2016–17 Alaska Anchorage Seawolves men's ice hockey season

2016–17 Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
men's ice hockey season
2016–17 Alaska Anchorage Seawolves; men's ice hockey season
Conference	10th WCHA
Home ice	Sullivan Arena
Rankings
USCHO	NR
USA Today	NR
Record
Overall	7–21–6
Conference	6–16–6–2
Home	4–10–2
Road	3–11–4
Neutral	0–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coach	Matt Thomas
Assistant coaches	Joey Crabb; Barrett Heisten; Chris Kamal; Louis Mass
Captain(s)	Matt Anholt
Alternate captain(s)	Olivier Mantha; Chase Van Allen
	Alaska Anchorage Seawolves men's ice hockey seasons; « 2015–16 2017–18 »

The 2016–17 Alaska Anchorage Seawolves men's ice hockey season was the 38th season of play for the program, the 35th at the Division I level and the 24th in the WCHA conference. The Seawolves represented the University of Alaska Anchorage and were coached by Matt Thomas, in his 4th season.

Season

After two subpar years, Alaska Anchorage was hoping to get back into the playoff picture. Unfortunately, the team got off to a dreadful start; the Seawolves won just one of their first 14 games and found themselves at the bottom of the WCHA. The team's outlook began to brighten in December when they won games in three separate weekends, including against ranked Bemidji State.

Alaska Anchorage continued to show improvement in the second half of the season, playing .500 hockey for two and a half months. After taking four points in their series against Lake Superior State, the Seawolves were just 5 points out of a playoff spot with four games to play. Their offense, however, failed down the stretch and the team was swept by Ferris State. With only two games against arch-rival Alaska remaining, the Seawolves had to win both games to have any chance at extending their season. When the Nanooks won the first match, it ended any postseason hopes for Anchorage and a second defeat gave UAF their 8th consecutive Governor's Cup.

Departures

Player	Position	Nationality	Cause
Anthony Conti	Forward/Defenseman	Canada	Signed professional contract (Mississippi RiverKings)
Jared D'Amico	Forward	Canada	Left program (retired)
Tanner Dusyk	Forward	Canada	Left program (retired)
Wyatt Ege	Defenseman	United States	Transferred to Ohio State
Evan Hauser	Goaltender	United States	Transferred to Wisconsin–Stout
Blake Leask	Defenseman	Canada	Graduation (retired)
Luke McColgan	Forward	United States	Left program (retired)
Zack Rassell	Forward	Canada	Left program (retired)
Austin Sevalrud	Defenseman	Canada	Graduation (signed with Fort Wayne Komets)
Blake Tatchell	Forward	Canada	Graduation (signed with Lake Erie Monsters)
Chris Williams	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (signed with Norfolk Admirals)

Recruiting

Player	Position	Nationality	Age	Notes
Aleksi Ainali	Forward	Finland	21	Vihti, FIN
Mason Anderson	Defenseman	United States	21	Anchorage, AK
Conor Deal	Forward	Canada	23	Anchorage, AK; transferred from Gustavus Adolphus
Tomi Hiekkavirta	Defenseman	Finland	20	Helsinki, FIN
Nolan Nicholas	Defenseman	Canada	21	Thunder Bay, ON
Rasmus Reijola	Goaltender	Finland	23	Vantaa, FIN; graduate transfer from St. Cloud State
Jonah Renouf	Forward	Canada	22	Mississauga, ON; transferred from Quinnipiac
Nathan Renouf	Forward	Canada	22	Mississauga, ON; transferred from Quinnipiac
David Trinkberger	Forward	Germany	20	Landshut, GER

Roster

^[1]

No.	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
2	Chase Van Allen (A)	Senior	D	5' 10" (1.78 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	1992-07-30	Anchorage, Alaska	Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL)	—
3	Eric Roberts	Sophomore	D	6' 2" (1.88 m)	203 lb (92 kg)	1995-01-27	Abbotsford, British Columbia	Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL)	—
4	Tanner Johnson	Junior	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	1995-09-24	Castlegar, British Columbia	Langley Rivermen (BCHL)	—
6	Jarrett Brown	Junior	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	1994-01-13	Beaumont, Alberta	Cowichan Valley Capitals (BCHL)	—
7	Nolan Nicholas	Freshman	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	203 lb (92 kg)	1995-09-24	Thunder Bay, Ontario	Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)	—
8	Mason Mitchell	Sophomore	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	1994-06-13	Edmonton, Alberta	Calgary Mustangs (AJHL)	—
10	Nicolas Erb Ekholm	Sophomore	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1995-06-07	Malmö, Sweden	Malmö Redhawks J20 (J20 SuperElit)	—
11	Austin Azurdia	Junior	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1993-07-27	Wenatchee, Washington	Langley Rivermen (BCHL)	—
12	Nils Rygaard	Sophomore	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1995-04-11	Cheektowaga, New York	Janesville Jets (NAHL)	—
13	Dylan Hubbs	Senior	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1992-10-31	Beaumont, Alberta	Olds Grizzlys (AJHL)	—
15	Mason Anderson	Freshman	D	6' 2" (1.88 m)	161 lb (73 kg)	1995-02-23	Anchorage, Alaska	Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL)	—
16	Connor Wright	Senior	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	174 lb (79 kg)	1992-07-12	Anchorage, Alaska	Johnstown Tomahawks (NAHL)	—
17	Matt Anholt (C)	Senior	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1994-05-15	Prince Albert, Saskatchewan	West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)	—
18	Bradley Duwe	Senior	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	1992-05-02	Soldotna, Alaska	Kenai River Brown Bears (NAHL)	—
19	Alex Jackstadt	Sophomore	F	5' 7" (1.7 m)	154 lb (70 kg)	1994-03-15	Anchorage, Alaska	Kenai River Brown Bears (NAHL)	—
20	Nathan Renouf	Sophomore	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	154 lb (70 kg)	1994-05-11	Mississauga, Ontario	Quinnipiac Bobcats (ECAC)	—
21	Tad Kozun	Junior	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1993-03-03	Nipawin, Saskatchewan	Nipawin Hawks (SJHL)	—
22	Conor Deal	Sophomore	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	174 lb (79 kg)	1993-03-06	Anchorage, Alaska	Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties (MIAC)	—
23	Tomi Hiekkavirta	Freshman	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	182 lb (83 kg)	1996-04-05	Helsinki, Finland	HIFK U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga)	—
25	Jonah Renouf	Sophomore	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	154 lb (70 kg)	1994-05-11	Mississauga, Ontario	Quinnipiac Bobcats (ECAC)	—
26	Corey Renwick	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	1995-03-28	Nanoose Bay, British Columbia	Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL)	—
27	Jeremiah Luedtke	Sophomore	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	159 lb (72 kg)	1994-09-24	Seattle, Washington	Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL)	—
28	Cam Amantea	Sophomore	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	1994-02-17	Calgary, Alberta	Penticton Vees (BCHL)	—
29	Sean MacTavish	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	1994-11-21	Edmonton, Alberta	Lincoln Stars (USHL)	—
31	Rasmus Reijola	Graduate	G	6' 3" (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	1992-11-26	Vantaa, Finland	St. Cloud State Huskies (NCHC)	—
33	Olivier Mantha (A)	Junior	G	6' 1" (1.85 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	1993-01-18	La Tuque, Quebec	Penticton Vees (BCHL)	—
37	David Trinkberger	Freshman	D	6' 5" (1.96 m)	209 lb (95 kg)	1996-08-25	Landshut, Germany	Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)	—
40	Aleksi Ainali	Freshman	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1995-04-12	Vihti, Finland	Fairbanks Ice Dogs (NAHL)	—

Standings

2016–17 Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings v t e
	Conference record								Overall record
	GP	W	L	T	SOW	PTS	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Bemidji State†	28	20	6	2	2	64	71	44	41	22	16	3	94	79
#19 Michigan Tech*	28	15	7	6	3	54	80	59	45	23	15	7	131	100
Minnesota State	28	15	9	4	2	51	89	68	39	22	13	4	119	95
Bowling Green	28	14	13	1	1	44	79	65	41	21	18	2	120	102
Ferris State	28	12	12	4	2	42	78	74	37	13	19	5	95	101
Alaska	28	11	13	4	3	40	67	84	36	12	20	4	79	113
Lake Superior State	28	8	13	7	4	35	78	87	36	11	18	7	103	119
Northern Michigan	28	10	15	3	1	34	69	75	39	13	22	4	93	108
Alabama–Huntsville	28	9	16	3	0	30	68	95	34	9	22	3	74	120
Alaska Anchorage	28	6	16	6	2	26	52	80	34	7	21	6	59	102
Championship: March 18, 2017 † indicates conference regular season champion (MacNaughton Cup); * indicates conference tournament champion (Broadmoor Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated March 6, 2017

