The UAH club hockey team ended the fall semester on a high note with a 5-4 victory over Middle Tennessee on Saturday in the third-place game of the College Hockey South Veterans cup at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center.
It was a much-needed win for the Chargers (6-6-1), who rallied from a three-goal deficit to snap a four-game losing streak. UAH went 3-0 against the Blue Raiders (5-7-2) this season.
Keaton Watts had a three-point night, and Cameron Crawford, starting in back-to-back days for this first time this season, made 33 saves. Watts received a gold jersey from College Hockey South for being player of the team for the weekend.
Middle Tennessee opened scoring with a Donovan Yesnach goal just over six minutes into the game, but Kolton Watts, after a flurry of chances in front, got the finisher and tied the game at 1-1 two minutes later.
Robert Settle gave the Blue Raiders a 2-1 lead with just under two minutes left in the frame on a nice deflection in front, and then with 25 seconds remaining, Harvey Rench put MTSU up 3-1 on the power play.
MTSU went up 4-1 on another power play goal 1:51 into the second, but Bradly McDonald cut the Raiders’ lead in half after beating Ethan Roy (48 saves) glove side from the right circle 71 seconds later.
Keaton Watts was named player of the team for the weekend. Photos by McKenna Riopelle.
Keaton Watts scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season on the power-play with 1:25 remaining and UAH trailed 4-3 at the second intermission. The Chargers outshot MTSU 22-6 in the period en route to a 53-37 advantage for the game.
The Chargers have been struggling on the penalty kill, allowing seven power-play goals in the last three games, but they were able to the tie the game on a short-handed goal by Josh Corrow with 13:07 left in regulation. It was UAH’s first shorty of the season.
Then UAH finally got its first lead of the game at 5-4 when Tyler Trombly fired in a rebound from the slot with 6:53 to go.
UAH’s penalty kill stepped it up with two MTSU opportunities knocked out in the final 4:40.
UAH will now be on a two-month break for the holidays and finals. The Chargers’ next action is Jan. 19-20 at Vanderbilt. Their next home games would be a the College Hockey South Division 2 Tournament in February should UAH qualify.
It was the final game as Chargers for Zachary Wolfe and Matthew Scott, who graduate in December.
Alabama scored with 1:56 remaining in overtime to beat UAH 3-2 at the College Hockey South Veterans Cup on Friday at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center.
UAH (5-6-1) will face Middle Tennessee, who lost 5-4 to Auburn in the opener, in the third-place game on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Frozen Tide (9-5-0) will play Auburn in the championship game at 6:30.
It was the third time in three meetings that the two clubs went into overtime. Each team won an OT game when UAH and Alabama met in Huntsville in October.
This time, Max Savaloja won the rubber match for the Tide, sending the Chargers to their fourth straight loss.
The loss also spoiled another great outing for UAH goaltender Cameron Crawford, who made 45 saves. Alabama outshot the Chargers 47-31 in the match.
Matthew Dumond scored the lone goal of the first period for Alabama, but UAH tied the game at 1-1 two minutes into the second period as Kolton Watts notched his 10th goal of the season.
UAH took a 2-1 lead 27 seconds into the third period, as Bradly McDonald’s redirect of Josh Corrow’s shot found its way past Tide goaltender Luc Haggitt.
Alabama tied the game at 2-2 with 8:18 remaining in regulation on a Jacob Best goal.
The UAH club hockey team wants to turn things around to end the fall semester in this weekend’s Veterans Cup at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center, hosted by College Hockey South and the Huntsville Sports Commission.
“We’re excited to be a part of the Veteran’s Cup this year,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “A big thank you to the North Alabama Hockey Association (NAHA) for sponsoring the special jerseys we’ll be wearing this weekend. We also want to give a big thank you to the Huntsville Sports Commission for bringing this event to town, and the Huntsville Ice Sports Center for being a great partner with the league and hosting multiple College Hockey South events throughout the season. This will be the first time since I’ve been here that we get to compete for a trophy; that’s not something to take lightly.”
