Author Archives: Michael Napier

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Preview: Lake Superior State at UAH

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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: The early non-conference games are over. Now it’s time for UAH (0-6-0) to step up with the WCHA schedule beginning this week against Lake Superior State at the Von Braun Center.

“This is where you’re gonna get judged,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “This is where points are on the line for us. We’ve gained some confidence, doing some certain things, but we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The Chargers were swept last week in their first series at home against Arizona State. UAH lost a tight 2-1 affair in game one, but surrendered three goals late in the first period and never recovered in a 5-1 loss in the second game.

“They were a bigger team and they leaned on us and they took it to us physically,” Corbett said. “They scored three goals in 90 seconds at the end of the first period, when it was 0-0. Their guy made a heck of a play on the power play, which nobody’s going to stop, but we’ve got to be able to shut the door in the last 90 seconds of the period, and then come into our locker room 1-0, regroup, and the hopefully be able to go after them the rest of the game.”

UAH’s goals were scored by senior Hans Gorowsky on a breakaway on Friday, and freshman Jack Jeffers on Saturday. But that has only raised the Chargers’ goal total to just three in six games.

“We gotta score,” Corbett said. “You’re not going to win a lot of games unless you score goals, and that’s our biggest thing. But it starts in our defensive zone. More defending less and have the puck on our stick coming out of our zone, getting our transition going. Everybody wants to look at the end result, put the puck over the goal line, put it in the net, that’s simple and easy to look at. We’ve got to work on our process getting there.”

It’s Homecoming week at UAH, with the Homecoming king and queen will be crowned at Saturday night’s game.

On Friday night, the first 500 fans will receive the second 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 Lakers: Lake Superior State (2-0-0) enters the series coming off a bye week. The Lakers opened the season with a road sweep of Merrimack on Oct. 6-7, then beat Nipissing twice at home in an exhibition series the following week.

Senior forward Diego Cuglietta and junior forward Max Humitz each scored twice against Merrimack. Humitz led the Lakers in goals last season with 13, and Cuglietta was tied for second with Humitz with 23 points. Junior Anthony Nellis, who had 12 goals in 2017-18, also scored a goal against MC.

Sophomore goaltender Mareks Mitens shut out the Warriors 1-0 on Oct. 7, earning him WCHA goaltender of the week honors. Both he and senior Nick Kossoff figure to play roles between the pipes as last season, when Kossoff started 21 games (2.99 goals against average, .911 save percentage) and Mitens 15 (3.46, .896).

“We’re very familiar with [Lake Superior State],” Corbett said. “We’ve played them in a lot of close games and a lot of tight games. They’ve won a couple, we’ve won a couple, so the recent history has been pretty even. I think we can go into the weekend confident that way, that we know we can play with them. They’re an older group. They have some juniors and seniors that are talented, that have run their team as young players.”

The Lakers finished in ninth place and out of the WCHA playoffs last season. They are picked to finish eighth in the UAHHockey.com preseason poll and seventh in the coaches’ preseason poll.

Lake Superior State 2018-19 statistics

Series notes:
Overall: LSSU leads 11-7-2.
In Huntsville: LSSU leads 8-2-0.
In WCHA games (since 2013-14): LSSU leads 8-5-1.
First meeting: Jan. 14-15, 2005 at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Tied 3-3, UAH won 5-0.
Last meeting: Nov. 17-18, 2017 at Huntsville. LSSU won 3-1, UAH won 5-3.

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

Friday, October 26
* Lake Superior State at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Alaska Anchorage at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Northern Michigan, 6;07 p.m.
* Alaska at #7 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
#15 Bowling Green at #4 Ohio State, 6 p.m.
Michigan Tech at #14 Wisconsin, 7 p.m.

Saturday, October 27
* Lake Superior State at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Alaska Anchorage at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Northern Michigan, 6;07 p.m.
* Alaska at #7 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
#4 Ohio State at #15 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
Michigan Tech at #14 Wisconsin, 7 p.m.

