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FAIRBANKS — Alaska senior Chad Johnson earned his second consecutive Central Collegiate Hockey Association Goalie of the Week honors and the Nanooks were ranked nationally in two of college hockey’s three polls released Monday.

Johnson turned in another spectacular effort in leading the Nanooks to a four-point weekend against the Lake Superior State Lakers.

He stopped 22 of 23 shots, including several breakaways, in the Nanooks’ 4-1 win against the Lakers on Friday night. He was even more impressive Saturday night, when he stopped 34 of 36 shots and then stoned all three Lakers shots in a shootout that the Nanooks won 1-0 to pick up an extra point in the CCHA standings.

“It’s great to see Chad getting that kind of recognition,” Alaska coach Dallas Ferguson said from Alberta, where he was attending his grandmother’s funeral. “The recognition not only speaks for what he’s doing as an individual, but also for what he’s doing for the team and the program overall.”

Johnson, a Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick, posted a .967 saves percentage and a 0.96 goals against average against the Lakers. He is 3-0-1 in his last four games and 6-4-2 on the season. He ranks seventh nationally with a 1.57 goals against average and a .944 saves percentage (tied for fourth).

“It’s some of the best goaltending I’ve seen him ever play,” Ferguson said. “Obviously, he’s a big part of the success we’ve had this season.”

Three other Nanooks have received Player of the Week honors this season — Justin Brossman and Scott Greenham earned CCHA Rookie of the Week honors, while Dion Knelsen was named Offensive Player of the Week.

National rankings

The Nanooks moved into the U.S. College Hockey Online/CBS College Sports TV national rankings for the first time since Dec. 18, 2006. Alaska is ranked 20th in this week’s poll.

“I think it’s a really big deal for the team, the program and the university,” Ferguson said. “Considering where a lot of people predicted we would be at the start of the season, this is a testament to our guys for sticking together, playing hard and playing within their capabilities. It’s nice for them to get the recognition.”

Alaska’s longest streak in a poll came during the 2001-02 season when they posted a 22-12-3 record. The Nanooks were ranked for 11 straight weeks that season, peaking at No. 11. Alaska just missed earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament that year. Alaska’s second-longest stint in a poll came in the 2005-06 season when they were in the Top 20 for seven straight weeks and peaked at No. 14.

Conference rival Notre Dame is ranked No. 1 this week, while three other conference teams are ranked ahead of the Nanooks — Miami (Ohio) fourth, Michigan (14th) and Nebraska-Omaha 18th. Ohio State and Ferris State are listed among other teams receiving votes.

Alaska Anchorage is ranked 15th this week, marking the first time that both schools have been ranked nationally in the same week, according to a press release issued by the Alaska sports information department.

The Nanooks are ranked 16th in the Inside College Hockey Power Rankings, which also were released Monday.

That ranking comes with a somewhat ominous footnote.

“Almost exactly two years ago, the Nanooks moved to four games above .500 with a win and tie against Lake Superior State in Fairbanks ... then proceeded to lost 11 of their next 12 games,” the INCH Power Rankings wrote in its “Of Note” section.

“I was part of that program (as an assistant coach),” Ferguson said. “We started off that season really well, then kind of fell into a funk where we were playing pretty well but couldn’t buy a win.”

Ferguson said he doesn’t think anything like that will happen again.

“We can’t dwell on the past,” he said. “We just have to focus on the job at hand, which is getting two points at Nebraska-Omaha on Friday.

“We’re by no means satisfied with what we’ve accomplished thus far in the season,” he added. “We take the approach that we want to be a better team every time we take the ice. We just want to focus on the things that we can control.”

Alaska was listed among the other teams receiving votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll, as was Alaska Anchorage.

The Nanooks play No. 18 Nebraska Omaha on Friday and Saturday at the Qwest Center in Omaha. The two teams played seven games against each other last season, including a three-game CCHA opening-round playoff series that the Mavericks won by claiming the final game 2 -1 in triple overtime.

“Omaha is a fun environment and a great place to play college hockey,” said Ferguson, who plans to rejoin the team on Wednesday. “We’re not going to take our success for granted. The reason for our success is our commitment to each other and the program and we’re going to continue down that path.

“We’re ranked 20th and that’s nice, but we’ve got a lot of games left in the season and a lot of things left to accomplish,” he concludes.

This weekend’s games begin at 4:05 p.m. AST each day.