Author Archives: Michael Napier

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Chargers prepare for third-ranked Minnesota State

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Minnesota State (11-2-1, 8-0-0 WCHA) at UAH (2-7-1, 2-2-0 WCHA)
WHERE: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala. (COVID-19 policies)
WHEN: Thursday, 7:07 p.m.; Friday, 7:07 p.m.
WATCH: FloHockey.tv (subscription)
LISTEN: Penalty Box Radio

Minnesota State’s hockey program has been a force in the WCHA, winning the MacNaughton Cup as regular-season champions five of the last six years. The Mavericks are rolling again this season, holding a three-game lead atop the league standings and a No. 3 national ranking in the polls.

MSU has been just about everything the UAH hockey program aspires to be in its rebuild. For now, however, the Mavericks has been the bane of the Chargers’ existence: UAH is winless in the last 34 meetings (0-30-4), last claiming victory in 2002.

So the freshman-heavy Chargers will be decided underdogs yet again, but go for the upset they will when they host the Mavericks at the Von Braun Center on Thursday and Friday nights.

“It’s going to be an extreme challenge,” UAH head coach Lance West said. “People who’ll want to watch the game are going to get to come watch one of the best teams in the country and some of the best players out there. It’s an exciting challenge for our guys. It’s one of the things that when you decide to come play in Division I, you’re excited for a challenge against a team like that. That’s the way we’ve approached it all week.

“You don’t have to talk about it a lot, but what you talk about is the opportunity and the challenge. You want guys to face it head on. You can’t be beat mentally before you go into the game.”

Most hockey upsets start with an outstanding goaltending performance, and UAH will look again to David Fessenden to fill that need. Fessenden has kept the Chargers in most games this season with his .931 save percentage. He had 36 saves in the opener against Michigan Tech last Friday.

“One of the big factors (for Fessenden) has been (assistant coach) Carmine Guerriero,” West said. “He’s been able to really work with him on an individual basis, on skills, composure, knowing when David is too active, showing him things that maybe a guy who played forward like me just doesn’t see. He’s been really good for David and David has responded well and calm. And when he’s calm, he’s big, athletic, and can make saves.”

Goaltending might be the relatively easy part. The Chargers will still have to find a way to score on Dryden McKay, who has been a fortress against just about everyone. The junior has more shutouts (7) than not (5) in 12 starts this season, leading Division I in goals against average (0.84) and save percentage (.959). McKay held the WCHA’s leading offense, Bowling Green, to just one goal in two games last week.

UAH must do better than in last weekend’s series against Michigan Tech, when the Chargers played in a tight game the first two periods but were outplayed in the third each night.

“Friday, we just got beat,” West said. “I still didn’t think we played the type of game we need to play. We’d been off for a month and I just don’t think I got them prepared well enough for in that week for the pace they were going to see, which we’ve tried to adjust this week.

“Saturday, we played a much better game, but again in the third period they turned it up a notch, we made a mistake, and they’re good enough to capitalize. Come third period, you know you have to be better. You know in tight games in college hockey, even with us this year, you have to be the team that can’t take a break.”

Tyrone Bronte, who has nine points in 10 games, Bauer Neudecker, who got a goal and an assist last week, and Tyr Thompson, who is tied with Bronte and Neudecker with three goals this season, have been the leaders of the Charger offense.

The Mavericks are led by junior Julian Napravnik and sophomore Cade Borchardt, both with six goals and 16 points. Reggie Lutz (seven goals) and Dallas Gerads (five) lead a experienced group with eight seniors in the regular lineup. Winnipeg Jets prospect Nathan Smith has 13 assists.

The Chargers will need to be up for the challenge, not only against Mavericks but the road ahead.

Next week, the Chargers will play four games in five days in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They will make up a series with Northern Michigan on Tuesday and Wednesday before heading to Lake Superior State on Friday and Saturday.

“There wasn’t a lot of people expecting a lot from us, but we expect a lot from ourselves, and that’s been the message from day one,” West said. “We’ve got to get our practice habits better so we’re more consistent, but come game time these guys have laid it on the line. I’m proud of them as I am excited about anything, because they have bought in.”

This week in the WCHA: All times Central.

Thursday, February 11
#3 Minnesota State at UAH, 7:07 p.m.

Friday, February 12
#3 Minnesota State at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State at #12 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
Northern Michigan at #18 Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
Ferris State at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.*

Saturday, February 13
Lake Superior State at #12 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
Northern Michigan at #18 Bemidji State, 6:07 p.m.
Ferris State at Michigan Tech, 5:07 p.m.*

Tuesday, February 16
UAH at Northern Michigan, 3:37 p.m.

Wednesday, February 17
UAH at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.

*Non-conference game.

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Chargers lose to MTU in series finale

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UAH played better in its 4-1 loss to Michigan Tech at the Von Braun Cebter on Saturday, but the Chargers have work to do to regain their legs following their pandemic-induced layoff.

The Huskies wore down the Chargers with three unanswered goals in the third period to complete a sweep of the non-conference series.

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

The Chargers (2-7-1), who were idle for 27 days because of COVID-19 protocols coming into the weekend, had only 19 shots on goal. But even that was improvement over the nine shots on net they had in Friday’s 3-1 defeat.

Once again, UAH’s starting goaltender had to work hard to keep the Chargers in the game. This time, it was freshman Derek Krall, who had not seen any action in two months with David Fessenden assuming the No. 1 spot. Krall responded admirably with 37 saves on 41 Michigan Tech shots.

Trenton Bliss opened the scoring for Michigan Tech (11-5-1) by sneaking the puck off Krall and in with 11:07 remaining in the first period.

Michigan Tech nearly made it 2-0 when Alec Broetzman deflected a centering feed during a power play, but Krall denied him with a sprawling pad save and sitting cover.

The Chargers tied the game at 6:57 of the second period in a rather unorthodox fashion. Bennett Stockdale, trying to create a chance in front of the Tech net, was tripped as he crossed the goal line. His back-hander deflected off a Husky defender and past goalie Blake Pietila (18 saves) for his first college goal and point.

Bauer Neudecker and Tyrone Bronte got the assists. Bronte now leads the Chargers with six assists and nine points.

Michigan Tech dominated possession for the rest of the period after the UAH goal. The Huskies outshot the Chargers 15-5 in the frame, keeping Krall busy with the pad and glove.

The biggest test for UAH came at start the third period. After back-to-back penalties to Connor Wood and Ayodele Adeniye to end the second, the Chargers had to kill off a 5-on-3 Huskies advantage for 1:33.

Test passed, thanks in large part to Krall, who robbed Arvid Caderoth’s doorstep snipe with the pad to keep the game tied 1-1.

However, the Huskies eventually put the game away with three unanswered goals over a span of 3:46 as Tech kept firing.

Justin Misiak pounded in a rebound through traffic in the slot to put the Huskies up 2-1 almost four minutes into the third. Tristan Ashbrook wristed in a centering pass two minutes later, and Alec Broetzman followed up with a slapshot from the left circle a minute after that.

UAH will turn attention to the best team in the WCHA, No. 6 Minnesota State, for a conference series at the VBC on Thursday and Friday.

Chargers go cold in loss to MTU

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If the 27-day layoff affected the Chargers, it showed big time Friday night.

UAH’s offense was ice cold against Michigan Tech in a 3-1 non-conference loss at the Von Braun Center. The Chargers managed only nine shots on goal for the game, with none coming in the final period.

Goaltender David Fessenden stayed hot, however, keeping the Chargers in it as best he could. He made 36 saves on the Huskies’ 39 shots.

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

Game two of the series is Saturday at 5:05 p.m.

Rust showed early for UAH (2-6-1), which saw its last three weekend series postponed because of COVID-19 protocols. The Chargers were only able to start resume practicing as a full squad a few days ago following a 10-day pause in activities.

The Huskies (10-5-1) quickly tested Fessenden with the first eight shots on net with the Chargers scrambling. One of Fessenden’s biggest saves came around four minutes in, when Ryland Mosley, a former UAH commitment, stole the puck in the slot and fired point blank.

Tyrone Bronte got the first UAH shot on Sinclair about seven minutes left in the first period, which helped get the Chargers their only real offensive pressure of the game and the first goal.

As the advantage expired, Bauer Neudecker popped in a rebound on an open net for his third goal of the season with 1:30 remaining in the first. Mick Heneghan, who had the initial shot, and Bronte had the assists.

The net was open because Tech’s Tyrell Buckley was cross-checking Peyton Francis into the Tech goal, resulting in another power play for the Chargers.

UAH couldn’t convert as the power play bled into the second period, and the Huskies tied the game up with a power-play goal of their own at the 3:26 mark. Halonen was all alone in the left circle and had a wide open net when he received a rebound of Colin Swoyer’s shot from the right side.

Tech leveraged that and two more power plays to spend an inordinate amount of time and shots in the UAH zone in the second period. The Huskies outshot the Chargers 17-3, with Fessenden’s 16 saves in the frame, 13 were with UAH shorthanded.

David Fessenden makes a save against Michigan Tech at the Von Braun Center on February 5, 2021. (Photo by Todd Thompson / RiverCat Photography)

The Chargers needed all those big saves from “Big Save Dave” to keep the score tied 1-1 at the second intermission, but Fessenden could not stop the Huskies from taking their first lead 31 seconds into the third. Arvid Caderoth, who was named the WCHA rookie of the month for January, scored from the slot right just after Connor Wood’s penalty from late in the second expired.

Tech would go up 3-1 on a Tristan Ashbrook goal six minutes later.

The Chargers were essentially dormant the rest of the game, getting no shots on goal (and only two shot attempts) in a quick third period. It was the third time in program history that UAH could not get a shot on net in a period, the first occurrences happening in 2011 and 2013.

That made life easy for Michigan Tech goaltender Mark Sinclair. The former Charger needed only eight saves in his return to Huntsville.

UAH defenseman Dayne Finnson was scratched due to injury.

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Chargers ready to resume season against Michigan Tech

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Michigan Tech (9-5-1, 3-2-0 WCHA) at UAH (2-5-1, 2-2-0 WCHA)
WHERE: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala. (COVID-19 policies)
WHEN: Friday, 7:07 p.m.; Saturday, 5:07 p.m.
WATCH: FloHockey.tv (subscription)
LISTEN: Penalty Box Radio

After three weeks off and a 10-day pause because of COVID-19 issues, the Chargers can finally resume the season at home in a non-conference series against Michigan Tech.

UAH has not played since January 9, when the Chargers finished off a sweep of Ferris State at the Von Braun Center for their first wins of the season.

“We only had six skaters for the whole week (during the pause),” UAH head coach Lance West said. “We’ve had one week of practice where we’ve started to have everybody back.”

West said the full roster save for one injured player should be available this weekend.

The Chargers did have one roster move during the layoff, adding freshman defenseman Josh Martin. Martin is a transfer from Alaska Anchorage, which opted out of playing this season because of the pandemic and is fighting to save its program.

As such, Martin is awaiting his college hockey debut. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Michigan native spent the last three years with Lone Star of the NAHL, scoring 15 points (three goals and 12 assists) in 49 games as an alternate captain last season.

“Martin’s a big kid who competes hard and battles,” West said. “He’s has a really good work ethic in practice,” showing similar traits to fellow freshman defenders Ayo Adeniye and Brian Scoville.

Michigan Tech ran into trouble last week at eighth-ranked Bowling Green, falling 6-3 and 5-2. Coming into the series, the Huskies had a seven-game winning streak, which included a sweep of the Chargers in Houghton. The Huskies rebounded Tuesday with a 6-4 victory at Ferris State.

The Chargers will need to score more than the single goal they managed in the series at Tech back on January 2-3, when the Huskies won 4-0 and 2-1.

“We know how hard it is to get goals against quality teams in this league,” West said. “You cannot take a night off and expect to win.”

Trenton Bliss and Alec Broetzman continue to lead the Huskies in scoring this season. Bliss, with six goals, is averaging a point a game through 13 contests. Broetzman has five goals and 10 points, including three points at Bowling Green despite the losses.

Blake Pietila has been Tech’s No. 1 between the pipes with 10 starts, with former Charger Mark Sinclair as backup. Pietila has a 1.60 goals against average and .948 save percentage.

Since leading the Huskies to a win over UAH, Sinclair shut out Northern Michigan in his next start but lasted just under 10 minutes in the first game against Bowling Green last week. Still, he has a 2.57 goals against and .902 save percentage this season.

Bronte nominated for Hobey: Forward Tyrone Bronte is UAH’s nomination for the Hobey Baker Award.

The freshman from Melbourne, Australia leads the Chargers with seven points in his first eight games, scoring three power-play goals.

“Though he’s only had the chance to play eight games, Tyrone has shown that he has a strong hockey IQ,” West said.

The fan voting phase has begun at hobeybaker.com/vote and runs through March 8.

This week in the WCHA: All times Central.

Friday, February 5
Michigan Tech at UAH, 7:07 p.m.*
#18 Bemidji State at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
#8 Bowling Green at #6 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.

Saturday, February 6
Michigan Tech at UAH, 5:07 p.m.*
Northern Michigan at Lake Superior State, 4:07 p.m.
#18 Bemidji State at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
#8 Bowling Green at #6 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.

