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The University of Alaska Fairbanks athletic department has scheduled a press conference at 8:30 this morning in the Nanook Lounge of the Patty Center to announce its new head hockey coach.

Nanooks interim head coach Dallas Ferguson and University of Wisconsin assistant coach Kevin Patrick were the two finalists for the vacancy, which opened April 10 after Doc DelCastillo resigned following one season with the Central Collegiate Hockey Association program.

UAF athletic director Forrest Karr wouldn’t disclose the identity of the new coach, but he said he made his decision Wednesday after making a request Tuesday to the university’s human resources department to offer the position to the finalist.

“It was a difficult decision,” Karr said Wednesday night. “It speaks about the strength of the two candidates.”

He first called the finalist who won’t be named as the head coach this morning.

“He was disappointed but he was professional as you expected,” Karr said.

He then called the finalist who will be announced as the eighth head coach in the program’s 28-year history at the NCAA level.

“He tried to remain calm for about five minutes, but he couldn’t help but express his enthusiasm,” Karr said.

The position attracted a lot of public interest, as Karr received several calls and e-mails about the finalists. He also pored over several comment sheets from people who attended public forums for Ferguson and Patrick last Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, in the Pioneer Room of the Carlson Center, the Nanooks’ home rink.

“It’s the community’s team and the community helped with the process,” Karr said, “and I really appreciate all of the information and the thoughts of the people that contributed.”

Recommendations from a nine-member search committee also factored into the decision about the new coach.

Ice chips

The Las Vegas Wranglers, with former Nanooks forwards Curtis Fraser and Kelly Czuy, have a 2-0 lead over the Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL’s National Conference Final series.

Fraser, a center, scored a short-handed goal and Czuy, a right wing, had an assist Monday in a 5-2 win in Las Vegas in the opener of the best-of-seven series. Las Vegas won 4-3 in overtime on Tuesday. Fraser had a plus-minus rating of -1 and two shots and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and Czuy registered no statistics.

The series resumes tonight in Salt Lake City.

• Left wing Timmy Wallace, who’s from Anchorage and has relatives in the Interior, contributed an assist Wednesday night for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 2-0 victory over the Portland (Maine) Pirates in Game 1 of the American Hockey League’s Eastern Conference Final in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

The Penguins play host to Game 2 tonight.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, helped by a goal from Wallace in the third period, won 3-1 last Friday over the Philadelphia Phantoms in Game 5 of a semifinal series to advance to the conference final. Former Nanooks left wing Kyle Greentree had one shot for the Phantoms in the series-ending contest.

Contact staff writer Danny Martin at 459-7586.