The Chargers missed a chance to seal their WCHA playoff berth on Saturday. Instead, it will come down to the final week of the regular season.

Ferris State defeated UAH 5-2, splitting the series and pulling back to within four points of the Chargers for the eighth and final playoff spot. UAH has 25 points, while Ferris State has 21.

A tie or better would have done the job for the Chargers (7-25-2 overall, 7-17-2-2 WCHA), who ended up splitting the season series with the Bulldogs at 2-2-0.

The magic number for UAH is three points. Any combination of UAH points won and Ferris State points lost totaling three will put the Chargers back in the WCHA playoffs. Or in simplest terms: A UAH win or a Ferris State loss.

UAH goes to Bowling Green next week, while Ferris State (9-22-3, 6-17-3-0) heads to Lake Superior State. If UAH and FSU end up tied in points at the end, FSU would win the tiebreaker by having a better conference winning percentage.

In this game, there was lots of action and shots on goal in the first period, with Ferris State getting 16 to UAH’s 13.

Hans Gorowsky was probably the busiest among those who were not goaltenders. He had a one-timer kicked away by FSU goaltender Roni Salmenkangas during a power play, and then denied by Salmenkangas on a shorthanded break.

But the third chance was the charm for Gorowsky, who put UAH up 1-0 with his 11th goal of the season at the 12:25 mark. He spun in the slot and beat Salmenkangas stick side.

Ferris State took full control of the second period, breaking through on Mark Sinclair with three goals to take its first lead of the series. Sinclair had shut the Bulldogs out on Friday with 35 saves in a 2-0 UAH win.

Lucas Finner tied the game at 6:54 right as a power play expired. Craig Pefley put FSU up 2-1 at 14:05, and top Bulldog freshman Cooper Zech made it a two-goal advantage with 2:05 left in the period.

The Bulldogs had outshot the Chargers 11-3 before UAH got a couple of pucks on Salmenkangas in a power play at the end of the frame.

That power play bled into the start of the third, and the Chargers capitalized 29 seconds in. Christian Rajic tipped in Connor James’s blast from the right point. Video review checked to see if Rajic’s stick was too high, but the officials found it acceptable and UAH’s deficit was 3-2.

Ferris State regained a two-goal lead with its own power play goal following Bailey Newton’s third penalty of the game. Nate Kallen’s shot up the middle found its way past Sinclair and it was 4-2 Bulldogs with 15:48 remaining.

UAH couldn’t muster many chances to rally, getting only two shots on goal in the third. The best chance came when Connor Merkley made a steal for a breakaway, but Salmenkangas (18 saves) came up big again with the pad with 2:21 remaining.

Pefley added an empty-net goal with 52 seconds to go to seal the win.

Header file photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography.

The Chargers got another huge game from Mark Sinclair, and a big win to put them one step closer back to the WCHA playoffs.

Sinclair stopped all 35 shots he faced as UAH defeated Ferris State 2-0 in Big Rapids on Friday. The sophomore became the first UAH goaltender with multiple shutouts in a season since Scott Munroe had three in 2004-05.

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UAH (7-24-2 overall, 7-16-2-2 WCHA, 25 points) extended its lead over Ferris State for the eighth and final conference playoff spot to seven points. The Chargers can clinch the berth with one point (a tie or better) in Saturday’s series finale (6:07 p.m. CST).

UAH also pulled to within six points of Alaska for seventh. The Nanooks were hosting first-place Minnesota State late.

Ferris State fell to 8-22-3 overall and 5-17-3-0 (18 points) in WCHA play.

Drew Lennon put the Chargers on top in a mostly uneventful first period. His shot through traffic from just outside the left circle at the 6:44 mark could not be seen by FSU goalie Roni Salmenkangas and was his first collegiate goal and point.

Austin Beaulieu and Jack Jeffers got the assists.

The Bulldogs did put on some pressure in the latter half of the first period, putting 13 shots on UAH netminder Mark Sinclair, who stopped them all.

Sinclair made another 12 saves in the second period, which had a bit more up-and-down action.

It wasn’t until two minutes remaining in the second when the first penalty occurred. Kurt Gosselin went off for tripping FSU’s Lucas Finner, but the UAH power play, which had struggled as of late, put a solid kill to end the period still leading 1-0.

UAH almost took a 2-0 lead with 9:27 left in the third, but Andrew Dodson’s goal was disallowed after video review showed he kicked the puck in.

The Chargers seemed to pick it up in that third period, keeping the Bulldogs at bay until FSU started getting more chances late. UAH had its only power play early in the period as there were only two penalties called all game.

FSU pulled goaltender Roni Salmenkangas (24 saves) with 1:40 left, and maintained extreme pressure for the rest of regulation.

But eventually, UAH would get that goal to seal the game. Bauer Neudecker deflected a pass out of the Charger zone, and the puck traveled all the way into the empty net with four seconds left.

It was Neudecker’s sixth goal of the season.

Northern Michigan broke a tie with two late second-period goals and spoiled UAH’s Senior Day with a 6-3 win at the Von Braun Center on Saturday.

UAH (6-24-2 overall, 6-16-2-2 WCHA), which honored eight seniors prior to the Chargers’ final home game of the season, will have next week off before heading to Ferris State looking to lock down a WCHA playoff spot.

Northern Michigan (15-13-1, 14-7-1-0) took four of six points for the weekend, and moved into a tie for second place with Bowling Green in the WCHA standings.

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UAH, which took two points Friday by winning in the 3-on-3 overtime following a 2-2 tie, scored first again Saturday. Connor James’s blast from long range and through traffic got past Atte Tolvanen.

His third goal of the season came at the 5:56 mark and was assisted by Christian Rajic and Madison Dunn.

The Wildcats, who scored both of their goals on Friday on the power play, struck again with the man advantage to tie the game at 1-1. Vincent De Mey got the goal from the left circle.

NMU took its first lead of the series early in the second period, as Griffin Loughran’s wrap-around past Jake Theut (34 saves) put the Wildcats up 2-1 at the 4:02 mark.

UAH tied the game on a beautiful power play goal two minutes later. Bauer Neudecker from the left circle passed to Austin Beaulieu near the left post, who set up Hans Gorowsky in the slot. Gorowsky beat Tolvanen high for his ninth goal of the season.

The Wildcats regained the lead at 3-2 with 3:25 left in the second. During 4-on-4 action, NMU had a 3-on-1 rush, with Tony Bretzman backhanding the puck in.

NMU took a two-goal advantage at 4-2 with 46 seconds left in the period. Jarrett Lee scored on another wrap-around, bouncing the puck just over Theut’s glove.

The Chargers started a rally on the power play in the third period. James scored again, this time from the right side, to cut NMU’s lead to 4-3 with 11:21 to go.

Dunn and Rajic provided the assists again. Rajic has a team-high 11 helpers on the season.

But the rally was snuffed when the Wildcats struck yet again on the power play. Denver Pierce’s one-timer in the slot glanced off the post and in and NMU lead by two again, 5-3, with 6:49 remaining.

The Wildcats finished with four power play goals on the weekend, beating a UAH penalty kill that was as high as fifth in Division I but has since fallen to 24th over the last three weeks.

Troy Loggins sealed the game with a long-range, empty-net goal with 24 seconds remaining.

Tolvanen stopped 24 of 26 UAH shots for the win.

UAH entered the day eight points ahead of FSU for eighth place in the WCHA standings and four points ahead of Alaska for seventh.

A roller-coaster of emotions ends up on the joyful side as the Chargers took two WCHA points from Northern Michigan following a 2-2 tie at the Von Braun Center on Friday.

NMU had tied the game with 5:34 remaining in regulation, and had won the game in overtime before video review overruled the goal because of goaltender interference.

Cam Knight scored just 36 seconds into the 3-on-3 second overtime, which gave the Chargers the second WCHA point. UAH had to withstand its own video review before it was finally confirmed.

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The Chargers (6-23-2 overall, 6-15-2-2 WCHA) needed the points to enhance their WCHA playoff chances. With Ferris State getting just one point after its tie with Bemidji State, UAH increased its hold of the eighth and final playoff berth to eight points over FSU. UAH also pulled within four points of Alaska, which lost to Alaska Anchorage, for seventh.

For Northern Michigan (14-13-1, 13-7-1-0), its single point moved the Wildcats to within one point of third-place Lake Superior State.

Game two of the series and the final UAH home game of the season is Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The eight Charger seniors will be honored before the game.

The whole game was one of highs and lows.

Plenty of up-and-down action in the first period, although it did not lead to any scoring. The Wildcats outshot the Chargers 8-6 in the frame.

Scoring did start frantically in the second period, with the Chargers putting two up quickly.

At the 1:44 mark, Jack Jeffers drove up the left side and beat Atte Tolvanen to put UAH up 1-0. It was the seventh goal of the season for the freshman, and Hans Gorowsky had the assist.

