Author Archives: Michael Napier

Stage is set for UAH’s final chance at the WCHA playoffs

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WCHA standings
Top 8 make playoffs		 Pts. Record Next
x-Bemidji State 61 19-5-2-2 vs. MSU
y-Michigan Tech 51 14-6-6-3 at/vs. NMU
y-Minnesota State 48 14-8-4-2 at BSU
z-Bowling Green 38 12-13-1-1 vs. UAH
z-Ferris State 38 11-12-3-2 at LSSU
Alaska 34 9-13-4-3 at UAA
Lake Superior 33 8-12-6-3 vs. FSU
N. Michigan 31 9-14-3-1 vs./at MTU
UAH 30 9-14-3-0 at BGSU
AK-Anchorage 26 6-14-6-2 vs. UAF
x-Clinched regular season championship
y-Clinched home ice in first round
z-Clinched playoff berth

The Chargers are very much alive for a WCHA playoff spot after the results of league games during UAH’s bye week.

UAH, currently in ninth place with 30 points, is on the outside looking in heading into the regular-season final series at Bowling Green. The Chargers will need points against the Falcons and some outside help to reach the postseason.

UAH got some help this weekend with Northern Michigan getting swept by Minnesota State in Mankato, keeping the Wildcats only one point ahead of UAH with that eighth and final playoff spot.

If the Chargers can get one more point at Bowling Green than NMU can get at home against Michigan Tech, UAH should take eighth. UAH has the “D” tiebreaker (head-to-head with fewer than four games played) over Northern Michigan thanks to its sweep in Marquette in December.

UAH could reach as high as sixth place, but they’ll need to sweep Bowling Green and get a lot of help.

Here are the matchups for the final week of the WCHA regular season:

UAH at Bowling Green: The Falcons swept the Chargers in Huntsville by scores of 4-1 and 8-3, but the games were closer than the scores indicate. The first game was a one-goal affair until BG scored with less than two minutes to go and then added an empty-netter. UAH had the lead going into the third in the second game and was down only one halfway through the third before the Falcons again added another late goal and empty-netter (plus two garbage goals afterward). Last season, UAH stunned Bowling Green with a 7-5 win in the final weekend.

The Falcons will have something to play for themselves, however. They are tied with Ferris State for fourth place, which gets you home-ice in the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

Michigan Tech at/vs. Northern Michigan: This is the most important series to keep an eye on if you’re a Charger fan. The Huskies and Wildcats will play at NMU on Friday and at MTU on Saturday. Back in October, Michigan Tech swept a home-and-home series over Northern Michigan 2-0 and 5-1.

Michigan Tech has secured home-ice in the first round, but could be home for the semifinals as well should it hold off Minnesota State for the second seed.

Ferris State at Lake Superior State: Lake Superior State is in seventh, three points ahead of UAH. The Lakers own the “A” tiebreaker (head-to-head) by winning all four meetings with the Chargers this season. UAH will need at least a win and a tie against Bowling Green and Lake Superior to be swept for the Chargers to pass them.

Ferris State swept LSSU in the series at Ferris in November. The Bulldogs are tied with Bowling Green for fourth place and home ice in the first round.

Alaska at Alaska Anchorage: Alaska is in sixth, four points ahead of UAH. The Nanooks also have the “A” tiebreaker over UAH with a 2-1-1 head-to-head record.  UAH will likely need to sweep Bowling Green and Anchorage to sweep Alaska for the Chargers to catch the Nanooks.

The teams split the first half of their Governor’s Cup series in Anchorage in December. Anchorage has to sweep Alaska and needs UAH and NMU to be swept to make the playoffs.

Minnesota State at Bemidji State: This series has no bearing on UAH’s chances. The Beavers will be celebrating their MacNaughton Cup win while the Mavericks try to snatch the second seed from Michigan Tech.

Scoreboard watching this bye week

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WCHA standings
Top 8 make playoffs		 Pts. Gms Next
5. Ferris State 32 4 vs. UAA
6. N. Michigan 31 4 @ MSU
6. Lake Superior 31 4 @ UAF
8. Alaska* 30 4 vs. LSSU
8. UAH 30 2 Idle
10. AK-Anchorage 27 4 @ FSU
* Alaska has the tiebreaker over UAH (2-1-1 head-to-head)

The Chargers are off in this penultimate week of the regular season, which means we’ll be scoreboard watching.

