Nov. 22 – Hockey signs four Recruits

The UAF Hockey team signed its fourth recruit for the 2006-2007 season. Jeff Lee of Calgary, Alberta; Brandon Campos of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia; and brothers Brandon and Dion Knelsen of Three Hills, Alberta, signed letters of intent to play for the Nanooks.

"This group of individuals is as talented a recruiting class as we've ever had in our program's history. Not only that, but our University has acquired four outstanding students, said head coach Tavis MacMillian."This class is going to be a great reason for Nanook Hockey fans to look forward to the coming years."

Nov. 26 – Hockey splits in Fairbanks

The UAF Hockey team split the Thanksgiving weekend series against the Wildcats of Northern Michigan at the Carlson Center. The Nanooks triumphed 3-1 in Friday's game, led by unassisted goals from Tyler Eckford and Kyle Jones, and an even-strength goal from Braden Walls. With only two shots on goal in the third period, UAF was outshot 35-31, but goalie Chad Johnson held out to secure the victory.

On Saturday night, the Wildcats scored in a first period that saw the Nanooks outshot 12-1. Greentree scored in the second period, but UAF gave up one goal in the second and two more goals in the third, putting NMU up 4-2.

"It's not the opportunities we're lacking in," said MacMillian."Right now we're a team that's lacking the finish. We're a lot more Swedish then we are Finnish."

Dec. 2 – Women's Basketball Sweeps Grand Canyon

The UAF Women's Basketball team won a two-game road series against the Antelopes of Grand Canyon University, ending a five-game losing streak. On Friday, UAF's 53-29 lead in rebounds decided the game.

"We also out rebounded them by so much; twenty-six were offensive rebounds and that's one of the things I emphasize is going to the boards and getting second shots," said head coach Lynne Andrew."We did it consistently and it paid off." UAF won its first game of the season 84-57.

On Saturday, the free throws were the key factor, as UAF outshot the Antelopes 76 percent to 56 percent. The ‘Nooks were led by Christina Bruketta who dominated the match, scoring 29 points, and they were able to hold out despite being outscored in the second half 39-37. UAF won by a final score of 69-65.

Dec. 3 – Swimming defeated in Anchorage

The UAF swim team was defeated in a two-day match against the Roadrunners of California State Bakersfield in Anchorage. The Nanooks were downed 99-106 on Friday and 70-123 on Saturday. The Roadrunners were ranked sixth nationally at the beginning of the season. The Nanooks won a number of events and saw some recently set records broken again, including the 100-yard breaststroke by Samantha Zinsli.

Dec. 3 – Men's Basketball Sweeps Life Pacific

The UAF men's basketball team swept the Warriors of Life Pacific College in two games this past weekend. The Nanooks won Friday 113-78, led by Andrew Smith with 21 points and Chris Jordan with 20. At halftime, the Warriors were behind by 10 points, 51-41, but went 23-6 in the first 6 minutes of the second half.

Saturday's game was closer throughout. Again led by Smith with 22 points, the Nanooks drove for an 86-71 victory. UAF jumped out to an early 9-0 lead, and held the Warriors at least 5 points behind throughout the first half, for a halftime score of 40-27. In the second half, LPC closed to within eight points on several occasions but were unable to take the lead. The Warriors got strong marks from John Anderson with 19 points, and Josh Brodt, despite being heckled by fans as"Napoleon," for his supposed appearance to Napoleon Dynamite, added 10 points. The win was the fourth in a row for the Nanooks, who improve to 4-1 on the season. The Warriors dropped to 6-6.

>Dec. 3 – Hockey swept by Lakers

The UAF Hockey team was swept by the Lakers of Lake Superior State in Sault-Ste-Marie, Michigan this weekend. On Friday, the Lakers came out strong, scoring a power-play goal in the first period, followed by another in the second, as well as a shorthanded goal, giving them a 3-0 lead over UAF. Kyle Jones struck back for the Nanooks, but his goal was matched by a Laker goal midway through the third. The Nanooks pulled goalie Wylie Rogers for the last 1:15 of play, and coupled with a power play, Darcy Campbell scored, closing the gap to 4-2. Despite several strong plays, the Nanooks were unable to score again.

During Saturday's game, the Nanooks took the lead when Jones scored midway through the second period. LSSU came back and tied the game at 1-1 going out of the period. In the third, Kyle Greentree again put UAF up by one goal, but the Lakers were able to hold on and scored twice more, defeating the Nanooks 3-2. Both Nanook goals were scored on power plays, as the Nanooks lost their third consecutive game.

"I thought we played real well," said coach MacMillan."We played with energy, we played with passion, we were physical, and I thought our work ethic was as good as it's been all year."

The Nanooks return to Fairbanks for a series against Michigan State Dec. 9 and 10. Both games will be televised nationally on ESPN-U, and start at 7 p.m. at the Carlson Center.