Author Archives: Michael Napier

Preview: Chargers riding high for rematch at UConn

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CATCHING THE GAMES
Friday, Oct. 7, 6:05 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 8, 3:05 p.m.
Watch online (subscription)
Listen: WHUS-FM
Twitter: @weloveuahhockey, @uahhockey
Both games shown at UAH’s CU Theater

Coming off their first 2-0 start in 15 years, the Chargers look to get a streak going in their first non-conference series of the season. UAH visits Connecticut at the XL Center in Hartford on Friday and Saturday.

All-time series: The Chargers are 9-3-0 against Connecticut dating back to 1988. The teams opened last season in Huntsville, with each team winning a 5-2 decision. Only once has UAH gone to UConn, beating the Huskies 3-0 at the UConn Classic in 1998.

Charger recap: UAH started a season 2-0 for the first time since 2001-02 after going to Big Rapids and beating 20th-ranked Ferris State 2-1 and 4-3. It was the WCHA opening series.

In game one, Max McHugh opened the scoring with a goal at 5:21 of the first period. Ferris State tied the game shortly after, but Hans Gorowsky got the game-winner with 10:41 left in the game. Matt Larose stopped 37 of 38 shots, making 20 saves in the third period alone.

FSU scored first in game two, but Matt Salhany quickly equalized. Ferris State retook the lead in the second period, but UAH scored three unanswered goals (Brent Fletcher and McHugh in the second, Brennan Saulnier in the third) to take a 4-2 lead. Larose finished with another 30 saves as the Bulldogs make a final push.

It was the first time UAH swept a series from a ranked team.

About the Huskies: This is Connecticut’s season opener. Last week, the Huskies lost 4-3 to St. Francis Xavier in an exhibition.

Last season, UConn went 11-21-4 overall and 6-12-4 in Hockey East, finishing in eighth place and losing to Vermont in the first round of the Hockey East playoffs. The Huskies were picked to finished seventh in their league according to the preseason coaches’ poll.

UConn is led by two sophomores who tore it up in their rookie campaigns. Max Letunov, an Arizona Coyotes prospect, was a Hockey East All-Star last season after scoring 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points to lead the team. Letunov scored a hat trick against the Chargers in the season opener last year.

Joining Letunov is Tage Thompson, who went 14-18-32. These two accounted for 34 percent of UConn’s goal production last season.

Rob Nichols is the lead man between the pipes, now in his senior year. In 2015-16, he posted a .911 save percentage and 2.93 save percentage in 29 starts.

Around the WCHA: Two conference series are on the docket: League favorite Bowling Green visits Bemidji State, while co-MacNaughton Cup champions Michigan Tech and Minnesota State meet in Mankato.

All times Central. Games featuring WCHA teams at home can be seen on WCHA.tv.

Thursday, Oct. 6
Western Michigan at #20 Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 7
UAH at Connecticut, 6:05 p.m.
#14 Bowling Green at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
#17 Michigan Tech at #19 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
#20 Ferris State at Western Michigan, 6:05 p.m.
Wisconsin vs. Northern Michigan at Green Bay, 7:07 p.m.
#13 Minnesota at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 8
UAH at Connecticut, 3:05 p.m.
#14 Bowling Green at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
#17 Michigan Tech at #19 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Wisconsin vs. Northern Michigan at Green Bay, 7:07 p.m.
Alaska at Alaska Anchorage (non-conference), 10:07 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 9
#13 Minnesota vs. Alaska at Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.

McHugh, Larose win season’s first WCHA weekly awards

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Matt Larose

Matt Larose (Photo by UAH Athletics)

Two Chargers earned WCHA weekly honors on Monday for their contributions to the Chargers’ season-opening sweep at Ferris State.

Max McHugh was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Week after scoring a goal in each game. The junior center and alternate captain put UAH up 1-0 on Saturday while falling to his knees in the slot, and broke a 2-2 tie on Sunday while on the power play. It’s his first Offensive Player of the Week award after earning two Rookie of the Week awards in his freshman season.

Matt Larose won his second WCHA Defensive Player of the Week award between the pipes. The senior stopped 37 of 38 Bulldog shots as the Chargers won 2-1 on Saturday. On Sunday, he made 30 more saves in UAH’s 4-3 win, giving him a .944 save percentage.

The Chargers, 2-0-0 to start the season, visit Connecticut on Friday and Saturday for their first non-conference series of the year.

 

UAH beats Ferris for sweep; starts 2-0 for first time since ’01

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The Chargers may just be shedding that pushover label once and for all.

UAH played another solid game at Ferris State on Sunday, beating the Bulldogs 4-3 in Big Rapids and earning a WCHA sweep on the road to start the season.

BOX SCORE

UAH is 2-0-0 for the first time since 2001. Ferris State, ranked No. 20 in the USCHO.com preseason poll, fell to 0-2-0. It was also UAH’s first-ever series sweep over a ranked opponent.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkNv6I_UVUc[/embedyt]

 

However, like it has been and will still be, it wasn’t easy.

UAH gave Ferris State numerous opportunities in the first period, committing four penalties for four Bulldog power play opportunities.

The Charger penalty killing unit was mostly effective while busy, but FSU eventually struck on the fourth chance as Tyler Andrew got one between the legs of UAH goaltender Matt Larose at 10:45.

But UAH fought right back 32 seconds later, as off the faceoff Matt Salhany got two backhand shots on FSU goalie Darren Smith, and the second one found the net to tie the game 1-1.

Brandon Salerno and Jordan Larson got the assists on the goal for their first UAH career points.

Ferris State quickly took the lead in the second period, as WCHA preseason player of the year Gerald Mayhew caught Larose out of position and scored on a wide open net just 36 seconds in.

The special teams took over to propel the Chargers into the lead. After a Richard Buri hooking penalty put UAH shorthanded, Brent Fletcher puts in the rebound of a Cody Marooney shot to tie the game at 2-2 with 8:54 left in the second period.

Then UAH took the lead on the power play with 2:39 left in the second. Max McHugh notched his second goal of the series and season, assisted by Kurt Gosselin and Cam Knight, after Ferris State’s Chris Allemon went off for tripping.

The Chargers weren’t content to go into a shell, pressing the issue in the third period. UAH extended its lead to 4-2 when Brennan Saulnier deflected a Josh Kestner pass to the slot, beating Smith with 13:27 to go. It was Saulnier’s first goal since Oct. 30 of last season at Lake Superior State.

Of course, the Bulldogs would not go quietly. Mayhew poked in a rebound past Larose with 2:37 to go to cut UAH’s lead to 4-3.

FSU pulled Smith for an extra attacker with 1:20 left, and had a flurry of chances the rest of the way, but could not find the equalizer.

Larose had 29 saves in the contest as Ferris State outshot the Chargers 33-27.

Ferris State finished 1-for-7 on the power play. UAH went 1-for-2.

UAH visits Connecticut for its first non-conference series of the season next weekend (Oct. 7-8).

UAH holds on to beat No. 20 Ferris State, win first opener since ’09

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UAH came into this season planning to “turn the corner” — as in turning the ties and one-goal losses into victories, using the experience of the last three years to achieve it.

It’s just the opener and there’s a long way to go, but the Chargers showed they mean business Friday night in Big Rapids, beating No. 20 Ferris State 2-1 in the WCHA’s and men’s college hockey’s first official game of the season.

BOX SCORE

UAH (1-0-0) won its season opener for the first time since 2009, when the Chargers stunned No. 5 Notre Dame in South Bend. It was also the first time UAH beat a ranked opponent in 39 attempts, dating back to a 2-1 win at No. 11 Denver in 2012.

Matt Larose made 37 saves in net for the Chargers, who, particularly in the third period, had to weather a talented Ferris State (0-1-0) offense featuring WCHA preseason player of the year Gerald Mayhew.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bWDRiYho0Q[/embedyt]

Mayhew was kept off the scoresheet, although he had six shots on goal.

UAH’s offensive star, Max McHugh, got UAH on the board early with the first goal of the season at the 5:21 mark. McHugh went to his knees in front of the net to beat Ferris State goaltender Darren Smith and give UAH a 1-0 lead. Josh Kestner and Brennan Saulnier got the assists.

FSU tied the game at the 9:00 mark, as Mitch Maloney had a shot deflect off the skate of UAH defenseman Cam Knight past Larose.

Ferris State had chances to take the lead early in the second after back-to-back penalties on Kestner and Cody Marooney.

But it was the Chargers who would take the lead again at the 9:19 mark of the second, as Hans Gorowsky, on a breakaway from a pass by Kurt Gosselin, backhanded the puck past Smith.

Larose and Smith traded big saves for the rest of the middle period. Smith denied Kestner with his glove, and Larose used his shoulder and glove to stop FSU’s Chad MacDonald, who was all alone in the left circle. After two periods, UAH had a 2-1 lead with both teams having 18 shots on goal.

If the third-period strategy was to get more pucks on Larose, then it was successful. The Bulldogs fired 20 shots on net in a wild period, but Larose made all the critical stops, including one on a wide-open Corey Mackin with under a minute to go.

Game two of the series is at 2:07 p.m. Central Time and can be seen on WCHA.tv.

Preview: UAH opens 2016-17 campaign at Ferris State

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CATCHING THE GAMES
Saturday, Oct. 1, 4:07 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 2, 2:07 p.m.

Using the experience gained from three tough years in the WCHA, the Chargers head into their fourth league campaign looking to climb the standings and back into the playoffs.

The season starts Saturday in Big Rapids, Michigan, as UAH faces a Ferris State club looking to build upon its WCHA tournament championship and NCAA tournament appearance last season and challenge the upper echelon for the MacNaughton Cup. Puck drop is at 4:07 p.m. Central on Saturday and 2:07 p.m. Sunday and can be seen on WCHA.tv.

It is UAH’s 32nd varsity season and 38th overall.

All-time series: Ferris State leads 13-3-1, including an 8-1-1 advantage in Big Rapids. Last season, the teams met twice in Big Rapids, with a 3-3 tie (FSU getting an extra-attacker tying goal with 1:03 left in regulation) and a 4-1 Ferris State win. The clubs face off in Huntsville on Dec. 3 and 4.

Max McHugh (Photo by UAH Athletics)

Max McHugh (Photo by UAH Athletics)

Charger recap: UAH finished last season with an 7-21-6 record overall and a 5-17-6 record in the WCHA. The Chargers finished in 10th place and missed the playoffs. They are expected to finish ninth according to the WCHA coaches’ and media preseason polls.

UAH bumped its scoring output to 2.15 goals per game last season, but the Chargers will need more to get back into the postseason. They’ll rely on a set of core veterans led by junior Max McHugh, who was UAH’s leading scorer in each of his first two seasons. In 2015-16, McHugh had 22 points on seven goals and 15 assists.

Huntsville native Josh Kestner, now a junior, also had seven goals last season, while Brandon Parker and Brennan Saulnier, also juniors, had 11 assists apiece. Saulnier had six goals in the first five games of 2015-16.

Senior Matt Larose will be the likely starter in net. He had a .921 save percentage and 2.61 goals against average in 16 starts last season. Senior Carmine Guerriero will sit out the first 12 games of the season by NCAA rules, because he played junior games past his 21st birthday. Junior Jordan Uhelski will be the backup.

About the Bulldogs: Ferris State finished the 2015-16 season with a 20-15-6 overall record and a 13-11-4 WCHA record. The Bulldogs finished fourth in the league in the regular-season race, but defeated both co-MacNaughton Cup champions, Michigan Tech and Minnesota State, at the Final Five to win the conference tournament and a spot in the NCAA tournament. At the West Regional, they took out St. Cloud State before losing to Denver in the final.

The Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth again in the WCHA in both the coaches and media preseason polls. Ferris State is ranked 20th in the USCHO.com preseason poll.

Senior Gerald Mayhew, who scored 16 goals and 41 points last season to earn All-WCHA second team honors, was picked by the coaches and media to win the Preseason Player of the Year. Sophomore Corey Mackin scored 10 goals and 25 points to win the league’s Rookie of the Year crown. Chad MacDonald also returns as a senior after scoring 10 goals last season.

Sophomore goaltender Darren Smith played 33 games for the Bulldogs in his freshman season, posting a .919 save percentage and 2.33 goals against average.

UAH in season openers: The Chargers haven’t won a season-opening game since 2009, when UAH stunned No. 5 Notre Dame 3-2 in South Bend. UAH is 11-18-2 all-time in openers, but 4-12-1 in the modern Division I era.

Around the WCHA: UAH-Ferris State is the first conference series of the season. Michigan Tech is at Minnesota Duluth for a big non-conference series, while some other league teams are playing preseason exhibitions.

All times Central. Games featuring WCHA teams at home can be seen on WCHA.tv.

Friday, Sept. 30
Simon Fraser at Alaska Anchorage (exhibition), 10:07 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 1
UAH at #20 Ferris State, 4:07 p.m.
#17 Michigan Tech at #6 Minnesota Duluth, 7:07 p.m.
Windsor at #14 Bowling Green (exhibition), 11 a.m.
Regina at #19 Minnesota State (exhibition), 7 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 2
UAH at #20 Ferris State, 2:07 p.m.
#17 Michigan Tech at #6 Minnesota Duluth, 4:07 p.m.
Laurentian at Lake Superior State (exhibition), 4 p.m.
Victoria at Northern Michigan (exhibition), 6:08 p.m.
Simon Fraser at Alaska (exhibition), 10:07 p.m.

Hoof Beats: Notes for the season, WCHA.tv, and promos

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Some statistical tidbits to look out for as the 2016-17 season starts in just one week:

Top UAH scorers since the 2007-08 season
G A Pts
Andrew Coburn 21 33 54
Chad Brears 19 27 46
Max McHugh 19 26 45
Brandon Roshko 3 42 45
  • Junior Max McHugh may be the Chargers’ most potent scorer in a decade. He has 19 goals and 45 points in his UAH career, leading all active Chargers in just two seasons. McHugh has the third-most goals and third-most points in the last nine seasons.
  • Four players have a shot to catch and pass the all-time UAH record for career games played, which is 137 by Joel Bresciani (1999-2003). Brent Fletcher, Cody Marooney, and Brandon Carlson, at 105 games played each, can catch Bresciani if they play 32 of UAH’s 34 regular-season games this season (plus any postseason play). Matt Salhany, with 103 games played, could also catch Bresciani.
  • Matt Larose

    Matt Larose

    UAH has two senior goaltenders, Matt Larose and Carmine Guerriero, for the first time since the 1986-87 season (Barry Friedman and Jim Mitchell).

  • Guerriero has played 3,911 minutes in his UAH career, which is fourth-most in school history. He is 747 minutes (about 13 full games) from catching Mark Byrne (1999-2003) for third place. Guerriero’s .914 save percentage is second in UAH’s modern Division I history and third all-time.
  • Should the Chargers make the WCHA playoffs, the first game will be the 1,000th varsity game in UAH’s hockey history. The Jan. 7 game against Minnesota State will be the Chargers’ 500th varsity home game.
  • Freshman Austin Beaulieu of Coral Springs will be UAH’s second player from Florida and first since Mike Dalton (1982-86). Freshman Sean Rappleyea of Sayre will be UAH’s second player from New Jersey and first since James Kodrowski (1998-2000).

WCHA.tv packages available: The 2016-17 edition of WCHA.tv, the WCHA’s online streaming platform, is ready for ordering with a number of packages available.

The full-league season pass is $104.99, which gives you live and on demand access to every WCHA team’s home game this season. If you only want to see the Chargers, the single-team season pass is $89.99 and includes all 28 conference games.

For UAH fans who will be at all the home games and therefore only need to see the road games online, there is a new single-team road pass. You get all of the Chargers’ 14 WCHA road games for $44.99.

Monthly and nightly passes are also available. Visit WCHA.tv for more information.

Promotional schedule unveiled: UAH announced the 2016-17 hockey promotional schedule on Monday.

Opening night is Friday, Oct. 21 against Lake Superior State, when UAH schedule magnets will be given away. Military Appreciation Weekend is Nov. 11 and 12 against Alaska, when all veterans and active military personnel receive free admission.

UAH hockey trading cards will be given away on all Saturday games.

