanook Nation 2014-2015

            Originally posted by fairbanks hockey puck View Post
            Justin Tateson wore #67 tonight for the Huntsville Havoc in the Southern Professional Hockey League...
            The Havoc are completely terrible this year: 8-35-7, with everyone else having at least 20 wins (and only one team under .500). It's like the 2013-14 WCHA with that other team that plays at the VBC. He should get all the ice time that he wants.

            GFM
            Geof F. Morris
            UAH BSE MAE 2002
            UAHHockey.com

            Comment


            • Re: Nanook Nation 2014-2015

              Yeah he didn't get much playing time here....The Havoc do seem to draw good crowds as opposed to UAH, although the college product better....

              Comment


              • Re: Nanook Nation 2014-2015

                Originally posted by fairbanks hockey puck View Post
                Yeah he didn't get much playing time here....The Havoc do seem to draw good crowds as opposed to UAH, although the college product better....
                They had a big advantage before we sold beer. They still have one because we don't have fighting. They don't get hockey fans — they get people who are in it for bloodsport. I expect that their attendance has gone off of a cliff this year.

                UAH is in a precarious place in this town. We are smaller than both Alabama and Auburn, and there are more alumni (and even more fans) of those schools around here than there are of UAH, although that is changing over time as people (like myself) choose UAH for proximity to NASA/Redstone Arsenal while they go to school. As such, a lot of people here don't have any real ties to UAH, and if they don't have any kind of a hockey background, they're not going to go for us right away. I feel like UAH attracts a more white collar fan than the Havoc.

                I have a low opinion of that organization, and frankly, I think that we'd be better off if they were gone. I'd love to have an ECHL team here, but it didn't stick in the one season it was here.

                GFM
                Geof F. Morris
                UAH BSE MAE 2002
                UAHHockey.com

                Comment


                • Originally posted by gfmorris View Post
                  They still have one because we don't have fighting. They don't get hockey fans — they get people who are in it for bloodsport. I feel like UAH attracts a more white collar fan than the Havoc.

                  I'd love to have an ECHL team here...

                  GFM
                  Us and Anchorage have the same issue with the Ice Dogs and Aces, respectively. They draw a much different crowd than the NCAA programs...very blue collar and military-centric. We get along pretty well with the Ice Dogs; there's a gentlemens agreement to not schedule home games the same weekend if we can help it. The Aces, though, have just about run UAA out of town, which is pretty impressive considering that Anchorage fancies itself as a hockey town.

                  The Aces in particular have their marketing and audience down to a T. They even advertise their mascot as being from Prudhoe Bay. The crowds can be downright brutal on opposing teams...Aces fans are the only crowd I've heard cheer injuries on opposing players.

                  Be careful what you wish for by having an ECHL team next door, particularly an ECHL team that knows what it's doing.
                  “We offer no apology for our location at 64 51’21’’ north latitude. We are building for the future and we are confident that well directed effort and education are the forces which make progress possible”

                  —UA President Charles E. Bunnell, 1925

                  Comment


                  • Re: Nanook Nation 2014-2015

                    Originally posted by gfmorris View Post
                    They had a big advantage before we sold beer. They still have one because we don't have fighting. They don't get hockey fans — they get people who are in it for bloodsport. I expect that their attendance has gone off of a cliff this year.

                    UAH is in a precarious place in this town. I have a low opinion of that organization, and frankly, I think that we'd be better off if they were gone. I'd love to have an ECHL team here, but it didn't stick in the one season it was here.

                    GFM
                    Careful what you wish for. An ECHL team will sell beer, encourage fighting by having an "enforcer" jerseyed up and put a better product on the ice than your current competition.
                    You may find that your present competition is less than an ECHL team would be.
                    But if you would like I'd gladly swap our ECHL team for your present competition.
                    Wrote this before seeing Squarebanks post. One of the few places we agree.

                    Comment


                    • Re: Nanook Nation 2014-2015

                      Never having been to an Ice Dogs game I'm wondering if they sell beer?
                      And which _airbanks team draws more Eielson and Wainwright folks?
                      Second and: Winning puts butts in seats. Aces attendance way down this season on their W/L record.
                      Didn't take but 1/4 of the season to fall off.
                      Last edited by Seawolf Fan; 03-19-2015, 01:03 PM.

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by Seawolf Fan View Post
                        Never having been to an Ice Dogs game I'm wondering if they sell beer?
                        And which _airbanks team draws more Eielson and Wainwright folks?
                        Second and: Winning puts butts in seats. Aces attendance way down this season on their W/L record.
                        Didn't take but 1/4 of the season to fall off.
                        Unless it's changed, Ice Dogs are like Aces in that there is a wet side and a dry side. And I think the Ice Dogs get more military, even though we honor a military resident at each of our home games. It's a marketing thing...they target more of the blue collar fans with no team allegiance. But take it with a grain of salt...I haven't been to an Ice Dogs game in a decade.

