Author Archives: Michael Napier

Hoof Beats: More on Corbett; Geoffrion, Saunders in Camp

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We have our conference, we have our schedule, and now we have our coach. In case you missed it, Mike Corbett will be behind our bench when the boys start the 2013-14 season at Northeastern.

  • Mark McCarter of The Huntsville Times spoke with Corbett in advance of his visit to Huntsville next week. He’s a big fan of Nick Saban and “The Process.” Corbett also talks about plans for his staff.
  • Joe Paisley of The Gazette (Colorado Springs) discussed with Corbett how his expanded role at Air Force helped him get the UAH job. Corbett is the third assistant for Frank Serratore to leave for a head coaching position: Derek Schooley at Robert Morris, Bob Motzko at St. Cloud State.
  • Sebastian Geoffrion is participating in the Nashville Predators development camp this week. “Seabass” is excited to work out with the team that drafted his brother Blake. Pics of Sebastian in action are here and here.
  • Meanwhile, goaltender Clarke Saunders, who transferred from UAH to North Dakota, is with the Washington Capitals camp. Pics of Clarke are here and here.
  • Countdown: 93 days until the season opener at Northeastern, 107 days until the home and WCHA opener against Bemidji State.

Corbett Named Head Coach

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Mike Corbett, an assistant coach at Air Force for the past 10 seasons, was named UAH’s sixth head hockey coach on Monday. Corbett was part of a recruiting effort that helped the Falcons win five Atlantic Hockey titles and earn five NCAA tournament berths.

Mike Corbett (Credit: Air Force Sports Information)

Mike Corbett (Credit: Air Force Athletics)

“Mike Corbett has spent the last decade recruiting elite young men to the United States Air Force Academy and winning championships,” said UAH Director of Athletics Dr. E.J. Brophy. “We are very confident that he is the man to lead Charger Hockey into the prestigious WCHA and back to winning on a consistent basis here at UAH.”

Corbett, a defenseman and two-time alternate captain at Denver from 1992-97, will be leading the Chargers into their first season in the WCHA this fall.

Read UAH’s full press release. Corbett is expected to be in Huntsville next week for a formal press conference and to meet with players and fans. More to come as it develops.

Hoof Beats: Frenchy Open recap, plus a WCHA media deal?

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Four months to go. Here’s some news and notes as we head into the long, Southern summer.

Frenchy Open: Thank you to all who participated and donated to the 2013 UAH Hockey Golf Tournament, also known as the Frenchy Open. The annual summer fundraising event, held at the Hampton Cove Highlands Golf Course on June 8, was a huge success.

Participants and volunteers for the 2013 Frenchy Open.

Participants and volunteers for the 2013 Frenchy Open.

Eighteen teams participated in this year’s tournament, won by the team from SportsMed. Second place was a team familiar to most Charger hockey fans, as Jared Ross, Keith Rowe, Craig Bushey and Todd Bentley finished one stroke behind the winners. Assistant Coach Bruce Garber celebrated his first year in Huntsville by taking home third place along with UAH professor Les Brol.

WCHA officials meet in Bemidji: With three months left until the first puck drop, presidents, athletic directors, and officials from the 10 WCHA programs met in Bemidji, Minn., on June 17 to discuss many of the outstanding issues facing the revamped league.

One of the main topics was a league-wide media deal. The WCHA will be working with Fox Sports Go, Fox Sports’ Internet streaming answer to ESPN3. Each school would still have its own productions, but they would all be available on one source. In recent years, UAH has had internet streaming deals with America One.

Officiating and budgets were also discussed. Jack Hittinger of The Bemidji Pioneer has more details from the WCHA meetings.

Harris a Hall of Famer: Jim Harris, UAH’s athletic director from 1995 until his death in 2010, was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame on June 14. As A.D., the Charger hockey program won two Division II national championships, two College Hockey America regular-season championships, and two CHA Tournament titles. More information from UAHChargers.com.

The 2013 Frenchy Open

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Get ready for the summer’s fundraising tradition. The 2013 UAH Hockey Golf Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, June 8 at the RTJ Hampton Cove-Highlands Golf Course.

Jean-Marc Plante (#17 on the right) with Stu Vitue.

Jean-Marc Plante (#17 on the right) with Stu Vitue.

The tournament is also known as “The Frenchy Open,” 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 15 goals and 26 assists in 92 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.

Registration for the tournament starts at 7 a.m., shotgun start at 8 a.m., and meal and awards to follow. You can register a player or a team, or have your company sponsor a hole.

To register, return this form with your payment to 205 Spragins Hall, Huntsville, AL 35899.

For more information, contact Tim Flynn, UAH Director of Hockey Operations, at 256-824-2485 or tim.flynn@uah.edu.

2013-14 Season Tickets and the Blue Line Club

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Six months to go until the WCHA era of Charger hockey finally begins. But why wait to secure your seat? Season tickets are already available!

There are two plans:

  • Full season ticket ($192): Reserved seat for all 16 home games.
  • FlexTix ($99): A booklet of 10 coupons redeemable at the door for individual game tickets. Use them yourself to go to 10 games, bring a group of 10 to one game, or whatever combination the holder chooses.

To order a ticket plan, call 256-UAH-PUCK (256-824-7825) or download and mail the season ticket brochure.

Individual game ticket information will be revealed at a later date.

The Blue Line Club is also ready for the 2013-14 campaign. Consider joining and support the Chargers as they build a winner. Download and mail the Blue Line Club brochure, or call 256-UAH-PUCK (256-824-7825).

Six months seems like a long time before making your choices, but don’t worry: We’ll send out reminders throughout the summer as anticipation grows.

Hoof Beats: Tourney tidbits, Chargers join the pros

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News and notes from around the WCHA and college hockey. I call them “Hoof Beats.”

  • Remember that the 2013 UAH Hockey Banquet is Friday, April 5! Reservations must be received by next Monday (April 1).
  • The WCHA also unveiled an updated logo to go along with its updated roster of teams.

    The WCHA also unveiled an updated logo to go along with its updated roster of teams.

    The WCHA confirmed its postseason tournament plans starting next year. The top eight teams in the 10-team league will make the playoffs. Higher seeds will host lower seeds (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, etc.) for the quarterfinals in best-of-3 series. The single-elimination semifinals and championship, which will retain the name “WCHA Final Five”, will be held at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2014 and 2016, and the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2015 and 2017.

  • The NCAA Tournament field has been announced. Soon-to-be league foe Minnesota State earned an at-large bid as the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region in Toledo and will face No. 2 seed Miami on Saturday. Minnesota State is one of four teams in the tournament UAH played this season (St. Cloud State, Wisconsin, and Boston College are the others).
  • Chargers join the pros: Sebastian Geoffrion has four goals, an assist, and 25 penalty minutes in eight games with the Arizona Sundogs (CHL). Justin Cseter has a goal and an assist in six games with the Huntsville Havoc (SPHL). John Griggs stopped 31 of 32 shots in his pro debut with the Pensacola Ice Flyers (SPHL) on Sunday.
  • As posted on Twitter this week: If you want some more hope for the UAH future, look at UMass-Lowell: 5-25-4 two years ago, 26-10-2 this year and 2013 Hockey East champions.

 

Today in Charger Hockey History: 1998 NCAA Division II National Championship

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Revenge. It’s the driving force behind any rivalry.

And so it was with UAH and Bemidji State. The Beavers took the NCAA Division II championship from the Chargers in sudden death overtime in 1994. UAH got even with a convincing sweep in 1996.

The Beavers took the 1997 title with a sweep in Bemidji. Naturally, it was UAH’s turn.

“We don’t like each other,” Darren Awender told The Huntsville Times. “It‘s a rivalry, simple as that.”

Fifteen years ago, on March 14, 1998, the Chargers got revenge. Again.

And it cemented UAH-Bemidji as one of the hottest rivalries in college hockey, despite the approximately 1,200 miles between the schools.

The Chargers won the 1998 NCAA Division II national championship with 6-2 and 5-2 wins over the Beavers. UAH finished the season with a 24-3-3 record.

It appeared things were going UAH‘s way early in the first game. Bemidji’s Marc LeFleur had UAH goalie Cedric Billequey down with 40 seconds left in the first period, when defenseman Tim McAllister flew into the crease and blocked LeFleur’s shot to keep the game scoreless.

From there, the Chargers took command with three goals in the second and three more in the third. Mark Motowski netted two goals, with Colin Schmidt, Ryan Stewart, Mike Hamlin, and co-captain John McCabe also scoring.

With the game in hand, tempers flared. Twenty-four players were called for penalties between the teams, including a game misconduct penalty on BSU’s Bruce Matatall for butt-ending Stewart.

Bemidji opened the scoring in Game 2, but Ryan Gavigan’s deflection of a McAllister shot from just inside the blue line snuck past BSU goalie Neil Cooper to tie the game at 1.

Ryan Stewart then blew the doors off Bemidji and UAH didn’t look back. His blast from the far circle with 3:16 of the second period hit Cooper’s pad, trickled past him, and broke a 1-1 tie.

Schmidt made it 3-1 two minutes later when he buried a Ryan McCormack pass from behind the goal line. Jay Woodcroft and McCabe’s power-play goals in the third put the game out of reach. Billequey’s 30 saves made it stand.

The end of the championship was marred by one final scuffle. Shane Stewart had the puck alone behind the UAH net as the final seconds were counted down, ready for the celebration, when BSU’s Jim Logan checked into Stewart. The Chargers retaliated and a fracas ensued.

Call it the heat of the moment, but the incident led to harsh words on live TV by McCabe: “We’re 20 times the team that team is down there, and showed it both nights.

“They can’t carry our skates and they’re going Division I? They’re brutal. See you, Bemidji!”

Bemidji State would announce a move to Division I in May of 1998. UAH followed a month later, ending the head-to-head series in Division II at two championships apiece. After a year as independents, the schools would continue the rivalry as charter members of College Hockey America.

But on that night, the Chargers got the best of the Beavers again.

Huntsville native Matt Parker, who was a senior this go around, told The Huntsville Times: “This was my second championship, and it was just as good.”

A look at the 2013-14 schedule: Welcome to the WCHA!

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Today, UAH released its 2013-14 hockey schedule, and it’s a beaut. We’re getting 16 home games to go with a full 28-game WCHA schedule. Here’s some highlights:

  • WCHAlogoWith 38 games scheduled, UAH will set a record for most games played in a season, even if the Chargers do not qualify for the WCHA playoffs. The record is 37 set in the 2001-02 season.
  • What better way is there than to open up the WCHA era at home against rival Bemidji State? UAH has faced BSU 70 times, well more than any other opponent.
  • UAH played the Alaska teams regularly in the late ’80s and early ’90s. The Chargers will visit the 49th state twice, something they did in the 1992-93 season. Anchorage will visit Huntsville for the first time since 1992.
  • Michigan Tech is one of four current Division I programs UAH has never faced. The Huskies will come off that list, leaving Boston University, Dartmouth, and Union.
  • The Chargers will head to South Bend twice: at Notre Dame’s tournament in November and a two-game set against the Irish in January.
  • Nic Dowd’s coming home: The Huntsville native and his St. Cloud State team come down for a non-conference series in November.

Here’s the full schedule in list form. All home games are Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. (* WCHA series.)

October 11-12 at Northeastern
October 25-26 vs. Bemidji State*
November 1-2 vs. Ferris State*
November 8-9 at Alaska-Anchorage*
November 15-16 vs. St. Cloud State
November 22-23 at Northern Michigan*
November 29-30 at Notre Dame Tournament (UAH, Northeastern, Western Michigan)
December 6-7 at Bowling Green*
December 13-14 vs. Minnesota State*
December 27-28 at Wisconsin
January 3-4 vs. Bowling Green*
January 10-11 at Notre Dame
January 17-18 vs. Alaska-Anchorage*
Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at Alaska*
February 7-8 at Michigan Tech*
February 14-15 at Minnesota State*
February 21-22 vs. Lake Superior State*
Feb. 28-March 1 at Bemidji State*
March 7-8 vs. Northern Michigan*
March 14-16 WCHA first round playoffs (at campus sites)
March 20-22 WCHA championship semifinals and final (TBA)

The top eight teams in the league qualify for the WCHA playoffs. The league will announce post-season tournament sites, dates and details on Saturday, March 23.

Let the countdown begin!

Today in Charger Hockey History: 1983 National Club Championship

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Today marks the 30th anniversary of the first hockey championship moment in Huntsville, and perhaps the oddest game-winning goal in Charger history.

On March 5, 1983, the University of Alabama in Huntsville defeated Penn State 5-4 to win the U.S. National Club Ice Hockey Championship in front of 4,234 fans at the Von Braun (Civic) Center.

uahhockey_1982-1983_teamphotoBob Quaille’s goal — a trickler down the goalie’s arm and across the line — with two minutes left in the third period broke the tie and set off the first big hockey celebration in the Rocket City. It was the Chargers’ second straight national club championship, the 1982 title earned in Boulder, Colorado.

It also kick-started the legacy of Doug Ross, who was in his first season as UAH head coach after taking over for program founder Joe Ritch.

The 1982-83 season started inauspiciously, with a loss and a tie at Iowa State. UAH then won four straight before falling twice to those pesky Cyclones at home.

The Chargers then reeled off nine straight wins as they started rolling over Central States Collegiate Hockey League competition. Eleven Chargers scored double-figures in goals, led by Brian Kelly’s 38 goals and 80 points, as UAH finished 27-6-2 on the season.

UAH was a perfect 13-0 in conference play, but would lose to Marquette 5-4 in overtime at home in the league championship game.

uahhockey_1983champprogramNo matter. UAH was the host of the United States National Club Ice Hockey Tournament. The Chargers easily dispatched their South bracket opponents: 16-2 over Auburn and 7-4 over Arizona. The championship would be against Penn State, which beat Ohio 5-4 and tournament favorite Miami (Ohio) 5-1 in the North bracket.

The Chargers dominated possession the first period thanks to four power play chances leading to a 16-3 shots advantage, but it was Penn State who had the lead after scoring just 1:57 into the game.

The second period saw the offenses crank up. The Nittany Lions made it 2-0 on another early-period goal, but UAH came roaring back to take the lead with three goals in a span of 3:22. Andre Gilbert got the Chargers on the board at 7:17. Kevin Monaco tied the game up at the 9:38, and Bobby MacQuisten broke the tie one minute later.

Things got chippy in the middle of the period, and Penn State took advantage of a two-man power play to tie the game at 3. Quaille, who was second on the team that season with 34 goals and 63 points, regained the lead for the Chargers heading into the third.

With the title on the line, the refs then put the whistles away for most of the final frame. PSU tied the game at 4 at the 11:24 mark, which set the stage for the final drama and Quaille’s winner.

Here’s how longtime UAH fan and eyewitness Terry Long described it:

With little time left in regulation, the Penn State goalie [John Davis] had played an amazing game even though he had surrendered four goals. Then, he gets hit in the chest with a wicked shot that rolls down his left arm, off his glove, onto the ice, across the line, and into the corner of the goal. It was almost in slow motion like in a movie.

No matter how it happened, it still goes down in the box score as the championship-winning goal at 18:00 of the third period.

UAH would win the championship again at the VBCC in 1984, and just miss a fourth straight title in 1985. UAH joined the varsity ranks and the NCAA, winning Division II championships at home in 1996 and 1998. But on that night 30 years ago, Huntsville learned how to host a championship party.

1983ChampionshipCelebration

Old-school box score. Special thanks to Joey Daniels and the UAH Sports Information office. For the Penn State perspective, check out this write-up in Thank You Terry.

