Category Archives: 2018-19

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Late goal allows Alaska to force split with UAH

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The Alaska Nanooks scored with 1:18 remaining on Saturday for a 2-1 win over the Chargers in Fairbanks, forcing a split in the two-game WCHA series.

UAH goaltender Jake Theut made 43 saves in his best outing for UAH, which fell to 1-11-0 overall and 1-5-0 in WCHA play.

BOX SCORE

Alaska improved to 2-8-2 overall and 2-3-1 in the WCHA, moving up to seventh in the standings with eight points. The Chargers are in ninth with three points from yesterday’s 3-1 win.

The first period was very similar to Friday’s first period, with the Nanooks coming out aggressive with the puck and racking up some shots on goal to test Theut, who was making his first start since Oct. 20.

UAF outshot UAH 17-9 in the frame, and took a 1-0 lead with 8:55 left in the period, as Tristan Thompson drove into the UAH zone and beat Theut high from the left circle.

UAH tied the game with 3:33 remaining in the first. On a 5-on-3 power play, Connor James blasted his second goal of the season from the deep slot, assisted by Madison Dunn and John Teets.

The Chargers had a better second period, also just like Friday, outshooting the Nanooks 11-9. But UAH had to withstand a dicey situation around the halfway point after Cam Knight was assessed a double minor penalty for hooking.

UAH continued its strong penalty kill, and withstood the onslaught. Theut made three saves, got help from the post, and then made a big stop sliding right to left on a shot by Chris Jandric after the Alaska power play ended.

The Chargers, who came into the series ranked 11th in penalty kill, held the Nanooks to 0-for-6 on the power play for the game and 0-for-11 for the series.

The end result was a scoreless second period.

With under seven minutes to go in the third period, UAH may have dodged a bullet. Sam Ruffin poked in a rebound that trickled under Theut’s right pad, but the officials lost sight of the puck and waved it off. They reviewed it and the call stood.

However, the Nanooks would get the last laugh after all, when Steve Jandric’s blast from the right circle beat Theut with 1:18 left in regulation.

The Chargers will be off again next weekend before hosting Bowling Green at the VBC on Dec. 1-2.

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Sinclair, Chargers finally get their first wins

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The Chargers finally get their first victory of the season. And Mark Sinclair finally gets the first win of his collegiate career.

Sinclair was phenomenal, making 44 saves in UAH’s 3-1 win over Alaska in Fairbanks on Friday.

UAH improved to 1-10-0 overall and 1-4-0 in the WCHA. Sinclair, a sophomore, was playing well this season but came into tonight with an 0-12-0 record at UAH.

BOX SCORE

Alaska dropped to 1-8-2 overall and 1-3-1 in WCHA play. The Chargers and Nanooks play again Saturday night at 10:07 p.m. CST at the Carlson Center.

UAH also got enough offense when they urgently needed it.

The Chargers took an early 1-0 lead when Jack Jeffers scored from the slot as a puck bounced off the back boards right to him all alone. It was Jeffers’ third goal of the season, assisted by Jesper Ohrvall and Christian Rajic, at the 4:35 mark.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKlE7vnDtB0[/embedyt]

It was only the second lead of the season for the Chargers, but it didn’t last long. Just over 10 minutes later, Alaska tied it up as Tristan Thompson’s shot from the left point deflecting off of Kylar Hope’s skate in the slot. The deflection plus the screen tied up Sinclair, which is what it took to score against him Friday.

Despite the 1-1 score after the first period, it was the Nanooks who had the majority of chances, outshooting the Chargers 14-2.

The Chargers were more aggressive offensively in the second period, and they regained the lead at 2-1 with 8:37 left.

After winning the faceoff in the defensive zone, the Chargers put together an offensive rush. Connor Merkley from the slot passed to Bauer Neudecker in the right circle, and Neudecker threaded the needle between the crossbar and Alaska goaltender Anton Martinsson for his first collegiate goal and point.

Merkley and John Teets, a Fairbanks native, notched his second assist of the season.

UAH extended its lead to 3-1 at 1:25 of the third period. Austin Beaulieu, tied up in the right corner of the offensive zone, backhanded the puck to the slot, where Madison Dunn received it all alone. Dunn beat Martinsson five-hole for his second goal of the season.

The rest was up to Sinclair, who withstood everything the Nanooks could throw at him. Twenty of his 44 saves came in the third period, from deflecting Chris Jandric’s shot from the left side off the post, to stopping Kylar Hope’s breakaway.

Martinsson finished with 17 saves for UAF.

Header file photo by Doug Eagan/UAH Athletics

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Preview: UAH at Alaska

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Where: Carlson Center, Fairbanks, Alaska
When: Friday & Saturday, 10:07 p.m. CST (7:07 p.m. AKST)
Watch: FloHockey.tv (subscription required)

Charger update: UAH (0-10-0 overall, 0-4-0 WCHA) is looking to hit the reset button on a confounding and frustrating start to the season.

“Hopefully the week off gives us a good energy level coming into this weekend,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “We will be rusty from not playing but for us to have success we need our energy levels high.

“The mood has been good. The group is realizing what we have to do to be successful after being humbled the first quarter of the season.”

The Chargers enter the series with Alaska still looking for its first win, having scored only nine goals in ten games. Two weeks ago, UAH hosted Michigan Tech and lost 2-1 and 4-1. The Chargers scored a lone goal in the third period in each game. Brandon Salerno scored his second goal of the season, and Madison Dunn notched his first.

The Chargers are also battling injuries. Senior captain defenseman Kurt Gosselin, who left the first game against Michigan Tech with a broken finger, will be out for a few more weeks. Forwards Connor Wood and Ben Allen are also out, but Corbett says they are hoping they return in two weeks when the Chargers host Bowling Green.

One bright side has been goaltender Mark Sinclair, who continued to show why he’s become the everyday starter. He stopped 63 of 68 shots in the Tech series (38 of 40 in the first game) to gave him a season save percentage of .922, sixth-best in the WCHA.

Another strength for the Chargers has been the penalty kill. UAH has killed 85.1 percent of opponents’ power plays, which is second in the WCHA and 11th nationally.

UAH 2018-19 statistics

About the Nanooks: Alaska (1-7-2 overall, 1-2-1 WCHA) has had its own rough start in Erik Largen’s first season as head coach, although last week the Nanooks had a successful trip to Lake Superior State, taking five of six points in the WCHA series. UAF took two points after scoring in the 3-on-3 overtime following a 3-3 tie on Friday, then got its first victory 4-3 on Saturday.

The Nanooks’ leading scorer this season is freshman Chris Jandric, who has nine points. He scored his two goals, along with two assists, in the series at Lake Superior, earning him WCHA Rookie of the Week honors. His brother Steven, a sophomore, has two goals this season.

Colton Leiter, who had the most goals last season among returning players with nine, leads Alaska in goals so far this season with three.

Junior Anton Martinsson has gotten the bulk of action at goaltender this season, posting a 3.24 goals against average and a .896 save percentage in eight starts.

Alaska 2018-19 statistics

Series notes:
Overall: Alaska leads 22-9-2.
In Fairbanks: Alaska leads 13-5-0.
In WCHA games (since 2013-14):  Alaska leads 10-3-1.
First meeting: Dec. 11-12, 1987 at Fairbanks. Alaska won 10-6 and 5-4.
Last meeting: Jan. 5-6, 2018 at Fairbanks. Alaska won 3-2, UAH won 3-1.

This week in the WCHA: All times are Central. All WCHA home games can be seen on FloHockey.tv.
* Denotes conference game.

Friday, November 16
* UAH at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
* Alaska Anchorage at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Lake Superior at #10 Bowling Green, 6:37 p.m.
* Ferris State at #3 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Michigan Tech at Clarkson, 6 p.m.
Bemidji State at #2 St. Cloud State, 7:07 p.m.

Saturday, November 17
* UAH at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
* Alaska Anchorage at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Lake Superior at #10 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at #3 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Michigan Tech at Clarkson, 6 p.m.
Bemidji State at #2 St. Cloud State, 6:07 p.m.

PHOTO GALLERY: UAH vs. Michigan Tech, Nov. 3, 2018

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UAH can’t stop slide in another loss to Tech

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The Chargers played a stronger game in the series finale with Michigan Tech, but their first victory eluded them again as their scoring woes continued.

Michigan Tech defeated UAH 4-1 Saturday at the Von Braun Center, dropping the Chargers to 0-10-0 overall on the season and 0-4-0 in WCHA play.

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

The Chargers will get an off week after starting the season with five straight series. Their next action is against Alaska, also currently winless at 0-7-1, in Fairbanks on Nov. 16-17.