UAH, picked 9th, looks to ‘turn the corner’

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The Chargers were picked to just miss the WCHA playoffs this season by the coaches and media, selected to finish ninth in both preseason polls released Tuesday during the league’s preseason media teleconference.

Last season, UAH finished in last place with a 5-17-6 conference record, falling four points short of a playoff berth. UAH head coach Mike Corbett, now in his fourth season at the helm, says it is time for the Chargers to “turn the corner.”

“Our group has taken a lot of punches over the course of the last three years,” Corbett said. “Some well deserved. But we’ve taken a lot of punches and yet my guys have gained a lot of experience playing North Dakota, St. Cloud, and Colorado College, along with the WCHA schedule because every night it’s a battle. My team and I have grown together over the course of the last three years.”

Seniors Brent Fletcher and Matt Salhany, along with junior Max McHugh, who led the Chargers in scoring the past two seasons, will be the Charger captains this season.

“Those guys are leading us,” Corbett said. “Our two goaltenders, Matt Larose and Carmine Guerriero, and Brandon Carlson and Regan Soquila, our seniors: Those are the guys will be leaning on heavily. They’ve seen it all in college hockey, from a program that folded to a team that was not very good in their freshman year, moving up into the WCHA, being in every game, giving ourselves a chance to win.

“We’ve got a full complement of Division I players in our lineup right now. To me, the biggest thing is to be able to add depth.”

The top eight teams in the WCHA make the playoffs, which have a new twist: All playoff games will be held at the rinks of the higher seeds, with best-of-3 quarterfinals and semifinals, and a single-game championship.

WCHA games will also be worth three points in the standings, with an extra overtime of 3-on-3 hockey for five minutes following the traditional 5-on-5 overtime, and a shootout if the game is still tied after that. Winners get three points for a win in regulation or the 5-on-5 overtime, two for a win in 3-on-3 OT or the shootout. Losers in the 3-on-3 OT or the shootout get one point.

“These new changes with the playoff format and the overtime changes, and the NHL nets, will make for an exciting and fantastic year,” WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson said.

“We are concentrating on making the existing WCHA as strong as it can be for our member institutions. We want to be proactive and progressive.”

2016-17 Mankato Free Press WCHA Men’s Hockey Preseason Coaches’ Poll 

Team (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Bowling Green (8) 89
2. Michigan Tech (2) 79
3. Minnesota State 71
4. Ferris State 70
5. Northern Michigan 54
6. Bemidji State 48
7. Lake Superior State 44
8. Alaska Anchorage 29
9. UAH 23
10. Alaska 21


Preseason WCHA Player of the Year: Gerald Mayhew, Sr. F, Ferris State (7 votes)
Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year: Parker Tuomie, F, Minnesota State (4 votes)
Preseason All-WCHA Team:
F Gerald Mayhew, Ferris State
F Dominik Shine, Northern Michigan
F Brandon Hawkins, Bowling Green (tie)
F Corey Mackin, Ferris State (tie)
D Mark Friedman, Bowling Green
D Matt Roy, Michigan Tech
G Chris Nell, Bowling Green

2016-17 Bemidji Pioneer WCHA Men’s Hockey Preseason Media Poll 

Team (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Bowling Green (15) 251
2. Michigan Tech (6) 239
3. Minnesota State (5) 236
4. Ferris State (2) 218
5. Northern Michigan 161
6. Bemidji State 144
7. Lake Superior State 106
8. Alaska 68
9. UAH 56
10. Alaska Anchorage 50


Preseason WCHA Player of the Year: Gerald Mayhew, Sr., F, Ferris State
Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year: Cameron Clarke, D, Ferris State
Preseason All-WCHA Team:
F Gerald Mayhew, Ferris State
F Dominik Shine, Northern Michigan
F Tyler Heinonen, Michigan Tech
D Mark Friedman, Bowling Green
D Matt Roy, Michigan Tech
G Chris Nell, Bowling Green

UAH’s Max McHugh received votes for WCHA player of the Year. UAH’s Connor James and Austin Beaulieu received votes for WCHA Rookie of the Year.

Geof Morris and Michael Napier of UAHHockey.com participated in the media poll. Here are our ballots:

Geof Morris’s ballot:

  1. Bowling Green
  2. Michigan Tech
  3. Minnesota State
  4. Ferris State
  5. Northern Michigan
  6. UAH
  7. Bemidji State
  8. Lake Superior State
  9. Alaska Anchorage
  10. Alaska

Preseason All-WCHA:
G Chris Nell, Bowling Green
D Mark Friedman, Bowling Green
D Sean Walker, Bowling Green
F Tyler Heinonen, Michgan Tech
F Gerald Mayhew, Ferris State
F Max McHugh, UAH
Player of the Year: Chris Nell, Bowling Green
Newcomer of the Year: Austin Beaulieu, UAH


Michael Napier’s ballot:

  1. Bowling Green
  2. Michigan Tech
  3. Minnesota State
  4. Ferris State
  5. Northern Michigan
  6. Bemidji State
  7. Lake Superior State
  8. UAH
  9. Alaska
  10. Alaska Anchorage

Preseason All-WCHA:
G Chris Nell, Bowling Green
D Mark Friedman, Bowling Green
D Sean Walker, Bowling Green
F Tyler Heinonen, Michigan Tech
F Gerald Mayhew, Ferris State
F Dominik Shine, Northern Michigan

Player of the Year: Tyler Heinonen, Michigan Tech
Newcomer of the Year: Parker Tuomie, Minnesota State

2016-17 schedule released with 14 home games

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The WCHA released the league’s 2016-17 composite schedule on Thursday, and UAH revealed the Chargers’ full schedule right after.

UAH will play 34 regular-season games in 2016-17, including the 28-game conference slate. UAH will host 14 games — all WCHA contests — at the Von Braun Center.

The Chargers hit the road a lot in October, including the first three weeks when the season. It all begins in Big Rapids, Mich., with a WCHA series at Ferris State on Oct. 1-2.

Then comes a return trip to Connecticut on Oct. 8-9. UAH split the first series of last season with the Huskies in Huntsville by a pair of 5-2 scores.

UAH heads to Houghton for the first time since its 2015 WCHA playoff series to face Michigan Tech. The Chargers finally get their home opening series on October 21 and 22 against Lake Superior State.

The Chargers’ second non-conference series is at St. Cloud State, last season’s NCHC tournament champions, to finish off October.

UAH goes to Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 4-5, the first of two trips to Alaska this season. Then the Chargers spend three of the next four weeks at home, hosting Alaska Fairbanks (Nov. 11-12), Bowling Green (Nov. 18-19), and Ferris State (Dec. 3-4). Thanksgiving weekend will be UAH’s first off week after playing each of the first eight weeks of the season.

The Chargers get two more off weeks after a trip to Northern Michigan on Dec. 9-10, before spending New Year’s in Minneapolis at the Mariucci Classic. UAH’s opening opponent is to be announced, but besides host Minnesota, Massachusetts and Mercyhurst are scheduled to participate. UAH last appeared in the Mariucci in 2012.

Only 12 regular-season games take place in the second half of the season, half at home. UAH hosts MacNaughton Cup co-champions Minnesota State (Jan. 6-7) and Michigan Tech (Jan. 27-28), and rival Bemidji State (Feb. 10-11) to finish the home slate.

On Tuesday, the WCHA announced a new postseason format. The top eight teams qualify for the WCHA Playoffs, which begin with best-of-three quarterfinal series at the top four seeds. The top two remaining seeds will host best-of-three semifinal series, and the WCHA Championship will be decided in a single game played at the highest remaining seed.

Season ticket and Blue Line Club information will be released over the summer. For more information, call 256-UAH-PUCK.

Here is the 2016-17 UAH Charger hockey schedule. Home games are in bold. Games start at 7 p.m., except for Dec. 4 and Feb. 11, which start at 3 p.m.