Photo Gallery: UAH vs. Arizona State, Oct. 20, 2018

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First-period burst propels Arizona State to sweep

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Arizona State used a three-goal spurt late in the first period to defeat UAH 5-1 on Saturday and sweep the series between Division I hockey’s Sun Belt teams.

UAH (0-6-0) will still be searching for answers to its struggling offense next weekend at home against Lake Superior State, the first series of WCHA play. The Chargers have scored only three goals through the first six games of the season.

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

Arizona State improved to 4-2-0.

Things went awry for the Chargers late in the first period. It started with a power play goal by Tyler Busch, who snuck the puck past Jake Theut from inside the right circle with 1:32 remaining for a 1-0 ASU lead.

Then a deflection by Jake Clifford caused a big bounce that seemed to hogtie Theut and find the back of the net with 55 seconds to go.

Austin Lemieux then put in a rebound from all alone in front of Theut with 13 seconds left. Just like that, in a span of 1:19, UAH found itself down 3-0 at the first intermission.

“It was a tough one,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “We had played well last night, but tonight, when you give up three goals in the last 90 seconds of the first period, it hurts you. They made a good play on the power play goal and the two goals, we made mistakes and they scored.”

In the second period, Dylan Hoffman scored ASU’s fourth goal by roofing the puck over Theut’s shoulder from about the same spot as Busch’s goal.

Jack Jeffers scored his first collegiate goal with 10:06 left in the third to put UAH on the board. He was assisted by Christian Rajic and Jesper Ohrvall, getting his first UAH point after transferring from Rensselaer. But it would be the Chargers’ only goal of the night again.

“We’ve got to be able to take advantage of the opportunities we do get,” Corbett said. “We’ve got to create a little bit more. Our structure’s got to be a little bit better offensively and we’ve got to get guys more reps in that structure so that they know where to go, a little bit more predictable, so guys can make some plays.

“We’ve got guys going to areas where they shouldn’t be going. Guys are looking for them in certain areas and they’re not there. We’ve got to get everybody on the same page right now, that’s our biggest thing.”

ASU regained their four-goal lead almost immediately, however, as Jarrod Gourley scored with 9:16 remaining to make it 5-1.

The game featured a plethora of minor penalties: 14 for Arizona State and 13 for UAH. Each team had eight power plays.

ASU outshot UAH by a 35-26 margin. Sun Devil goaltender Joey Daccord finished with 25 saves in the victory. Theut stopped 30 of 35 shots for UAH.

UAH hosts Lake Superior State next Friday and Saturday. Puck drop is 7:07 p.m. both nights.

“The WCHA schedule starts next week, so we’ve got to focus on that,” Corbett said. “We’ve got to move forward. We’re talking more about attitude. You can look at our record, you can look at some of our stats and all that stuff, our attitude’s got to be great right now.

“These guys care. That’s something maybe I haven’t seen in the past all the time, but we’ve got guys that care. We’ve got good kids, and they know they’ve got work to do. That’s the biggest thing. You’ve got to look at yourself in the mirror and say we’ve got to work on Monday. We’ve got Lake State coming in this week, and we’ve still got two weeks at home, so we’ve got to make the most of it.”

Three stars of the game:
1. Jake Clifford, ASU (1 goal, 1 assist)
2. Joey Daccord, ASU (25 saves)
3. Tyler Busch, ASU (1 goal)

Chargers lose 2-1 to Arizona State in home opener

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Hans Gorowsky scores on a breakway early in the second period. (Photo by Doug Eagan)

After two rough road weekends, the Chargers played their best game of the season in their home opener, but came up short Friday in a 2-1 defeat against Arizona State.

UAH (0-5-0) had plenty of chances to score more, outshooting a continuously growing Sun Devils team by a 27-19 margin.

BOX SCORE

“I liked our game,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “That was the best game we played all year. Unfortunately we didn’t get the result that we wanted, but we played well.”