The Huskies improved to 3-3-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the WCHA. They didn’t dominate possession like they did in their 2-1 win on Friday, outshooting the Chargers by a slimmer margin at 29-23.

However, the Chargers mustered only one late goal, and have only scored nine goals in their 10 games.

The first period was relatively quiet, with the closest either team came to scoring was during the Michigan Tech power play. UAH goalie Mark Sinclair lost sight of the puck after a shot sent it into the air. A Husky had poked the puck past Sinclair, but a referee, having also lost sight of the puck, blew the whistle to end play beforehand.

Michigan Tech scored the first goal 47 seconds into the second period. Jake Lucchini made a drop pass to Keegan Ford, who blasted the puck from the right point, beating Sinclair high stick side.

After Connor Merkley was called for a delay of game penalty for a faceoff violation, the Huskies struck again. Lucchini found the net from the left side for a 2-0 Tech lead with 12:33 left in the second.

The Chargers had a strong power play following, with three shots on goal, but Tech goaltender Matt Jurusik was there to stop them all.

Jurusik was also there to stop Madison Dunn’s shot on a two-on-none shorthanded opportunity to keep UAH off the board.

The Huskies started the third period with a power play after a Christian Rajic slashing penalty with one second left in the second, and they used it to make it 3-0. Sinclair couldn’t stop Grayson Reitmeier’s deflection in the slot of a Seamus Donohue shot up the middle.

UAH avoided the shutout with 5:53 remaining on just its second power play goal of the season. Hans Gorowsky found Madison Dunn from the right circle to the right doorstep of Jurusik, and Dunn buried it for his first goal of the season. John Teets also netted his first assist.

It was just the second power play goal of the season for UAH in 40 opportunities.

Lucchini scored an empty net goal with 12 seconds to go after Sinclair (25 saves) was pulled for one final push.

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Slow Start Proves Fatal for Chargers in Loss to Michigan Tech

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Another slow start spelled doom for the Chargers.

UAH, now winless in nine games to open the season, mustered just 3 shots on goal in the first period while goaltender Mark Sinclair kicked away or gloved 19 Michigan Tech scoring attempts Friday night.

And, despite Sinclair’s heroics – he finished with 38 saves – the Chargers (0-9-0, 0-3-0 WCHA) fell 2-1 to the Huskies (2-3-0, 1-0-0). The two teams renew their series Saturday night at the Von Braun Center. Faceoff is 7:07.

BOX SCORE | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

“We can’t keep doing this,” UAH Head Coach Mike Corbett said of his team’s penchant for slow starts. “You run out of gas early when you need to sustain it at the end.”

The Chargers, though, weren’t ever out of the game, according to the scoreboard. No matter that they outshot UAH 40-17, the Huskies couldn’t put UAH away.

Thanks to Sinclair.

“He kept us in the game,” Corbett said. “He gives us a chance to win every night.”

Sinclair, who has a sparkling 2.53 goals-against average and .926 save percentage despite a 0-6-0 record, credited his defensemen for his success.

“The guys gave me good looks,” he said.

As much as he credited the defense, Sinclair was stellar on his own.

A little more than 3 minutes into the game, he stopped Tech’s Gavin Gould, who was all alone at the goalie’s doorstep.

Less than a minute later with UAH on the power play, Sinclair came up big to turn back a shorthanded two-man breakaway.

Sinclair turned into a wall again, this time with about 4 minutes left in the game, when he made a big save on another breakaway.

It was like that most of the night – except when the Huskies put the puck past Sinclair.

Justin MIsiak broke the scoreless tie about 2 minutes into the second period and then, with about 5 minutes gone, Colin Swoyer scored on a wrist shot to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead.

The Chargers made the score 2-1 when Brandon Salerno put a wrister into the net 11:03 into the period.

The goal seemed to lift the Chargers as they kept buzzing around the net, trying to get the game-tying goal.

However, they weren’t able to maintain a constant pressure to tie the game.

“We have to learn how to come out strong early,” Corbett said. “So we don’t have to continue to battle our way back.”

 

 

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Preview: Michigan Tech at UAH

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Where: Propst Arena at Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala,
When: Friday & Saturday, 7:07 p.m.
Watch: FloHockey.tv (subscription required)
Ticket information

Charger update: UAH (0-8-0 overall, 0-2-0 WCHA) dropped one-goal decisions to Lake Superior State in each of its first two games of the conference schedule.

“We competed very well last weekend, so we’ve got to be able to take the next step,” UAH head coach mike Corbett said. “We got on the doorstep to be able to win a game, and we didn’t finish. That’s the disappointing part.”

The Chargers finally scored multiple goals in the first game, but lost 4-3 last Friday. Tyr Thompson, Brandon Salerno, and Connor James found the back of the net.

Mark Sinclair stopped 31 of 34 shots for his third straight solid game between the pipes. That earned him another start in the second game, giving him consecutive starts for the first time.

Sinclair did well again on Saturday, making 24 saves, but the Chargers fell again 2-1. UAH had its first lead when Jack Jeffers scored early in the second period, but the Lakers scored twice in the third period for the win.

Now comes Michigan Tech to finish off three straight weekends at home with UAH still looking for its first win of the season. The Chargers have scored only seven goals in eight games.

“I’m not too worried about the other team,” Corbett said. “Right now, it’s all about us and making sure we execute under pressure. That’s going to be the biggest thing.

“Confidence and egos and things like that can be a little bit fragile right now for kids, and we’re trying to get them confident. To take a little bit from football, we want to make up for our mistakes with some aggression.”

On Friday night, the first 500 fans will receive the third set of the 2018-19 UAH hockey trading cards, courtesy of Bojangles. Kids 12 and under can get free general admission tickets, courtesy Huntsville International Airport, at the VBC box office on game days.

UAH 2018-19 statistics

About the Huskies: Michigan Tech (1-3-0) will be starting its WCHA slate against the Chargers after two tough non-conference series.

The Huskies opened the year at home against defending national champion and third-ranked Minnesota Duluth, losing 2-1 and 5-2. Last week, they traveled to No. 14 Wisconsin, splitting a pair of games each with the score of 6-2.

“Michigan Tech went to the national tournament last year,” Corbett said. “They split with Wisconsin and gave up some goals.”

Brian Halonen was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week for his performance against Wisconsin, getting two points in each of the two games. The freshman has moved into the team lead for scoring with five points.

While the Huskies are getting production from freshmen in the early going, Tech has some dangerous upperclassmen. Senior Jake Lucchini led the team in scoring (16-23-39) last season, with junior Gavin Gould and senior Jake Jackson (San Jose Sharks prospect) pitching in 14 and 13 goals, respectively.

Goaltending has been a little shaky so far. The Huskies have already used all three goalies in four games. Junior Matt Jurusik and senior Devin Kero each have posted .881 save percentages in two starts, but Kero had some success last season as Patrick Munson’s primary backup with a 2.50 GAA and .910 save percentage.

The Huskies, who won the WCHA tournament and lost in overtime to Notre Dame in the NCAA East Regional semifinals, were picked to finish fourth in both the coaches’ and UAHHockey.com media preseason polls.

Michigan Tech 2018-19 statistics

Series notes:
Overall: Michigan Tech leads 13-1-2.
In Huntsville: MTU leads 5-0-1.
First meeting: Feb. 7-8, 2014 at Houghton, Mich. MTU won 4-1 and 10-4.
Last meeting: Oct. 20-21, 2017 at Houghton, Mich. MTU won 5-4, UAH won 4-2.
Last meeting in Huntsville: Jan. 27-28, 2017. MTU won 5-2, tied 4-4 (MTU won shootout point).

This week in the WCHA: All times are Central. All WCHA home games can be seen on FloHockey.tv. * denotes conference game.

Friday, November 2
* Michigan Tech at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Northern Michigan at #9 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.
Ferris State at Michigan State, 6 p.m.
#12 Michigan at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
#4 Minnesota State at #10 Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Saturday, November 3
* Michigan Tech at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Northern Michigan at #9 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Alaska Anchorage, 7:07 p.m.
Michigan State at Ferris State, 6 p.m.
#12 Michigan at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
#10 Minnesota at #4 Minnesota State, 7 p.m.

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Missed chances prove costly for Chargers

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UAH hockey head coach Mike Corbett was to the point about the Chargers’ 2-1 loss Saturday night to Lake Superior State.

“We should’ve put them away early,” he said. “We’ve got to finish; we’ve got to put ’em away.”

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

The Chargers, who had a strong second and third period in Friday’s game, carried some of the momentum into Saturday night’s game. There were good scoring chances in the first period as they outshot Lake Superior State 10-8. However, UAH couldn’t put anything past Lakers’ goalie Mareks Mitens.