Sunday, February 7
Northern Michigan at Lake Superior State, 2:07 p.m.

Tuesday, February 9
Michigan Tech at Ferris State, 3:07 p.m.

*Non-conference game.

More schedule changes announced for February

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Multiple updates to the Chargers’ schedule were announced Monday as the pandemic-affected season continues.

First, this Saturday’s game at the Von Braun Center against Michigan Tech has been moved up to 5:07 p.m. Friday’s match is still a 7:07 p.m. opening face-off. This weekend’s series is non-conference.

The WCHA announced that UAH’s series with Northern Michigan, originally scheduled for January 22-23 in Huntsville, has been rescheduled to February 16-17 in Marquette, Michigan. The Chargers will now play four games in five days in the Upper Peninsula, heading to Lake Superior State on February 19-20.

The Chargers’ home finale against Bowling Green has been pushed from Saturday, February 27 to Sunday, February 28 at 3:07 p.m. The series was originally set as a home-and-home with the first game at Bowling Green on February 24, but that game may be pushed back and moved to Huntsville.

UAH hasn’t played in the last three weekends due to pandemic-related issues and a 10-day pause to program activities. One non-conference series, Jan. 28-29 at Minnesota State, has yet to be rescheduled.

Here is UAH’s remaining schedule, continually subject to further change. All times are Central Time.

Friday, Feb. 5 vs. Michigan Tech, 7:07 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 6 vs. Michigan Tech, 5:07 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 11 vs. Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 12 vs. Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 16 at Northern Michigan, 3:37 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 17 at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 19 at Lake Superior State, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 20 at Lake Superior State, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 24 or Saturday, Feb. 27 vs. Bowling Green, time/location TBA
Sunday, Feb. 28 vs. Bowling Green, 3:07 p.m.
Friday, March 5 at Bemidji State, time TBA
Saturday, March 6 at Bemidji State, time TBA

Non-league series at Minnesota State postponed

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UAH’s non-conference series at No. 2-ranked Minnesota State has been postponed. No make-up date has been scheduled. Monday’s announcement from the WCHA comes as the UAH hockey program continues its 10-day pause of activities due to COVID-19 protocols, which began last week.

The Chargers’ last game was January 9, a 2-0 home victory over Ferris State. UAH’s next scheduled series is February 5-6 at the Von Braun Center against Michigan Tech.

It is the third week in the row that the Chargers have had games postponed. A trip to Bemidji State on January 15-16 has been moved to March 5-6, and a home series with Northern Michigan on January 22-23 has yet to be rescheduled. Both are WCHA series.

Currently, UAH has no open weekends for the rest of the regular season, so getting these games in may rely on coincidental openings from future postponements.

Since this weekend’s games at Mankato, Minn. were non-conference, they are more likely to be cancelled. The Mavericks are scheduled to visit Huntsville for WCHA play on February 11-12.

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Chargers pause for COVID, NMU series postponed

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For the second straight week, the Chargers will not be playing because of the coronavirus.

The team has paused activity for 10 days due to COVID-19 protocols based on guidance from UAH and the University of Alabama system.

The Chargers’ WCHA series against Northern Michigan at the Von Braun Center has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date. Last week, UAH’s trip to Bemidji State was postponed to March 5-6.

UAH’s last game was on January 9, when the Chargers defeated Ferris State 2-0 at the Von Braun Center to finish a WCHA series sweep. The Chargers now hope to resume play at Minnesota State in a non-conference series on January 28 and 29.

“The health and safety of our student athletes and staff members is the top priority and will continue to be as we work our way through this pandemic,” UAH athletics director Dr. Cade Smith said. “We believe this is the best way for us to be able to complete our season and continue to compete as a program. I am grateful for our medical providers and all that they are doing to keep us safe as well as helping us to be able to play and compete.”

Charger junior forward Tyr Thompson said the team is focused on returning to action.

“It’s tough, obviously, not playing games,” Thompson said. “We’re just trying to stay positive out there. We’re really looking forward to getting back and playing again soon whenever that may be.

“With this recent news now that we’ve been shut down and quarantine for 10 days, we have to really abide by that and make sure that we get our cases down and make sure that when we do get back, we’re all healthy and ready to go.”

The long pause comes at a time when UAH (2-5-1 overall, 2-2-0 WCHA) was finding its groove. The Chargers’ sweep of Ferris State was their first two wins of the season. Thompson scored a goal and two assists in the series.