                        And the Aces pulled in 5,000+ both nights last weekend.
                        Last edited by Squarebanks; 03-19-2015, 01:18 PM.
                        “We offer no apology for our location at 64 51’21’’ north latitude. We are building for the future and we are confident that well directed effort and education are the forces which make progress possible”

                        —UA President Charles E. Bunnell, 1925

                        Comment


                        • Re: Nanook Nation 2014-2015

                          What complicates matters is that UAH and the Havoc use the same facility. We now get first pick on dates not because, as the local NBC affiliate implied last summer, the VBC now favors UAH, but purely because the WCHA sends seven teams to Huntsville every year, and those games have to be on weekends. Because the WCHA schedule is out before the SPHL's, we end up getting more "good" dates. [Part of the reason that the the SPHL's membership is pretty variable.] This year, they got stuck playing Saturday and Sunday afternoon games when both teams were in town after years of the reverse. They do get the weeknight crowds, though.

                          They're so bad that it's very telling that the top story on their site is their philanthropic donation to bring in comedian Henry Cho to perform at an area high school. I commend them for doing it —*and I find Cho funny — but doggone, that's sad. "What's that clickin' noise?" Well, I think that's the Havoc's future in Huntsville ...

                          GFM
                          Geof F. Morris
                          UAH BSE MAE 2002
                          UAHHockey.com

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by gfmorris View Post
                            What complicates matters is that UAH and the Havoc use the same facility. We now get first pick on dates not because, as the local NBC affiliate implied last summer, the VBC now favors UAH, but purely because the WCHA sends seven teams to Huntsville every year, and those games have to be on weekends. Because the WCHA schedule is out before the SPHL's, we end up getting more "good" dates. [Part of the reason that the the SPHL's membership is pretty variable.] This year, they got stuck playing Saturday and Sunday afternoon games when both teams were in town after years of the reverse. They do get the weeknight crowds, though.

                            They're so bad that it's very telling that the top story on their site is their philanthropic donation to bring in comedian Henry Cho to perform at an area high school. I commend them for doing it —*and I find Cho funny — but doggone, that's sad. "What's that clickin' noise?" Well, I think that's the Havoc's future in Huntsville ...

                            GFM
                            Aces and UAA both use Sullivan Arena. UAA gets first crack at dates and has most of the branding in the arena, but the Aces "own" the jumbotron and bring in bigger crowds. Go figure.
                            “We offer no apology for our location at 64 51’21’’ north latitude. We are building for the future and we are confident that well directed effort and education are the forces which make progress possible”

                            —UA President Charles E. Bunnell, 1925

                            Comment


                            • Re: Nanook Nation 2014-2015

                              Originally posted by Squarebanks View Post
                              Aces and UAA both use Sullivan Arena. UAA gets first crack at dates and has most of the branding in the arena, but the Aces "own" the jumbotron and bring in bigger crowds. Go figure.

                              Tha Aces sold the Jumbtron to the city....the city "contracted out" the operating of the Jumbotron which takes 6 people with laptops tp run it at the cost of over $2500.00 an event.
                              Alaska Dispatch .... Doyle Woody
                              UAF made the kind of hockey history on October 10th 2015 that no team wants to claim – the Nanooks became the first NCAA Division I victim of Arizona State.


                              Originally Posted by WeWantMore At least you guys have Packers colors.

                              I Must be Famous ....a School named their program after me

                              Comment


                              • Re: Nanook Nation 2014-2015

                                Originally posted by Alaska Hockey View Post
                                Tha Aces sold the Jumbtron to the city....the city "contracted out" the operating of the Jumbotron which takes 6 people with laptops tp run it at the cost of over $2500.00 an event.
                                The figure I was told several times is $3000 per event so that's your "over $2500".
                                How could that thing take 6 operators? One to post each teams score. For those keeping track or if you're Norwegian or a UA_ graduate that's 2. Another two to post SOG. One for the minutes and another for the seconds. Those guys are being overworked.
                                And from what I saw it must be a real steep learning curve cause there were errors and omissions all season.
                                6 grand a weekend! At that price let's go back to the old antique and skip the kissing cam.
                                How many people does it take to run the scoreboard and ribbon at the Alaska Airlines Center?
                                Or the Carlson seeing whose thread this is.
                                Last edited by Seawolf Fan; 03-19-2015, 05:34 PM.

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