“Their goalie played a great game,” Corbett said.

But Jack Jeffers put the Chargers on the board with 4:08 gone in the second period for a 1-0 lead – the first time UAH led an opponent this season. It was Jeffers’ second goal of the season.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idALYRnfp24[/embedyt]

Chargers’ goalie Mark Sinclair, making back-to-back starts, kept the Lakers at bay through the first two periods as he turned away 18 shots.

UAH had a couple more opportunities early in the final period to extend their lead, only to be stymied by Mitens.

Austin Beaulieu had a breakaway from the blue line just under 3 minutes into the period, only to see Mitens come up with the save. Tyr Thompson had the puck in the crease but couldn’t convert at the 4:38 mark.

Sinclair continued his stellar play, including stopping a wrap-around attempt about a minute later.

But, the Lakers finally put one past the sophomore netminder when Anthony Nellis scored at 7:08 of the period to tie the game. Then, about five minutes later, Hampus Erickkson scored the eventual game-winner for a 2-1 Lakers’ lead.

The Chargers, though, kept up the pressure as they tried to get the game-tying goal.

Madison Dunn found himself on the doorstep with the puck with less than 5 minutes to play but Mitens came up with the save.

Then, perhaps the best scoring opportunity for UAH came with 3;37 left in the game on a 3-on-2 break. Mitens was drawn to his right to cover Connor Merkley. However, Merkley passed to Bauer Neudecker on his right, but Neudecker shot wide of the net.

The Chargers fall to 0-2 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and 0-8 overall. The Lakers are 4-0, 2-0. UAH will host Michigan Tech next Friday and Saturday.

Despite the missed chances, Corbett was quick to find high points in the game.

“I’m proud of this group; they responded well,” he said. “There are so many good things that came out of this game.

“We’ll build on this … we’ve got to get our mindset to finish.”

 

Photo Gallery: UAH vs. Lake Superior State, Oct. 27, 2018

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Late rush falls short for Chargers

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The Chargers played perhaps their best back-to-back periods of hockey Friday night but they came up short in a 4-3 loss to Lake Superior State.

In the WCHA opener for both teams, UAH falls to 0-7 overall, 0-1 in league play ; the Lakers improve to 3-0, 1-0.

“The last two periods, we did a good job,” said UAH head coach Mike Corbett. “We can be proud of the effort.”

BOX SCORE

The Lakers took a 1-0 lead in the first period while firing 19 shots on goal; UAH had just four shots.

The Chargers came out quicker in the second period, beating the Lakers to the puck on several occasions and the hard work paid off when Tyr Thompson scored at the 3:45 mark.

“We started to win the battles and went on the offensive,” Corbett said.

UAH was on the power play when Kurt Gosselin fired a shot from just inside the blue line. Lakers’ goalie Nick Kossoff made the initial save but Thompson put the puck in the net to tie the score. It was the first goal of Thompson’s UAH career.

“It was sort of a garbage goal,” he said. “It was a good shot by Goose {Gosselin) at the point.

“I picked up the garbage and put it in.”

The second period ended with the score tied at 1-1, setting up a wild third period.

The momentum seemed to swing back to the Lakers in the early going of the third period when they reclaimed the lead on Collin Saccoman’s goal with 4:22 gone in the period. With both teams skating 4-on-4, Anthony Nellis scored with 7:24 showing on the clock for a 3-1 Lake Superior State lead.

But UAH’s Brandon Salerno cut the lead to one when he scored at 15:25 of the period, giving new life to the Chargers.

As the clock wound down, Corbett pulled goaltender Mark Sinclair to give the Chargers an extra skater;

UAH initially put pressure on the Lakers’ defense and Kossoff but Lake State got breathing room when Alexandro Ambrosio scored an empty-net goal for a 4-2 lead with 1:21 showing on the clock.

The Chargers, though, didn’t let the setback affect them.

“The guys battled hard,” Gosselin said.

And the battling paid off when Connor James scored with 22 seconds left to cut the Lakers’ lead to 4-3.

But that would be as close as the Chargers would get, despite several scrambles in the Lakers’ end.

“We battled through adversity,” Corbett said. “We battled to the end.”

The two teams return to action Saturday night with faceoff set for 7:07.

“We’re hungry for the win,” Gosselin said.