The UAF Nanooks hockey team tied and won against the Western Michigan Broncos last weekend in their final regular season home game. In addition to stretching their undefeated streak to a season-high four games, the team's lone senior, Kelly Czuy, said goodbye to his last season in Fairbanks in grand fashion, scoring a goal and notching three assists on the weekend.

On Friday the Nanooks started out strong, with several good scoring opportunities, but they failed to capitalize. The Broncos had a single power play, but likewise failed to score, leaving the game tied at zero entering the first intermission.

In the second period, the Nanooks took the lead after finally taking advantage of a scoring chance. Czuy took a pass from Kyle Greentree and fed it to Adam Naglich to the right of the Bronco's net. Naglich beat WMU goalie Dan Bellissimo on the stick side for a 1-0 lead. Despite being outshot 10-5, the Broncos held on, refusing to allow any more chances.

As the third period got underway, it was the Broncos who went on the attack early. WMU managed an odd-man rush down the ice, and Jon Brett scored the tying goal at 6:29 in the period. Both teams followed up with several opportunities, and as the game went to overtime, UAF had its best chance yet. With 19.4 seconds remaining Jordan Hendry sent a pass to Tyler Eckford at the left post of the goal, but Eckford could not beat Bellissimo on the play.

UAF outshot WMU 27-17 but failed to take advantage of their lead. "We didn't create enough scoring chances," said co-captain Lucas Burnett. "We did a good job limiting their chances, but we didn't generate very many of our own."

Coach Tavis MacMillian agreed: "I thought we had some quality chances. We didn't finish tonight on them. Give Western credit. I thought they played a great road game. We lived up to the billing of the two lowest scoring teams in the league with a 1-1 tie."

"We played a lot of poke and hope hockey, you know, we were poking at the puck and hoping it went the right way," said MacMillian. "I like the way we've played since Christmas."

"Yeah, we would have liked that one point," said co-captain Curtis Fraser. "I don't think we gave it away, but would we like it? Yeah."

"Getting one point tonight was better than none," said MacMillian.

On Saturday night, the game didn't start off slow as it had on Friday. The Broncos had several early power plays, but it was the Nanooks who again scored the first goal. Greentree scored from the slot on a breakaway, giving UAF a 1-0 lead at 8:20, and Czuy recorded his second assist of the weekend.

Later in the first, with UAF on the power play, Naglich fed a pass to Czuy, who fired his trademark slapshot from the top of the left circle for his fifth goal of the season at 15:54 in the period.

Midway through the second, the Broncos cut UAF's lead on another breakaway. Dave Krisky picked up a rebound and sneaked it past UAF goalie Wylie Rogers to make the score 2-1 at 10:336. Just over four minutes later, the Nanooks took back their insurance goal when Naglich took a pass from Czuy and fired a one-timer past Bellissimo at 14:01. The goal was Naglich's third in the past four games and Czuy's sixth point in the same time.

In the third period, the Broncos again struck first, when Jason Moul took another rebound and snuck it past Rogers to close the score at 3-2. The Nanooks retaliated at 16:14, when Fraser scored his team-leading 11^th goal of the season on a pass from Aaron Lee by taking it around the right post. WMU returned the favor less than forty seconds later, at 16:53, and fired it above Rogers to make the score 4-3.

With just under a minute remaining, the Broncos pulled their goalie while UAF had possession of the puck, and Hendry set up Lee for an empty net goal from the blue line at 19:29. The Broncos left Bellissimo out of the net, but they failed to capitalize with the extra attacker, and the game ended with a final score of 5-3.

The Naglich-Czuy-Greentree line dominated the weekend with nine points, and has marked seven goals and 10 assists in their last six games, for an average of 2.83 points per game.

"Tonight was appropriately called Senior Night— Kelly Czuy Night," said Coach MacMillian in reference to Czuy's three-point performance. "I think Kelly's been playing really well, especially since Christmas, and I think he's really played well, and tonight he finally got rewarded for a lot of hard work this year. A lot of the things he does go unnoticed as far as the score sheet goes. A couple times this weekend, he physically just dominated, not only hitting, but separating himself from the opponent and puck protection and things like that." Czuy's four points over the weekend gives him 18 career points in the 10 games he has played against Western Michigan. "Czuy's a great representative of our program."

"I just wanted thank all the fans in the community for my four years here. I've had a lot of great times, I've met a lot of great people. You guys will be friends forever for me," said Czuy. "I just want to thank you guys a lot. There's no other place I'd rather play hockey than at UAF, and I have had the best four years of my life playing here."

"As good of a career that K.C. has had over the past four years here at UAF I know he will be a better pro than he was a college player," said MacMillian. "He has all the tools, and you'll be able to follow him for a long time."

This weekend was the final regular season home series for the Nanooks this year. They travel to Notre Dame to play the final series of the season on the road against the Fighting Irish. The Nanooks are currently in a three-way tie for 8th place with Notre Dame and Ferris State. Whoever takes the lead will garner home ice in the first round of the CCHA playoffs.