TEMPE, Ariz. - Leading up to the annual Icebreaker Tournament at Mullett Arena in Tempe, many believed that the championship pairing of the No. 8 Quinnipiac Bobcats and the No. 15 host Arizona State Sun Devils was a foregone conclusion.
However, a spirited crowd and a standout performance between the pipes threw those predictions to the wind in the first game of the tournament.
The Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks shocked the Bobcats, winning 2-1 on Friday, Oct. 10. The upset win was the Nanooks’ first victory of the program’s 100th season on the ice.
Despite the losing effort, the Bobcats put 33 shots on net in the contest, with Alaska-Fairbanks taking 20 shots on goal and securing a slight 33-30 advantage in faceoff wins.
Senior goalie Lassi Lehti fueled the Nanooks’ success on Friday, tallying a season-best 33 saves and finishing with an astounding .971 save percentage. For Quinnipiac, junior goalie Dylan Silverstein totaled 18 saves on 20 shots for a .900 save percentage.
The deciding goal came just over two minutes into the third period, when Alaska-Fairbanks senior forward Alexander Malinowski’s shot from just inside his own offensive zone squirted through the pads of Silverstein and dribbled across the goal line. The unassisted goal was Malinowski’s first goal of the young campaign.
After Quinnipiac elected to leave the net empty with 3:10 left in regulation, the Bobcats unleashed an all-out attack on Lehti and the Nanooks, firing seven shots in the final moments. Alaska-Fairbanks’ defense held firm, blocking four shots and saving two.
Both sides were scoreless in the second period, with Quinnipiac coming up empty on three power play opportunities over the course of the period. Overall, the Bobcats were 0-for-4 on power plays in the contest.
At 7:47 in the second period, a glove save from Lehti on a shot off the stick of senior forward Jeremy Wilmer – who leads the Bobcats in points this season with three – thwarted Quinnipiac’s most promising attack of the frame.
The Nanooks struck first on a power play created by a team penalty on the Bobcats for having too many players on the ice. Alaska-Fairbanks went 1-for-2 on power play chances.
It took the Nanooks a mere eight seconds to take advantage of the Bobcats’ error.
After Silverstein saved shots by sophomore defenseman Nathan Rickey and senior forward Chase Dafoe, graduate senior forward Michael Citara scored his second goal of the season off a fortunate rebound in front of the goal. Rickey and Dafoe were credited with assists.
Quinnipiac quickly responded with a goal of its own. The Bobcats sneakily vacated the net to gain a one-man advantage on the attack, and freshman forward and Calgary Flames prospect Ethan Wyttenbach put a one-timer into the back of the net from the left side of his offensive zone – Assisted by Wilmer and senior defenseman William Gilson, it was Wyttenbach’s first goal of the season.
Despite the game taking place 2,577 miles from their home rink in Fairbanks, Alaska, the Nanooks’ faithful were well-represented in the stands at Mullett Arena, creating an atmosphere that was most likely a factor in the upset victory.
Alaska-Fairbanks improves to 1-2 on the season. The Nanooks move on to the championship of the Icebreaker Tournament tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. MST, as they await the winner of Notre Dame and No. 15 Arizona State.
No. 8 Quinnipiac falls to 1-2 in 2025-26. The Bobcats will look to right the ship in the third-place game tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. MST, where they will square off with the loser of Notre Dame and No. 15 Arizona State.