On Monday, Alaska Nanooks hockey senior Tyler Morley was selected by the Mankato Free Press Western Collegiate Hockey Association Coaches and Media as the Preseason Player of the Year. The WCHA Preseason Poll was also released on Monday, and the Nanooks were picked at No. 5 to open the 2015-16 season by both the Mankato Free Press and Bemidji Pioneer.
Morley is coming off of a 2014-15 campaign that saw him finish third in overall scoring in the WCHA with 37 point in 32 games. The center collected 15 goals and handed out 22 assists overall on the year, and really stood out in WCHA games, as he scored 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) in 28 league games, which was the second-most points posted in conference play. The Burnaby, British Columbia native has 13 multi-point weekends and posted 12 multi-point games a year ago. Morley enters his final season with Alaska just eight points shy of entering the program's 100-point club, as he has posted 92 points so far with 42 goals and 50 assists.
"Tyler had a great season last year and it's quite an honor for him to be selected as the Co-Preseason Player of the Year," said head coach Dallas Ferguson. "He was able to come back from a knee injury last season and he put in a lot of work to become a high-level player. He is a great player and he will play a big part in our team's success this season. It's nice for him to be recognized by the other coaches and media in this league, it shows a lot of respect in the way he plays the game."
Morley was also the lone Alaska representative on the Preseason All-WCHA team, as he was selected by both polls to the all-conference preseason team.
The Bemidji Pioneer Poll selected Minnesota State's Bryce Gervais as their WHCA Preseason Player of the Year, forcing a tie between the two returning standouts.
The Nanooks found themselves in a very familiar position in both WCHA Preseason Polls, as they were selected fifth for the second-consecutive season. The Nanooks finished the 2014-15 campaign with a 19-13-2 mark and 14-12- in WCHA play.
"These preseason polls are always interesting because you want to see what people on the outside think of your program," said Ferguson. "We've been either in this fifth spot or close to it since we entered the WCHA three years ago. Sometimes when you're in the middle, people don't know if you're going to be better or worse than the previous year, and it's our job to prove to everyone that we'll be closer to the top than the bottom."
The 19 wins last year was the most for the Nanooks under Coach Ferguson, and it included a pair of wins over a team that spent some time at No. 1 in the nation last season, Minnesota State, and two wins over Alaska Anchorage, which included a shootout in the final game to claim the program's sixth-straight Governor's Cup.
The 2015-16 hockey season unofficially gets underway this Saturday, as the Nanooks host its annual Blue vs. Gold Game. The exhibition will be held at the Patty Ice Center on the campus of UAF with the first face-off scheduled for 7:07 p.m.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks hockey team, follow @NanooksHockey on Twitter or like Alaska Nanooks Hockey on Facebook.
