Alaska has a trophy that did not exist a year ago. The Nanooks won the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Cup on Saturday in St. Charles, Missouri, taking the championship game against Stonehill at the Centene Community Ice Center.

The tournament, held March 5 through 7, was created to give the Division I men’s programs that operate without a conference a postseason of their own. Five independents took part. The top three by head-to-head record drew byes into the semifinals, with the two lowest-ranked teams meeting in a quarterfinal.

Coach Erik Largen picked up the first championship of his tenure. Forward Lassi Lehti was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

Independence has been a long-running complication for both Alaska programs. Without a conference affiliation, the Nanooks and the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves have had no automatic route to the national tournament and no league title to play for, a structural problem made worse by the travel costs that come with basing a Division I hockey program in Fairbanks. The new cup does not solve the NCAA tournament question, but it gives the independents something to win in March.

Alaska Anchorage also made the trip and went out early, falling 3-0 to Stonehill in the quarterfinal on March 5 in front of 301 fans, then losing 5-3 to Lindenwood in the consolation bracket.

For Fairbanks, the win closes a season that started with the usual long flights south and ended with the Nanooks as the first name on a new trophy. The team plays its home games at the Carlson Center, where the program has drawn some of the larger crowds in college hockey relative to city size since moving to Division I.

Both Alaska programs remain independents heading into next season, and organizers have said the cup will return.