“We’ve gelled together and come together really quickly this year as a team,” Thompson said. “I think that’s something that’s really changed since last year. Communication is a big part of that, and that starts with the top level guys, our coaches (Lance West, Karlis Zirnis, Carmine Guerriero).

“We definitely still have room for improvement, like any team. We still have a higher ceiling and we can keep continuing to grow. It’s good that we’ve had that success and we’ve put some points in the win column, and I think we’ll continue to do that as we get better.”

It’s uncertain when the UAH-Northern Michigan series can be played. The Chargers have a series scheduled for every weekend through the end of the regular season, including the March 5-6 weekend the WCHA set aside for make-up games (taken by the postponed series at Bemidji State). The WCHA playoffs are currently scheduled to begin March 12.

Northern Michigan is also booked every week, except for the open weekend for make-up dates.

UAH now has had four games postponed and one game at Ferris State in December cancelled in this shortened 2020-21 season because of the pandemic.

“Within our group, we’re trying to stay safe, we’re trying to social distance,” Thompson said. “Sometimes it’s hard to do that, but we do try our best, wearing masks and abiding these protocols. At the end of the day, if we follow the protocols, that will end up with us playing games. It starts with taking care of yourself.”

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Chargers working to build on success after home wins

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The Chargers had a taste of victory at home. They look to keep it going, although now they will have to wait a little.

The Chargers were scheduled to play Bemidji State in Minnesota this weekend, but the series was postponed to March 5-6, presumably for COVID-related reasons. UAH hosts Northern Michigan on January 22 and 23 for its next action.

UAH is on a high after sweeping Ferris State by scores of 5-4 and 2-0 at the Von Braun Center for its first two wins of the season last weekend. It was the Chargers’ first sweep in two years.

“It’s a great feeling for the guys,” UAH associated head coach Karlis Zirnis said of last week’s success. “It was good to see the crowd and the energy in the building. We came out with two wins, getting a little bit of momentum going our way and a little bit of belief in the locker room that sticking through a process and trying to get better every day. It’s a lot easier for the coach to come in and preach that when there’s results.”

Tyrone Bronte had two goals and an assist in the series, earning him WCHA rookie of the week honors for the second time. The freshman leads the Chargers with seven points (three goals and four assists) through eight games.

“He’s got a very good skill set,” Zirnis said. “He’s got speed, he’s got some good puck-handling skills, he’s got a good hockey IQ. What elevates him even more is his competitiveness every day. If it’s his shot, his speed, his faceoffs as a centerman, he’s trying to improve every day. Playing on the first line, he gets a lot of minutes. He carries a lot on power play and carries a lot on the penalty kill, too.”

Dayne Finnson also had three points, including the game-winning goal in Friday’s overtime victory. Finnson was named WCHA defenseman of the week for the second time this season as well.

Another defenseman, Drew Lennon, also had a goal and two assists Friday night for his first three points of the season, underscoring the Chargers’ belief that the blueliners can also contribute to the offense.

“It was great for us to see (Lennon) stepping out,” Zirnis said. “He comes in and works every day but doesn’t say a whole lot. Very mature kid.

“It’s great for us to see our defensemen contribute to our offense. We encourage our defensemen to join the rush. It’s a process that we’ve got to keep teaching and keep preaching every day.”

Goaltender David Fessenden had the biggest impact in Saturday’s win, stopping all 42 shots for his first college shutout.

“Saturday night, we didn’t play very well as a team, but our goalie came out and stood on his head and carried us through the game and found a way to win,” Zirnis said. “The confidence of David Fessenden should be ‘Rocket City high’ as we call it.”

An aspect of UAH’s play that has improved immensely has been the power play. The Chargers are ranked fourth in NCAA Division I at 29.6 percent efficiency through eight games.

“With the power play, you can get complicated, and sometimes when you get more complicated, it gets more confusing for the guys,” Zirnis said. “The units themselves have gelled pretty well, just keeping it really simple. Deliver the puck to the net when it’s there, and if it’s not there, then they make that pass. Don’t overthink it. I always say, in hockey, the simplest play is the most effective play.”

This week in the WCHA: All times Central.

Friday, January 15
#5 Minnesota State at #19 Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
Northern Michigan at #8 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.*

Saturday, January 16
#5 Minnesota State at #19 Lake Superior State, 4:07 p.m.
Trine at Ferris State, 3:07 p.m.*
Northern Michigan at #8 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.*

*Non-conference game.