Sixteen consecutive losses to one team. Half a decade of futility. That’s what the Alaska Nanooks had suffered at the hands of Michigan Tech heading into Friday night’s WCHA contest at MacInnes Arena in Houghton, Michigan. 

Twenty-six hours later, the Nanooks made headlines with a 180-degree spin: “Alaska sweeps Tech for the first time since 2014.” The pair of one-goal victories couldn’t have come at a better time for second-year Nanooks coach Erik Largen.

“The points are massive,” Largen said. “With all this stuff going on with the WCHA, our program in the state, maybe there’s a little bit of added motivation.” 

Largen was talking about the gloom and doom scenarios projected about the future of Fairbanks’ hockey program, one that is being abandoned by the seven midwest league members in 2021. 

“When the puck drops, I don’t think you’re thinking about that,” he said. “They’re thinking about playing for one another, sacrifice for one another.”

Largen’s Nanooks have truly embraced the hockey adage: prove people wrong. His Nanooks have been picked near the bottom by the WCHA pollsters, and have seven mega-mile trips to the continental U.S. this season, the kind of trips that draw groans from league rivals. 

“There’s no complaining or excuses on our team,” Largen said. “We travel more — we always have. It’s a blue-collar mentality: Are you ready to play? Are you going to get results? That’s what people judge you on.”

It’s more than attitude that has fueled the Nanooks this season, a team that put a legitimate scare into current No. 1 Denver and then swept Michigan Tech. Largen has assembled a roster full of European talent, guys he singled out after the two wins in Houghton. 

“Robert Kulkis was really good on defense and Gustavs Grigals play in net [both Latvians],” the coach said. “Our younger guys have done a good job stepping up, with Didrik Henbrandt and Filip Svensson [both Swedes].” 

The Nanooks received scoring from depth players, stashed the six WCHA points, and bussed all night to Milwaukee for the flight to Pennsylvania to prep for a series with No. 9 Penn State.

“We get it from everyone,” Largen said. “That’s how our team’s going to be.” 

A fact of life and sports is to beware of the desperate opponent. For a team with an uncertain future and a group of kids who know only the precious present, Largen’s Nanooks may well prove people wrong, all season long.

Here are some puck droppings around the WCHA:

• Goaltending will be a massive issue for three teams battling for WCHA home ice, and the biggest question was up at Northern Michigan, where it appeared Grant Potulny’s cupboard was bare. Enter freshman John Hawthorne, whose college debut Saturday night was a shutout over Michigan State. The 6-foot-2 Hawthorne should expect to see more than 15 pucks against the likes of Boston University this weekend.
• Another question mark for a WCHA contender was Lake Superior State’s Marek Mitens, who was solid in a losing cause to No. 1 Denver, and Eric Dop of Bowling Green. Dop, expected to carry the load for the Falcons, suffered a pair of losses in the Ice Breaker Invitational, as his save percentage fell to .836, over 100 points lower than his stellar .948 from a year ago. In a scheduling anomaly, BGSU will be facing ancient rival Western Michigan for three straight games. This was the club the Falcons swept last season, providing crucial Pairwise points for their NCAA at-large bid. They will need Dop to step up in this weekend’s home-and-home versus the Broncos.
• The honeymoon appears to be over between Arizona State and WCHA officiating. Although Greg Powers was playing a road game against Minnesota State this past weekend, his Sun Devils were being officiated by WCHA referees, the league who provides refs for their home games. A critical major call late in the second period against ASU’s Steen Pasichnuk led to two Maverick power-play goals, transforming a tight 1-0 game into what became a 5-0 blowout. In the post-game, Powers used his bully pulpit to cry for justice:

Postgame comments from @asucoachpowers to the media. pic.twitter.com/v73L1KPJym

— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) October 13, 2019

• As for the reigning MacNaughton Cup-winning Mavericks, it appears to be a case of the rich getting richer. The team only lost one regular from last year’s roster, and had two high-profile freshmen trying to puncture the roster for playing time: Ryan Sandelin and the league’s projected top rookie Nathan Smith. Yet it was another freshman, Lucas Sowder, who captured WCHA Rookie of the Week honors with a goal and three helpers. MSU’s sweep of Arizona State vaulted the Mavericks to No. 2 in the USCHO poll. They are pushing to return to the top spot in the national polls for the first time since 2015, when they entered the NCAA tournament as the top overall seed.
• Bemidji State had a hand-wringing home weekend against powerhouse St. Cloud State this weekend, coughing up a four-goal lead in Friday’s opener before hanging to the 4-4 tie, and then scratching out two third-period goals Saturday to salvage another stalemate, 2-2. Two things jumped out from the stat sheet: 1) Beavers senior captain Adam Brady had a pair of goals to up his career total to 49 points, and junior Charlie Combs had a mind-numbing 16 shots on goal over the weekend, including 10 on Saturday night. The shoot-first, ask questions later wingman is mired in a five-game scoring drought, but it’s clearly not for lack of trying. The Beavers bus west to Grand Forks, North Dakota, this weekend, where they will try and equal last year’s feat of a win and a tie at “The Ralph” (Engelstad Arena). They will likely use their one-two punch in goal: Zach Driscoll on Friday and Henry Johnson on Saturday.
• In a feel-good note, Ferris State defeated out-of-conference Colgate 3-1 to help both themselves and their WCHA mates in the Pairwise rankings. Bulked up sophomore G Roni Salmenkangas extended his hot play from the end of last season with 28 saves. Veteran coach Bob Daniels gave props to his seniors. “It’s got a good feel on the bench,” he said.

Author Tim Rappleye just released his latest book: Hobey Baker, Upon Further Review (Mission Point Press). He can be reached on Twitter @TeeRaps.