Arizona State (3-2-0) scored with 5:20 left in the first period, six seconds after a power play expired. Tyler Busch found an opening in front of the UAH net, and backhanded the puck over Mark Sinclair for his second goal of the season.

UAH snapped the scoreless drought with a great play right of the bat in the second period. Madison Dunn found a charging Hans Gorowsky at center ice, and Gorowsky broke away to beat ASU goaltender Joey Daccord and tie the game at 1-1 just 30 seconds into the period.

“It all started from a broken play,” Gorowsky said. “I just turned up ice. Madison Dunn made an unbelievable feed between two defenders. I had a full head of speed, took a fake shot and was lucky enough to have some open net to go back in for a goal.”

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUqAUUyGXw0[/embedyt]

The Chargers had gone a school-record 254 minutes and 42 seconds without a goal. Their last goal was in the first period of the season opener at Miami on October 6.

“It feels good,” Corbett said. “We didn’t talk about it, we haven’t talked about it, but the boys know it. They’re not dumb. We made a good play. Hans comes down, he gets in alone, and he finishes. We had those opportunities before us, and it’s nice to see him finish as our captain.”

“I definitely think it sparked some energy,” Gorowsky said. “We’ve been working on simplifying our game throughout the week. We just stayed simple, and good things come when you stay simple and play the game honest.”

The Sun Devils regained the lead at 2-1 with 4:18 left in the second. Brett Gruber scored from the doorstep on Sinclair’s right.

Part of the reason the Chargers were able to have a shots advantage this time was with solid power play opportunities, even though the Chargers couldn’t convert (0-for-4). Turning those chances into goals will be a key to victory down the road.

“We got to get our power play going to be able to help us and gain momentum,” Corbett said. “We got some shots on our power play, which we haven’t in weekends past. We just got to pop one. When we’re around the net, we just got to be able to get that next goal.”

The Chargers feel they can build on today’s performance and get back into the win column Saturday for the rematch at the Von Braun Center. Puck drop is at 7:07 p.m.

“There was a lot of good,” Gorowsky said. “We need to fix a few little things, a few little mistakes, but we’re take the good, build off of it and bring a stronger game tomorrow.”

“Our backs are against the wall,” Corbett said. “We gotta get a win. We want to get a non-conference win for the WCHA. That’s big for us. We need to get a win to boost our confidence. I told the boys they’ve got to believe. We just played simple today, and if we can continue to play this way we can grow from here, because our habits are good.”

Sinclair finished with 17 saves. Daccord, an Ottawa Senators prospect, stopped 26 of 27 shots.

Three stars of the game:
1. Brett Gruber, ASU (game-winning goal, assist)
2. Tyler Busch, ASU (goal, assist)
3. Hans Gorowsky, UAH (goal)

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Preview: Arizona State at UAH

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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 (0-4-0) is ready for its home opener after two rough weekends on the road.

Sophomore goaltender Mark Sinclair had a stand-out performance Friday at Colorado College, stopping 46 of 47 shots in a 1-0 loss.

The Chargers will be celebrating the 40th season of intercollegiate hockey at UAH.

On Friday night, schedule magnets will be given to the first 500 fans. On Saturday night, the first sets of UAH hockey trading cards will be given away. 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 Sun Devils: Arizona State (2-2-0) opened the season with four games at home. The Sun Devils swept their first-ever Division I series at home against Alaska with a pair of shutouts, then last week played tough against top-ranked Ohio State, losing 3-2 and 3-0.

This is the fourth season Arizona State has fielded a Division I team. Last season, the independent program had an overall record of 8-21-5, including a two-game split with the Chargers in Tempe last season.

Players to watch:
Johnny Walker (F, So., 4 goals-1 assist-5 points in 4 games played)
Brinson Pasichnuk (D, Jr., 2-1-3 in 4 GP)
Demetrious Koumontzis (F, Fr., 1-1-2 in 4 GP, Calgary Flames prospect)
Joey Daccord (G, Jr., 1.27 GAA, .952 SV%, in 4 GP, Ottawa Senators prospect)
Arizona State 2018-19 statistics

Series notes:
Overall: Tied 1-1-0.
At Huntsville: This will be the first meeting at the VBC.
Past meeting: Nov. 3-4, 2017 in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State 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.