Schedule and results

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Site	Decision	Result	Attendance	Record
Exhibition
September 30	7:16 PM	vs. Simon Fraser*	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska (Exhibition)	Reijola	W 6–1	827
Regular Season
October 7	7:07 PM	at #13 Minnesota*	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	L 1–1 ^SOL	2,953	0–1–0
October 8	7:07 PM	vs. Alaska*	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	L 1–4	3,223	0–2–0
Brice Alaska Goal Rush
October 14	4:07 PM	vs. Omaha*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Alaska Goal Rush semifinal)	Reijola	L 1–3	982	0–3–0
October 15	4:07 PM	vs. Canisius*	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Alaska Goal Rush consolation game)	Mantha	W 1–0	463	1–3–0
October 28	4:07 PM	at #20 Bemidji State	Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota	Mantha	L 1–2 ^OT	2,306	1–4–0 (0–1–0)
October 29	4:07 PM	at #20 Bemidji State	Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota	Mantha	L 0–4	2,564	1–5–0 (0–2–0)
November 4	7:09 PM	vs. Alabama–Huntsville	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Reijola	L 2–5	2,128	1–6–0 (0–3–0)
November 5	7:07 PM	vs. Alabama–Huntsville	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	L 2–3 ^OT	1,771	1–7–0 (0–4–0)
November 11	3:07 PM	at #12 Penn State*	Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania	Mantha	L 3–6	5,999	1–8–0
November 12	3:07 PM	at #12 Penn State*	Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania	Mantha	L 1–3	6,069	1–9–0
November 18	7:07 PM	vs. Michigan Tech	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	L 2–3	2,089	1–10–0 (0–5–0)
November 19	7:07 PM	vs. Michigan Tech	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	T 1–1 ^SOW	2,059	1–10–1 (0–5–1)
November 25	3:07 PM	at Bowling Green	Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio	Mantha	T 3–3 ^{3x3 OTL}	1,764	1–10–2 (0–5–2)
November 26	3:07 PM	at Bowling Green	Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio	Mantha	L 0–3	1,695	1–11–2 (0–6–2)
December 2	7:07 PM	vs. Northern Michigan	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	W 5–3	612	2–11–2 (1–6–2)
December 3	7:07 PM	vs. Northern Michigan	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	L 1–4	1,798	2–12–2 (1–7–2)
December 9	7:07 PM	at Alaska	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup)	Mantha	W 3–2	2,060	3–12–2 (2–7–2)
December 10	7:07 PM	at Alaska	Carlson Center • Fairbanks, Alaska (Governor's Cup)	Mantha	L 1–3	2,416	3–13–2 (2–8–2)
December 30	1:37 PM	vs. #15 Bemidji State	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	W 4–1	1,429	4–13–2 (3–8–2)
December 31	1:37 PM	vs. #15 Bemidji State	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	L 0–1	1,544	4–14–2 (3–9–2)
January 6	7:07 PM	vs. Ferris State	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	W 4–1	1,712	5–14–2 (4–9–2)
January 7	7:10 PM	vs. Ferris State	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	T 2–2 ^SOL	1,746	5–14–3 (4–9–3)
January 13	3:07 PM	at #20 Michigan Tech	MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan	Mantha	T 3–3 ^{3x3 OTW}	2,736	5–14–4 (4–9–4)
January 14	7:07 PM	at #20 Michigan Tech	MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan	Reijola	T 1–1 ^SOL	2,887	5–14–5 (4–9–5)
January 20	3:07 PM	at Northern Michigan	Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan	Mantha	L 1–6	1,650	5–15–5 (4–10–5)
January 21	3:07 PM	at Northern Michigan	Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan	Mantha	L 0–4	2,254	5–16–5 (4–11–5)
February 3	7:10 PM	at Minnesota State	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	W 4–3	1,924	6–16–5 (5–11–5)
February 4	4:07 PM	at Minnesota State	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska	Mantha	L 0–5	2,181	6–17–5 (5–12–5)
February 10	4:37 PM	at Lake Superior State	Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan	Mantha	W 3–2	1,863	7–17–5 (6–12–5)
February 11	3:07 PM	at Lake Superior State	Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan	Mantha	T 4–4 ^{3x3 OTL}	1,950	7–17–6 (6–12–6)
February 17	3:07 PM	at Ferris State	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan	Mantha	L 1–2	2,045	7–18–6 (6–13–6)
February 18	3:07 PM	at Ferris State	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan	Mantha	L 0–3	2,490	7–19–6 (6–14–6)
February 24	7:07 PM	vs. Alaska	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup)	Mantha	L 3–4	2,736	7–20–6 (6–15–6)
February 25	7:07 PM	vs. Alaska	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska (Governor's Cup)	Mantha	L 1–2 ^OT	3,055	7–21–6 (6–16–6)
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Alaska Time. Source:^[2]

Scoring statistics

Name	Position	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM
Matt Anholt	LW	34	5	17	22	20
Tad Kozun	LW	32	5	14	19	8
Jarrett Brown	D	34	5	10	15	51
Mason Mitchell	LW	31	12	2	14	73
Jonah Renouf	LW	33	3	6	9	12
Chase Van Allen	D	34	3	6	9	18
Nathan Renouf	LW	24	1	8	9	18
Alex Jackstadt	F	30	4	4	8	29
Jeremiah Luedtke	F	27	2	6	8	20
Nicolas Erb Ekholm	C/RW	28	4	3	7	0
Tanner Johnson	D	31	3	3	6	16
Austin Azurdia	F	22	2	4	6	45
Nils Rygaard	C/RW	28	2	4	6	8
Brad Duwe	F	22	4	1	5	6
David Trinkberger	D	33	1	3	4	53
Aleksi Ainali	C	18	0	4	4	6
Dylan Hubbs	RW	22	0	4	4	60
Eric Roberts	D	28	1	2	3	32
Connor Wright	F	10	1	1	2	8
Cam Amantea	F	14	1	1	2	8
Nolan Nicholas	D	30	0	2	2	14
Tomi Hiekkavirta	D	16	0	1	1	4
Rasmus Reijola	G	6	0	0	0	0
Sean MacTavish	C	10	0	0	0	14
Corey Renwick	F	20	0	0	0	2
Olivier Mantha	G	30	0	0	0	2
Bench	-	-	-	-	-	26
Total			59	106	165	553

^[3]

Goaltending statistics

Name	Games	Minutes	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals Against	Saves	Shut Outs	SV %	GAA
Rasmus Reijola	6	299	0	3	2	14	161	0	.920	2.80
Olivier Mantha	30	1764	7	18	4	83	867	1	.913	2.82
Empty Net	-	16	-	-	-	5	-	-	-	-
Total	34	2080	7	21	6	102	1028	1	.910	2.94

Rankings

Poll	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25 (Final)
USCHO.com	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	-	NR
USA Today	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR

USCHO did not release a poll in Week 24.^[4]

References

^ "Univ. of Alaska-Anchorage". Elite Prospects. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
^ "Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (Men) 2016-2017 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
^ "Univ. of Alaska-Anchorage 2016-2017 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2019.

[1] "Univ. of Alaska-Anchorage". Elite Prospects. Retrieved February 11, 2018.

[2] "Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (Men) 2016-2017 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2019.

[3] "Univ. of Alaska-Anchorage 2016-2017 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 2, 2020.

[4] "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2019.

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[4]

v t e Alaska Anchorage Seawolves men's ice hockey
Playing venues	UAA Sports Center (1979–1983) Sullivan Arena (1983–2019) Avis Alaska Sports Complex (2019–present)
Head coaches	Brush Christiansen (1979–1996) Dean Talafous (1996–2001) John Hill (2001–2005) Dave Shyiak (2005–2013) Matt Thomas (2013–2018) Matt Curley (2018–2021) Matt Shasby (2022–present)
Seasons	1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 ~~2020–21~~ 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	Great West (1985–1988) WCHA (1993–2021)
Rivalries	Alaska Nanooks
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders Dean Larson (200 Points) Rob Conn/Joey Hayse (76 Goals) Paul Krake (53 Wins)
Retired numbers	79 Brush Christiansen
NCAA Tournament appearances	1990 1991 1992
University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK