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Third-period burst powers Falcons to win over Chargers

For a good chunk of the game, the Chargers played better than a 1-11 team against the 12th-ranked team in the country, but two power play goals early in the third period lifted Bowling Green to a 6-2 win over UAH at the Von Braun Center on Saturday.

UAH (1-12-0 overall, 1-6-0 WCHA) hung with the Falcons (9-3-2, 4-2-1) in shots on goal (30-28 BGSU) and shot attempts (53-48 BGSU), but Bowling Green was able to get the better of the Charger penalty kill, which came into the game rated sixth in Division I. The Falcons were 2-for-4 with the advantage.

BOX SCORE

It wasn’t a typical good night, either, for UAH goaltender Mark Sinclair, who made 23 saves and allowed six goals. Falcon netminder Ryan Bednard made 26 saves in the win.

The Falcons scored first on a sloppy line change by UAH, which resulted on a two-on-none break. Sam Craggs had the finisher at the 6:40 mark of the first period.

The Chargers tied the game on the power play. Jack Jeffers’ pass from the right side across the slot found an open Christian Rajic, who buried it for a 1-1 game with 2:41 left in the first. It was Rajic’s first goal of the season, assisted by Jeffers and Cam Knight.

Bowling Green regained the lead at 2-1 with just over 11 minutes remaining in the second, when Adam Smith’s shot from the point made it past Sinclair through a screen. It was 3-1 Falcons with 7:40 left in the period when Lukas Craggs scored on a wraparound.

UAH didn’t break then, and cut the deficit to 3-2 on Ben Allen’s first collegiate goal. The Texas native scored from the slot after taking a centering pass from Rajic with 6:16 left in the second.

Bowling Green pulled away with two power play goals early in the third period. After Bailey Newton was called for holding, Max Johnson capitalized to make it 4-2 at the 3:46 mark. Then Cameron Wright put in a rebound off the pipe at 6:13 following a Connor James high-sticking penalty.

Lukas Craggs added a goal with 3;13 remaining for the final 6-2 count.

The series finale is Sunday at 3:07 p.m. at the VBC.

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Preview: #12 Bowling Green at UAH

Where: Propst Arena at Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala.
When: Saturday, 6:07 p.m.; Sunday, 3:07 p.m.
Watch: FloHockey.tv (subscription required)
Promotions: Kids 12 and under can get free general admission tickets, courtesy Huntsville International Airport, at the VBC box office on game days. UAH will be giving away the fourth installment of the 2018-19 trading card set to the first 500 fans on Saturday evening.

Ticket information

Charger update: UAH (1-11-0 overall, 1-5-0 WCHA) returns to the Von Braun Center after a trip to Alaska sandwiched by two off weeks.

The Chargers finally got their first victory of the season in Alaska, beating the Nanooks 3-1 on Nov. 16. Alaska won the next night 2-1 to split the series.

“We’ve had a few moments where we’ve had to come together,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “We’ve had some moments where we have to grab some guys and say some things to them, and they say some things to the staff. It’s small successes we’re looking at right now.”

The Chargers will need to rely on their defense to contain the 12th-ranked Falcons, because the offense has remained mostly dormant, scoring 13 goals in 12 games. Freshman Jack Jeffers leads the squad with three goals, and senior Madison Dunn has the most points with five.

“Our team defense has been good, and our penalty kill has been fantastic, and Mark Sinclair has a .93 save percentage. For a guy who’s 1-7, his numbers are fantastic. We can’t waste that right now.”

Sinclair had 44 saves in the victory over Alaska, which earned him WCHA goaltender of the week honors.

UAH’s penalty kill is ranked sixth in Division I, and is second only to Bowling Green in the WCHA at 87.9 percent. The team defense has improved in conference play at 2.50 goals allowed per game, tied for sixth through six games.

“I like our group, but we’ve got to get them to play together. We believe in them more than they believe in themselves, unfortunately. We have to get them to believe in themselves, and if they do that, we’re going to have a good second half.”

UAH 2018-19 statistics

About the Falcons: Bowling Green (8-3-2 overall, 3-2-1 WCHA) has cooled off after a blistering start.

