The season finale went very much like the season itself. Plenty of effort. Plenty of competitiveness. But still short.

UAH lost to Northern Michigan 5-2 on Saturday. The Chargers finish the season at 2-35-1, setting an NCAA record for losses in a season. The 1999-2000 Michigan Tech team held the old record of 34.

It’s not the way the Chargers’ four seniors – Alex Allan, Brice Geoffrion, C.J. Groh, and Mat Hagen — envisioned their final games in the blue and white. Still, the boys showed the heart they’ve displayed all season, especially after a rough first period that saw them down 3-0 quickly.

Needing a win or tie to nail down a playoff spot, the Wildcats wasted no time showing they mean business.

NMU scored the first goal at the 3:24 mark. Wade Epp lofted the puck from the left point, and it squeezed between C.J. Groh’s glove and the post for a 1-0 lead.

The other two goals were by Darren Nowick. The first came from the slot on a nice sliding pass from Gerard Hanson for a 2-0 advantage just 5:25 into the game. Nowick’s second was on a scuffle in front of Groh as the puck squirted into the net at the 8:59 mark.

During the second period, the Wildcats earned their WCHA playoff spot when Lake Superior State lost at Ferris State. But the period itself belonged to the Chargers as they turned a potential blowout into a one-goal game.

UAH cut NMU’s lead to 3-1 after Jack Prince’s shot from the right point on the power play following a too many men on the ice penalty. Prince’s seventh goal of the season was assisted by Cody Marooney and Ben Reinhardt.

Prince tallied his eighth goal of the season and second of the game with 13:06 left in the second. After a flurry of shots on NMU goalie Mathias Dahlstrom resulted in a number of rebounds, Prince scored from behind the goal line to make it 3-2 NMU. The assists went to Steven Koshey and Regan Soquila.

UAH weathered over five minutes of power play to start the third period thanks to consecutive penalties. Groh, making his first start of the season, came up with big saves to keep it a one-goal game. The much-maligned penalty kill shone in this game, killing all six Wildcat advantages.

The Chargers then turned up the energy on offense, but could not find away to beat Dahlstrom again. NMU then made it a 4-2 lead after Nowick drove in to beat Groh and earn a hat trick with 6:06 to go.

Wade Epp then sealed the win for the Wildcats with an empty-netter with 39 seconds remaining.

We would like to thank all our supporters for their time and effort this season. It was difficult, but the foundation is being laid for this program by Coach Corbett and his staff. Stay tuned throughout the summer for news and updates about how you can help support the program in 2014-15.

The Chargers couldn’t find the consistent offensive pressure in a 4-1 loss to Northern Michigan on Friday.

Reed Seckel scored twice, and Mathias Dahlstrom made 27 saves as the Wildcats kept their WCHA postseason aspirations alive.

The first period belonged to Northern Michigan, but the Wildcats could only manage a 1-0 lead. The goal was on the power play by Brock Maschmeyer, who fired a shot through traffic from the center point that UAH goaltender Matt Larose could not track.

The Chargers increased their scoring opportunities toward the end of the first period, but could not convert. Jack Prince was denied on a point-blank shot by NMU goalie Mathias Dahlstrom for UAH’s best chance.

Meanwhile, Larose was sharp. He kept the UAH deficit at 1-0 after a sliding save on a John Siemer. NMU had a 16-9 shots advantage after one.

Northern Michigan quickly made it 2-0 to start the second. Dominik Shine went top shelf over Larose’s glove at the 1:06 mark.

UAH had more pressure in the second, however, and finally broke through on the power play after Austin Handley’s holding call. Cody Marooney deflected a Brandon Carlson shot past Dahlstrom for his second goal of the season with 3:58 left. Craig Pierce got the second assist.

NMU extended its lead back to two with 4.3 seconds left. Reed Seckel’s shot went five hole on Larose for a 3-1 Wildcats lead after two.

The Wildcats scored their final goal with 11:13 left. After UAH’s Mat Hagen had a breakaway coming out of the penalty box that was denied by Dahlstrom, Seckel — who was also in the box with a coincidental high sticking penalty — drove toward the net and beat Larose for his second goal of the game.

UAH fell to 2-34-1, tying the 1999-2000 Michigan Tech Huskies for the NCAA record for losses in a season.

The season finale is tomorrow night at 7, and free general admission is again available thanks to Huntsville International Airport. It will be Senior Night, as the Chargers bid farewell to Hagen, Alex Allan, Brice Geoffrion, and C.J. Groh. The first 500 fans will receive a free mini Saturn V rocket courtesy of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

Photos from Chris Brightwell

Photos from Jazzmine Jordan:

Two games. Two rare leads. Two more losses. Two more heartbreaks.

