Alaska Nanooks Prepare to Face Stonehill Skyhawks in Two-Game Series

Cross-Country Trip to North Easton

The Alaska Nanooks hit the road for the Greater Boston metro area this week, stepping onto the ice at the Bridgewater Ice Arena in North Easton, Massachusetts, to snap a five-game slide against the Stonehill Skyhawks. According to the official athletic department report on alaskananooks.com, the two-game independent series kicks off on Friday, Nov. 6, at 3 p.m. AK time, followed by a second matchup on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Recent Skids Test Both Programs

Alaska makes the cross-country trip searching for a desperately needed turnaround following a tough weekend in Hanover, New Hampshire. The Nanooks dropped a pair of shutouts against Dartmouth, falling 6-0 on Saturday, Oct. 31, and 4-0 on Sunday, Nov. 1. Those back-to-back losses cemented the team’s current five-game skid, piling the pressure on as they cross paths with a Stonehill squad eager to right its own ship.

The Skyhawks enter the weekend holding a 3-4-0 record as an independent program under head coach David Berard. Stonehill is currently in a three-game losing streak of its own. Their campaign began with an exhibition tie and subsequent shootout loss at No. 9 Providence on Oct. 2, followed by a strong home opening sweep of Colgate on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10. Yet, recent weeks have brought stiffer tests, including a 5-3 defeat at No. 19 UMass on Oct. 24 and a weekend sweep by Princeton that featured 3-0 and 3-2 losses.

Stonehill Relies on JJ Grainda and Mason Vaccari

Offensively, Stonehill leans on JJ Grainda, who paces the team with five points through seven games, featuring a team-high three goals, a power-play tally, two game-winners, and an overtime marker. Luke Lepper anchors the playmaking side with four assists, sharing a four-point tier with several teammates. Between the pipes, Mason Vaccari holds a 2-2-0 record with a .907 save percentage and a 2.49 goals-against average across four starts, while Linards Lipskis has put up a 1-2-0 mark with a .902 save percentage and 2.97 GAA.

Nanooks Look to Faceoffs and Blocks

Center Rylen Roersma remains a dominant force on faceoffs, capturing 82 draws this season to rank 15th nationally and third among all independent skaters. Davis Borozinskis adds a clutch presence with one game-winning goal, sitting 20th in NCAA Division I and second among independent players. Defensively, the Nanooks block shots at a high volume, ranking 12th in the country with 115 total blocks as a team. Nathan Rickey leads the charge with 15 blocks, good for 13th nationally, while William Fleet sits close behind with 14.

Carlson Center Scoreboard Upgrade

Beyond the immediate weekend series, the university’s hockey enterprise continues to modernize off the ice. alaskananooks.com reported that the program recently secured a transformative $500,000 gift from ConocoPhillips Alaska directed at the Carlson Center’s hockey scoreboard project. The infusion brings the initiative near its $300,000 final fundraising goal ahead of a planned 2027 installation, replacing a system that has logged more than two decades of service.

The puck drops for game one against Stonehill on Friday afternoon at the Bridgewater Ice Arena, with live audio coverage available via KSUA 91.5 FM online alongside live stats and streaming options.