SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana hockey team (8-6, 5-3 CCHA) heads to Alaska to kick off its two-week trip in The Last Frontier as it faces Alaska Fairbanks Friday and Saturday. The Vikings will start out its trip in Fairbanks, Alaska as it takes on the Nanooks (4-7-3). 

About The Game
Complete action can be followed on GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app, presented by The Original Pancake House. The app can be downloaded in the app store or Google Play.

The weekend series begins on Friday at 10:07 p.m. (cst.) and concludes on Saturday at 10:07 p.m. (cst.). The games will be streamed on FloHockey.

Series History
This will be the third weekend series between the two programs in Augustana's short history. The Vikings are 1-2-1 against the Nanooks through four games. Augustana traveled North last season and split at the Carlson Center before it welcomed UAF to Midco Arena where it played to a 2-2 tie before falling 2-0 the following night. 

The Nanooks
UAF comes into the weekend after two tight games against then-No. 3/4 Minnesota where the Nanooks tied the Gophers last Friday, 1-1 as they took the shootout win before it fell Saturday by a score of 5-2. 

Throughout the season, Alaska Fairbanks has captured two ranked wins against Notre Dame and Union. 

Kyle Gaffney leads the Nanooks in goals with four. Matt Koethe, Broten Sabo and Matt Hubbarde are the top three point-getters with eight points each. 

Nicholas Grabko has manned the pipes for the Nanooks and holds a record of 4-6-3 with a goals-against average of 2.51 and a save percentage of .908. The graduate student played four seasons at Bentley.

The Vikings
Augustana swept Northern Michigan in the final week of November by scores of 4-1 and 4-1. The weekend sweep marked Augustana's first over a conference opponent in program history as a full-fledged member of the CCHA. 

Joey DelGreco was named CCHA Rookie of the Month after his nine-point performance in November. DelGreco garnered two weekly awards throughout the month. The freshman forward helped propel Augustana's offense in November with five goals and four assists. He also played a special part on the power play, scoring a team-high three goals. In eight games, he recorded two multi-point nights. 

Uula Ruikka was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week after his two-point weekend against Ferris State. Ruikka is the first Viking to be named CCHA Defenseman of the Week in program history. Ruikka garnered two points in the weekend split with Ferris State. He tallied an assist in Friday's 5-2 loss and helped propel the Augustana offense with a goal in Saturday's 4-1 win. 

Augustana's lone graduate transfer Payton Matsui has hit the ice in stride. A playmaking specialist, he has eight assists through 14 games and holds a plus/minus of nine. Matsui has also potted two goal for a season total of nine points. He skated in his 100th career game on Saturday, Oct. 26 loss to St. Cloud. Matsui played three seasons with the Nanooks.