Friday, October 19
Arizona State at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
Mercyhurst at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
Northern Michigan at St. Cloud State, 7:07 p.m.
Minnesota State at North Dakota, 7:37 p.m.
Alaska at Denver, 8:07 p.m.

Saturday, October 20
Arizona State at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
Northern Michigan at St. Cloud State, 4:07 p.m.
Mercyhurst at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
Minnesota State at North Dakota, 7:07 p.m.
Alaska at Denver, 8:07 p.m.

Tuesday, October 23
Western Michigan at Bowling Green, 6:37 p.m.

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40 years of UAH hockey blue and white (and other colors)

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Updated: Corrections made to the 1979-80 and 1980-81 illustrations. (10/22/2018)
Updated: Additional information about the 1980-81 jersey patch. (11/2/2018)

The University of Alabama in Huntsville, home of the Chargers who wear blue and white, is celebrating its 40th anniversary season of intercollegiate ice hockey. Beginning with the first club team in 1979, to the three club championships leading to the becoming a varsity sport in 1985, to winning NCAA Division II championships in 1996 and 1998, to the NCAA Division I tournament appearances in 2007 and 2010, to the rising WCHA program today, UAH is a unique case where a nontraditional sport for the South has been a school tradition anyway for four decades.

The Chargers have had many jersey styles throughout the years, and each era has its own defined look. The following uniform history only covers the regular jerseys, not including special events such as military appreciation or throwbacks.

Club Era, Rise to Varsity (1979-87)

The chest design, only visible from the inside because of the covering added for 1980-81. This photo is reversed.

For their first year of existence, the UAH club team used a silhouette of the original Uhlan Charger logo with “UAH” in a semicircle above it.

1980-81

Bud McLaughlin

Bud McLaughlin

Close-up, courtesy Mike Finnegan

Is this a cover-up? The original design with the Uhlan Charger is replaced with a conspicuous blue circle with “UAH Chargers” and a pair of hockey sticks. Note that you can see individual threads for the lettering and sticks.

According to Joe Ritch, the founder and first head coach, the club program had a very small budget from UAH in the second year. They were able to buy some new equipment, but not enough for a new set of uniforms. The first season’s uniforms were worn both home and away, and washing them caused the silkscreen logo to start fading. So, with the help of the old Fred Sington Sporting Goods location in Huntsville, cheap patches were made to cover the fading logo.

1981-82

1981-82 Blue

Helped by the excitement around the gold-medal champion 1980 U.S. Olympic team, the Chargers started selling out the Von Braun Civic Center in the 1980-81 season. By the 1981-82 season, the team had a small but decent budget with the help of the school and the VBCC.

The Chargers saw new uniforms with a traditional style, with the word “CHARGERS” in a diagonal line. UAH won its first U.S. National Club Championship in Colorado Springs in this jersey.

A blue jersey was unveiled in the 1982 Southern Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament championship game at the VBCC against Tennessee. Bud McLaughlin explains: “We warmed up in our whites, changed after the warmup, and came out in those – the first time to wear blue sweaters. The crowd went wild.”

1982-83

The team stayed with blue for the 1982-83 season, using an inverted version of the white jersey. The Chargers won their second consecutive U.S. National Club Championship.

1983-87 Home

1983-84 U.S. National Club Champions

UAH vs. Windsor, 1985

For the remainder of UAH’s club era and for the first two seasons as a varsity program, the Chargers’ white jersey featured “UAH” in large block letters. This was the first version to feature numbers on the sleeves.

Currently, I do not have any photos of the blue road jersey from this era. Goaltender Jim Mitchell tells me, “I recall it was a great looking jersey, I believe it said Alabama Huntsville on the front, Alabama was in script on top of Huntsville. It was mostly blue with white and silver trim. It was a great looking jersey.” If someone had a good photo of this jersey in action, please email it to me at m@uahhockey.com.

