Author Archives: Michael Napier

Hoof Beats: Fundraiser rally edition

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The race to save UAH hockey has under two days remaining.

As of 6 p.m. CDT Wednesday, over $210,000 of has been raised through the GoFundMe fundraiser, and another $5,000 raised through T-shirt sales. The deadline to reach the $500,000 goal is 5 p.m. CDT Friday.

Former players Tony Guzzo, Matt Parker, Jared Ross, and Shane Stewart held a press conference at the Von Braun Center on Wednesday to give an update.

The program’s most famous alumnus, Calgary Flames goaltender Cam Talbot, has also chimed in.

“The program meant a lot to me,” Talbot said in an article on NHL.com. “I never thought that it would really kind of grow to allow me to live out my dream like I am now. I wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity if I didn’t end up in Alabama.”

Long-term plans: A common question about the campaign is what would happen with the program beyond the 2020-21 season. Concerns are that it would be a short-term fix, leading to the same situation one year now.

The current answer to that is as part of the agreement, UAH would establish an advisory committee to help the university grow and manage the program in the long term. According to UAH alumnus and booster Sheldon Wolitski, in an interview on 97.7 The Zone’s Talkin’ Ball, The committee would:

  • Work to find, court, and secure UAH a conference, the obvious target being the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.
  • Create a 10-year plan for the program, outlining goals, targets & milestones.
  • Develop a new marketing plan to increase attendance & community support.
  • Work on a plan for a smaller rink close to or on the UAH campus.

Transfers: Several Chargers went on the NCAA transfer portal after Friday’s announcement that the program would be cut. While many players are still looking for potential landing spots or waiting to see how the campaign turns out, two have decided to move on.

Tanner Hickey will be going to Arizona State. The defenseman scored three goals and seven assists as a freshman this past season.

Liam Izyk is transferring to one of the big programs in Boston College. Izyk was also a freshman, netting 11 points on three goals and eight assists.

More coverage:

Fast fundraiser established in attempt to save UAH hockey

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This week will determine if the UAH hockey program can stay alive.

After Friday’s announcement that UAH was eliminating the hockey program, reaction has been swift, especially from hockey alumni who criticized the timing and the lack of transparency.

On Monday, after top benefactors spoke with UAH administration, including UAH president Darren Dawson and athletic director Cade Smith, a fundraising campaign has begun in an effort for the Charger hockey to continue.

To save UAH hockey, $1 million will need to be raised by 5 p.m. CDT on Friday, May 29 to continue the program.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been established to raise half of it. If the $500,000 goal is reached, a group of donors willing to cover the remaining balance.

If this campaign is successful, an advisory committee of hockey alumni, local business leaders and major donors would be formed. This committee would advise Dr. Dawson and the athletic department on securing a long-term commitment to hockey at UAH and secure a spot in the new Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).

If the campaign is not successful, donations will be fully refunded.

For more information, follow the Save UAH Hockey Twitter account at @saveuahhockey.

Reaction to the cancellation of the UAH hockey program

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Here is some reaction to the news that UAH is cancelling the varsity hockey program:

I have put 18 years of dedication into this sport through blood sweat and tears to play Division I hockey and that was ripped away from me. I no longer have a team to play for and am disappointed.

Ayodele Adeniye, incoming freshman

My initial reaction is to think about the kids. They made a commitment to the school, community and team and to have this decision slapped in their face doesn’t seem right. Plus to drag tennis into this is ridiculous.

What makes it worse for me is I coached several of the kids, from recent grads to commitments that are still a year or two away and guys in between. Naturally, the Preds and NHL are readily available for most to watch, at least on television, but UAH was the college team kids from Tennessee, Georgia and naturally Alabama could relate too, where they could really put their dream into a vision to drive them forward. This decision leaves a huge void for youth hockey in America now.

To the UAH hockey family, there have been a lot more sour days than great days recently, but anytime I was at the rink, regardless of the score, everyone always had a smile on their face. Our experiences together made my time as a player and fan so memorable and fortunately the trustees can’t take away.

I hope there is an opportunity to give the program a legitimate shot. Taso, Sheldon and others have been tremendous supporters of the team and more importantly the entire athletics department. For leadership to treat those pillars with very little regard makes writing this note a little easier.
Unfortunately, this horse has been shot at many times, hopefully these chargers are able to get out of the stable once again.

Cheers to Charger Hockey.

Steve Milosevski, forward (2000-04)

It’s hard to put into words how sad, angry, disgusted (and any other synonyms) I am with what has transpired with the University of Alabama-Huntsville president and athletic director in their move to disband the Chargers hockey program. It hurts because I was there at Day One, a summer afternoon in 1979 when it was announced UAH would have a club hockey program. It hurts because I played two years for the Chargers. It hurts because I know how much the community embraced the Chargers. It hurts because some young men – as recent as Thursday – were making plans to come to Huntsville to be UAH student athletes. It hurts because the 28 current players are having to find other schools if they want to continue playing collegiate hockey. And it hurts because the announcement came late Friday afternoon on a holiday weekend, aka “Friday news dump.” There was no press conference even though eliminating the sole NCAA Division I program at a NCAA Division II institution is pretty important news – especially because of how the Chargers hockey team is part of the fabric that is Huntsville. Hell, the announcement was on a news statement halfway down the home page of uah.edu with the headline: “COVID-19 forcing UAH to take steps for more budget reductions”. There was no meeting with alums or community leaders to discuss options and alternatives to cutting the program. The administration cold-blooded axed a 41-year-old program that has produced the school’s only NCAA national championships – yes, two national championships; a program that brought national acclaim to UAH; a program whose alumni have become presidents and CEOs of national and international businesses; a program that saw its alums raise some $225K annually – no other UAH team comes near that. And now it’s gone. I can state that I am proud to be a former Charger hockey player and I am proud to call my former teammates and other former Chargers my brothers. But I am not proud of UAH, and that really hurts.

Bud McLaughlin, goaltender (1980-82)

UAH hockey has always been my Alabama football or Auburn football. Growing up here in Huntsville I was certainly an anomaly in the ’90s by being able to play for UAH hockey. I have always taken pride in the program and done my best to support it. For the administration to completely dismiss it every year for so long is just ridiculous. No program in the country has fought as hard just to exist as UAH hockey. Yhere are so many quality individuals that have been a part of this program in varying capacities (players, staff, volunteers, etc). 

I have many questions, but the first is why didn’t the administrators reach out to the alumni and boosters prior to making this decision? Did they not learn anything from 2012? Do they think we didn’t deserve the chance to try and save the program?  Sure maybe it isn’t possible but let us try. Everyone I know equates UAH athletics with hockey. That has to mean something, or maybe not.

Matt Parker, forward (1994-98)

Sad and disappointed to hear of the University’s decision to cut the hockey program at UAH. They gave me the opportunity to continue my playing career after juniors and the platform to achieve my dream of playing in the NHL. I wish all the students athletes affected by this all the best and hope they can find a new home to continue to follow their dreams of playing hockey at the collegiate level.

Cam Talbot, goaltender (2007-10)
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UAH to eliminate hockey program

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The University of Alabama in Huntsville announced Friday the elimination of the hockey program after 41 seasons of competition.

The university cited budget restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic as a main factor in the decision.

“COVID-19 pandemic has forced the university to make difficult personnel and programmatic decisions,” according to the release, co-signed by UAH president Darren Dawson and athletic director Cade Smith. “Eliminating the expense of the hockey and tennis programs is a necessary step to ensure that UAH can continue meeting its core educational mission.”

The announcement comes rather sudden after the official UAH hockey Twitter feed revealed a six-player freshman signing class last week.

Men’s and women’s tennis will also be eliminated. The student-athletes for the cut programs were notified via email from UAH athletic director Cade Smith and video conferences with coaches and staff.

The program finishes its 35-year varsity history with a record of 456-570-82. The Chargers became a varsity program after six years a club team starting in 1979, winning the 1982, 1983, and 1984 national club championships.

The Chargers won two NCAA Division II national championships in 1996 and 1998.