UAH is currently tied for the eighth place in the WCHA standings. The Chargers are tied with Alaska for the final playoff spot, but Alaska has the tiebreaker thanks to the Nanooks’ 2-1-1 record against UAH this season.

This means the Chargers must get points next week in the final series at Bowling Green and get some help, including this week.

So, who do we root for this week that will help UAH’s chances?

Alaska Anchorage at Ferris State: The crazy thing about the standings right now is that only two points separate fifth (where Ferris State is) from ninth (where UAH technically is). And it’s only five points between Ferris State and last-place Alaska Anchoarge.

Obviously, we don’t want Alaska Anchorage, which is only three points behind UAH, to catch and pass the Chargers. UAH really only needs to pass one team, and Ferris State is the least likely the one to be passed, so it might be best to have Ferris State keep UAA down so UAH doesn’t have to worry about the Seawolves.

Root for: Ferris State to at least get four points.

Northern Michigan at Minnesota State: Northern Michigan is on an absolute tear, going 7-0-2 in its last nine (and as mentioned before, has shut out opponents in its last five). The Wildcats , tied for sixth and just a point ahead of UAH, go to Mankato to play a Minnesota State team that’s in third place and has already clinched a spot in the playoffs (and looking to be home for the first round).

Root for: This one’s easy — Minnesota State to sweep.

Lake Superior State at Alaska: This one’s trickier. Both clubs have “A” tiebreakers (four-game head-to-head advantage) over the Chargers. Lake Superior is only a point ahead, and Alaska is tied.

Remember that UAH only needs to beat out one of these teams to make the playoffs. We want is for whoever is closest to UAH to stay as close as possible, and right now that’s Alaska. So, we should want Lake Superior to win to keep UAH and Alaska tied.

However, should Alaska win on Friday, then Alaska jumps ahead of Lake Superior, and the Lakers become our new target. In that case, we’ll want Alaska to win Saturday.

What we don’t want is a split, which would put distance between UAH and both teams.

Root for: Lake Superior State first. If Alaska wins the first game, root for the Nanooks to sweep.

UAH gets much-needed win over Bemidji State

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What a nice end to what’s been a rough home schedule for the Chargers: A win over rival Bemidji State.

UAH scored four unanswered goals to beat BSU 5-2 at the Von Braun Center on Saturday, earning a series split in the Chargers final home game of the season.

BOX SCORE

It was only the second home win for the Chargers (9-20-3 overall, 9-14-3 WCHA), who desperately needed the victory to stay in the hunt for a WCHA playoff spot.

However, Lake Superior State took two points from Alaska Anchorage, and Northern Michigan got another shutout of Alaska, moving both teams ahead of UAH. The Chargers are now tied for eighth place with Alaska, but Alaska has the tiebreaker over UAH for the last playoff spot having gone 2-1-1 in head-to-head meetings.

Bemidji State, which clinched the WCHA regular-season championship on Friday, fell to 19-12-3 overall and 19-5-2 in conference.

WCHA standings
Top 8 make playoffs		 Pts. Gms Next wk
5. Ferris State 32 4 vs. UAA
6. N. Michigan 31 4 @ MSU
6. Lake Superior 31 4 @ UAF
8. Alaska* 30 4 vs. LSSU
8. UAH 30 2 Idle
10. AK-Anchorage 27 4 @ FSU
* Alaska has the tiebreaker over UAH (2-1-1 head-to-head)

Brennan Saulnier put UAH on the board first with an unassisted goal at 13:47. His sixth goal of the season matches his total from last year, and he has scored in three straight games and four of the last five.

The Beavers came right back with two quick power play goals. Kyle Bauman notched his team-leading 12th of the season with 4:31 to go in the first, followed by Gerry Fitzgerald’s 10th with 1:58 remaining.

The Chargers put in Carmine Guerriero in goal to start the second period, replacing starter Jordan Uhelski, and he had to warm up quickly as the Beavers had an 8-1 shots advantage in the frame.

That one shot, however, tied the game up at 2-2. On a 2-on-1 break, Saulnier on the left wing centered to a driving Tyler Poulsen, who beat Bitzer five-hole at the 3:11 mark.

Cam Knight also assisted on the play, giving him 16 on the season, the most by a Charger since Brandon Roshko had 17 in 2007-08.

Poulsen struck again at 10:43 to give UAH its first lead of the series, giving him three on the season.