Gorowsky had a hand on UAH’s second goal at 4:05. He and Brandon Salerno had a two-on-none, and Salerno finished off the give-and-go for his fifth goal of the season. Bailey Newton got his first assist.

Northern Michigan got on the board right after a Jeffers hooking penalty. Troy Loggins notched his 13th goal of the season on a one-timer to cut UAH’s lead to 2-1 at 5:12.

NMU had another power play almost immediately afterward, and the Wildcats at least used that time to test Sinclair with lots of rubber. NMU had 12 shots on goal within the first eight minutes of the second period, and 20 for the whole frame.

A scary moment for the Wildcats came with 5:45 left in the second when Tolvanen, who has started all 28 games this season, had to be tended to after Andrew Dodson collided with him. Dodson received a minor penalty for charging, but the Chargers were able to kill it.

UAH had a chance to put it away about halfway through the third period when back-to-back penalties by Loggins and Griffin Loughran gave the Chargers a two-man advantage for 1:48.

But Tolvanen (22 saves) came up big, making a glove save on Bauer Neudecker and covering up another possible Jeffers goal.

The Wildcats killed the penalties, then capitalized on Tyr Thompson’s hooking call with 5:34 left in regulation with a power play goal by Ty Readman.

In the regular 5-on-5 overtime, both teams had big chances with under two minutes to go. Joseph Nardi missed high on a breakaway with 1:40 left, and Tolvanen stopped Gorowsky 20 seconds later.

Adam Rockwood appeared to have scored to snatch victory from the Chargers with 26 seconds remaining in overtime, but the officials determined after video review that there was a Wildcat in the crease causing interference, and the goal was overturned.

The overtime ended to officially make it a 2-2 draw, and with renewed life the Chargers made it count. Cam Knight beat Tolvanen on a breakaway just 36 seconds in to give UAH two of the three league points.

UAH goaltender Mark Sinclair finished with 41 saves, the third 40-plus-save outing of the season.

Three stars of the game:

1. Cam Knight, UAH (3-on-3 OT goal)
2. Hans Gorowsky, UAH (2 assists)
3. Mark Sinclair, UAH (41 saves)

File photo of Cam Knight by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography

The sixth-ranked Mavericks clamped down on the Chargers again on Saturday in a 4-0 decision, completing a series sweep in Mankato, Minn.

UAH (6-23-1 overall, 6-15-1-1 WCHA) was held to only 12 shots on goal, half of which came in the third period when the game was pretty much decided.

The Chargers still hold eighth place in the WCHA standings by seven points over Ferris State, which was swept by Lake Superior.

But the Mavericks (23-6-1, 18-4-0-0) showed again why they are the best team in the conference. MSU now has a commanding 11-point advantage over second-place Bowling Green, which lost to Northern Michigan.

If the standings hold, the Chargers would be back in Mankato for the WCHA quarterfinals. Since MSU outscored UAH 10-1 in this series, the Chargers must find a way to compete with the Mavericks over the final weeks of the regular season.

Minnesota State scored early again in this one, this time at the 2:34 mark when Chris Van Os-Shaw flipped the puck just over Mark Sinclair, who could not cover the puck in the crease.

UAH would not get its first shot on goal until 11:19 in, when Jack Jeffers drove to the net and collided with MSU goaltender Dryden McKay. Jeffers received a penalty on the play.

That would be the only shot on goal for the Chargers in the first, one of only two shot attempts as just about the whole period was held in the UAH end.

Things got dicey in the second period. Just over two minutes in, Sinclair misplayed the puck behind the net, giving it to Jake Jaremko, who tucked it in the open net to make it 2-0.

Less than a minute later, Connor Wood put Connor Mackey into the boards hard. Wood got a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

UAH was able to hold on until Parker Tuomie put a high stick to the head of Sinclair, knocking his helmet off. Tuomie received a five-minute major for spearing and a game misconduct, giving the Chargers three minutes of power play to work with.

However, the Chargers only got one shot on goal during the advantage.

Minnesota State would extend its lead to 3-0 on its next power play following a Kurt Gosselin slashing penalty. Julian Napravnik scored high from the left point.

David French made it 4-0 Mavericks with 51 seconds left in the second. The third period was garbage time.

McKay got the shutout with 12 saves. Sinclair stopped 31 of 35 shots for UAH, which was shut out for the sixth time this season.

The Chargers are now 0-24-4 in their last 28 games against Minnesota State, dating back to 2002.

UAH has its final home series of the season next week. The Chargers host Northern Michigan on Friday (6:07 p.m.) and Saturday (3:37 p.m.).