2007-08 Team Preview – Alaska Anchorage

Official Roster
Full Schedule
2006-07 Team Statistics

Top 5 Returning Scorers

1. F – Paul Crowder – Sophomore – 10 G, 21 A – 24 points
2. F – Josh Lunden – Sophomore – 11 G, 9 A – 20 points
3. F – Merit Waldrop – Senior – 5 G, 14 A – 19 points
4. F – Kevin Clark – Sophomore – 8 G, 9 A – 17 points
5. F – Peter Cartwright – Senior – 5 G, 8 A – 13 points

Key Losses From Last Season

F – Justin Bourne – 10 G, 21 A – 31 points
F – Jay Beagle – 10 G, 10 A – 20 points
D – Chad Anderson – 7 G, 13 A – 20 points
G – Nathan Lawson – 10-15-2, .892 save percentage, 3.03 GAA

2006-07 Scoring By Class

Senior - 27 goals - 30.0%
Junior - 19 goals - 21.1%
Sophomore - 13 goals - 14.4%
Freshman - 31 goals - 34.4%

Non-Conference Schedule

1 vs. Wayne State – Friday, Oct. 12 – Nye Frontier Classic, Anchorage, AK
1 vs. Boston University – Saturday, Oct. 13 - Nye Frontier Classic, Anchorage, AK
2 vs. Alaska – Oct. 19-20
2 at Alaska – Dec. 28-29

Incoming Freshmen

F – Sean Wiles (Tri-City – USHL) / 20-years-old
F – Craig Parkinson (Cowichan Valley – BCHL) / 21-years-old
F – Nick Haddad (Fairbanks – NAHL) / 20-years-old
F – Tommy Grant (Westside – BCHL) / 21-years-old
F – Winston Daychief (Cowichan Valley – BCHL) / 19-years-old
F – Brad McCabe (Alaska – NAHL) / 19-years-old
D – Luka Vidmar (Chicago – USHL) / 21-years-old
D – Kane Lafranchise (Spruce Grove – AJHL) / 19-years-old
G – Matthew Gordon (Burnaby – BCHL) / 20-years-old
G – Aaron Mayo (South Anchorage High School – USHS) / 18-years-old

Average Freshman Age: 19.80

BCHL: 4
NAHL: 2
USHL: 2
AJHL: 1
U.S. High Schools: 1

Breakdown of Current Roster

Freshmen – 10
Sophomores – 8
Juniors – 3
Seniors – 5

NHL Draftees

D – Luke Beaverson – Senior – FLA
D – Nils Backstrom – Sophomore – DET

2006 Season Recap

The Seawolves’ 2006-07 campaign got off to a good start, as the team began the year by going 2-0-2. That record was posted in non-conference play, which is an area in with the Seawolves excelled last season. They went 4-0-2 against Alaska, Merrimack, and Nebraska-Omaha.

Unfortunately, the team won just eight WCHA games and finished in last place for the second straight season. One bright spot for the Seawolves is that a pair of freshmen – forwards Paul Crowder and Josh Lunden – were second (Crowder) and tied for third (Lunden) on the team in points last season, and both return for their sophomore campaigns.

The Seawolves’ goaltending was subpar, as both netminders – junior Nathan Lawson and freshman Jon Olthuis – posted save percentages under 90 percetn and both had goals against averages over three.

To close the season, Alaska Anchorage pushed the regular season champion Golden Gophers to the brink in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. After falling 6-2 on Friday night, the Seawolves won 2-1 on Saturday night before dropping the decisive game by a 3-1 score on Sunday night.

2007 Season Preview

Junior-to-be Jay Beagle, who had 20 points last year, will not return, which is a blow to a team that has generally struggled to score over time. Also gone is senior Justin Bourne, who led the team with 31 points. Senior Chad Anderson is also gone, and his leadership will surely be missed.

Lawson, who was inconsistent in his time at Alaska Anchorage, will forgo his senior season as well, leaving the bulk of the duties to Olthuis. The majority of the defensive core is back, led by senior Luke Beaverson and sophomore Nils Backstrom, both NHL draft picks.

A large (and old) freshmen class will see plenty of icetime and will be leaned upon to play key roles. With only eight upperclassmen, this season could certainly be a struggle for the Seawolves, but if they can keep some of the freshmen and sophomores on campus for three or four years, they’ll have a chance to move out of the basement of the WCHA in the coming years.

Key Question

Goaltending is always at a premium, especially in the WCHA. Olthuis had some of the worst numbers of any WCHA goalie last year, which is kind of expected out of an Alaska Anchorage goalie who is a freshman. However, if the Seawolves are going to make noise this season, he’s going to need to be better. Will Olthuis be able to step up his play and be a reliable backstop for the Seawolves?

WCHA Blog Prediction:

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