Practice was just about done Thursday morning at Sullivan Arena when UAA hockey coach Matt Thomas poked his head out a rink door.
"You wanna talk to my team?'' Thomas asked, deadpan. "They're in the training room.''
He was only half-joking.
Six forwards missed Thursday's practice with injuries, and of the 11 forwards who did practice, two – Dylan Hubbs and Nathan Renouf – are only recently back from injuries.
That means Thomas on Friday night could dress as few as 11 forwards, one shy of the usual complement, when UAA opens a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series against Michigan Tech and tries to halt its six-game losing streak. If that's the case, Thomas could get to a full lineup of 18 skaters by dressing a seventh defenseman.
Even so, Thomas said the Seawolves have more urgent concerns than a short bench – namely, emerging from a 1-9-0 start that includes a 0-4-0 WCHA record.
In his previous gig as an ECHL bench boss, Thomas occasionally played with a reduced lineup, and he found players were generally engaged because their ice time got heavier.
"We need to get some wins, start accumulating some points, especially at home,'' Thomas said. "But I can't tell you how many times I've had a short lineup and won hockey games. Ultimately, I think it'll get guys more into the game.''
The latest forwards to depart the lineup are sophomores Alex Jackstadt (upper-body injury), Nils Rygaard (lower-body injury), Cam Amantea (upper body) and freshman Corey Renwick (upper body). They join junior Austin Azurdia (lower body) and senior Connor Wright (lower body).
Hubbs is expected to return after missing six games with a knee injury. Renouf is expected back after missing the last four games with a lower-body injury.
Through UAA's first 10 games, six players have missed a total of 30 games with injuries or illness.
Seawolf notes
After starting 0-4-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the WCHA, Michigan Tech arrives at 6-6-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the league, where it sits in second place. The Huskies have won three straight games and five of their last six.
The Huskies are also a strong shot-blocking team – they average 15 blocks per game.
Through 14 games, Michigan Tech has had 18 players score at least one goal. Through 10 games, UAA has had seven different goal scorers.
UAA junior winger Tad Kozun, who led the team in goals (13) last season but did not have a point in his first six games this season, broke out with three goals at Penn State last week. "It's really important," Thomas said of Kozun's awakening. "We all know goal scorers are streaky. Most guys score in bunches, and maybe that's the case with him."
UAA has struggled in the face-off circle. UAA's winning percentage of .429 on draws is last among the 60 teams in Division I, just behind 59th-place UAF (.431).
Speaking of UAF, the Nanooks (4-7-1, 3-4-1 WCHA, sixth place) are idle this week. They entertain Michigan Tech next week to wrap up the Huskies' four-game road trip to Alaska.
Michigan Tech (6-2-2, 5-2-1 WCHA) at UAA (1-9-0, 0-4-0 WCHA)
Sullivan Arena
Friday and Saturday, 7:07 p.m.
TV: Friday, 10 p.m. tape delay; Saturday, live, GCI Channel 1