Penn State 1 2 1 -- 4
UAH        0 4 1 -- 5 

  First period -- 1, Penn State, Art McQuillan (Nick Pappas, 
Clark Dexter), 1:57. 
  Penalties -- Clark Dexter, PSU (elbowing), 5:25. Jeff Legay, 
PSU (high sticking), 11:41. Dave Hornack, PSU (roughing), 13:23. 
John Holland, PSU (roughing), 13:23. Bobby MacQuisten, UAH 
(roughing), 13:23. Kevin Mills, UAH (roughing), 13:23. Joe 
Grainda, PSU (delay of game), 16:06. Glenn DeStefano, PSU 
(hooking), 19:16. 

  Second period -- 2, Penn State, Joe Grainda (Mike Blackwell), 
2:16. 3, UAH, Andre Gilbert (Brian Butcher, Frank Heller), 7:17. 
4, UAH, Kevin Monaco (Bob Quaille), 9:38. 5, UAH, Bobby 
MacQuisten (Brian Kelly, Kevin Mills), 10:38. 6, Penn State, 
Brad Rush (Norm Jacobs, Clark Dexter), 11:14 (pp). 7, UAH, Bob 
Quaille (Daniel Dorothy), 14:41 (pp). 
  Penalties -- Craig Whitacre, UAH (holding), 2:48. Bobby 
MacQuisten, UAH (slashing), 3:33. Will Hereford, UAH (hooking), 
10:59. Bob Quaille, UAH (unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:59. Art 
McQuillan, PSU (interference), 12:09. Steve Moerner, UAH 
(slashing), 12:09. Frank Heller, UAH (roughing), 14:10. Brad 
Rush, PSU (roughing), 14:10. Daniel Dorothy, UAH (roughing), 
16:21. Kevin Mills, UAH (interference), 17:01. Norm Jacobs, UAH 
(slashing), 18:21. Daniel Dorothy, UAH (hitting from behind), 
19:22. 

  Third period -- 8, Penn State, Brad Rush (Norm Jacobs), 11:24 
(pp). 9, UAH, Bob Quaille (Daniel Dorothy), 18:00. 
  Penalties -- Andre Gilbert, UAH (hooking), :23. Nick Pappas, 
PSU (boarding), 7:27. Brian Kelly, UAH (hooking), 9:30. 

  Shots on goal -- Penn State 3-20-11 34. UAH 16-14-9 39. 
  Goalies -- Penn State, John Davis (39 shots, 34 saves). UAH, 
Steve Moerner (34, 30).
  Penalties -- Penn State, 10-23. UAH, 13-26. 
  Power plays -- Penn State 2-7, UAH 1-6.   
  A -- 4,324. Referee -- Doug Wilson.

Minnesota-Duluth 4, UAH 2

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uahvsumdUAH came out of the gate strong, but two power play goals propelled Minnesota-Duluth to a 4-2 win Friday night in Duluth to open the Chargers’ final series of the season.

The Chargers kept the Bulldog faithful quiet throughout most of the first period, and took the first lead at the 8:16 mark. Lasse Uusivirta scored his first goal of the season on a wide-open net, fed with a cross-ice pass by Graeme Strukoff. It was Strukoff’s sixth assist of the season, and Steven Koskey also got his fifth helper.

But it was Duluth who dominated the period with 20 shots on goal to UAH’s nine. Johnny Griggs had to make several sprawling saves, but a big rebound allowed the Bulldogs to tie the game late. Joe Basaraba’s shot bounced off Griggs, then Tony Cameranesi’s knocked in the rebound to even the score at one with seven seconds to go.

Although UMD couldn’t apply as much pressure in the second period, the Bulldogs still came away with two goals.  Chris Casto rifled one just under the crossbar over Griggs’ glove at 2:25 for a 2-1 Duluth lead. Cody Danberg then backhanded a loose puck past Griggs with 3:20 left in the period to make it 3-1 UMD.

UAH cut the lead to 3-2 early in the third, as Doug Reid was fortunate after flipping it on net from an awkward angle closer to the corner.

But the Bulldogs regained the two-goal advantage on the power play. Cal Decowski’s pass across the crease found Justin Crandall on the doorstep.

Griggs got a workout, making 38 saves on 42 Bulldog shots on goal.

The boys face off with UMD tomorrow night at 7:07 p.m. to finish the 2012-13 season.