BGSU captain Camden Wojtala. (Photo credit: pointstreaksites.com)

Drew Evans of BGSUHockey.com reached out to us before we could reach out to him on an idea that we apparently all had: trading thoughts about our team’s prospects to the other team’s fans.  We know that you’re probably a little tired of hearing from us week-in, week-out, so why not another voice?  Michael and I fired the Falcons guys six questions, which you’ll see below.  If you don’t know, BGSU’s program was under grave threat of closure just a few years for ours.  What you’re seeing in Ohio is a beacon in the light of what we’d all agree are dark times for our program.  Hang in there, everybody.

UAHHockey.com: What’s it like to come back from the brink of elimination as a program to a team strongly competing in the conference?  How did the fan base stay committed to the program during the transition?

It’s honestly been a roller coaster ride. My (very small, probably insignificant) addition to the program’s revival was creating the “Save BGSU Hockey” Facebook page. Thousands of members later I realized how tight knit this college hockey community truly is. Now, that’s not to say that there weren’t growing pains as the team has re-built itself into a competitive team every night. But to have been lucky enough to cover the team from the single digit wins to competing for a conference championship; it’s been truly special.

We have one of the most dedicated fan bases in the country. Even with the team living in the cellar hockey routinely outdrew our basketball team, despite the round ball team having a few decent years. I also want to point out our awesome student section: The Bleacher Creatures. The Creatures got their start back in the late 70s. Unfortunately it’s a tradition that fell by the wayside. But, in the past two seasons a few dedicated students have picked the torch up and ran with it. We truly have a rink that’s very tough to play in thanks to those weirdos.

[Ed.: Blue Crew, you have your aspirational target. —GFM]

UAHHockey.com: Has the student involvement at BG always been as high as it is right now?  What drives that?  Are there other successful sports at the school?

Our student involvement was highest in the 80s as the team was winning conference championships and even the 1984 National Championship. Losing seasons really hurt our student attendance and some nights the arena felt more like a wake than a hockey game. But, like I wrote about above, our Bleacher Creatures have made the “Arena With No Name” a very difficult venue to walk out with a win.

These people are just a little scary.

Currently we’re experiencing an improving football team that is actually playing the Mid-American Conference Championship Friday night (we’re not expecting a great attendance number Friday). Also, our women’s basketball team has become one of the perennial mid-major powerhouses and seems to be eyeing an NCAA tournament berth again this year. Our baseball team also had a Cinderella year last year as they made the NCAA Tournament.

UAHHockey.com: What do you make of the rumor that BG wants out of the WCHA and in a league with other Division I programs?

I can’t tell you whether there have been any back room talks with other schools about re-creating the CCHA. I do know that before BG accepted the WCHA invitation they were attempting to bring some of the Atlantic Hockey teams on board that had expressed a desire to go to full scholarships. When these teams couldn’t commit that quickly BG was left with no other option than to accept the WCHA bid.

I realize that to you all (or, y’all) complaining about travel will fall on deaf ears. But, for a school that already sponsors 17 other division one sports, two road trips next year to Alaska plus the bus trips out to Bemidji and Mankato are tough to slot into our budget. If I had to take a shot in the dark I’d say the CCHA or something similar will probably be “reanimated” within 10 years due to the travel costs alone.

UAHHockey.com: Beyond the guys making noise on the scoresheet — Williamson, De Salvo, Cooper, Tate, Freibergs — who are the guys that we’ll notice on the ice when we see them?

We’ve got a talented group of freshman that have slotted in well. Matt Pohlkamp has seen some time on our top line and is already one of our better two-way players. Sean Walker is a punishing defenseman who plays a very physical game despite his smaller size. He’s also a great skater with good hands. Dajon Mingo is also going to be an interesting player to keep an eye on. He scored his first two goals since February of earlier this year this past weekend. He’ll create plays with his speed but at times he tries to do just a little too much. We’re wondering if his two goals will help spark him going forward.

Everybody loves a group celly.

UAHHockey.com: You’ve had a 50-50 goalie situation this season a bit like ours: when you account for the quality of the team’s performance in front of them, there’s not a huge gap between the two of them.  Do you see Tommy Burke pulling away as the season goes on?

We’ll use a “1A, 1B” system all year unless there is an injury or one of our guys tanks. Coach Bergeron really likes the two goal system because it forces teams to game plan for two different goalies. You’ll face Tommy Burke on Friday. Burke has been solid this season and plays with a lot of poise for only being a sophomore. On Saturday Tomas Sholl will be between the pipes. Sholl saw a bit of fame when a video of him making a save on Sidney Crosby during the lockout went viral. Some of his saves are unorthodox and at times he gets a little out of position. But, he’ll make a few saves a game that will make you shake your head.

UAHHockey.com: What do you think your high water mark is for the season?  Are you looking to be at-home in the first round and see if you can ride some hot goaltending?

If you would have asked me two weeks ago I would have told you we’ll be hosting a first round playoff series in any spot from 2-4. With the team’s recent struggles and inability to hold on to leads I think we’ve slipped closer to a 4-6 seed. We’re just a tough team to gauge because of a couple key injuries. Our best offensive weapon Ryan Carpenter has been out all season with injuries and our power forward Adam Berkle went down this weekend with a hip pointer. Carpenter seems to be heading towards a comeback when we travel down your way with Berkle probably out at least a few weeks.

With that said our schedule here on out is home heavy with some of the lesser teams in the conference. It’s possible we make a big run and host a series. I realize this is a wishy-washy answer but with the bipolar performances I’ve seen it’s just too hard to make a call.

[Our replies to their questions are in the BGSUHockey.com weekend preview. —GFM]

Western Michigan certainly wanted the win over Northeastern in the Shillelagh Tournament in South Bend on Friday, but they fell to Northeastern and had to play UAH in the consolation game on Saturday.  I’m willing to bet you that more fans watched that game on the Internet than did inside the Compton Family Ice Arena, and what they saw was a team of Chargers working their butts off to get their first win.  It didn’t come, though, as the Broncos eked out a 1-0 win.

Chase Balisy and Shane Berschbach had to have a little jump in their step as they came to the rink on Saturday morning.  After all, they were part of a Western Michigan team that railroaded the Chargers in 2011-12.  Balisy was 1-4—5 on the weekend, and Berschbach was 3-1—4.  “That team we played two years ago?  They canceled that program?  They’re 0-13-0?”  Sure, you respect your opponent, but …

… but Berschbach only got off two shots, and Balisy didn’t find the net at all, either.  In fact, the Chargers allowed only 29 SOG, the lowest non-conference mark of the season and the fourth-lowest of the year (26 and 24 vs. Bemidji, 28 at Anchorage on Saturday night).

It was a gritty, hard-fought game, and it’s a shame that it was 1) at a neutral site for both teams and 2) up against the Iron Bowl here in Alabama.  But those of us who watched it know the following:

1. The only goal came on Western’s only power-play on the day, with Kyle Novak leaking out on the back side.  Berschbach got the puck to him, and that was all she wrote as far as scoring.
2. It was a great day for discipline for the Chargers, who went to the box just twice, with Brandon Carlson’s hooking call coincidental to a diving minor.
3. The power play was powerless for the Chargers tonight, but they drove the puck hard.
4. The effort was there all game long, even if it wasn’t always coherent.  One thing that I consistently noticed during the game that the Broncos had a hard time breaking through the neutral zone with passes.  They could do it with one guy finding seams, but tic-tac-turnover was more like it.  That wasn’t the only great effort, either: the forecheck was strong today.
5. Frank Slubowski — who got a shutout in the Saturday night game against UAH in 2011 — was solid in goal.  He is the reason that the Broncos won that game.
6. Carmine Guerriero was sharp.  He couldn’t do much about Novak’s goal, and he stopped the rest.  He is the reason that the Chargers could’ve come back to win that game.