The Chargers will join three familar AAU/CHS teams in the two-day event: D1 Alabama and Auburn along with D2 club Middle Tennessee. UAH has played all three this season, going a combined 3-2-1.
In this Friday’s semifinals, Auburn (8-3-1) faces Middle Tennessee (5-5-2) at 6 p.m. before UAH (5-5-1) plays Alabama (8-5-0) at 8:30 p.m. The third-place game is Saturday at 4 p.m. and the championship is at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be ordered online or purchased at the door. The tournament will be streamed on College Hockey South’s YouTube channel.
UAH has lost three straight games, dropping a 4-1 decision at Georgia on Friday and losing 5-3 at CHS D2 North rival Tennessee. Against Georgia, Andrew Sledge made 46 saves while the Chargers only had 11 skaters.
Jackson Herman, left, and Cameron Crawford, right, battle against Tennessee in Knoxville on Nov. 5. Photo by Tim Newman.
“I was very happy with the effort from our team on Friday night at Georgia,” Flynn said. “We had a short bench, and a lot of guys who were not used to playing as many minutes as they did during that game. They did everything we asked, competed and kept us in the game really until the last minute or so. Obviously, Sledge was a rock in net and had a great game too.”
Against the Ice Vols, Tyler Trombly scored twice in a nip-and-tuck battle that was tied 2-2 after two periods, but UT blew ahead early in the third to split the season series.
“We hadn’t played our best up until (the third period) but were in a position to get points,” Flynn said. “We just had too many costly mistakes. Penalties, turnovers, blown assignments, etc. Things you can’t do against good teams.
“There are a lot of areas we can improve on, and honestly we’d probably been getting away with some bad habits at times up to this point. This will be a wake up call. Need to have a good week of practice and reset going into another weekend against two very tough opponents. Regardless of who we play Saturday, it’s going to be a challenge.”
The Chargers split their series with the Frozen Tide at home on Oct. 13-14, both games going to overtime. On Saturday, they will face either Auburn, who tied and beat UAH in Huntsville to start the season, or Middle Tennessee, against whom UAH scored 20 goals in a two-game sweep.
“We had a great back and forth series with Alabama about a month ago, so we’re excited for the rubber match on Friday,” Flynn said. “They have a lot of team speed, and they use it well. That’s always a challenge when we play them.
“Whether it’s Auburn or MTSU on Saturday, they each provide different challenges, but we’re just going to have to be ready to play our game, focus on our execution and limit mistakes both mental and physical to have success this weekend. Looking forward to a great tournament, it should be a lot of fun.”
Three unanswered goals early in the third period powered Tennessee’s 5-3 victory over UAH on Sunday in Knoxville.
UAH (5-5-1 overall and 4-2-0 in College Hockey South Division 2) and Tennessee (5-5-0 and 2-2-0) split the season series, with the Chargers winning 4-3 in overtime in Huntsville on Sept. 22.
UAH opened the scoring 4:17 into the game. A breakdown in the Tennessee end led to Kolton Watts finding Tyler Trombly at the left doorstep, who buried an open-net shot.
Tennessee came right back to tie the game with 12:02 left in the first as Jason Seaholm scored on a power play.
With 3:18 left in the first, UAH’s Matteo Siciliano mixed it up with UT’s Myles Jackson behind the Charger net, with Siciliano getting an excessive roughing major and Jackson getting a facemasking major. Both resulted in game misconduct penalites.
While there was a lot of back-and-forth action during much of the second period, there was no scoring into late in the frame. After Kyle Stober’s power-play goal gave the Ice Vols their first lead with 2:30 remaining, Trombly scored his second goal of the game, a tic-tac-toe with Kolton and Keaton Watts, 35 seconds later to knot it up at 2-2.
The Vols scored three goals in a 3:19 span early in the third, including their third power-play goal of the game. Tennessee was 3-for-5 in power play opportunities, while UAH was 1-for-7.
Kolton Watts scored his ninth goal of the season with 9:01 remaining in regulation to cut UT’s lead to two, but the Chargers could not rally further.
Tennessee outshot UAH 41-32. Cameron Crawford made 36 saves in net for the Chargers, who have lost three straight games.
UAH finishes up the fall semester portion of the season at home next weekend with the College Hockey South Veteran’s Cup. The Chargers play Alabama on Nov. 10 at 8:30 p.m. at the Huntsville Sports Ice Center.
The UAH club hockey team hits the road for a game at Georgia and a big conference game at Tennessee.
Two weeks ago, the Chargers split a big series with Clemson, winning the opener 4-2 and losing the second game 5-1. UAH and Clemson are tied atop the College Hockey South Division 2 North standings.
“Very happy with a split against a very good Clemson team,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “That was a hard fought series. I was very proud of how our guys played in a tight game on Friday and we found a way to get a win. We made too many mistakes Saturday and Clemson took advantage. Full credit to them, that’s what good teams do.
“We just have to learn how to be consistent and bring the same effort in back to back games. We’re 4-0-1 on Friday nights and 1-3 on Saturdays, so we have to get better there. That’s what it’s going to take to have any sort of post season success.”
UAH will look to stay unbeaten on Fridays against a Georgia team that’s ranked sixth in AAU Division 1. After that, the Chargers will head to Knoxville for a Sunday rematch with Tennessee, whom UAH defeated 4-3 in overtime in Huntsville on Sept. 22. The Ice Vols are ranked fourth in AAU Division 2, one spot ahead of UAH.
Keaton Watts has been hot for the Chargers, scoring four goals and five assists for nine points in four games in October. The run put him as College Hockey South Division 2’s No. 3 star for the month. He now has 21 points on the season.
While he and his brother Kolton have been consistent with the offensive production and Cameron Crawford has been stalwart in goal, Flynn says the Chargers will need more than that.
“We’re going to be a little shorthanded with our line up, so it will be a good test for some of our guys to step up and play a bigger, more consistent role this weekend,” Flynn said. “I’m looking forward to watching them compete. We’ve talked about it all year: We can’t be a team that only relies on a handful of players; it’s going to take everyone on our team doing their part to help us get where we want to go.
“This weekend will be a great opportunity for some guys to showcase their ability. That doesn’t just mean contributing offensively, but playing to a level where we know we can trust you on the ice in any situation, whether it be defensively, on the penalty kill, puck management, and faceoffs.”
College Hockey South Division 2 North standings:
Two points are awarded for a win, one point is awarded for a tie or overtime loss (OL). The top four teams qualify for the College Hockey South D2 Tournament in Huntsville in February.
For the first time in over four years, Cameron Crawford took to the ice for live game action.
The Michigan native had spent those four years as a midfielder for the UAH lacrosse team. Now he was back between the pipes for the UAH club hockey team, facing Auburn to open the new season.
Crawford’s re-debut was unexpectedly busy. He faced 67 pucks, stopping 62 of them as the Chargers battled the Tigers to a 5-5 draw.
“Going into the first game this year against Auburn was kind of nerve wrecking to say the least,” Crawford said. “In the moment though, I was just happy to be playing hockey again and having fun.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t extremely exhausted. After the game I was extremely light headed and could barely walk once I got home as my body was simply not used to the all-out nature of competitive hockey. Both of my groin muscles felt strained and I was overall extremely sore and drained. Even some of my old gear wasn’t really able to hold up to the increase in effort during the game as early in overtime one of my toe ties on my right leg pad snapped allowing it to freely rotate on my leg for the remainder of the game. Overall, the fact we were able to leave Friday night in a tie was a miracle from my perspective.”
Cameron Crawford celebrates with Josh Campball, and Zachary Wolfe after UAH’s overtime win over Tennessee (photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography)
Since then, Crawford has been steadily getting back into the groove, and it’s showing in the results. The Chargers have won in his last four starts, including big victories over AAU D1 Alabama (avenging 17-0 and 7-1 losses to the Tide last season) and a strong Clemson team that is tied with UAH atop the College Hockey South Division 2 North. Along with a 3.53 goals against average, the 22-year-old senior has a .922 save percentage, which leads College Hockey South Division 2 and is second in all of AAU College Hockey Division 2 (minimum four starts).
“My hockey fitness has gotten a lot better and I am finally starting to get used to playing two games in a row,” Crawford said. “My favorite memory this season definitely has to be our overtime win against Alabama as I was told about what happened last year and how much it meant to the team. That was also the best I’ve felt physically throughout a full game. However, I hope and expect that memory to be surpassed as we have a lot of potential and a big season still ahead of us.”
“Craw has been awesome for us this year,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “I think when all of us coaches saw him at tryouts, we knew we had something special. Getting to know him off the ice has been great, he’s really become a leader on and off the ice in the short time he’s been here. He gives us a chance to win every night he plays and is one of the main reasons we’re in the position we’re in as we approach the end of the first semester.”
Getting back to hockey was not something Crawford originally expected. He joined the UAH lacrosse team in the 2020 season, and played 23 games over four seasons. He was allowed a fifth year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was not offered by now-former head coach Connor Doyle.
“At the time I was obviously devastated and angry,” Crawford said. “However, after some time I was able to accept what happened and realized I needed to move on. I was satisfied with my time playing lacrosse here at UAH and even though I didn’t get the closure I wanted there was no point in dwelling on it.
“Once I came to terms with that several people around me suggested I try and play hockey again, and with lacrosse out of the picture it was a no-brainer. Growing up, hockey was always my first love as a sport, and the opportunity to lace up the skates again and just have fun was too good to pass up.”
Crawford’s last hockey action before UAH was at Saline High School in Michigan, just outside of Ann Arbor. Coincidentally, his mother followed a similar path: She played NCAA Division I soccer at the University of Michigan but left her senior year to play club hockey.
“Getting back into the swing of things has definitely had its ups and downs,” Crawford said. “Mentally, it has been easier to jump back into it. The muscle memory is still there as well as the fundamentals of positioning, and movement. However, the physical side of it has definitely fallen behind a bit since my high school days. The muscles required for playing hockey goalie definitely aren’t the same as a lacrosse defenseman. At this point in the season most of it has come back enough that it’s not bothering me as much. However, there are days where I can definitely feel how much my flexibility has declined since high school.”
Crawford isn’t the only UAH lacrosse player on the hockey team, and those teammates have been a boon to him.
“I also want to mention and give a shoutout to all of my friends and roommates that are still on the lacrosse team as they have been extremely supportive this year by showing up to as many of the games as they can to cheer on myself and the other lacrosse guys on the team such as Josh Campbell, Matteo Siciliano, Ian Arnt, and Andrew Bauer. Their support, along with my girlfriend Catey Welch (on the UAH women’s lacrosse team) and my family have meant the world to me this year and I could not be happier with how things have turned out.”
Crawford is finishing up his degree at UAH in atmospheric science and meteorology. He hopes to stay in the Huntsville area as he prepares for his career.
UAH (5-3-1) returns to action on Nov. 3 at Georgia and Nov. 5 at Tennessee. The Chargers are home for the Veteran’s Cup on Nov. 10 and 11.
Pictured at top: Cameron Crawford squares up to make a save in UAH’s win over Middle Tennessee on September 29. Photo by Jaime Crawford/JC Sports Photography.
Clemson had a firm 5-1 win over the UAH club hockey team on Saturday, forcing a series split between the top two teams in College Hockey South’s Division 2 North.
The Chargers (5-3-1 overall, 4-1-0 CHS) won the opener 4-2 on Friday. The Tigers (8-2-0, 4-1-0) moved back into a tie with UAH atop the division with eight points through five conference games.