First Division I Era (1987-92)

1987-92 Home

Stu Vitue and Jean-Marc Plante

1987-90 Away

1988-89 Chargers

1990-93 Away

Doug McDonald

This was the style of UAH’s first NCAA Division I era (1987-92). These were the first to use an accent color with the blue and white — in this case, silver. The home whites had “U.A.H.” on the front, the only time periods were used in the abbreviation. The road blues are, to my knowledge, the only uniform in any sport at UAH to spell out the school’s full name. Around 1990, the silver and white stripes on the sleeves and waist were closed in to match the style on the home whites.

Division II Era (1992-1998)

1992-93 Home

UAH vs. Army, 1993

For one season (1992-93), the first returning to NCAA Division II, the Chargers adopted light blue as its accent color on their home jerseys. This also marked the first time the short name “Alabama Huntsville” was used on the uniform. The road jersey did not change that year.

1993-96 Home

1996 Division II national champions

1996-2001 Home

1998 Division II national champions

1993-2001 Away

Cedrick Billequey

The Division II era was defined by national championships — and red accents. Using red wasn’t just a hockey thing at the time: The basketball teams and the newborn baseball program also used red as an accent color.

Starting with 1996-97 season, UAH incorporated the mid-’90s fashion trend of diagonal lines in its home jersey. Think of the St. Louis Blues and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim at the time.

This same version of the blue uniform would be used for quite a while — for eight seasons — even when the home whites were tweaked in 1996. The Chargers didn’t wear blue often, though, spending a lot of time dominating at home during the Division II era.

Modern Division I Era, CHA (1999-2010)

2001-06 Home

Jared Ross

Jared Ross

Karlis Zirnis

2001-07 Away

2007 CHA Tournament champions

The Chargers went back to basics in 2001, going straight blue and white, just after the start of the program’s modern Division I era and becoming a member of College Hockey America. The home white featured an inverted version of the then-new UAH Chargers logo.

The road blues retained the script “Alabama Huntsville” on the front. This was UAH’s first use of logos on the shoulders. The College Hockey America logo was on the back of the collar.

2006-08 Home

2006-07 Chargers

2007-08 Away

Kevin Morrison

2007-08 Alternate

Brandon Roshko

In 2006-07, head coach Doug Ross’s final season, UAH stayed with a simple blue and white design and switched the logo with UAH in block letters. This design introduced blue stripes on the sides and the under side of the sleeves.

The Chargers would still wear the script “Alabama Huntsville” road blues that season, which culminated in their first Division I tournament appearance  after winning the CHA tournament. For the 2007-08 season, UAH switched to an inverse blue version of the home whites.

In January of the 2007-08 season, UAH wore alternate uniforms for the first time at the Von Braun Center against Yale. They were the Chargers’ first black uniforms, using an slightly different version of the flaming horse logo from the Calgary Flames’ alternate jersey of the early 2000s.

2008-10 Home

Cam Talbot

2008-10 Away

2010 CHA Tournament Champions

The Chargers started incorporating black into their main ensemble in 2008. The home white was an tweaked version of the 2006-08 iteration, while the road blue brought back the main UAH Chargers logo on the front.

This would be the set worn through the final days of College Hockey America.

Division I Independent (2010-13)

2010-13 Home

Ben Reinhardt

2010-12 Away

Jamie Easton

2013 Away

John Griggs

UAH adopted a new set during the uncertain years of Division I independence. The home white was derived from the New York Rangers white design, replacing red with black and displaying “UAH” in a diagonal formation. The “Charge On” patch above the U was in response to the shooting disaster at UAH in 2010.

The road blue is odd in that there’s not much in common with the home white. The stripe pattern and lettering font is different. The front design is more like what you’d find on a baseball jersey. (Perhaps the baseball team should consider it.)

