The Seawolves have two series left to get their hockey house in order, or else they're headed for unhappy holidays.
As scheduling luck would have it for a team burdened with a 10-game winless streak and positioned last in the 10-team Western Collegiate Hockey Association, UAA's next two opponents are the teams directly above it in the standings.
UAA on Friday entertains ninth-place Northern Michigan University in the opener of a two-game series at Sullivan Arena. The Seawolves then travel to Fairbanks to close the first half with a Governor's Cup series at UAF, which currently sits in eighth place.
UAA (1-11-2, 0-6-2 WCHA) has yet to earn a three-point league win – that is, victory in regulation or the first five minutes of overtime – and is 0-8-2 in its last 10 games.
Still, because a win in regulation or the first five minutes of OT is worth three points under new WCHA rules instituted this season, UAA's last-place position isn't quite as bad as it would have been in previous seasons, when wins were worth two points. Plus, the Seawolves have games in hand.
UAF owns 11 points in 10 games, Northern Michigan (3-11-2, 1-8-1 WCHA) has four points in 10 games and UAA has three points in eight games.
The top eight spots in the WCHA are pivotal because only those teams qualify for the first round of the league playoffs. UAA did not make the playoffs in the two previous seasons, finishing ninth last season and 10th two seasons ago.
The Wildcats are just as desperate as the Seawolves for points. Northern Michigan is lugging around a seven-game winless streak (0-6-1).
Even though UAA generates a Division I-low 1.29 goals-per-game – a power play that ranks 59th out of 60 teams at 6.8-percent efficiency doesn't help – junior goaltender Olivier Mantha has given the Seawolves a shot at winning in many games.
Mantha owns a 2.98 goals-against average, and his .912 save percentage has kept UAA in games in which it has been outplayed.
Northern Michigan
3-11-2, 1-8-1 WCHA
at
UAA
1-11-2, 0-6-2 WCHA
Friday, Saturday, 7:07 p.m
Sullivan Arena
TV: Tape delay, GCI Channel 1, 10 p.m.