UAH went back up to Division I shortly there after, winning two College Hockey America regular-season championships in 2001 and 2003. The Chargers won CHA tournament titles in 2007 and 2010, earning berths in the NCAA tournament.

It’s not the first time the program has been cut. In 2011, UAH announced the program would be relegated to club status, but a movement to raise funds and find a spot in the new WCHA in 2013 saved it.

However, UAH would reach no higher than seventh place in the seven years in the WCHA, with only three playoff appearances. The last season of 2019-20 was one of the worst in the program’s history. The Chargers went 2-26-6, tying the program mark for fewest wins.

This comes almost a year since the announcement that seven programs were leaving the WCHA to form their own league, which is now known as the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. That left UAH’s future uncertain and looking for a new conference when the WCHA breaks up after this season.

“We are deeply saddened by today’s news that Alabama Huntsville has eliminated its men’s ice hockey program,” WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson said in a statement. “UAH has been a valued member of the WCHA since joining the league in 2013 and, as the first Division I hockey school in the Deep South, brought the sport to a previously untapped fan base for college hockey.”

UAH’s primary target was to join those seven CCHA teams, but now they won’t be around to apply.

UAH dropping hockey is the latest in a number of cancellations of athletic programs across the nation during the pandemic. Among those affected was fellow WCHA school Bowling Green, which dropped baseball, and Gulf South Conference affiliate school Florida Tech, which dropped football.

Hoof Beats: WCHA unveils uncertain schedule

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Normally we would have a little fun this time of year talking about the release of the upcoming season’s schedule, but what is normal these days?

The WCHA unveiled its 2020-21 conference schedule on Wednesday, although it’s unknown when college hockey will actually be played again.

The COVID-19 pandemic still putting sports in America on hold indefinitely, so consider the schedule tentative.

WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson told the Bemidji Pioneer that the league is developing potential models in case adjustments are needed. The season may not start if schools are continuing distance learning into the fall.

Most of the WCHA schools released their full schedules, but UAH was not one of them. UAH is opting to wait for more certainty before officially releasing its schedule.

We do know some things about 2020-21, however. The Chargers would play 18 home games, with four non-conference games in addition to the 14 WCHA games. Twelve of the 18 at the VBC would come before Christmas.

The two non-conference teams visiting will be UMass Lowell and Omaha, both of which UAH visited to start last season.

With everything obviously subject to change, here is the 2020-21 UAH hockey schedule so far:

Oct. 9-10 vs. UMass Lowell
Oct. 16-17 vs. Omaha
Oct. 23-24 at Ferris State
Oct. 31-Nov. 1 vs. Alaska
Nov. 6-7 vs. Michigan Tech
Nov. 13-14 vs. Bowling Green
Dec. 4-5 vs. Bemidji State
Dec. 11-12 at Alaska
Jan. 1-2 at Lake Superior State
Jan. 8-9 vs. Minnesota State
Jan. 22-23 at Alaska Anchorage
Jan. 29-30 vs. Ferris State
Feb. 5-6 at Michigan Tech
Feb. 12-13 vs. Lake Superior State
Feb. 19-20 at Northern Michigan
Feb. 26-27 at Bowling Green

Latta transfers to Lowell: The Chargers lost their promising rookie from last season, and might see him on the opposing bench this fall.

Josh Latta, who lead the Chargers in scoring as a freshman last season, announced on April 22 that he was transferring to UMass Lowell.

Latta had seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 2019-20. Two of those assists game in the season-opening series at Lowell, which UAH lost 5-1 and 3-1.

If a new transfer rule gets passed by the NCAA, or if Latta receives a waiver, he could be eligible to play for the River Hawks this coming season. That would mean he would face his former Charger teammates on Oct. 9-10 at the VBC.

Recruiting updates: Aidan Flynn, a forward from Spring Hill, Tenn. who is expected to join the Chargers in 2021, is moving up to the AJHL. He signed with the Lloydminster Bobcats on Monday.

Flynn had 40 points in 53 games with the Nashville Jr. Predators last season.

On April 10, UAH got a commitment from Jacob Franczak to join the Chargers this fall. The foward from Edmonton scored 18 goals and 43 points in 53 games with Sherwood Park of the AJHL.

Franczak would be the third forward from Edmonton and Sherwood Park in this recruiting class, joining William Zapernick and Jarred White.

Speaking of Zapernick, the CBC did a feature on him and his friend, Brown University recruit Matthew Kinash, on how they are preparing for college hockey while self-isolating during the pandemic.

Long Island going D-I: In a move that took literally almost everyone in college hockey by surprise, Long Island University announced last week that it was planning to establish a Division I men’s hockey program to begin play this fall.

The timing raises many questions. Schedules for this season are essentially already done, and as stated before, it’s not a given that the 2020-21 season will start on time. LIU, which started a women’s hockey program last year, has no coach, no players, and no established place to play yet.

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UAH readying pitch for new league membership

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Note: UAH interim athletic director Cade Smith was interviewed on March 11, before concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus had shut down the college hockey season and essentially the whole sports world. On March 19, Smith revealed that he tested positive for the virus but is recovering.

The UAH hockey program heads into the offseason with about as much uncertainty as it has ever faced.

What likely will be the WCHA’s final season is next season, and UAH is again looking to join a conference in 2021.

The Chargers had a dreadful 2019-20 season with a record of 2-26-6, matching the school record for fewest wins.

“We’re disappointed in not being able to win more games,” UAH interim athletics director Dr. Cade Smith said. “And we’re disappointed in where we are as far as a league affiliation. We’ve got to figure some stuff out.”

That makes this offseason absolutely critical. UAH will likely not go the independent route again as it did from 2010-12, when finding home games was a struggle.

The primary target is CCHA 2.0. The seven schools that are leaving the WCHA to form a new conference in 2021 announced on February 18 that they are resurrecting the Central Collegiate Hockey Association name.

From a distance perspective, the CCHA makes the most sense for UAH. The trick will be getting the CCHA to agree to accept a school that it was leaving behind in the first place.

“First off, we have to get an audience with them to some degree,” Smith said. “We’ve been working with Collegiate Consulting, who is working with different teams in that league. The information I’m getting from our consultant is that probably nothing is happening as far as getting an audience until the commissioner is named for that new conference.”

Collegiate Consulting is an Atlanta-based company that has worked on a feasibility study to bring varsity hockey to the University of Illinois.

On February 25, the league announced it was starting its search for a commissioner. It might be a few months before UAH can even get to make its pitch. It’s also unknown how the concerns of COVID-19 will affect the timeline.

UAH is also close to figuring out who would lead that pitch. Smith is a finalist to become the permanent athletics director at UAH. A decision on the hire could be soon.

Smith has not conferred with the consultants about what would UAH’s pitch would be, but he said there are some selling points.

“(The CCHA) is already somewhat set to have a bus league, so that’s probably a knock on us. But I really actually think that most of those teams like coming down here to play. They do play in a nice arena down here. I think we’re in a really good city that has somewhat of a market that some of them do not have. It’s easy to get to Huntsville to play.

“We invested some money (in the in-game experience) and I think it was better. Did it bring more fans? It has not brought more fans yet, but I would think that just the casual observer would have seen a difference this year than in previous years.

“As far as commitment to other resources, we’re already towards the middle of the pack on the way we spend money on hockey compared to the rest of them anyway.

“We bring a lot of smart student-athletes into a conference. The type of graduates that we produce I think would be attractive to them.”

Smith said the Executive Plaza multi-use facility, which would be the new on-campus home for the hockey team, should not be considered a factor. The project is still too much of an idea rather than a definitive plan.

One other option is the Atlantic Hockey Association. The AHA currently has 11 teams, 10 in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, and one in Colorado (Air Force).

The closest school to Huntsville would be Robert Morris in the Pittsburgh area. RMU, along with Niagara and Army, were former members of College Hockey America along with UAH.

The AHA was cold to the idea of UAH joining in the last round of realignment in 2013, but may be willing to listen this time. However, the AHA might wait for Navy, which would have to upgrade their club team to varsity, to have all three service academies.

That’s not to say AHA wouldn’t consider expanding to 13 teams with UAH and Navy. And it would be intriguing with Huntsville’s military background having the service academies visiting regularly again.

Meanwhile, the WCHA is exhausting any option it has to stay alive.

“We’re still in communication with the two Alaska schools and the (WCHA) office,” Smith said. “They’re updating us on what they’re attempting to do, but there just aren’t many options.”

Season ends with loss to Bowling Green

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UAH finished the 2019-20 season with a 4-1 loss to Bowling Green on Saturday at the Von Braun Center.

The Chargers end the year at 2-26-6, with a 2-20-6-1 record in WCHA play.

It was the final game at UAH for five Chargers: Austin Beaulieu, Connor James, Sean Rappleyea, Teddy Rotenberger, and Brandon Salerno.

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

The Falcons outshot the Chargers 39-22. UAH goaltender Mark Sinclair had 35 saves.

Bowling Green (19-13-4, 14-10-4-3 WCHA) scored the first goal on the power play. Taylor Schneider skated in front of the UAH net and tucked the puck just inside Sinclair’s near pad with 11:15 left in the first period.

At the end of the first period, Bowling Green’s Sam Craggs puts Connor James into the boards and gets a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct.

The Chargers didn’t score during the major power play, but did score a 5-on-3 power-play goal to tie the game after a multitude of penalties on both sides.

Beaulieu deflected Connor James’s shot past Zach Rose to tie the game at 1-1 at the 7:11 mark of the second period.

It was the sixth goal of the season for Beaulieu and sixth assist for James. Josh Latta got his team-leading 11th helper.

Connor Merkley’s night ended early after crunching Jacob Dalton from behind in the Bowling Green zone. Merkley received a five-minute major and a game misconduct with 8:43 left in the period.

On the ensuing power play, the Falcons regained the lead with two goals. With 5:39 left in the second, Brandon Kruse roofed the puck from Sinclair’s left to make it 2-1. Almost two minutes later, Connor Ford’s blast from the left point slid in to make it 3-1.

Special teams will be a focus for next season, according to head coach Mike Corbett. The Chargers finished with only a 7.9 percent efficiency on the power play, and a 74 percent efficiency on the penalty kill.

It was a mostly uneventful third period. The Falcons got an empty-net goal from Carson Musser with 59.8 seconds remaining for the final score.

UAH matches the program record for fewest wins in a season with two, set in the 2011-12 and 2013-14 seasons.

Corbett was frank about what needs to be done during the offseason:

“Frustrating year. It could have been a lot better than what we thought. We had a lot higher expectations than the way it ended. We’ve got to learn from it.

“We’ve got to get our guys to understand what this commitment thing is. Just our entire program. Get people to understand that it’s a privilege to play. Our seniors understand now. You don’t think about it until the buzzer blows, but it’s a privilege to play Division I hockey.

“We’ve got too many guys in this room taking it for granted, and it bothers me. I don’t want that. I don’t want to be around that. We have to clean that up. I’ll talk to our seniors afterwards and ask them, what do we need to clean up? They’ll have a say in what we do and the way we move forward.

“Everybody has a different button that needs to be pushed. And when you’re with them as much as we are, you understand what that button is, and if you can’t find that button, it’s time to move on. It’s time to find players who are going to represent this university the way we need them to represent it.

“I like the young guys, but we’ve got to get them stronger for games like this, for teams like Mankato last weekend. We’ve got to really do a good job in the offseason to get our guys stronger. They’re not going to grow, but they have the ability to get stronger and we have to push them to get stronger. That’s going to be our No. 1 focus this spring.”

Bowling Green rallies to top UAH in OT

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UAH had a chance to win with a two-goal lead and another hot outing by Mark Sinclair, but Bowling Green rallied to stun UAH 4-3 in overtime on Friday at the Von Braun Center.

The Chargers had built a 3-1 lead over the first half of the game while withstanding another barrage of shots. UAH was outshot 58-17, and had a chance at victory thanks to a Sinclair’s career-high 54-save performance.

“(Sinclair has) made those games close, and you want better for him, without a doubt,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “He’s gives us a chance to win and you want to reward him.”

UAH (2-25-6, 2-19-6-1 WCHA) will finish the season Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. with Senior Day festivities prior.

BOX SCORE

After they were shellacked at Minnesota State by a combined score of 18-0 last weekend, the Chargers showed some fight despite the shot disadvantage and built a two-goal lead.

“It’s easy to quit,” Corbett said. “It’s nice that they showed up and have pride in their performance and pride in the jersey and give these guys a run.”

UAH struck first on a nice goal by Ben Allen in the slot, his first of the season. Daneel Lategan gave him the feed from the left corner, and Allen went forehand to backhand to beat Eric Dop top shelf with 3:06 left in the first period.

Bowling Green (18-13-4, 13-10-4-3 WCHA) tied the game just 55 seconds into the second period, when Cameron Wright skated through the right circle and beat Sinclair high.

But the Chargers took the lead again almost halfway in the contest. Brandon Salerno, like Allen before him, was left alone with the puck in the slot on another feed from Lategan, and scored his third goal of the season.

Lucas Bahn got the second assists on both goals.

“Ben Allen’s line was dynamite tonight,” Corbett said. “They were probably our best line tonight and had the most energy, so I rewarded them with more ice time. We’re a team that over the course of time, that’s how it’s got to be.”

Tyr Thompson put UAH up 3-1 on yet another goal from the slot in front of the Falcon net. This time it was a rare power-play goal, assisted by Christian Rajic and Tanner Hickey, with 7:28 remaining in the second.

All three UAH goals came from down low.

“That’s why I say we have to get more pucks and bodies to the net, because there are not a lot of one shot goals any more,” Corbett said. “You have to get second chances. Goals are scored at the net.”

The Falcons trimmed UAH’s lead to 3-2 two minutes later on an Alex Barber power-play goal.

The Falcons outshot UAH 30-14 over the first two periods, but that wasn’t the end of it. BG got 17 more shots on Sinclair in the third before the Chargers finally got one a Dop with around 8:00 left in regulation.

Bowling Green tied the game at 3-3 when Will Cullen’s deflection of a centering pass easily gets by Sinclair with 11:14 left in the third.

In overtime, Max Coyle was called for a tripping penalty with 3:33 left, setting up a power play for Bowling Green. Barber was able to lift one over Sinclair to give the Falcons the victory.

“It’s the story of our season,” Corbett said. “We’re that close to being able to finish a team off. Just having that leadership in the locker room, that alpha dog who doesn’t let (giving up the lead) happen.”

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Five finishing hockey journey at UAH

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The Chargers will finish the 2019-20 season this weekend at the Von Braun Center against Bowling Green. On Saturday evening, five players will skate off the Propst Arena ice as Chargers one last time.

Puck drop is 7:07 p.m. on Friday and 3:07 p.m. on Saturday. Senior Day ceremonies will take place before Saturday’s game.

Austin Beaulieu (forward, Coral Springs, Fla.) is this year’s captain, scoring 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 points in 132 career games played. Beaulieu is a two-time WCHA All-Academic and is a two-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete. Career best: Scored two goals, including the game-winner in overtime, and an assist against Ferris State on Jan. 5, 2019, earning him WCHA Forward of the Week honors.

Connor James (defenseman, Wainwright, Alberta) has four goals and 17 assists in 93 career games. He has made the WCHA All-Academic Team twice. Career best: Scored two goals against Northern Michigan on Feb. 9, 2019.

Sean Rappleyea (defenseman, Sayreville, N.J.) has two goals and two assists in 34 career games. He is a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete and WCHA All-Academic.

Teddy Rotenberger (defenseman, Huntsville, Ala.) has appeared in 11 career games, 10 this season. He is a three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete and WCHA All-Academic. Rotenberger is the eighth player from the Rocket City to play varsity hockey at UAH.

Brandon Salerno (forward, Toronto, Ont.) has 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 119 career games. Made the WCHA All-Academic Team twice. Career best: Scored two goals in a victory over Ferris State on Nov. 25, 2017.

Seniors group photo Doug Eagan. Individual player photos by Todd Thompson.