The Falcons were scoring almost five goals a game through their first eight games, going 6-1-1. In their last five games, they have scored only eight goals, being shut out three times.

Still, Bowling Green is second in the WCHA in scoring offense at 3.62 goals per game.

“Details against Bowling Green are going to be big,” Corbett said. “They have a good offensive team, and our details are going to be important.

“They’re going to be heavy, they’re going to be strong, and we have to be able match that. That intensity is going to be key and our compete level has to be at its best.”

Sophomores Max Johnson and Connor Ford, and junior Lukas Craggs lead the Falcons with six goals apiece. Vegas Golden Knights prospect Brandon Kruse has 12 assists as part of his team-leading 15 points. All-WCHA first teamer Alec Rauhauser leads the defensemen with 10 points.

BG’s defense has also been stout, allowing only 1.69 goals per game. A big reason is junior goaltender Ryan Bednard, a Florida Panthers prospect, who has a 1.72 goals against average and a .925 save percentage with two shutouts in 11 starts.

Bowling Green is also coming off an off week. The Falcons last played on Nov. 21, a 5-4 exhibition win against the Team USA Under-18 team. Their last official action was Nov. 16-17 at home against Lake Superior State, losing 5-0 and winning 5-2.

Bowling Green 2018-19 statistics

Series notes:
Overall:
Bowling Green leads 23-5-2.
In Huntsville: Bowling Green leads 10-4-0.
In WCHA games (since 2013-14):  Bowling Green leads 16-3-1.
First meeting: Jan. 21-22, 2000 at Bowling Green. BGSU won 4-3 and 5-1.
Last meeting: Feb. 23-24, 2018 at Huntsville. UAH won 3-2, BGSU won 3-0.

This week in the WCHA: All times are Central. All WCHA home games can be seen on FloHockey.tv.
* Denotes conference game.

Friday, November 30
* #4 Minnesota State at #20 Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.

Saturday, December 1
* #12 Bowling Green at UAH, 6:07 p.m.
* #4 Minnesota State at #20 Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.

Sunday, December 2
* #12 Bowling Green at UAH, 3:07 p.m.

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Hoof Beats: Kestner off to solid start in ECHL

Josh Kestner, who led UAH with a modern Division I-era school-record-tying 24 goals last season, is playing well in his first full pro season with the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL.

The season started a little late for Kestner, who was on injured reserve, but he scored two breakaway goals in his second game back in a 3-2 loss to Brampton on Oct. 27. The Huntsville native scored seven goals in his first eight games with the Growlers. Kestner has seven assists to give him 14 points in 15 games.

Kestner signed a tryout contract with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies after his career at UAH ended in March. He was assigned to Newfoundland during the preseason.

Other former Chargers in the ECHL: Matt Salhany scored twice for Adirondack on Oct. 17 against Newfoundland, but spending time on injured reserve has limited his action to five games this season. He recently returned to the lineup and has already produced a goal and an assist.

Tyler Poulsen started the season on the reserve list for Rapid City. He has an assist in nine games since his return.

Also in the North American minor leagues, Cody Dion (2010-11) has three goals and five assists in 10 games for Roanoke of the SPHL.

in the big leagues, the 2018-19 season has been a struggle for Cam Talbot, who is in his coldest spell of his NHL career. The Oilers netminder has a .873 save percentage in his last six starts, all losses, allowing 23 goals. Edmonton has been playing Mikko Koskinen in goal more over Talbot, who has a 3.29 goals against average and .889 save percentage in 15 starts.

Danchenko signs NLI: The Chargers got their first player in the new signing period on Tuesday when Adrian Danchenko signed his National Letter of Intent.

Danchenko, who announced his commitment to UAH on August 25, is a forward with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights of the NAHL. has 13 points (8 goals, 5 assists) in 18 games this season. The Palm City, Fla., native had 12 goals in 55 regular-season games with the Knights season.

The signing period for all Division I and II sports except football and basketball started on November 14, and will go all the way to August 1, 2019.