Oct. 1-2 – Ferris State*
Oct. 7-8 – Connecticut
Oct. 14-15 – Michigan Tech*
Oct. 21-22 – Lake Superior State*
Oct. 28-29 – St. Cloud State
Nov. 4-5 – Alaska Anchorage*
Nov. 11-12 – Alaska*
Nov. 18-19 – Bowling Green*
Dec. 3-4 – Ferris State*
Dec. 9-10 – Northern Michigan*
Dec. 30-31 – Mariucci Classic at Minneapolis (Minnesota, UMass, Mercyhurst)
Jan. 6-7 – Minnesota State*
Jan. 20-21 – Lake Superior State*
Jan. 27-28 – Michigan Tech*
Feb. 3-4 – Alaska*
Feb. 10-11 – Bemidji State*
Feb. 24-25 – Bowling Green*

March 3-5 – WCHA Quarterfinals (best-of-3 at higher seeds)
March 10-12 – WCHA Semifinals (best-of-3 at higher seeds)
March 18 – WCHA Championship (at higher seed)
March 24-26 – NCAA Tournament Regionals
April 6-8 – NCAA Frozen Four (Chicago)

Arizona State, realignment and how it could affect UAH

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College hockey realignment is heating up again. Fortunately, this time UAH hockey isn’t looking for a conference slot to save its life, but could it find itself in a better deal than it is now?

The first move in this round of conference shuffling started a month ago when the Big Ten accepted Notre Dame as a hockey affiliate member starting in the 2017-18 season, bringing the conference’s hockey membership up to seven.

Now the question is where will the Big Ten get an eighth hockey member (because leagues love even numbers). It was speculated that they could get Division I-newcomer Arizona State.

That’s not going to happen, according to reports on Monday, cutting the Sun Devils’ options between the WCHA and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Reports from College Hockey News and USCHO.com on Friday have the NCHC trending toward a deal with Arizona State, although NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton said nothing was imminent, while WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson has reiterated openly that they are pursuing the Sun Devils.

Arizona State is an interesting prospect. It just finished its first season as a varsity program, playing a mix of Division I, III, and club teams. The Sun Devils went 5-22-2 against NCAA opponents — three of those against WCHA opponents (one against Alaska-Fairbanks in Anchorage, and two in a sweep at Lake Superior State). They will play a full Division I independent schedule this coming season, and have been intending to play in a conference starting in 2017-18.

In the WCHA, ASU would hands down be the largest university in terms of attendance, with over 69,000 students, over four times more than the league’s current leader, Bowling Green. Arizona State would also join Bowling Green as the only full Division I athletic programs in the WCHA.

But there are questions. A big one is where ASU plays, or will play. The Sun Devils’ primary home has been Oceanside Ice Arena, which was renovated to a capacity of only 840, which would be the smallest in the WCHA. ASU played four games this season at Gila Bend Arena, home of the Arizona Coyotes, drawing over 5,000 twice. The Coyotes could partner with ASU on a new arena.

Then there’s travel. Arizona State would be added to a conference that’s primarily in the Midwest but already has two teams in Alaska and one in Alabama. ASU should be good with chipping in on the subsidies UAH and the Alaska schools provide to the rest of the league to cover the additional costs of visiting those areas, but how much extra mileage can the WCHA handle?

The current membership must be OK with the answers to these questions if Robertson is this public about pursuing them.

But if the WCHA adds Arizona State, where will it go to find a 12th member? (Again, leagues love even numbers.) Does it try to get Robert Morris or Niagara from Atlantic Hockey?

We’ll continue to monitor this during the summer. Meanwhile, there are a couple of realignment ideas that would be interesting from a UAH point of view.

Modest proposal: Fixing the WCHA

Drew Evans at BGSUHockey.com wrote a column last week about fixing the WCHA in three steps. The second step was the conference expanding to 12 and going into divisions. Arizona State wasn’t one of the two teams he’d add, which is understandable given the questions above and, at the time, how unlikely ASU joining would be.

Evans suggests adding Robert Morris and either Mercyhurst or Niagara from Atlantic Hockey, and splitting the league into Western and Central divisions. Each division would have one Alaska school to spread the travel there, and UAH would be in the Central with Alaska, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Robert Morris, and Mercyhurst/Niagara.

The primary reason for this suggestion is travel management. Save for the Alaska team, most of a club’s travel within the division would be bus rides of no more than 12 hours (between Ferris State and Huntsville).

It’s an interesting idea, especially if the WCHA fails to get Arizona State.

More modest proposal: Return of the CCHA?

Chris Dilks at SBN College Hockey goes further, going beyond the WCHA. His plan to fix the Western conferences includes the formation of an 8-team conference with many members from the old CCHA, plus UAH:

  • UAH
  • Bowling Green
  • Ferris State
  • Lake Superior State
  • Miami
  • Michigan Tech
  • Northern Michigan
  • Western Michigan

There are few scenarios that would benefit UAH more than this setup, particularly in terms of travel. Sure, we’d lose rival Bemidji State as a conference foe, but to help the Chargers’ bottom line, it would be crazy for UAH not to accept this if it were presented.

With eight teams, this conference could play a 28-game schedule with every team playing each other home and away. It also leaves the door open for future expansion, perhaps including Robert Morris, Niagara, and/or Mercyhurst as Evans suggested. (Any of those three would still not be the furthest away from UAH in such a league.)

Dilks’s plan hinges on North Dakota joining the Big Ten as a hockey-only member, and the rest of the WCHA/NCHC and Arizona State coming together in a 10-team, two-division league. I don’t know if UND would go for joining the Big Ten, although North Dakota as a hockey-only Big Ten member makes more since than Rutgers and Maryland as full-time Big Ten members.

Realignment has been rumored to return from the moment the current league setup was agreed upon. Now we see if that time has come, and whether UAH can be all the better for it.

Hoof Beats: Awards given at banquet; Frenchy Open set

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Chad Brears

Chad Brears was this season’s Charger of the Year. (Photo by UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan)

On Thursday, the Chargers held their end-of-season banquet at Spragins Hall, honoring the 2015-16 squad and looking forward to next season.

The Chargers’ Most Valuable Player was Max McHugh. The sophomore led UAH in points for the second straight season, scoring 22 points on seven goals and 15 assists.

Senior Frank Misuraca was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second time. The alternate captain was second on the club with 63 blocked shots. He had an even plus-minus rating and scored one goal with four assists for five points.

The Freshman of the Year was Adam Wilcox. In 33 games played, Wilcox was tied for the team among freshmen with four goals, including one power play and one shorthanded tally. He finished with nine points on the season.

The Charger of the Year award, which goes to the player who exemplifies what it means to be a UAH Charger, went to Chad Brears. The senior and alternate captain from Cold Lake, Alberta led the Chargers in goals this season with nine, and was third on the team in assists (10) and second in points (19). He also led UAH in plus-minus (+6).

Sign up for the Frenchy Open: The 2016 UAH Hockey Frenchy Open will tee off at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 25 at Hampton Cove Golf Course.

The golf tournament is the program’s biggest summer fundraising event. The tournament layout will be a four-player scramble with prizes going to the top three teams. Raffle and door prizes will be available.

Register online to reserve your spot. Registration per player is $150, which includes 18 holes of golf, a cart, a UAH Hockey shirt and hat, refreshments, and dinner. Full four-player teams can register for $600.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information, can call 256-824-2485 or email Nick Laurila.

In addition, there will be an UAH alumni hockey game at the Wilcoxon Municipal Ice Complex in Huntsville on June 24 at 7 p.m.

“The Frenchy Open” is named after Charger left wing Jean-Marc Plante, who died in 2001. Also known as “Frenchy,” the Laval, Quebec, native played for UAH from 1988-92, scoring 16 goals and 19 assists in 94 games. Plante worked at the front office of the Florida Panthers and became the athletic marketing director at UAH. A memorial scholarship is awarded in his honor to the Charger hockey player who demonstrates leadership, sportsmanship, and team spirit, and who participates in community and university volunteer service.

Rappleyea commits: Sean Rappleyea of South Amboy, N.J. committed to the Chargers for the 2016-17 season last week. The defenseman was an alternate captain this past season for the Ottawa Jr. “A” Senators of the Central Canada Hockey League.

This past season, Rappleyea led the Senators in 35 assists in addition to three goals scored. The CCHL Defenseman of the Year was scored a goal and eight assists in 16 playoffs games as the Senators reached the CCHL championship series.