My three stars: Slubowski, Guerriero, Novak.

The boys will bus back to Huntsville tonight to finish up final exams before heading back north to Ohio, where they’ll face the Falcons of Bowling Green State University in a WCHA tilt.  The Falcons are 5-1-1 at home this season.

Unlike last night, the Chargers had a strong start: it was an 8-4 shots-on-goal advantage early, and the boys were ramping up the pressure.  The team looked to be feeling pretty good going into the break, and then a penalty, and then a power-play goal for the Wildcats with just :26 left, as CJ Ludwig ripped a shot from the point that made it all the way through traffic for a 1-0 lead.

Play was fairly even for the first few minutes of the second period, but the Wildcats scored again with a point shot, as Wade Epp rifled a puck through from the blue line to put the home side up 2-0.  There was some controversy about a possible third goal, but it was waved off after the replay showed that Carmine Guerriero’s mask was loose before the scoring shot was taken.

After two periods, the shots on goal were fairly even, 17-13 NMU with the edge.  Then the wheels fell off, and the advantage ballooned to 33-17 for the final tally.  Another goal was reviewed, but this one was allowed to stand, as it appeared as if a Charger initiated the contact into Guerriero, so Reed Seckel’s goal stood up.  Ryan Daugherty netted the fourth and final goal after Mathias Dahlstrom left his net on a delayed penalty call.

Northern was 1-for-2 on the power play tonight as the Chargers limited their penalties.  The Chargers were 0-for-2.

The Chargers make the long, cold, 20-hour bus ride home from da UP tonight, and they’ll be back on the road on Thanksgiving to South Bend, Ind., for Notre Dame’s Shillelagh Tournament.  The boys are next at the VBC December 13th and 14th.

So we’re going to think of positive things here.  You have to do these things when you’re recapping the 11th loss of the season.

1.  This was a solid Friday night in our season.  9-1, 6-1, 5-0 3-1, 10-0.  This game is a good comparison to Friday night in Anchorage, minus the shorthanded goal.

2.  While the offense was a little underpowered tonight, the defense was better than it’s been on Friday nights. Yes, the team was shut out, even when Matt Larose was pulled for an extra skater in the last minute.  But the team forced shots to the outside for the most part.  The goals allowed came when the defense didn’t give Larose as much support as he perhaps needed.

3.  Larose looked very good in net.  He had some big leg and glove saves all night.  He made all the positional stops that he needed to make.  All in all, Larose stopped 38-of-41.

But two early goals made it hard for the Chargers to get back in the game.

If we’re going to take heart from tonight, it’s that the consolidated gains of Friday nights to Saturday nights.  If you think that it’s not possible, just remember: UAH had the #3 team in the country tied at 3 in the third period last Saturday night.

It’s going to happen.  Keep the faith.  We’ll link to the box score and any photo galleries that come out.  If you want to read the official Athletics story on the game, UAHChargers.com has it.

Doug Reid stares down Bemidji State’s Charlie O’Connor before a face-off.
Photo credit: Jazzmine Jordan

Doug Reid isn’t a big city guy, so life in Huntsville suits him pretty well.  “I lived there my entire life,” Reid said of Innisfil, Ont.  “Technically I live in Barrie, but it’s more of a country-style town and not a big city.  It’s a pretty quiet town, but it’s getting bigger.”

Family was the foundation of his life growing up. “My family is very close,” Reid said.  “All of my cousins live in the same town.  We do a vacation every year that the whole family would go up to the cottage.”  Sports is a key component, too.  “My whole family is pretty competitive,” Reid said.  His sister, Samantha, was a four-year defenseman at UConn.

The Reid family had bedrock values for their children. “They always taught me respect, hard work, and to never give up on anything,” Reid said.  “My father always pushed me and used to always say to me, ‘If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.’  They taught me so much that it’s incredible.  They have molded the person I am today, and I can’t thank them enough for doing so.”

Doug Reid, your UAH Movember captain.

Reid started playing hockey early in primary school.  “I think I was 6.  I didn’t play real, competitive hockey until I was 11 or 12,” Reid said.  “Since day 1, I’ve been a forward.”  Reid has bounced around the ice as a Charger, but he’s made a home at the pivot.  “I like playing center.  It’s a hands-on role, and you get to do more.  Nine times of out ten, I play center during the year, and I’m more used to that mentality.”

After a year with the Couchiching Terriers of the OPJHL, Reid went out west to the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Grande Prairie Storm, which was an adjustment for him.  “At the time it was kinda tough for me.  I’d lived in the same house for my entire life,” he said.  “Looking back at it now, I’m glad that I did it, because it gave me that escape from my family and being able to live on my own.  I think that it was a great experience for me.”

After a year in the largest city between Edmonton and Fairbanks, Reid returned to Ontario and played two years for the Markham Waxers of the OJHL. “It was great to play out there, but I always thought that I would go away and play school hockey [after juniors], so I figured that I might as well be close to home and spend time with my family.”

Playing college was always the prime option for Reid.  “My older sister had a scholarship to play at UConn,” Reid said.  “Pretty much since I can remember, my dad put that thought in my head that it’s what I was going to do.  I got drafted into the OHL, but that was the path that they wanted to take, and it’s obviously worked out well nicely for me.”

Doug Reid
Photo credit: Jazzmine Jordan

What brought Doug to UAH? “I think it was the change to start off,” he said.  “It’s so much different than back home.  I like snow, and I like everything back home, but it’s nice to be down here for a few years in this weather.  I thought that it would be a good opportunity for me.”

Reid is a junior business management major. “I’ve never been a huge school guy, but I’ve got a pretty good GPA, so I’m doing pretty well.”  There you go, Mr. Reid.  You’ll understand that we didn’t lead with that quote.

I asked Reid to assess his development in his first two-plus years as a Charger. “I would hope to think that in all aspects of hockey and as a person that I’ve developed,” he said.  “I’ve gotten physically stronger and more confident on the ice.  Having different coaches has given me a look at a lot of different systems and ways to play.  I feel that I’ve learned quite a bit since I’ve been here.”

Reid was a solid scorer in juniors, netting 75-106—181 in 213 GP over four seasons, but in 64 games in Blue and White, he has just two goals and six assists for a team that has truly struggled to score during his tenure.  “It’s in the back of your head every single game,” Reid said.  “I had no trouble scoring in juniors, but I’m not sure what it is.  I think that we just need to get that monkey off of our back and let the flood gates open.  It’s not just me.  A lot of the other guys put up some big numbers in junior hockey, so hopefully we can get the ball rolling.”

As with our other upperclassmen, it was impossible to interview Reid and not talk about the coaching carousel. “It’s pretty up and down,” Reid said.  “In juniors, you get used to it in a sense, but at the same time, you come to school and think that you’ll have one coach and be stable.  It’s nerve-racking because every year you’ve got to come in and earn your spot again.  You don’t know what the coaching staff is thinking.  But I like where we are now with our coaching staff, and we’re going to succeed with them here.”

If you believe in the future of this team, and we do, then the focus starts with Reid, the team’s captain.  Reid is the fourth consecutive junior to be named captain, following Curtis deBruyn (2011-13), Ryan Burkholder (2009-11), and Scott Kalinchuk (2007-09). “I’m a leader with the way I play,” Reid said.  “I play my physical game and get the guys energy.  I lead by example, and I know that the coaches and the guys in the room make sure that it’s not all on me.”

It’s a tough spot right now, as the standings show “UAH — 0-10-0”.  But five minutes in a room with Doug Reid leaves you feeling that things will change, and that a large part of the load will rest across his broad shoulders.

Doug Reid and Anderson White
Photo credit: Jazzmine Jordan