Notes: Governor’s Cup underway between Nanooks, Seawolves

By Jayson Hajdu

A long-time college hockey tradition was revived last weekend in Alaska following an absence of more than 1,000 days.

The University of Alaska and University of Alaska Anchorage did battle in the Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup, breathing fresh life into a rivalry that had been dormant since February 2020. Alaska swept Alaska Anchorage in Fairbanks to claim the first of their three head-to-head series in 2022-23.

The two teams play the second leg of the Governor’s Cup this weekend in Anchorage and will conclude with a home-and-home set at the end of January.

“We know it’s going to be a different situation playing in Anchorage next weekend,” Nanooks head coach Erik Largen told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner following Saturday’s 7-2 win. “It will be a whole different situation playing in their rink in front of their fans.

Alaska holds a 14-8 edge over Alaska Anchorage in the all-time Governor’s Cup series, but UAA boasts a 93-68-12 advantage overall in the rivalry dating back to 1979.

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Must Read:

New York Hockey Journal: How New Jersey native Matt Brown became a scoring force for BU
College Hockey Inc.: Ontario and NCAA hockey: An impact as vast and wide as the province itself
College Hockey News: Team of the Week: Colorado College
EP Rinkside: Merrimack making its surprising case among NCAA’s elite
Extra Points with Matt Brown: Sacred Heart wants to go all in on hockey
The Athletic: How Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson is dominating with his brain, feet and hands
The Rink Live: 2022 transfer portal analysis: Which teams, players benefited the most
USCHO: What has been expected, unexpected so far over college hockey’s first half of ’22-23 season?

Must Hear:

College Hockey West Live: Talking sweeps, splits and the PairWise Rankings
Inside Atlantic Hockey: Featuring Holy Cross head coach Bill Riga
RinkWise: Greg Brown on taking over for Jerry York, forging a future for Boston College
The CCHA Show: Featuring Augustana head coach Garrett Raboin, Bowling Green senior Taylor Schneider
The Rink Live: End of the first half for college hockey
USCHO Weekend Review: PairWise top four, a look at the six DI men’s hockey conferences at the break

A Banner Night for McKay:

Minnesota State will celebrate one of the greatest players in program history during tonight’s CCHA tilt against Bemidji State. Former G Dryden McKay (Downers Grove, Ill.), the 2022 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner, will be recognized with a banner ceremony and will be in attendance for the celebration. Replica banners will also be given out to the first 1,000 fans through the doors.

McKay, now with the Newfoundland Growlers, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ ECHL affiliate, was a three-time All-American, Hobey Baker finalist and Mike Richter Award finalist. He set NCAA records for career shutouts (34) and single-season wins (38) and backstopped the Mavericks to back-to-back Frozen Four appearances.

Clawing Their Way Through Teams:

Denver is the top-ranked team in both national polls, and Minnesota sits atop the all-important PairWise Rankings, but there’s no hotter team in the country right now than Quinnipiac (14-1-3). The Bobcats enter their holiday break riding a nation’s-best 13-game unbeaten streak (12-0-1) and have yet to lose in ECAC play (10-0-0). QU, which returns to action Dec. 30 at Holy Cross, sits No. 2 in the PairWise and No. 2/3 in the national polls.

Chmelar, Fantilli Secure World Junior Spots:

Providence freshman F Jaroslav Chmelar (Nove Mesto nad Matuji, Czechia) and Michigan freshman F Adam Fantilli (Nobleton, Ontario) and have been named the Czechian and Canadian rosters, respectively, for the upcoming 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.

Chmelar is a repeat selection, having also represented Czechia at the 2022 tournament in August. He has six goals and 10 points through his first 18 collegiate games. Fantilli, a first-time selection, leads the Wolverines with 26 points (11 G, 15 A) in 16 contests this season.

The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship takes place Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Halifax and Moncton, Nova Scotia.

Welcome, Matt:

Last week, St. Cloud State announced it will retire Matt Cullen’s No. 9 jersey prior to its Jan. 21 game against Colorado College. Cullen played for the Huskies from 1995-97 and went on to skate in 1,516 games in the NHL, second all-time among NCAA alumni behind only Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios (1,651). Cullen captured three Stanley Cups, two with Pittsburgh (2016, 2017) and one with Carolina (2006).

You Can Quote Me On That:

“I don’t smoke cigarettes, but I might start.”

-- Providence head coach Nate Leaman on the jam-packed Hockey East standings, where the top five teams are separated by just five points (via USCHO).

NHL Note of the Week:

Carolina C Paul Stastny (Denver, 2004-06) is on pace to play in his 1,100th career NHL game Thursday night against Seattle. Stastny will be become the sixth active NCAA alum to reach that plateau, joining Ryan Suter (1,310), Phil Kessel (1,235), Joe Pavelski (1,198), Zach Parise (1,172) and Andrew Cogliano (1,167).

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:

Lake Superior State senior F Louis Boudon (Grenoble, France) surpassed the 100-point plateau for his career last Friday … Also on Friday, Denver head coach David Carle earned his 100th career victory behind the bench. Carle did so in his 160th game, a rate topped only by the legendary Murray Armstrong (143) in DU history … North Dakota freshman F Jackson Blake (Fargo, N.D.) takes a 10-game point streak into the Christmas break … Boston College’s 9-6 win over Boston University on Friday was the highest-scoring Battle of Comm Ave since 1986. BC head coach Greg Brown was a freshman defenseman for the Eagles in that game.

College Hockey Inc. Resources:

Did you know? 93% of NCAA Division I men’s hockey players earn their degree!