Clemson took a 2-0 lead in the first, with Cade Heinold scoring just past halfway through the period and Herbert Kopf scoring on the power play with 25 seconds remaining.
Almost three minutes into the second period, Keaton cut Clemson’s lead to 2-1 with his third goal of the seires, assisted by Kolton Watts.
But the Tigers regained a two-goal lead with Kopf’s second goal of the game with 13:36 left in the period.
Clemson scored two quick goals, one by Kopf to complete a hat trick, in the first two minutes of the third period for a commanding 5-1 advantage. Four power plays for Clemson in the third period made it difficult for UAH to mount a comeback.
Andrew Sledge started the game in goal for UAH, stopping 22 of 27 shots before being pulled early in the third. Cameron Crawford stopped all 12 shots he faced the rest of the way.
Shots on goal were even at 39 piece.
UAH has next weekend off before single games at Georgia and Tennessee. The game at Tennessee on Nov. 5 is the Chargers’ next conference game.
Special teams were the difference in the UAH club hockey team’s 4-2 victory over Clemson on Friday night at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center.
The Chargers (5-2-1) had three power-play goals to snap Clemson’s seven-game win streak and move to 4-0-0 atop the College Hockey South’s D2 North standings. The Tigers fell to 7-2-0 overall and 3-1-0 in CHS play.
The second game in the series is Saturday at 12:30 p.m., just over 12 hours from when this game ended.
Clemson broke through with 2:42 remaining in a free-flowing first period with a Ronan Bryant goal, but Keaton Watts tied it up for UAH in the final minute with a score from the right circle. Kolton Watts and Tyler Trombly got the assists.
The Tigers regained the lead at 2-1 near the halfway point of the game thanks to Cade Reinhold, but UAH capitalized on Clemson slashing and elbowing penalties nine seconds apart with about 6 1/2 minutes left in the second period.
Keaton Watts put in another equalizer with 6:03 to go on the ensuing 5-on-3, and Henry Hoff gave the Chargers their first lead from the right circle a minute later.
Matteo Siciliano made it 4-2 on UAH’s third power-play goal, a drive from long-range up the middle that got over the glove of Clemson goaltender Parker Dietz.
The Chargers were also perfect on the penalty kill, denying the Tigers on five attempts. UAH goaltender Cameron Crawford came up big when it mattered, making 30 saves.
UAH (4-2-1 overall, 3-0-0 CHS D2) vs. Clemson (7-1-0 overall, 3-0-0 CHS D2) When: Friday, 9:45 p.m.; Saturday, 12:30 p.m. Where: Huntsville Ice Sports Center Admission: $5 tickets, free for students and kids 12-under Watch:LiveBarn.com
First place in College Hockey South’s Division 2 North is on the line this weekend as the UAH club hockey team hosts Clemson at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center.
Both the Chargers and Tigers are 3-0 in conference play this season for six points, tied with Vanderbilt (3-1).
UAH split a non-conference series at home against Alabama’s D1 AAU team, both games ending in overtime. The Chargers extended their win streak to four games with a 3-2 win before it snapped with a 4-3 loss.
Kolton and Keaton Watts continue to lead the Chargers offensively after both had five-point series against the Tide. Both have identical totals with eight goals and nine assists for 17 points, which is tied with Florida’s Kegan Lampinen for most in College Hockey South Division 2.
The Tigers have won seven straight games following a season-opening loss. The last five have been on the road, and this is their fourth straight weekend away from Clemson. The Tigers swept Ole Miss last weekend.
Herbert Kopf leads Clemson in goals (seven) and points (14). Cade Heinold tops the Tigers in assists with nine.
Clemson has used five different goaltenders in eight games this season who have combined for a 2.38 goals against average.
College Hockey South Division 2 North standings:
Two points are awarded for a win, one point is awarded for a tie or overtime loss (OL). The top four teams qualify for the College Hockey South D2 Tournament in Huntsville in February.