UAH had a one-goal lead for the second straight night, but, just like Friday, lost by one goal. On Saturday, it was a 3-2 Lake Superior State victory.

It was also another great goaltending performance that kept the Chargers in the game. Carmine Guerriero made 36 saves, following up Matt Larose’s 42-save performance on Friday. Lake Superior outshot UAH 39-20 on this night.

As Geof stated in yesterday’s recap, this young team will learn how to win in these situations. But for now, it hurts.

Lake Superior controlled the play early, and took a 1-0 lead six minutes in on a goal by Ian Mitchell from the left circle.

But after a Mitchell Nardi hooking penalty at 9:23, the bulk of the scoring chances went to the Chargers. UAH didn’t convert on the power play, but the increased pressure continued afterward. It finally paid off near the end of the period, when on a 2-on-1 break, Jeff Vanderlugt buried a shot past LSSU goalie Kevin Kapalka with 28 seconds left to tie the game. It was Vanderlugt’s fourth goal of the season, assisted by Doug Reid’s fifth assist.

UAH took a 2-1 lead early in the second. During a 4-on-4 situation, Matt Salhany stole the puck, went on a breakaway, faked and beat Kapalka for his fifth goal of the season. Brian Garber, who was broadcasting the game on WCHA TV, said Salhany shook Kapalka “out of his pants.”

The Lakers amped up the pressure at that point, but UAH goaltender Carmine Guerriero was up to the task. He made several saves from a variety of distances, and it took an odd bounce for Lake Superior to tie the game. Stephen Perfetto’s shot from near the goal line bounced off the post and in with 1:54 left in the second.

Lake Superior kept it going in the third, and finally took the lead with 9:21 left as Dan Radke’s deflection stymied Guerriero.

UAH had a few chances to tie things late, but for the most part had difficulty getting out of the defensive zone for a chunk of the period.

UAH drops to 1-32-1 for the season and 1-21-1 in the WCHA. Lake Superior goes to 16-15-1 overall and 12-12-0 in the WCHA, tied for fifth place.

The Chargers travel to Bemidji State next weekend. UAH returns home to finish the season in two weeks, entertaining Northern Michigan.

Stars of the game:
1. Dan Radke (LSSU, game-winning goal)
2. Stephen Perfetto (LSSU, goal)
3. Matt Salhany (UAH, goal)

The Chargers held a lead for the longest time they’ve had all season, so it feels like one that got away.

UAH (1-31-1, 1-21-1 WCHA) lead by a goal after the first period, but Lake Superior State (15-15-1, 11-12-0 WCHA) netted two in the second to win 2-1 in front of 2,488 at the Von Braun Center on Friday.

The Lakers dominated possession for the first 10 minutes of the game, but the Chargers gradually started to put on pressure. It eventually paid off on the power play, as Brandon Carlson beat LSSU goalie Kevin Kapalka give him his first goal of the season and the Chargers a 1-0 lead with 1:56 left in the period. He was assisted by Graeme Strukoff and Regan Soquila.

UAH was playing with just its fifth lead of the season, and first since taking a 1-0 lead at Alaska-Anchorage on Nov. 9.

The Chargers tried as they could to extend their lead in the second, but they would give up the lead instead. Colin Campbell tied the game with 13:42 left, and Stephen Perfetto put in a rebound to give the Lakers a 2-1 lead with 4:08 to go.

Lake State, as it did at the start of the first two periods, continued with the puck possession. The Lakers finished with a 44-23 shots advantage. UAH goaltender Matt Larose had a good night despite the two goals in the second, stopping 42 of those shots and earning the second star of the game.

The Chargers killed a big penalty after Cody Marooney crashed into Kapalka for a goaltender interference penalty. UAH then made it interesting the rest of the way with numerous scoring opportunities, but could not get the right shot and net the equalizer.

The same two teams play tomorrow night at 7. Again, general admission is free, courtesy of Huntsville International Airport.

Commentary by Geof Morris: This is the kind of game that a young team has to learn how to win. They’ll go home tonight, play it over in their heads, and be ready to watch film in the morning. Then they’ll see that they flat-out dominated portions of this game, and they’ll see what went poorly for three minutes. They’ll learn, they’ll adjust, and they’ll play better on Saturday night. Count on that. This team has a lot of heart, and they’re going to figure this game out. It’s been three years since we’ve beaten a Division I team at home, but I don’t think we’re going to go more than three more games.

Stars of the Game:
1. Stephen Perfetto (LSSU, game-winning goal)
2. Matt Larose (UAH, 42 saves)
3. Colin Campbell (LSSU, goal)

Photos from Chris Brightwell:

Photos from Timothy Burns: