The Chargers’ WCHA era came to a end in frustrating fashion on Saturday, as UAH lost 4-1 at Lake Superior State.
The Lakers swept the WCHA quarterfinal series in two games, ending UAH’s season at 3-18-1.
LSSU (17-6-3) killed the Chargers on the power play, converting 3-of-8 opportunities. UAH committed a season-high nine penalties, and could have gotten more as the officials kept whistles mostly quiet in the first period.
David Fessenden came up big numerous times to keep the game scoreless through one period. He made 13 of his 31 saves in the frame, denying former Charger Jack Jeffers taking a centering pass in the slot, stopping Benito Posa from the same spot, and sliding from post to post to steal a backhander from Brandon Puricelli.
Fessenden needed to make those saves as the Lakers took the possession battle in the first, helped by winning 17 of 23 faceoffs.
Meanwhile, UAH got only five shots on Laker goalie Seth Eisele, who was making only his second start of the season instead of their No. 1, Mareks Mitens. Eisele finished with 16 saves in the game.
Dayne Finnson was given a highly questionable boarding penalty in the last minute of the first, and Lake Superior took advantage 18 seconds into the second. An unchecked Louis Boudon tipped in a centering pass from Jeffers.
Boudon later went flying on Connor Wood’s hip check, and had to crawl back to the Laker bench. Wood was likely fortunate to get only two minutes for the hit, but Lake Superior capitalized anyway as they were already on the power play.
Puricelli’s blast on Fessenden left a big rebound for Will Riedell, who scored on the ensuing open net to give LSSU a 2-0 lead at the 7:15 mark.
Three minutes later, the Lakers scored yet another power-play goal after a UAH too many men on the ice penalty. Hampus Eriksson’s deflection in the slot made it 3-0.
Puricelli scored with 6:40 to go for the Lakers’ fourth goal.
Mick Heneghan prevented the shutout with a power-play goal with 2:12 remaining in the game. His blast up the middle, his first college goal, was assisted by Brian Scoville and Connor Merkley.
UAH now enters an uncertain offseason as it looks for a new conference to call home. UAH is courting Atlantic Hockey and the CCHA, which will have seven members of the disbanding WCHA.
Lake Superior State pulled away in the second period to defeat UAH 6-1 on Friday night in Game 1 of the WCHA quarterfinals series in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
UAH (3-17-1) faces elimination heading into Saturday’s Game 2, which starts at 4:07 p.m. Central Time.
The Lakers (16-6-3) struck first at the 3:14 on a goal by Pete Veillette, who is too dangerous to be left alone. Veillette was unmarked as he took a pass from behind the net in front and quickly beat David Fessenden for his 12th goal of the season.
Lake Superior took a 2-0 lead eight minutes later on a power-play goal. Fessenden never saw the puck as it slipped between him and the post after flying through a screen off the stick of Brandon Puricelli in the right circle.
After a penalties on the Lakers at the end of the first period and 24 seconds into the second, UAH had a prime opportunity to come back. But despite having over a minute and a half of two-man advantage and scoring a goal, the Chargers found themselves no closer.
Lucas Bahn, dragging the puck to make a Laker defenseman commit, snapped the puck past Mitens for his second goal of the season to cut LSSU’s lead to 2-1.
The Lakers regained their two-goal lead with a short-handed goal just six seconds later. Veillette stole the puck in the UAH zone and quickly scored his second goal of the game.
LSSU then scored three goals in a span of 4:50 to pull away, starting with a Lukas Kaelble’s blast from the blue line to make it 4-1.
Fessenden’s night of tough breaks ended with 3:40 left in the second, when Alexandro Ambrosio’s shot, deflected by Jacob Nordqvist, hit his pad, went up in the air, and somehow fell in the net for a 5-1 Laker lead.
Derek Krall came in, and soon allowed a Miroslav Mucha goal that made it 6-1 at the second intermission. There was no scoring in the third period.
UAH (3-16-1) vs. Lake Superior State (15-6-3) WCHA Quarterfinals (best-of-3) WHERE: Taffy Abel Arena, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. WHEN: Game 1, Friday, 6:07 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, 4:07 p.m.; Game 3 (if necessary), Sunday, 4:07 p.m. WATCH:FloHockey.tv (subscription) TEAM STATS: UAH | Lake Superior State
The Chargers have seen a lot of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan this season.
In early December, they played Lake Superior State there in a non-conference series. Last month, UAH went back for a WCHA series with the Lakers.
This weekend, the Chargers head to the Soo for a third time this season, this time for the postseason. UAH and Lake State face off in the best-of-3 WCHA quarterfinals starting Friday night.
