Fairbanks, Alaska ---  Minnesota State absorbed a 5-0 loss at Alaska in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game Friday.
 
The host Nanooks' shut-out over the sixth-rated Mavericks marked only the second time this year that Minnesota State has failed to score at least one goal in the game with the other time coming at the beginning of the year when St. Cloud State handed MSU a 4-0 loss in Mankato on Oct. 7.
 
Defenseman Zach Frye scored the first goal of the game when his shot from the top of the slot beat Maverick netminder Jason Pawloski with the Nanooks on the power play at 11:23 of the opening period.
 
The Nanooks took a 2-0 lead at 3:38 of the second period when another defenseman – Tristan Thompson – hammered a shot that beat a screened Pawloski from the blue line. Then on an odd-man rush, Steven Jandric saucered the puck over a sliding Minnesota State defenseman to Tayler Munson, who tapped the puck into the net at 15:56 and the Nanooks took a 3-0 lead into the locker room at the end of two periods of play.
 
Alaska built upon its lead in the third period with tallies at the 1:40 mark (Ryker Leer on a rebound) and at 7:37 (when Frye got his second of the game when he bounced one past Connor LaCouvee, who had replaced Pawloski in the Minnesota State net following Leer's goal) and the game ended with a final score of 5-0.
 
Minnesota State which had a pair of five-on-three power play opportunities in the game, went scoreless in eight power play chances. The Mavericks had 26 shots on goal, which was matched by the 26 shots on goal by the Nanooks. Pawloski stands 6-4-0 with tonight's decision.
 
Minnesota State, which now stands 16-7-0 overall and is 14-5-0 WCHA with tonight's loss, has gone 7-2 in its last nine games.  The win by Alaska gives the Nanooks a 5-3-0 mark in its last eight games.
 
The two teams will close out the two-game league series Saturday night with a 10:07 p.m. CST face-off scheduled for Carlson in Fairbanks.