In the middle of the 2012-13 season, when UAH was pushing to get into the WCHA, the Chargers changed up their road jersey to basically a prototype of what was to come. “Alabama Huntsville” returns to the front, with the horse logo in the middle. Speaking of baseball, the interlocking “UAH” logo, which the UAH baseball team has used on its caps since its inception in 1996, was the shoulder patch.

WCHA Era (2013-present)

2013-15 Home

Craig Pierce

Craig Pierce

2013-present Away

Kurt Gosselin

2013-17 Alternate

Brandon Carlson

A new conference gave the Charger program new life and a new set of uniforms. The basic design of the white and blue jerseys is based off the Chicago Blackhawks template, including the name and number fonts. The Indianapolis Colts-style horseshoe logo makes its debut on the shoulders.

The horse logo makes its return on the home whites, with UAH appearing above it this time. We see the refinement of that prototype blue jersey from the 2012-13 season. In my opinion, today’s blue jersey is the best UAH has ever had.

UAH debuted a permanent third jersey, and it’s UAH’s first gray sweater. Another unique trait of this jersey is the shape of Alabama on the shoulders, with a white star where Huntsville is located.

2015-present Home

Josh Kestner

Josh Kestner

2015-present Alt. Away

Matt Salhany

2017-present Alt. Home

Tyler Poulsen

Tyler Poulsen

There have been some changes in the WCHA uniform set up to the present day. In 2015, the home jersey saw a bit more blue added with blue shoulder yokes and a thicker blue stripe on the sleeves and waist, addressing a problem I had with the originals.

The blue jerseys are still part of the road set, but now the Chargers also wear a black jersey that uses elements from both the home whites and road blues.

In the second half of last season, UAH debuted a new alternate gray at home. This one is a bit simpler, opting for just a horse head logo on a blue stripe across the chest. This is the first UAH jersey to have not have “UAH”, “Chargers”, “Alabama Huntsville”, or any lettering on the front (save for the WCHA logo).

Special thanks to those who contributed photos and insight: Bud McLaughlin (1980-82), Jim Mitchell (1983-87), Mike Quenneville (1987-89), and Stu Vitue (1990-93). Photos also by Doug Eagan/UAH Athletics, Jazzmine Jordan, Will Nickerson, Chris Brightwell, and Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography. Questions and corrections are welcome at m@uahhockey.com.

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Brutal road trip ends with 6-0 loss to Denver

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Even with the tough opponents on the road and the questions regarding the offense, it’s hard to imagine a more nightmarish start for the Chargers.

UAH lost to 10th-ranked Denver 6-0 on Saturday, falling to 0-4-0 on the young season.

BOX SCORE

The Chargers have now been shut out in three straight games for the second time in program history, and have only scored once in four games. UAH has not scored in 234 minutes and 12 seconds since Austin Beaulieu’s goal in the first period of the season opener last Saturday at Miami.

All UAH can do is reset, keep plugging, and hope home cooking comes in handy next Friday and Saturday against Arizona State at the VBC.

The Chargers were blistered in the shots on goal totals again, 49-16, not including 28 shots they blocked. Jake Theut made 43 saves in his second UAH start in goal.

Denver (2-0-0) wasted next to no time getting on the board. Les Lancaster’s blast from the right point found its way past Theut just 25 seconds into the contest. The Pioneers scored two goals in each period. Denver scored twice on the power play, and Liam Finlay had a hat trick.

The closest UAH came to scoring was in the third period, when Hans Gorowsky thought he had scored with 8:25 to go. The net had come off its mooring, but video review determined the puck did not cross the goal line ahead of time. Gorowsky also had a backhander go off the crossbar late in the second period.

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Sinclair sensational but drought continues in 1-0 loss to CC

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Mark Sinclair had his finest collegiate outing by far, but it wasn’t enough to overcome UAH’s scoring woes.

Sinclair made a career-high 46 saves on 47 Tiger shots in the Chargers’ 1-0 loss at Colorado College on Friday.

UAH (0-3-0), which scored on its first shot in the season opener last Saturday at Miami, hasn’t found the net since in being shut out for a second straight game. It didn’t help that the Chargers again didn’t get nearly as many chances as the Tigers (2-1-0) , who only allowed 18 shots.

BOX SCORE

UAH has been kept under 20 shots on goal in all three games. It won’t get any easier Saturday, when the Chargers head to Denver to face the 10th-ranked Pioneers at 8:07 p.m. CDT.

The struggle for puck possession that hurt the Chargers at Miami last week continued into the first period on Friday. Boosted by three power plays, including a full two-minute, two-man advantage about halfway through the period, the Tigers outshot UAH by a whopping 23-5 in the frame.

Sinclair, a sophomore who is still winless in seven career starts, was on point in his second start of the season, however, stopping all 23 pucks. The defensive corps also pitched in with 10 blocked shots. Meanwhile, UAH could only muster 10 shot attempts in the first.

Still, it was a scoreless game, and the Chargers showed some energy in the second period. They had longer sustained moments with the puck, and the shot totals actually went UAH’s way at 10-8.

But Colorado College would the score the lone goal at the 7:26 mark. Christiano Versich took a pass from left wing, one-timed it from the slot and beat Sinclair on the Tigers’ 26th shot on goal.

That would be all the Tigers needed, but not for lack of trying to extend their lead in the third. CC posted another 16 shots on goal for a total of 47.

Sinclair was phenomenal, stopping everything the rest of the way with the body and glove. The best came with 4:51 to go, when Alex Berardinelli redirected a shot on him from point blank and Sinclair pounced.

But UAH could only got three shots in the third on Tiger goalie Alex Leclerc, who finished with 18 saves for his seventh career shutout.

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Preview: UAH at Colorado College, #10 Denver

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UAH at Colorado College
Where: Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colo.
When: Friday, 8:30 p.m. CDT
Watch: NCHC.tv (subscription required*)

UAH at #10 Denver
Where: Magness Arena, Denver, Colo.
When: Saturday, 8:07 p.m. CDT
Watch: NCHC.tv (subscription required*)

The Chargers would probably like a do-over after a rough first weekend for the Chargers (0-2-0), who lost at Miami (Ohio) by scores of 5-1 Saturday and 4-0 Sunday. They’ll take what they’ve learned out west this week with single games at NCHC foes Colorado College and Denver.

UAH struggled to mount an offense against Miami. The RedHawks outshot the Chargers a combined 83-29 for the series, including a 45-11 advantage on Sunday. UAH only had five power plays for the weekend.

The Chargers’ lone goal came on their first shot on goal on Saturday, by Austin Beaulieu.

Kurt Gosselin had an assist on Saturday, but got a game misconduct penalty for contact to the head of a Miami player in the second player. The WCHA suspended Gosselin for Sunday’s game, but he’ll be back in the lineup Friday.

Mark Sinclair had a career-high 33 saves in net on Saturday. Jake Theut made 41 saves in goal on Sunday, his first start for UAH after transferring from Northeastern.

UAH 2018-19 statistics

About the Tigers: Colorado College (1-1-0) split its season-opening series at Alaska Anchorage last week, rolling over the Seawolves 10-2 on Saturday but falling 4-3 on Sunday.

Senior Westin Michaud was named the NCHC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring twice and getting two assists in the Tigers’ win over UAA.

Colorado College, which finished seventh in the NCHC last season and was 15-17-5 overall, is predicted to finish sixth in the league’s media preseason poll.

Players to watch (with 2017-18 statistics):
Nick Halloran (F, Jr., 19 goals-26 assists-45 points, All-American)
Mason Bergh (F, Sr., 18-22-40)
Trey Bradley (F, Sr., 7-24-31)
Alex Leclerc (G, Sr., 3.21 goals against average, .907 save percentage, 4 shutouts)

Series notes:
Overall: Colorado College leads 8-1-0.
At Colorado Springs: Colorado College leads 7-0-0.
First meeting: Oct. 7, 2006 in Colorado Springs. Colorado College won 8-1.
Last meeting: Dec. 18-19, 2015 in Huntsville. Colorado College won 5-2, UAH won 2-1.