The Chargers added two more in the third period for the win.

With 7:23 left, Matt Salhany drove to the net on the left side with a Beaver covering him. He poked the puck past Bitzer and crashed into the net. Video review confirmed that the puck crossed the goal line before the net came off, giving Salhany his seventh goal of the season and the Chargers a 4-2 lead.

It was only the third time in 33 starts this season that Bitzer had allowed four or more goals.

The Beavers had one more chance after Cody Marooney committed a slashing penalty with 3:10 to go.

Almost immediately on the ensuing power play, Guerriero made a huge glove save on a rocket by Gerry Fitzgerald.

The Beavers pulled Bitzer for the extra attacker, but Salhany was able to get a steal and send the puck to Hans Gorowsky, who scored on the empty net with 1:24 remaining to seal the win for the Chargers. It was Gorowsky’s seventh goal of the season.

Guerriero finished with 23 saves without allowing a goal in two periods of action. Bemidji State outshot UAH 30-25.

UAH is idle next week, which means the Chargers won’t have an opportunity to get more league points until Feb. 24-25, when they finish the regular season at Bowling Green.

Three stars of the game:

1. Tyler Poulsen, UAH (2 goals)
2. Brennan Saulnier, UAH (1 goal, 1 assist)
3. Carmine Guerriero, UAH (23 saves, 0 goals allowed)

Chargers fall to BSU, 3-2; Beavers clinch WCHA title

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It’s a tough position: Falling out of playoff position to an arch-rival, and seeing that rival hoist a championship trophy on your ice.

That’s the result of UAH’s 3-2 loss to Bemidji State at the Von Braun Center on Friday, which dropped the Chargers (8-20-3 overall, 8-14-3 WCHA) to ninth in the WCHA standings and currently out of a playoff spot with three games to go. Northern Michigan moved ahead of UAH after beating Alaska 3-0.

BOX SCORE

Meanwhile, Bemidji State (19-11-3 overall, 19-4-2 WCHA) clinched its first WCHA regular season title when Michigan Tech lost to Ferris State 3-1, then celebrated after withstanding a furious third-period rally by UAH.

The Beavers were presented with the MacNaughton Cup by WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson after the game.

The start of the game was delayed for a few minutes because the lights took a while to come back up after starting lineup introductions. After 48 seconds of action, the UAH end was still noticeably darker, so play was delayed a few minutes more.

The first period was just as lacking in power. Bemidji State had five shots on goal to UAH’s four, with Josh Kestner’s hitting the pipe on a 2-on-1 break being the closest either team would get to scoring.

It was more of the same in the first half of the second period, but then the Beavers assumed control and took the lead. After a steal in the UAH end, Nate Arentz wristed a shot high while falling in the right circle, beating Jordan Uhelski for a 1-0 BSU lead with 7:54 remaining.

The Chargers hurt themselves with a rash of penalties late in the second and early in the third.

On a two-man advantage, Gerry Fitzgerald scored on a one-timer in the left circle to make it 2-0 Beavers just 1:15 into the third.

Jay Dickman increased BSU’s lead to 3-0 six minutes into the third period, and with the Michael Bitzer leading the nation in goals against average and looking sharp, the game appeared to be all but done.

The Chargers refused to go quietly, however. UAH broke through Bemidji State’s top-ranked penalty kill when Brennan Saulnier scored a power play goal, putting in a rebound from the doorstep off a Max McHugh shot with 12:14 left.

It was Saulnier’s fifth goal of the season, assisted by McHugh and Brandon Parker.

Just 38 seconds later, Brent Fletcher in the slot deflected a Connor James shot and suddenly BSU only led 3-2.

Phil Marinaccio was called for interference with 1:46 remaining, giving UAH one last chance with a power play. The Chargers spent the last minute 6-on-4 after pulling Uhelski for the extra attacker.

In that last minute, Parker saw one rocket get gloved by Bitzer, and another shot hit the post. UAH would get one final scramble before the final buzzer.

Bitzer finished with 17 saves on 19 UAH shots, while Uhelski stopped 22 of 25.

Game two of the series and the Chargers’ last home game of the season is Saturday at 3:07 p.m.

Notes: UAH defenseman Kurt Gosselin, who was tied for the team lead in goals with nine, remained out of the lineup with concussion symptoms. Gosselin was hit in the head last Friday at Alaska. … Three stars of the game were Arentz (goal and assist), Fletcher (goal), and Bitzer.

Preview: Playoff push continues vs. Bemidji in final home series

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CATCHING THE GAMES
Friday, Feb. 10, 7:07 p.m.
First 500 get free cell phone wallets
Saturday, Feb. 11, 3:07 p.m.
First 500 get UAH hockey trading cards
Ticket information
Kids 12-under get free admission
Season stats: UAH | Bemidji State

The Chargers close out the home regular season schedule against rival Bemidji State at the Von Braun Center on Friday and Saturday.

UAH will try to pull some upsets on the Beavers in order to secure their WCHA playoff position. Bemidji State is a win away from clinching the MacNaughton Cup as the WCHA regular season champion.

All-time series: The Chargers and Beavers will be meeting for the 81st and 82nd time. Bemidji State leads overall 46-29-5, while UAH leads 19-17-3 in Huntsville.

This is the only regular season meeting between the programs this season. Last season, Bemidji State won three of the four meetings (the other being a tie).

Josh Kestner

Josh Kestner has 9 goals and 22 points on the season. (UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan)

Charger recap: UAH (8-19-3 overall, 8-13-3 WCHA) snapped a nine-game winless streak Saturday with a 4-1 victory in Alaska, earning a split with the and staying in eighth place in the WCHA standings. Alaska won the first game, 3-0.

Josh Kestner scored his ninth goal of the season, tying him with Kurt Gosselin for the team lead. Brennan Saulnier, Matt Salhany, and Sean Rappleyea scored the other goals for UAH.

Kestner leads the Chargers with 22 points, followed by Gosselin and Max McHugh with 18. Cam Knight has 17 points, buoyed by a team-leading 14 assists.

Connor James earned his two collegiate points with a pair of assists.

Jordan Uhelski made 30 saves on 31 shots in the win over Alaska, and 61 saves for the weekend. His goals against average is now at 2.75 and his save percentage up to .907. He is 6-7-3 in 17 starts.

UAH Tale of the tape
(WCHA games only)		 Bemidji State
8-19-3 Overall record 18-11-3
8-13-3-0
(27 pts, 8th)		 WCHA record 18-4-2-2
(58 pts, 1st)
2.54 (7th) Goals/game 2.62 (6th)
3.38 (10th) Goals allowed/game 1.42 (1st)
15.0 (5th) Pen. minutes/game 10.0 (10th)
14.8% (T5th) Power play 20.4% (1st)
78.3% (10th) Penalty kill 93.5% (1st)

About the Beavers: Bemidji State (18-11-3 overall, 18-4-2 WCHA) can clinch the WCHA regular season title with a win over the Chargers or a Michigan Tech loss to Ferris State. The Beavers swept Tech by scores of 4-2 and 3-0 last week.

The Beavers are not a high-powered offense, but they don’t need to be with a defense that ranks the best in all of Division I in goals per game (1.81). Anchoring the defense is junior goaltender Michael Bitzer, who leads the nation with a 1.61 goals against average, is sixth in the country with a .935 save percentage, and is tied for the D-I lead with five shutouts.

Also tough to penetrate is BSU’s penalty kill, which also ranks the best in the country at 89.5 percent. That’s for the rare time they need it, as the Beavers are one of the least penalized teams in the nation.

Senior Phillip Marinaccio leads Bemidji State with 23 points on nine goals and 14 assists. The goal-scoring leader is junior Kyle Bauman, who has 11.

Around the WCHA: Series to watch as we head to the final stretch toward the playoffs:

Ferris State at Michigan Tech: Ferris State is tied for 6th, two points ahead of UAH. Michigan Tech has a six-point lead for 2nd, but needs to win and Bemidji State to lose to stay in contention for the MacNaughton Cup.

Alaska at Northern Michigan: Alaska is in 5th, just three points ahead of UAH. Northern Michigan is 9th but only two points behind the Chargers.

Alaska Anchorage at Lake Superior State: Anchorge is in 10th, but the Seawolves are not out of it, only five points behind UAH for 8th. Lake Superior is tied with Ferris State for 6th, also two points ahead of the Chargers.

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

Friday, February 10
* Bemidji State at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
* Alaska at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Alaska Anchorage at Lake Superior State, 6:37 p.m.

Saturday, February 11
* Bemidji State at UAH, 3:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Michigan Tech, 4:07 p.m.
* Alaska at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Alaska Anchorage at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
Mercyhurst at Bowling Green, 4:07 p.m.

Hoof Beats: Six seniors to play their final games at the VBC

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The 2017 seniors: Cody Marooney, Regan Soquila, Carmine Guerriero, Brent Fletcher, Matt Larose, Brandon Carlson (who played his final game on Nov. 19), Matt Salhany. Photo by UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan

Six will be playing their final games at the Von Braun Center as UAH Chargers this weekend. They will be honored before Saturday afternoon’s game against Bemidji State.

Captain Brent Fletcher (New Westminster, British Columbia) has ten goals and 24 points in his UAH career. He is a two-time WCHA Scholar Athlete and member of the WCHA All-Academic Team.

Carmine Guerriero (Montreal, Quebec) is second in UAH’s modern Division I era and fourth all-time with a .911 career save percentage entering this weekend. His career goals against average of 3.16 is fourth in UAH’s modern D-I era and seventh all-time. Guerriero set the single-game WCHA record for saves with 76 against Michigan Tech in the 2015 WCHA quarterfinals.

Matt Larose (Nanaimo, British Columbia) has a career .896 save percentage and 3.93 goals against average in 55 games played. He was the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week twice (including this season back in October). He has been named to the WCHA All-Academic Team three times.

Cody Marooney (Chaska, Minn.) has 10 goals and 19 points in 126 games at UAH. He is a two-time WCHA Player of the Week.

Matt Salhany (Warwick, R.I.) is currently tied for fourth in career games played as a Charger with 133. The speedy left wing has 16 goals and 41 points in his college career.

Regan Soquila (Maple Ridge, British Columbia) has six goals and 14 points in 98 games as a Charger. The left wing is a three-time member of the WCHA All-Academic Team.

A seventh senior, Brandon Carlson, finished his eligibility early and was honored in his final game on Nov. 19.

Fletcher nears games played record: Fletcher is close to playing more games in a Charger uniform than anyone in UAH history.

Fletcher has played 135 games at UAH, two shy of the record set by Joel Bresciani, who played 137 from 1999-2003. Fletcher is tied with Jason Hawes for second all-time.

Salhany has played 133 games, tied with Jared Ross, Karlis Zirnis, and Craig Bushey for fourth all-time.

Beavers could clinch: Bemidji State could win the MacNaughton Cup as WCHA regular season champions in Huntsville this weekend.

With a 10-point lead over second-place Michigan Tech with four games remaining, the Beavers need only one win over UAH to win the title.

If UAH sweeps BSU, the Beavers can still clinch if Michigan Tech loses either game at home to Ferris State this weekend.

The Chargers currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot, two points behind Ferris State and Lake Superior State for sixth place and two points ahead of Northern Michigan in ninth.

Weekend promotions: The first 500 fans at Friday’s 7 p.m. game against Bemidji State will receive a free cell phone wallet courtesy of Martinson & Beason, P.C. Saturday’s 3 p.m. game will be the final UAH hockey trading card giveaway courtesy of Colonial Printing.

All kids 12 and under get free general admission courtesy of Huntsville International Airport.

Blue Line Club lunch: The final Blue Line Club lunch of the season will be Friday at noon in the Varsity Room at Spragins Hall. Terranova’s will be catering and the special guest speaker will be Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore. UAH head coach Mike Corbett will follow and also speak to the group about this weekend’s series.

Chargers end skid with 4-1 win over Nanooks

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Jordan Uhelski made 30 saves and the Chargers ended two months of frustration with a 4-1 win over Alaska in Fairbanks on Saturday night.

UAH (8-19-3 overall, 8-13-3 WCHA) won for the first time since Dec. 10, ending a seven-game WCHA winless streak and nine-game winless streak overall.

BOX SCORE

With four games to go, the Chargers stay in eighth place, the last playoff spot, in the WCHA standings. UAH is two points up on Northern Michigan and two behind idle Ferris State and Lake Superior State for sixth. Alaska (9-16-3 overall, 8-11-3 WCHA) is in fifth place.

UAH won in Fairbanks for the first time since Dec. 1991. The Chargers were 0-5 against the Nanooks in Fairbanks since joining the WCHA in 2013.

After being stymied all game Friday, the Chargers didn’t take long to get on the board. Just 1:12 in, off a rebound from a Connor James shot, Brennan Saulnier beat Alaska goaltender Davis Jones from the slot to give UAH a 1-0 lead.

Saulnier notched his fourth goal of the season and second in his last three games. For James, it was his first collegiate assist and point.

Then UAH finally got something going on a power play. With 4:09 left in the first, Josh Kestner one-timed a Cam Knight blast from the left circle and the Chargers led 2-0.

It was Kestner’s ninth goal of the season, tying him for the club lead with Kurt Gosselin, who did not play after suffering a concussion and a sore neck on Friday. Knight got his team-leading 14th assist, and James got his second helper of the game.

Alaska fought right back with a power play goal of their own after Cody Marooney’s trip of Zach Frye. Chad Staley, who had a goal and an assist in Friday’s game, cut UAH’s lead to 2-1 with 3:18 left in the first.

UAH got a shorthanded goal with 5:22 left in the second period to extend its lead to 3-1. During a rare penalty on Max McHugh, Matt Salhany broke away and beat Jones for his sixth goal of the season.

On the other hand, Charger goalie Uhelski was making strong saves with his glove and body — and getting a little help from the crossbar when he went one-on-one with the Nanooks’ Josh Erickson.

Alaska had opportunities to get back into it after back-to-back penalties by Saulnier and James in the middle of the third period, but UAH played solid defense to kill those penalties. Then the Nanooks relied on Jones to make big saves on breakaway chances by Hans Gorowsky and Max McHugh to keep it a two-goal game.

Jones was pulled for an extra attacker with 3:08 remaining. Sean Rappleyea then sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with 2:09 to go, his first collegiate goal.

Alaska outshot UAH 31-24 in the contest. UAH was 1-for-4 on the power play, and Alaska was 1-for-5.

Next up for the Chargers is their final home series of the season. UAH hosts WCHA leader and rival Bemidji State on Feb. 10 and 11 at the Von Braun Center.

Chargers shut out at Alaska, 3-0

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The Chargers went to Fairbanks looking to solidify its playoff position, and nothing went UAH’s way Friday in the first game of the series with Alaska.

UAH lost 3-0, getting shut out for the fourth time this season. The Chargers (7-19-3 overall, 7-13-3 WCHA) haven’t won since Dec. 10, winless in their last seven WCHA contests and nine overall.

BOX SCORE

The Chargers’ hold of the eighth and final WCHA playoff spot became all the more tenuous. Northern Michigan and Alaska Anchorage both won Friday, cutting the gap to UAH to just two points with the Chargers only having five games left. Both NMU and UAA have two games in hand.

Complicating matters for UAH is the loss of defenseman Kurt Gosselin, who left the game in the first period after a contact to the head by Alaska’s Zach Frye.

The Chargers were stymied, mostly in the third period, by Nanooks goaltender Davis Jones, who made 31 saves (18 in the third period) for the shutout.

Alaska improved to 9-15-3 overall and 8-10-3 in the WCHA, moving into sole possession of fifth place.

The Nanooks got the first goal at 4:31 from John Mullally, who was on the doorstep for a wide open net. UAH goaltender Jordan Uhelski could not pick up a rebound from a Zach Frye shot.

Alaska went up 2-0 at 12:35 when Chad Staley drove to the net alone and coaxed the puck around Uhelski’s left.

The Chargers had their chances in the first period, but had nothing to show for it. UAH had the benefit of over three minutes of power play time after Frye’s hit on Gosselin got him a major contact to the head penalty and a game misconduct.

Gosselin was escorted to the locker room by the UAH training staff and did not return.

Meanwhile, Jones made the saves on a 3-on-1 Charger break and a Max McHugh point-blank shot.

The second period saw no scoring, but Alaska maintained most of the puck possession and offensive chances to prevent the Chargers from rallying. The Nanooks outshot the Chargers 13-6 for the period.

Alaska had some golden opportunities to extend its lead, however, thanks to a couple of UAH turnovers. Kylar Hope had a steal behind the net and tried a wraparound, and the shot rebounded to Troy Van Tetering, who missed a wide open net.

Van Tetering had another chance late in the frame, as he took a loose puck in the UAH zone. Uhelski would deflect his shot out of play to keep the Chargers within two.

That didn’t stay long to start the third. Nikolas Koberstein put Alaska up 3-0 just 29 seconds in with a writer from the high slot.

The Nanooks nearly made it 4-0, but Staley was called for a major charging the goalie penalty. For the second time, UAH hindered itself by committing a penalty, this time by Cam Knight, shaving two minutes off its man advantage.

When they did get the power play back, the Chargers had at least six shots on goal. Jones made the saves to preserve the shutout.

In fact, the third period is when UAH finally put the pressure on. The Chargers had 18 shots on goal in the final frame, and Jones seemed to be everywhere with the glove and the pads.

In the end, Alaska still outshot UAH 34-31. Both teams were 0-for-4 on the power play.

Game two of the series is Saturday night at 10:07 p.m.

Preview: UAH at Alaska, Feb. 3-4

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CATCHING THE GAMES
Friday, Feb. 3, 10:07 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 4, 10:07 p.m.
Season stats: UAH | Alaska

The Chargers look to improve their playoff position all the way in Fairbanks, Alaska, where they’ll face Alaska. Puck drop against the Nanooks is at 10:07 p.m. Central (7:07 Alaska) Friday and Saturday nights.

UAH is in eighth place in the WCHA standings, the last playoff spot. Alaska is in seventh, just three points ahead of the Chargers.

All-time series: UAH is 7-20-2 against Alaska, with a 3-11-0 record in Fairbanks. The Chargers have not been in Fairbanks since December 12-13, 2014, losing twice.

The teams met in Huntsville back in November. In the first game, UAH scored twice in the first 2:24 and mounted a 3-0 lead, but Alaska rallied for a 3-3 tie and the second WCHA point in the 3-on-3 overtime. The Nanooks won the second game 3-1 to take five of six points in the series.

Kurt Gosselin had 3 points in UAH’s 4-4 tie against Michigan Tech last Saturday. (UAH Athletics)

Charger recap: UAH (7-18-3 overall, 7-12-3 WCHA) finally ended its losing streak at seven games with a 4-4 tie Saturday against Michigan Tech, which took the second WCHA point in a 9-round shootout. But the Chargers still haven’t won since Dec. 10. Tech won the first game of the series 5-2 last Friday.

Sophomore defenseman Kurt Gosselin took the team lead in goals on Saturday with his ninth of the season, and he added two assists to give him 18 points on the season. He only trails Josh Kestner, who has 21 points after notching his 13th assist last Friday. Kestner is 10th in the WCHA in points and assists.

Max McHugh has 17 points on eight goals and nine assists. He and fellow junior Brandon Parker, who had three assists against the Huskies last weekend, are expected to play their 100th career games as Chargers in Fairbanks.

Jordan Uhelski made 31 saves in the 4-4 tie on Saturday in his 15th start and 18th game of the season. Matt Larose played last Friday for his first action since October, and he and fellow senior Carmine Guerriero have each played in seven games this season.

UAH Tale of the tape
(WCHA games only)		 Alaska
7-18-3 Overall record 8-15-3
7-12-3-0
(24 pts, 8th)		 WCHA record 7-10-3-3
(27 pts, 7th)
2.59 (6th) Goals/game 2.50 (8th)
3.50 (10th) Goals allowed/game 3.30 (9th)
15.1 (6th) Pen. minutes/game 17.9 (2nd)
15.0% (5th) Power play 15.8% (4th)
77.3% (10th) Penalty kill 82.9% (8th)

About the Nanooks: Alaska (8-15-3 overall, 7-10-3 WCHA) is just ahead of UAH in the WCHA standings, separated by just three points. The Nanooks were off last week after splitting a series at Bowling Green. They are 2-1-1 in their last four, all on the road.

Senior right wing Marcus Basara has eight goals and 18 points to lead the Nanooks in both categories. He had a goal and an assist in the 3-3 tie in Huntsville.

Sophomore Chad Staley had the game-winning goal against the Chargers in Alaska’s win, and is second with 15 points.  Junior defenseman Zach Frye also has 15 points, with 11 assists — two of them against UAH from earlier this season — to lead the club.

Goaltending duties have been split with sophomore Jesse Jenks (3.35 goals against average, .890 save percentage) and senior David Jones (3.17, .904). Jones has started UAF’s last four games, stopping 138 of 146 shots.

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

Friday, February 3
* UAH at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
* Northern Michigan at Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* #20 Michigan Tech at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
* Minnesota State at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.

Saturday, February 4
* UAH at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
* Northern Michigan at Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* #20 Michigan Tech at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
* Minnesota State at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.

Michigan Tech ties UAH late, earns 2nd point in 9-round shootout

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So close, yet again, against Michigan Tech.

The Chargers were 2:19 away from their first-ever victory over the Huskies, but Jake Lucchini’s goal with 11.4 seconds left in regulation forced a 4-4 tie Saturday night at the Von Braun Center.

BOX SCORE

Michigan Tech (16-9-7 overall, 13-3-6 WCHA) earned the second point in the WCHA standings after a nine-round shootout. The Huskies drew within four points of first-place Bemidji State in the standings.

UAH (7-18-3 overall, 7-12-3 WCHA) snapped a five-game WCHA point-less streak, but the Chargers still haven’t won since Dec. 10. UAH is now 0-12-2 all-time against Michigan Tech, with both ties coming this season.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxVXsMW1PXo[/embedyt]

The Chargers had three leads in the contest, including a 2-0 lead after the first period, and a 4-3 lead after Matt Salhany beat MTU goaltender Angus Redmond high from the left circle with 2:19 to go.

With the point, UAH holds the eighth and final WCHA playoff spot, five points clear of Alaska Anchorage and Northern Michigan, with six games remaining. The Chargers sit three points out of seventh place behind Alaska, whom UAH visits in Fairbanks next weekend.

UAH came out with the best period its ever had against Michigan Tech, getting plenty of scoring opportunities not normally gotten against the Huskies, and capitalizing with two goals.

The first game at 3:54, while the Chargers were shorthanded from a Brent Fletcher interference penalty. Hans Gorowsky pucked up a lose puck at the MTU blue line, took it up the right side, and curved toward the net.  He deked goaltender Angus Redmond and scored his sixth goal of the season.

Then with 11:39 left, UAH got a goal on the power play after Gavin Gould was called for tripping. Kurt Gosselin, returning to lineup after serving a game disqualification on Friday, one-timed a Brandon Parker pass from the right point for his team-leading goal of the season. Parker’s helper was his seventh of the season, and Austin Beaulieu also assisted.

The Chargers kept the same pace for the first few minutes of the second, but Tech asserted itself and took the shots lead.

Connor James went off for elbowing for his third penalty of the series, and Michigan Tech capitalized. A Matt Roy shot was nearly stopped by UAH goaltender Jordan Uhelski, but the puck appeared to squeeze under his arm and in the net with 10:34 left of the second to cut the Chargers’ lead to 2-1.

The Huskies had numerous chances for the equalizer as the second period closed during another power play from a Brennan Saulnier holding call. They had four shots on goal, including a Uhelski glove save on Jake Lucchini just before the buzzer.

Then came a frantic third period which featured five goals and five penalties.

Michigan Tech tied the game at the 6:30 mark, as Matt Roy notched his second goal of the game.

Two interference penalties following a UAH holding call gave the Chargers a 4-on-3 power play, and UAH retook the lead on an odd bounce.

Brennan Saulnier’s shot went over the net, bounced off the glass, and off Redmond’s back and in. With 9:20 to go in regulation, UAH had a 3-2 lead on Saulnier’s third goal of the season, assisted by Gosselin and Parker.

Just 37 seconds later, MTU tied it up 3-3. Mitch Reinke’s shot from near the left circle bounced off Uhelski’s pad and in.

Then game Salhany’s goal for the 4-3 Charger lead with 2:19 left, a snipe from the left circle that just got under the crossbar.

Lucchini’s tying goal with 11.4 seconds remaining came with the extra attacker.

The Huskies outshot UAH 4-1 in the regulation overtime 3-1 as they continued their relentless pressure, but Uhelski came up big, including a glove save on a Reid Sturos blast with 3:24 to go.

With no scoring, the game officially became a 4-4 tie. In the 3-on-3 overtime to determine which team would get the extra WCHA point, there was no scoring, but numerous 2-on-1 chances on both sides, with Uhelski and Redmond coming up big.

Both goaltenders continued strong play to extend the sudden-death shootout, which was the first for UAH in the WCHA. The Chargers used Josh Kestner, Gosselin, Brandon Salerno, Jordan Larson, Hans Gorowsky, Tyler Poulsen, Saulnier, James, and Salhany.

Chris Gerrie finally beat Uhelski in the ninth round, and Salhany was stopped by Redmond to end it.

Uhelski made 31 saves as the Huskies outshot the Chargers 35-23.

The Chargers return to the VBC in two weeks to host Bemidji State.