If the series goes three, the Chargers will have played as many games at Taffy Abel Arena as they have at Von Braun Center this season (seven).
UAH comes in as the seventh seed with a seven-game losing streak. The Lakers shot up the standings to snag the second seed by winning nine of their last 12 games and getting at least one point in 11 of their last 12.
The Chargers have played the Lakers tough, though, despite an 0-3-1 head-to-head record, all at Lake State.
The first matchup on December 5 saw UAH rally with goals from Adrian Danchenko and Tyrone Bronte to force a 2-2 draw. The Charger fell behind 2-0 again the next day, but scores from Brian Scoville and Frank Vitucci were not enough in a 3-2 loss.
To open the conference series in February, Bennett Stockdale put UAH up 1-0 in the second period, but the Lakers scored twice in the third, including the game-winner with nine seconds left, steal a victory. Quinn Green gave the Chargers the early lead in the second game, but Lake Superior scored four unanswered goals for the sweep.
In all four games, neither team had a solid shots on goal advantage except for the third game, in which LSSU outshot UAH 28-10 but needed that last-minute goal to win.
So an upset is not out of the question, but the Chargers, who have been shut out in three of their last four games, will have to get out of their scoring slump against one of the best goaltenders in the country. Mareks Mitens ranks eighth in Division I in goals against average (1.86) and sixth in save percentage (.934). UAH scored three goals against Mitens in his two complete games between the pipes.
Bronte continues to lead the Chargers in scoring as a freshman with 13 points, and he was named to the WCHA all-rookie team on Wednesday. He leads the conference among freshmen in points per game (0.65).
UAH will need yet another strong goaltending performance of its own. David Fessenden still has solid numbers with a .920 save percentage and 2.62 goals against in 14 starts. He stopped 31 of 33 shots in his last outing at Bemidji State on Saturday.
Lake Superior State’s offense is about average among WCHA teams, scoring 2.7 goals per game, but the Lakers have some dangerous strikers. Juniors Ashton Calder and Pete Veillete lead the team with 12 and 11 goals, respectively. Calder has a goal and Veillete has three assists against UAH this season.
The winners of the four quarterfinal series will meet next weekend at the rink of the highest remining seed for single-elimination semifinals and the WCHA championship game.
WCHA quarterfinal series. All times Central.
#7 UAH at #2 Lake Superior State Game 1: Friday, 6:07 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 4:07 p.m. Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, 4:07 p.m.
#8 Ferris State at #1 Minnesota State Game 1: Friday, 6:07 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 4:07 p.m. Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, 4:07 p.m.
#6 Northern Michigan at #3 Bowling Green Game 1: Friday, 6:07 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 6:07 p.m. Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, 4:07 p.m.
#5 Michigan Tech at #4 Bemidji State Game 1: Friday, 7:07 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 6:07 p.m. Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, 5:07 p.m.
If this was the last meeting between longtime rivals UAH and Bemidji State for a while, it will be hardly memorable, especially for the Chargers.
The Chargers was shut out by the Beavers again Sunday, this time by a 4-0 margin at the Sanford Center. UAH lost 2-0 on Saturday.
UAH (3-16-1 overall, 3-11-0 WCHA) ends the regular season losing 11 of the last 12 games. The Chargers’ offense continues to struggle, scoring only six goals during their now seven-game losing streak.
The Chargers now turn to the WCHA playoffs. UAH, the seventh seed, will head to second-seeded Lake Superior State for the best-of-3 WCHA quarterfinals starting Friday.
Bemidji State (13-8-3, 8-5-1), the fourth seed, will host fifth-seeded Michigan Tech.
Derek Krall got the start in net for the Chargers for his first action since Feb. 17. He made 25 saves on 29 BSU shots.
The Beavers wore down the Charger defense on a long shift and took an early lead when Alex Ierullo scored through a crowd in front of the UAH net just 2:11 into the contest.
BSU could have had more. They only had nine shots on goal in the first period because the Chargers blocked 12 attempts.
UAH had three power-play attempts in the second period but could not do much with them.
Bemidji State made it 2-0 by tiring out the Chargers again. Brad Belisle scored on a rebound with 6:08 remaining in the second.
The Beavers got two quick goals early in the third period, both on deflections by Alex Adams.
The Chargers, playing with a shorthanded lineup, were shut out 2-0 on Saturday at Bemidji State.
UAH dressed only 10 forwards and 18 players total. No reason has been given for the short roster.
The Chargers (3-15-1 overall, 3-10-0 WCHA) were fine enough defensively, getting 31 saves from goaltender David Fessenden and blocking 22 shots, but managed only 16 shots on BSU netminder Zach Driscoll.