About the Pioneers: Denver will be opening its season Friday at Air Force before entertaining the Chargers at Magness Arena. The Pioneers won a preseason exhibition game against Alberta 6-4 on Saturday.

The Pioneers finished 23-10-8 overall last season and second place in the NCHC. DU won the NCHC tournament and reached the NCAA tournament Midwest Regional final in 2018, one year after winning the national championship.

The NCHC preseason media poll has Denver placing fifth this season, the drop coming from losing their top three scorers (who all signed NHL deals) and All-American goaltender Tanner Jaillet. Also, head coach Jim Montgomery left to coach the Dallas Stars. Still, the Pioneers will be a formidable challenge with six NHL prospects.

Players to watch (with 2017-18 statistics):
Ian Mitchell (D, So., 2 goals-28 assists-30 points, Chicago Black Hawks prospect)
Jarid Lukosevicius (F, Sr., 21-13-34)
Colin Staub (F. Sr., 7-15-22)

Series notes:
Overall: Denver leads 5-1-0.
At Denver: Denver leads 5-1-0.
First meeting: Jan. 26 & 28, 2001 in Denver. Denver won 4-0 and 3-0.
Last meeting: Jan. 6-7, 2012 in Denver. UAH won 3-2, Denver won 5-2.

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

Friday, October 12
UAH at Colorado College, 8:30 p.m.
Northern Michigan at Michigan State, 6 p.m.
#20 Bowling Green at Robert Morris, 6:05 p.m.
#18 Western Michigan at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
#3 Minnesota Duluth at #19 Michigan Tech, 6:37 p.m.
#13 North Dakota at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
#8 Boston University at #11 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
#5 St. Cloud State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
Nipissing at Lake Superior State (exhibition), 6:07 p.m.

Saturday, October 13
UAH at #10 Denver, 8:07 p.m.
Ferris State at #18 Western Michigan, 6:05 p.m.
#3 Minnesota Duluth at #19 Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
Northern Michigan at Michigan State, 6:30 p.m.
#8 Boston University at #11 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Bemidji State at #13 North Dakota, 7:07 p.m.
#5 St. Cloud State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
Nipissing at Lake Superior State (exhibition), 6:07 p.m.

Sunday, October 14
Robert Morris at #20 Bowling Green, 4:07 p.m.

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Chargers are no match for Miami, shut out 4-0

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The Chargers were shut out 4-0 on Sunday, completing a dominating season-opening sweep by Miami in Oxford, Ohio.

The RedHawks outshot the Chargers 45-11 and were rarely out of the UAH zone. Miami also had a 37-15 faceoff advantage.

BOX SCORE

Goaltender Jake Theut, the transfer from Northeastern making in his first start for UAH, put in a solid effort with 41 saves.

UAH had to deal with the absence of senior captain Kurt Gosselin, who was suspended for one game by the WCHA for his contact to the head of Miami forward Carter Johnson in the second period of Saturday’s game. Johnson was not in the RedHawks lineup Sunday as a precautionary measure.

The Chargers had their best 5-on-5 pressure of the weekend through a good chunk of the first period, but the RedHawks regained control of possession in the final minutes of the period.

Theut kept the game scoreless primarily with his glove. He made nine saves in the first.

The RedHawks continued to press throughout the second period, and netted two goals in the process to lead 2-0. River Rymsha scored from the left point at the 5:39 mark, and then Karch Bachman tipped in a rebound off Theut at 8:23.

Miami put up two more goals in the third period as they outshot the Chargers 23-3. Josh Melnick bounced one off the crossbar with 16:36 to go. With 6:14 left, Ryan Siroky snuck the puck behind Theut on a rebound.

UAH heads to Colorado next for single games against Colorado College on Friday and Denver on Saturday.