Sinclair named WCHA goaltender of the week: UAH goaltender Mark Sinclair was named the WCHA Goaltender of the Week on Nov. 19 for his performance in the Chargers’ 3-1 win at Alaska on Nov. 16. Sinclair stopped 44 of 45 shots, the most saves in Division I that week. It was the first collegiate victory for Sinclair.

Club team update: The UAH club hockey team’s first season back since 1985 is in full swing.

The Chargers (2-5-0) began their first season in October with a two-game series against UAB at the Huntsville IcePlex. The Chargers lost 9-3 in the first game, then the Blazers rallied late to win 6-5 in the second game.

UAH played three games at the Scholar Shootout at Vanderbilt from Nov. 9-11, losing 8-1 to Michigan, winning 3-1 to Clemson, and falling 3-2 to Vanderbilt. In the Chargers’ first victory, Alex Reichle stopped 62 of 63 Clemson shots. The Chargers split a two-game series at Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 16-17, winning 5-2 and losing 6-3.

Alexander McLeod has nine goals in UAH’s last five games.

UAH’s next action is Jan. 11-12 at Auburn. The Chargers host Middle Tennessee State at the IcePlex on Feb. 15-16. The Chargers will play more home games starting next season when they join the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference (SECHC).

For more information on the UAH Chargers club hockey team, visit uahclubhockey.com.

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Late goal allows Alaska to force split with UAH

The Alaska Nanooks scored with 1:18 remaining on Saturday for a 2-1 win over the Chargers in Fairbanks, forcing a split in the two-game WCHA series.

UAH goaltender Jake Theut made 43 saves in his best outing for UAH, which fell to 1-11-0 overall and 1-5-0 in WCHA play.

BOX SCORE

Alaska improved to 2-8-2 overall and 2-3-1 in the WCHA, moving up to seventh in the standings with eight points. The Chargers are in ninth with three points from yesterday’s 3-1 win.

The first period was very similar to Friday’s first period, with the Nanooks coming out aggressive with the puck and racking up some shots on goal to test Theut, who was making his first start since Oct. 20.

UAF outshot UAH 17-9 in the frame, and took a 1-0 lead with 8:55 left in the period, as Tristan Thompson drove into the UAH zone and beat Theut high from the left circle.

UAH tied the game with 3:33 remaining in the first. On a 5-on-3 power play, Connor James blasted his second goal of the season from the deep slot, assisted by Madison Dunn and John Teets.

The Chargers had a better second period, also just like Friday, outshooting the Nanooks 11-9. But UAH had to withstand a dicey situation around the halfway point after Cam Knight was assessed a double minor penalty for hooking.

UAH continued its strong penalty kill, and withstood the onslaught. Theut made three saves, got help from the post, and then made a big stop sliding right to left on a shot by Chris Jandric after the Alaska power play ended.

The Chargers, who came into the series ranked 11th in penalty kill, held the Nanooks to 0-for-6 on the power play for the game and 0-for-11 for the series.

The end result was a scoreless second period.

With under seven minutes to go in the third period, UAH may have dodged a bullet. Sam Ruffin poked in a rebound that trickled under Theut’s right pad, but the officials lost sight of the puck and waved it off. They reviewed it and the call stood.

However, the Nanooks would get the last laugh after all, when Steve Jandric’s blast from the right circle beat Theut with 1:18 left in regulation.

The Chargers will be off again next weekend before hosting Bowling Green at the VBC on Dec. 1-2.

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Sinclair, Chargers finally get their first wins

The Chargers finally get their first victory of the season. And Mark Sinclair finally gets the first win of his collegiate career.

Sinclair was phenomenal, making 44 saves in UAH’s 3-1 win over Alaska in Fairbanks on Friday.

UAH improved to 1-10-0 overall and 1-4-0 in the WCHA. Sinclair, a sophomore, was playing well this season but came into tonight with an 0-12-0 record at UAH.

BOX SCORE

Alaska dropped to 1-8-2 overall and 1-3-1 in WCHA play. The Chargers and Nanooks play again Saturday night at 10:07 p.m. CST at the Carlson Center.

UAH also got enough offense when they urgently needed it.

The Chargers took an early 1-0 lead when Jack Jeffers scored from the slot as a puck bounced off the back boards right to him all alone. It was Jeffers’ third goal of the season, assisted by Jesper Ohrvall and Christian Rajic, at the 4:35 mark.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKlE7vnDtB0[/embedyt]

It was only the second lead of the season for the Chargers, but it didn’t last long. Just over 10 minutes later, Alaska tied it up as Tristan Thompson’s shot from the left point deflecting off of Kylar Hope’s skate in the slot. The deflection plus the screen tied up Sinclair, which is what it took to score against him Friday.

Despite the 1-1 score after the first period, it was the Nanooks who had the majority of chances, outshooting the Chargers 14-2.

The Chargers were more aggressive offensively in the second period, and they regained the lead at 2-1 with 8:37 left.

After winning the faceoff in the defensive zone, the Chargers put together an offensive rush. Connor Merkley from the slot passed to Bauer Neudecker in the right circle, and Neudecker threaded the needle between the crossbar and Alaska goaltender Anton Martinsson for his first collegiate goal and point.

Merkley and John Teets, a Fairbanks native, notched his second assist of the season.

UAH extended its lead to 3-1 at 1:25 of the third period. Austin Beaulieu, tied up in the right corner of the offensive zone, backhanded the puck to the slot, where Madison Dunn received it all alone. Dunn beat Martinsson five-hole for his second goal of the season.

The rest was up to Sinclair, who withstood everything the Nanooks could throw at him. Twenty of his 44 saves came in the third period, from deflecting Chris Jandric’s shot from the left side off the post, to stopping Kylar Hope’s breakaway.

Martinsson finished with 17 saves for UAF.

Header file photo by Doug Eagan/UAH Athletics

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Preview: UAH at Alaska

Where: Carlson Center, Fairbanks, Alaska
When: Friday & Saturday, 10:07 p.m. CST (7:07 p.m. AKST)
Watch: FloHockey.tv (subscription required)

Charger update: UAH (0-10-0 overall, 0-4-0 WCHA) is looking to hit the reset button on a confounding and frustrating start to the season.

“Hopefully the week off gives us a good energy level coming into this weekend,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “We will be rusty from not playing but for us to have success we need our energy levels high.

“The mood has been good. The group is realizing what we have to do to be successful after being humbled the first quarter of the season.”

The Chargers enter the series with Alaska still looking for its first win, having scored only nine goals in ten games. Two weeks ago, UAH hosted Michigan Tech and lost 2-1 and 4-1. The Chargers scored a lone goal in the third period in each game. Brandon Salerno scored his second goal of the season, and Madison Dunn notched his first.

The Chargers are also battling injuries. Senior captain defenseman Kurt Gosselin, who left the first game against Michigan Tech with a broken finger, will be out for a few more weeks. Forwards Connor Wood and Ben Allen are also out, but Corbett says they are hoping they return in two weeks when the Chargers host Bowling Green.

One bright side has been goaltender Mark Sinclair, who continued to show why he’s become the everyday starter. He stopped 63 of 68 shots in the Tech series (38 of 40 in the first game) to gave him a season save percentage of .922, sixth-best in the WCHA.

Another strength for the Chargers has been the penalty kill. UAH has killed 85.1 percent of opponents’ power plays, which is second in the WCHA and 11th nationally.

UAH 2018-19 statistics

About the Nanooks: Alaska (1-7-2 overall, 1-2-1 WCHA) has had its own rough start in Erik Largen’s first season as head coach, although last week the Nanooks had a successful trip to Lake Superior State, taking five of six points in the WCHA series. UAF took two points after scoring in the 3-on-3 overtime following a 3-3 tie on Friday, then got its first victory 4-3 on Saturday.

The Nanooks’ leading scorer this season is freshman Chris Jandric, who has nine points. He scored his two goals, along with two assists, in the series at Lake Superior, earning him WCHA Rookie of the Week honors. His brother Steven, a sophomore, has two goals this season.

Colton Leiter, who had the most goals last season among returning players with nine, leads Alaska in goals so far this season with three.

Junior Anton Martinsson has gotten the bulk of action at goaltender this season, posting a 3.24 goals against average and a .896 save percentage in eight starts.

Alaska 2018-19 statistics

Series notes:
Overall:
Alaska leads 22-9-2.
In Fairbanks: Alaska leads 13-5-0.
In WCHA games (since 2013-14):  Alaska leads 10-3-1.
First meeting: Dec. 11-12, 1987 at Fairbanks. Alaska won 10-6 and 5-4.
Last meeting: Jan. 5-6, 2018 at Fairbanks. Alaska won 3-2, UAH won 3-1.

This week in the WCHA: All times are Central. All WCHA home games can be seen on FloHockey.tv.
* Denotes conference game.

Friday, November 16
* UAH at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
* Alaska Anchorage at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Lake Superior at #10 Bowling Green, 6:37 p.m.
* Ferris State at #3 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Michigan Tech at Clarkson, 6 p.m.
Bemidji State at #2 St. Cloud State, 7:07 p.m.

Saturday, November 17
* UAH at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
* Alaska Anchorage at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Lake Superior at #10 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at #3 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Michigan Tech at Clarkson, 6 p.m.
Bemidji State at #2 St. Cloud State, 6:07 p.m.

PHOTO GALLERY: UAH vs. Michigan Tech, Nov. 3, 2018

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UAH can’t stop slide in another loss to Tech

The Chargers played a stronger game in the series finale with Michigan Tech, but their first victory eluded them again as their scoring woes continued.

Michigan Tech defeated UAH 4-1 Saturday at the Von Braun Center, dropping the Chargers to 0-10-0 overall on the season and 0-4-0 in WCHA play.

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

The Chargers will get an off week after starting the season with five straight series. Their next action is against Alaska, also currently winless at 0-7-1, in Fairbanks on Nov. 16-17.

The Huskies improved to 3-3-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the WCHA. They didn’t dominate possession like they did in their 2-1 win on Friday, outshooting the Chargers by a slimmer margin at 29-23.

However, the Chargers mustered only one late goal, and have only scored nine goals in their 10 games.

The first period was relatively quiet, with the closest either team came to scoring was during the Michigan Tech power play. UAH goalie Mark Sinclair lost sight of the puck after a shot sent it into the air. A Husky had poked the puck past Sinclair, but a referee, having also lost sight of the puck, blew the whistle to end play beforehand.

Michigan Tech scored the first goal 47 seconds into the second period. Jake Lucchini made a drop pass to Keegan Ford, who blasted the puck from the right point, beating Sinclair high stick side.

After Connor Merkley was called for a delay of game penalty for a faceoff violation, the Huskies struck again. Lucchini found the net from the left side for a 2-0 Tech lead with 12:33 left in the second.

The Chargers had a strong power play following, with three shots on goal, but Tech goaltender Matt Jurusik was there to stop them all.

Jurusik was also there to stop Madison Dunn’s shot on a two-on-none shorthanded opportunity to keep UAH off the board.

The Huskies started the third period with a power play after a Christian Rajic slashing penalty with one second left in the second, and they used it to make it 3-0. Sinclair couldn’t stop Grayson Reitmeier’s deflection in the slot of a Seamus Donohue shot up the middle.

UAH avoided the shutout with 5:53 remaining on just its second power play goal of the season. Hans Gorowsky found Madison Dunn from the right circle to the right doorstep of Jurusik, and Dunn buried it for his first goal of the season. John Teets also netted his first assist.

It was just the second power play goal of the season for UAH in 40 opportunities.

Lucchini scored an empty net goal with 12 seconds to go after Sinclair (25 saves) was pulled for one final push.

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Preview: Michigan Tech at UAH

Where: Propst Arena at Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala,
When: Friday & Saturday, 7:07 p.m.
Watch: FloHockey.tv (subscription required)
Ticket information

Charger update: UAH (0-8-0 overall, 0-2-0 WCHA) dropped one-goal decisions to Lake Superior State in each of its first two games of the conference schedule.