Bemidji State (12-8-3, 7-5-1) scored first when Aaron Miller took a nice centering pass by Eric Martin, beating Fessenden low at the doorstep with 3:06 left in the first period.
The Chargers generated more scoring chances during the first half of the second period, but could not yet solve Driscoll. The senior netminder, who denied Tyrone Bronte in his breakaway in the first period, made a stop on Frank Vitucci’s rebound opportunity to keep UAH off the board.
Two straight slashing penalties against Brian Scoville put the Beavers back in the offense, and it was again Fessenden’s turn to shine. He made 13 saves in the second period to keep it a one-goal game at intermission.
The Beavers scored their second goal during a delayed penalty on Ayodele Adeniye, as Brendan Harris back-handed a rebound with 6:26 remaining in the third period.
UAH killed that penalty, but the Chargers’ chances dwindled when Adrian Danchenko got a kneeing major and a game misconduct with 3:40 left.
The regular season ends Sunday with the series finale at Bemidji starting at 2 p.m.
The Chargers know where they are going for their WCHA quarterfinal series. UAH, already locked in as the seventh seed, will head to Lake Superior State, which clinched the second seed with a 2-1 win over Ferris State on Saturday. Game 1 of the best-of-3 series is Friday.
UAH (3-14-1, 3-9-0 WCHA) vs. Bemidji State (11-8-3, 6-5-1 WCHA) WHERE: Sanford Center, Bemidji, Minn. WHEN: Saturday, 4:07 p.m.; Sunday, 2:07 p.m. WATCH:FloHockey.tv (subscription)
The UAH Chargers and Bemidji State Beavers have battled each other almost every year for almost 27 years, but this could be the last meeting between the longtime rivals for a while.
Next season, Bemidji State will be in the new CCHA. UAH’s future has yet to be determined.
The rivalry began with the 1994 NCAA Division II championship in Huntsville. The teams would meet four times in five years for the national title, each winning two championships. UAH and BSU would continue meeting as they moved into Division I, becoming members of College Hockey America in 1999 and staying through the men’s league’s end in 2010. The teams met four times while UAH was an independent, and then UAH joined Bemidji State in the WCHA in 2013.
The schools have played each other 92 times, with the Beavers holding a 55-32-5 advantage in the all-time series.
This weekend’s affair will not affect UAH’s seeding in the WCHA playoffs. Locked into seventh place, the Chargers will try to get some momentum into the postseason after being swept by Bowling Green last week and losing nine of their last 10.
The Beavers, ranked 17th in the latest USCHO.com poll, are playing for home ice in the quarterfinals. They are in sixth place but could finish as high as fourth.
A bunch of busy Beavers, Bemidji State is playing six games in 11 days to close the regular season. They split a home-and-home series with Minnesota State last weekend and split with Lake Superior in Bemidji on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Senior Zach Driscoll has put together another solid year between the pipes for Bemidji State, posting a 2.52 goals against average and a .919 save percentage, starting in all but one of BSU’s 22 games this season.
The Beavers have experienced forwards in seniors Ethan Somoza (11 goals) and Brendan Harris (16 points) and junior Alex Ierullo (19 points). Junior Owen Sillinger had nine goals but has missed BSU’s last seven games with an injury suffered against Northern Michigan on February 12.
This week in the WCHA: All times Central.
Friday, March 5 #19 Michigan Tech at #4 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Saturday, March 6 UAH at #17 Bemidji State, 4:07 p.m. Ferris State at #20 Lake Superior State, 2:07 p.m. #19 Michigan Tech at #4 Minnesota State, 6:07 p.m.
Sunday, March 7 UAH at #17 Bemidji State, 2:07 p.m.
Bowling Green spoiled UAH’s Senior Day upset bid Sunday, scoring twice halfway through the third period toward a 4-2 win at the Von Braun Center.
The Chargers (3-14-1, 3-9-0 WCHA) led the 13th-ranked Falcons 2-1 at the second intermission in their season home finale, but could not capitalize on crucial power-play opportunities at the start of the third period.
UAH finishes the regular season next weekend at Bemidji State. The Chargers are locked into the seventh seed in the WCHA playoffs, which begin in two weeks.
Bowling Green (19-8-1, 8-5-1) made its grip on the second seed tighter with the victory, leading Lake Superior State by seven points. If the Falcons hold, they would be hosting UAH in the best-of-3 quarterfinals. Bowling Green has finished its regular season.
The Falcons outshot the Chargers 27-18 and won the possession battle most of the game, but UAH that held the lead twice.
The Chargers got an unlikely goal from an unlikely spot to open the scoring. Defenseman Lucas Bahn took the puck up the right half-wall to just in front of the goal line, threw it toward the net and banked it off Falcon goaltender Zach Rose with 1:26 remaining in the first period.
It was Bahn’s first goal of the season and second of his UAH career, assisted by Connor Merkley, playing for the first time since February 5, and Adrian Danchenko.
UAH gave away the lead almost immediately after starting the second. A turnover lead to a two-on-none breakaway for the Falcons. Tim Theocharidis finally scored after playing catch with Brandon Kruse to tie the game at 1-1 just 35 seconds into the period.
The Chargers got the lead right at 2-1 back with their first short-handed goal of the season. Drew Lennon’s slapshot from the right circle, off a nifty cross-ice pass from Bauer Neudecker, beat Rose for his second goal of the season near the halfway point in the contest.
The Falcons used a short leash on Rose, pulling him for senior Eric Dop, who shut out the Chargers in Bowling Green on Wednesday. Dop continued to stymie UAH, stopping all nine shots he faced.
UAH had a huge chance to increase its lead at the end of the second period and the start of the third. Anton Malmstrom drew a major penalty and a game misconduct with a hit from behind on Connor Wood, and T.J. Lloyd took a roughing minor to give the Chargers a two-man advantage for two minutes.
The Chargers could not capitalize despite getting five shots on Dop over the five minutes of power-play time.
That would bite UAH halfway into the third, when Bowling Green scored two quick goals to take a 3-2 lead. Connor Ford stuck in a rebound in front during a power-play with 10:43 remaining, and Sam Craggs then scored high on the doorstep 54 seconds later.
Ford then added an empty-net goal with 49 seconds remaining for the final 4-2 score.
As the only two seniors on the 2020-21 Chargers, Connor Merkley and Connor Wood have experienced quite a lot at UAH. They have seen thrilling victories, grueling road trips, and the cancellation and resurrection of the program, and that’s just for starters.
The two will be honored at Senior Day, the Chargers’ final home game of the season, on Sunday against Bowling Green at the Von Braun Center. Opening puck drop is 3:07 p.m.
Photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography
Connor Merkley
A native of Portland, Ontario, Canada, Connor Merkley is one of many to come to UAH from the Carleton Place Canadians in the CCHL.
“Making the jump to NCAA hockey is no short leap by any means for anyone,” Merkley said. “In NCAA hockey, everyone is here for a reason. At the beginning it was definitely a learning experience for me, but I think the biggest thing for me was just having confidence in myself and my own abilities. Once you make that adjustment, you just need to be sure of yourself and find your role as you continue to move forward.”
Merkley got plenty of chances to adjust from the start, playing in 35 games in his freshman year. His first collegiate goal came on November 11, 2017, in thrilling fashion against Alaska Anchorage, tying the game with less than a second remaining in regulation.
“That’s one moment that will stick with me, I’m sure,” Merkley said. “That was my first career collegiate goal, and my family had made the road trip down. I had my parents, both of my sisters, and my brother-in-law there, so that was exciting to have them in the stands and share that moment with them.”
That was just the start of his memories at UAH.
“I enjoyed playing in the playoffs the two times that we played,” Merkley said. “My freshman year against Northern Michigan was exciting, where we went to game three and had a good chance in that series. Playing against Mankato (the following season), as much as it wasn’t the result we wanted, it was just the challenge of playing against such a well-run team, and as a hockey player you want to play against the best players.”
In 110 career games at UAH, Merkley has nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points. This season, Merkley has only played in nine games, scoring one goal. He’s missed the last eight with a knee injury, but he’s hopeful that he will play on Sunday.
Speaking of adjustments, Merkley says the Chargers have been able to weather through the pandemic, which has led to several schedule disruptions, as best they can.
“You have to stay in the moment within what you are doing in your daily activities,” Merkley said. “You can’t really let outside noise or anything going around affect what you’re doing and take it day by day. It’s been a roller-coaster for sure trying to just stay the path, but it’s one of those situations where everyone is fighting through the same thing.”
Merkley is a kinesiology major graduating this year. He was named to the WCHA all-academic team last season. Merkley said the pandemic has made his near-future plans unclear: “I’m not sure whether I’m going to continue playing hockey or pursuing school, but it’s hard to get a grip on what anything is going to bring in the future.”
Merkley is optimistic for the future of the UAH hockey program, and grateful for the opportunity the program has given him.
“Last summer, we experienced some things you don’t wish to go through as a player and a program, but the school and the alumni and the new coaching staff have a great vision for what is to come in the future,” Merkley said. “The direction of the team is going to be great with the all the support. The biggest thing right now is to get into a conference. Whatever conference that we end up joining, UAH has some big things ahead of them.
“There’s been lots of people over the course of my career that have helped me. I’m grateful for the opportunity that UAH has given me to be able to follow my dreams and be able to play Division I hockey. I’m grateful to all the support staff, from the coaches that I’ve had to the equipment manager Damon Wheeler, to the athletic trainers. It’s hard to step away from your family and go away on 18-plus-hour road trips and support the team. I’m also grateful to my professors and everyone within the UAH kinesiology department who have made me have a good experience with going to school full time as well as playing hockey.”
Photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography
Connor Wood
Two things make Connor Wood stand out on the ice: His flowing golden hair and getting under the skin of his opponents.
The Buford, Georgia native has also been looked at as one of the leaders to this season’s roster and its 14 freshmen.
“It was really weird at first with so many new faces, but as time went on it’s really interesting how fast we got close,” Wood said. “Some of my best friends on the team this year are freshmen. I really like that about our team, that we have that kind of dynamic where it doesn’t matter what year you are, we’re all friends. It’s really cool for me to see them learn things that I also learned as a freshman. You see them understand as the year goes on what we talk about and them grow as players.”
“As you grow up playing games, you get more confident,” Wood said, comparing his game today to his own freshmen experiences. “You feel more confident with the puck at this level. In my freshman year, I’d probably be more panicky with the puck on the wall, whereas you get older you settle in and know what to expect.”
That confidence has carried through a tough year with the salvaging of the program and the pandemic.
“Going back to last summer, that was definitely an emotional week,” Wood said. “For me, being a senior, I didn’t want to have to go anywhere else. I was very excited to finish out my college career here.
“Getting two weekends cancelled and then having to make those up, which resulted in four games in five days on the road, aren’t usually things you have to worry about. It’s difficult, but we battled through it.”
Wood has played 96 games as a Charger, scoring six goals and 13 points. Some of his favorite moments as a Charger have come recently, namely the sweep of Ferris State at the VBC in January and snatching a win over then 15th-ranked Bowling Green on the road two years ago. Sometimes the best memories are also your first.
“My very first college game was pretty exciting at Notre Dame,” Wood said. “Really good team, cool rink. Just a very cool experience to get to play in your very first one.”
Wood is a two-time member of the WCHA all-academic team, majoring in business marketing. Last season, he was named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete. He too isn’t sure what the future holds for him. He might exercise the fifth year of eligibility the NCAA is allowing all winter-sport athletes because of the pandemic, go for a master’s degree, or continue playing in Europe or wherever the opportunity presents itself.
Whatever he wants to do, he knows he has the support from the network of Charger hockey alumni.
“That’s one of the more special things about UAH: It’s very close-knit,” Wood said. “I had an alum after we swept Ferris — I hadn’t talked to him I don’t think — he found my number and he texted me and reached out. Guys who graduated 20 to 30 years ago still just care so much and will help anyone who has come through the program. I think that’s really special, because I don’t think a lot of programs really have that.”
Wood is also confident UAH will get into a conference after this season because of that alumni push.
“Our alumni are doing an outstanding job of doing whatever they can to make sure we stay around and have a competitive team,” Wood said. “I have a lot of trust and faith in those guys and I think they’re going to come through big time for us and get us a place to play and keep UAH hockey alive.”
For now, Wood is grateful for his time in Huntsville.
“I just want everyone to know how thankful I am, to the school itself for giving me an opportunity, all the friends I’ve made, the memories I have made. They gave me an opportunity to play college hockey and a lot of chances to grow as a player, especially the coaches this year seeing me as a leader. I’m really thankful for everything I’ve gotten at UAH and getting an education along the way.”
Bowling Green scored four second-period goals and never looked back to defeat UAH 5-0 on Wednesday in Ohio in the first game of a home-and-home series.
Game two is Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Von Braun Center, the final home game of the season for the Chargers.
UAH fell to 3-13-1 overall and 3-8-0 in WCHA play as it finished an 9-day, 5-game road trip. The 13th-ranked Falcons improved to 18-8-1 and 7-5-1.
After a scoreless first period, Bowling Green broke the stalemate almost halfway through the second. Connor Ford beat David Fessenden high with a wrister from the right circle.
The Falcons took a 2-0 lead when Max Johnson’s shot up the middle deflected high off a Charger defender and just under the crossbar with 8:25 left in the second. A minute later, Brandon Kruse put BG up 3-0.
Anton Malmstrom made it 4-0 at the second intermission when he scored during an extended delayed penalty on UAH. Ford added a goal late in the third period.
David Fessenden made 36 saves for the Chargers, who were outshot 41-11.