“We competed very well last weekend, so we’ve got to be able to take the next step,” UAH head coach mike Corbett said. “We got on the doorstep to be able to win a game, and we didn’t finish. That’s the disappointing part.”

The Chargers finally scored multiple goals in the first game, but lost 4-3 last Friday. Tyr Thompson, Brandon Salerno, and Connor James found the back of the net.

Mark Sinclair stopped 31 of 34 shots for his third straight solid game between the pipes. That earned him another start in the second game, giving him consecutive starts for the first time.

Sinclair did well again on Saturday, making 24 saves, but the Chargers fell again 2-1. UAH had its first lead when Jack Jeffers scored early in the second period, but the Lakers scored twice in the third period for the win.

Now comes Michigan Tech to finish off three straight weekends at home with UAH still looking for its first win of the season. The Chargers have scored only seven goals in eight games.

“I’m not too worried about the other team,” Corbett said. “Right now, it’s all about us and making sure we execute under pressure. That’s going to be the biggest thing.

“Confidence and egos and things like that can be a little bit fragile right now for kids, and we’re trying to get them confident. To take a little bit from football, we want to make up for our mistakes with some aggression.”

On Friday night, the first 500 fans will receive the third set of the 2018-19 UAH hockey trading cards, courtesy of Bojangles. Kids 12 and under can get free general admission tickets, courtesy Huntsville International Airport, at the VBC box office on game days.

UAH 2018-19 statistics

About the Huskies: Michigan Tech (1-3-0) will be starting its WCHA slate against the Chargers after two tough non-conference series.

The Huskies opened the year at home against defending national champion and third-ranked Minnesota Duluth, losing 2-1 and 5-2. Last week, they traveled to No. 14 Wisconsin, splitting a pair of games each with the score of 6-2.

“Michigan Tech went to the national tournament last year,” Corbett said. “They split with Wisconsin and gave up some goals.”

Brian Halonen was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week for his performance against Wisconsin, getting two points in each of the two games. The freshman has moved into the team lead for scoring with five points.

While the Huskies are getting production from freshmen in the early going, Tech has some dangerous upperclassmen. Senior Jake Lucchini led the team in scoring (16-23-39) last season, with junior Gavin Gould and senior Jake Jackson (San Jose Sharks prospect) pitching in 14 and 13 goals, respectively.

Goaltending has been a little shaky so far. The Huskies have already used all three goalies in four games. Junior Matt Jurusik and senior Devin Kero each have posted .881 save percentages in two starts, but Kero had some success last season as Patrick Munson’s primary backup with a 2.50 GAA and .910 save percentage.

The Huskies, who won the WCHA tournament and lost in overtime to Notre Dame in the NCAA East Regional semifinals, were picked to finish fourth in both the coaches’ and UAHHockey.com media preseason polls.

Michigan Tech 2018-19 statistics

Series notes:
Overall:
Michigan Tech leads 13-1-2.
In Huntsville: MTU leads 5-0-1.
First meeting: Feb. 7-8, 2014 at Houghton, Mich. MTU won 4-1 and 10-4.
Last meeting: Oct. 20-21, 2017 at Houghton, Mich. MTU won 5-4, UAH won 4-2.
Last meeting in Huntsville: Jan. 27-28, 2017. MTU won 5-2, tied 4-4 (MTU won shootout point).

This week in the WCHA: All times are Central. All WCHA home games can be seen on FloHockey.tv. * denotes conference game.

Friday, November 2
* Michigan Tech at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Northern Michigan at #9 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.
Ferris State at Michigan State, 6 p.m.
#12 Michigan at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
#4 Minnesota State at #10 Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Saturday, November 3
* Michigan Tech at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Northern Michigan at #9 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Alaska Anchorage, 7:07 p.m.
Michigan State at Ferris State, 6 p.m.
#12 Michigan at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
#10 Minnesota at #4 Minnesota State, 7 p.m.

Photo Gallery: UAH vs. Lake Superior State, Oct. 27, 2018