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Veterans Cup ahead for Chargers

The UAH club hockey team is participating in the College Hockey South Veterans Cup at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center this weekend.

For the Chargers, it will be another tough challenge in a challenging season.

“We’re very excited to be hosting the Veterans Cup again this year and looking forward to seeing all the veterans at the rink this weekend,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “From a hockey standpoint, any time you get to play for a trophy it’s special and it’s a great opportunity to showcase College Hockey South and the caliber of hockey that’s out there. (CHS commissioner) Kyle Knell does a great job working with the Huntsville Ice Sports Center and the Huntsville Sports Commission to put this event on and make sure it’s a first class event every year.”

UAH is still looking for its first win of the season. The Chargers were swept by Middle Tennessee at home last week to fall to 0-8 overall and 0-4 in CHS Division 2 North play.

So it will be a tall order to take down South Carolina, the defending AAU Division 1 national champions, on Saturday night at 8 p.m. The Gamecocks are 7-2-2 this season.

The winner of the UAH-South Carolina match will face the winner of the first semifinal between Alabama (4-6-1) and Auburn (1-10-0). That game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The third-place game will take place Sunday at 10 a.m., followed by the championship at 12:30 p.m.

“We’re going to have our work cut out for us,” Flynn said. “They’re obviously a great team but we’re just focused on us right now. We need to execute better and more consistently. No one is happy with our record, and if you look at the scores it doesn’t look much better from the outside looking in. Trust me, we get that and we feel that too. We’re disappointed, we’re frustrated but we haven’t stopped working and won’t stop competing.

“We talked after last weekend about cleaning up these 2-3 minute spans where we go from being tied or down by a goal to all of a sudden down by three or four, and being right there and having a chance to win to essentially being out of the game. That’s happened in five of our eight games this year, and a sixth was a 2-1 loss. So you can look at scores and shots against and come to one conclusion, but you play differently when you’re in a tight game versus when you’re in a game with a larger margin. If we can eliminate those stretches from our game, I think we’ll start being a lot happier with the results.

“We have a young team, experience wise. Even guys that have played for a year or two, they’re being asked to take on bigger roles. We have first year players getting thrown into the fire. It’s a big jump to play at this level so to expect a seamless transition, that we all hoped for, from last year just isn’t realistic. To me, all in all, there’s been a lot more good than bad when it comes to everyone getting acclimated to this level and our expectations. The improvement from Day 1 is noticeable at an individual level across the board, and as coaches it’s on us to roll that individual improvement into team improvement and play well down the stretch. We still have 12 divisional points left, so everything is still in front of us. Our goal is to be a playoff team, and that’s still what we’re striving for.”

2024 College Hockey South Veterans Cup

Saturday, November 9
Game 1: Auburn vs. Alabama, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2: UAH vs. South Carolina, 8 p.m.

Sunday, November 10
3rd Place Game: Semifinal losers, 10 a.m.
Championship: Semifinal winners, 12:30 p.m.

All games will be streamed on the College Hockey South YouTube channel.

Tickets:
Weekend pass (all four games): $20
Adult day pass: $12
Child day pass: $5
Veterans admitted free with valid ID.
Purchase tickets

Chargers restarting season at home against Vandy

The UAH club hockey team has played four games, but after a month-long layoff and finally getting a chance to play at home, it feels like a season restart for the Chargers. It’s probably the best way to approach it.

UAH, which lost its first four games in September, will open College Hockey South play this weekend against Vanderbilt at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center. The puck drops at 9:45 p.m. on Friday and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

“It definitely feels like another opening weekend, I guess in a sense it is,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “Home opener, first weekend of division games, it’s exciting and we’re ready to get going (again).

“We’ve had a good month of practice, which should allow us to a more complete and consistent game. The guys have bought into the team and its success. They’ve definitely put in the work so now we need to get some results.”

The Chargers will need to kick-start their offense after scoring only four goals so far. Three tallies are by returnees Henry Hoff, Tyler Trombly, and Elijah Howard, and the fourth by newcomer Matthew Davis.

Vanderbilt (4-3-0) won its first three games, then lost three in a row before beating Indiana on Oct. 4. The Commodores have a pair of CHS Division 2 North games under their belt, splitting a pair against Ole Miss.

Harrison Parent leads Vanderbilt with five goals this season. Cole Miller and Michael Cowling have three goals each.

“Vanderbilt is one of the more disciplined teams we’re going to play this year they work extremely hard,” Flynn said. “They don’t do anything super flashy but they do just about everything very well. We know we need to go out and compete for 60 minutes, limit mistakes and penalties, and execute the little details.”

“I’ve been listening to some of the college football coaches whose teams aren’t quite where they expected or wanted to be at this point in the year,” Flynn said. “The common theme is there’s not a magic play or scheme that’s going to ‘fix everything.’ They’re just focused on doing ordinary things very well. I think that applies to our team at the moment and I think we’ve done that so we’re excited for the weekend. We’ve mentioned this is our first step in our path to the playoffs, so that’s our focus and we’ll see where we end up Saturday evening.”

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UAH club returning to national play: ‘It legitimizes our program’

The original UAH club hockey program established a Huntsville tradition of winning in the early 1980s. On Friday, the new program takes a significant step toward bringing that back.

Friday is when the Chargers take on Central Florida to open the Division 2 schedule of the AAU College Hockey national championships at West Chester, Pa.

“The opportunity that making Nationals gives us is huge,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “It legitimizes our program. For those out there kind of looking at the College Hockey South hierarchy, especially in our foot print, I think this helps show that we belong in the discussion of top teams and options for future players. Playing on a stage like this, we’re hopeful from a recruiting standpoint that people take notice.”

It’ll start early, though. Opening faceoff is 9:15 a.m. local time, 8:15 a.m. in Huntsville.

“The guys are ready to get up there and get started,” Flynn said. “Kind of a tough draw playing at 9:15 a.m. (EST), but that’s part of the fun. We’ll just have to hit the ground running. Everyone’s kind of in the same boat when it comes to that side of things.”

“We saw UCF at the CHS playoffs. They’re a good team that’s going to be tough to play against. We’ll have to limit mistakes, and stay disciplined.”

UAH (10-10-1) did not play UCF (16-9-3) in the CHS regular season or playoffs. The Knights finished sixth in the conference tournament.

Friday’s the first of three straight days of games in Pool C. The Chargers play High Point at 11:15 a.m. CST on Saturday, and then Farmingdale State at 1:15 p.m. CDT on Sunday. All games in the AAU College Hockey national championships will be streamed for free on Black Dog Hockey.

High Point, the ACCHL champion, is the third overall seed in the tournament and have an overall record of 23-5-0. Farmingdale State is 20-11-1 and have AAU D2’s leading scorer in Brendan Dixson.

“High Point looks like they can put up points against anyone,” Flynn said. “Some very impressive offensive totals on that team, and as the top seed in the pool, they’re coming in as the team to beat. Farmingdale State is not your standard 18 seed as they come into the tournament with 20 wins and their leading scorer having 85 points, so they’ll present another set of challenges we’ll have to navigate.”

The winners of the five pools and three wild cards will qualify for the Division 2 quarterfinals, which take place Monday. The semifinals are on Tuesday and the championship on Wednesday, meaning its will take winning six games in six days to take the title.

The last club hockey tournament a UAH team participated in was in 1985, the season before the program went varsity and eventually joined the NCAA. Those Chargers lost in the national championship game, just falling short of winning their fourth straight U.S. National Club title.

Flynn says playing in this tournament is big for this UAH club program, which had seen many bumps and bruises since starting up in 2018.

“This just goes to show what UAH club hockey has been and can be. We have 13 kids on this team who came up through the Huntsville youth hockey programs (North Alabama Hockey Association and Total Package Hockey). Getting here validates all the coaching they’ve received in town over the years, and shows that you can play locally and be able to compete for championships at the college level. As a group, we’ve talked about the tradition and expectations for the UAH hockey program, regardless of level, has always been winning championships. It’s on us to keep that alive.”

Keaton Watts, Crawford named All-Stars: Keaton Watts and Cameron Crawford have been selected to represent UAH and College Hockey South at the AAU College Hockey in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. from April 12-14.

The event features top players from all three of AAU’s men’s divisions as a celebration of AAU College Hockey’s fifth anniversary. Each member conference is fielding an all-star team for a competitive showcase.

Watts is the Chargers’ leading scorer with 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points in 19 games. He will be on Team White representing CHS. Watts also named the conference’s top Division 2 star for February with seven goals and 11 points in five games.

Crawford will be on CHS’ Team Gray after a breakout season in goal. He has a 3.74 goals against and a .910 save percentage this season.

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Vols up first for Chargers in CHS playoffs at home

A season goal for the UAH club hockey team has been achieved. Now it’s time for a new goal: Winning a championship.

The Chargers are in the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs this weekend at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center. They’ll take on the Tennessee Ice Vols on Friday night at 9:30 p.m. in a quarterfinal matchup.

Playing at home is a big deal for UAH.

“We’re very excited for the opportunity to play for a championship this weekend, and to be able to do it in Huntsville makes it even more special,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “Our goal from the beginning of the season was to get here, and the guys have worked extremely hard to be in this position so I’m very proud of them. It should be a pretty fun experience for the whole team, but especially the local players and we have a lot of talented players from Huntsville. To get to play in front of friends, family, their former coaches and teammates I think is something they’re all excited about.

“A big thank you to the Huntsville Sports Commission for putting this event on, and the people at College Hockey South for hosting these types of tournaments in Huntsville, and obviously the Huntsville Ice Sports Center for all their hospitality and coordination.”

The Chargers may be the No. 7 seed against the No. 2 seed Vols, but they have shown they can pull off the technical upset. The teams split their season series in two close battles, with UAH winning 4-3 in overtime in Huntsville in September and Tennessee winning 5-3 in Knoxville in November.

“We’ve played them twice this year, which can be a good and a bad thing,” Flynn said. “We know a little about them and they know a little about us. It is playoff hockey so I expect the intensity to ramp up a bit. We need to get back to playing on our toes, dictating the pace and tempo and having a little more urgency than we’ve had the last three weeks. Every mistake is amplified this time of year.”

UAH’s spring semester has been up and down, going 3-3 in its last six games, all on the road. The Chargers are coming off a series split against Ole Miss.

Keaton Watts had four points against Ole Miss to take the Chargers’ lead in scoring with 35 points (16 goals, 19 assists). His brother Kolton is two points behind, and Henry Hoff is heating up after a five-point night in UAH’s victory last Friday.

Cameron Crawford had a busy series in goal last weekend, making 107 saves in two games against the Rebels. He sports a season save percentage of .909 to go with a 3.57 goals against average.

More from 256 Today: Blast from the past: UAH to face Vols in College Hockey South playoffs

College Hockey South Division 2 Playoffs

Eight teams are in the tournament, the top four from the North Division and the top four from the South Division. Florida Atlantic, the top-ranked team in AAU College Hockey Division 2, and Tennessee are the top seeds by way of winning the South and North divisions, respectively. The other six teams were seeded in order of their placement in the latest AAU D2 MyHockey rankings.

Tickets

Tickets can be purchased for a whole day’s games ($15) or a weekend pass ($30) either at the Ice Sports Center or online.

Streaming

All games will be broadcast on the College Hockey South YouTube channel.

Schedule

Friday Quarterfinals
No. 3 Florida vs. No. 6 Clemson, Rink 1, 6 p.m.
No. 4 Central Florida vs. No. 5 Tampa, Rink 2, 7 p.m.
No. 1 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 8 Vanderbilt, Rink 1, 8:30 p.m.
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 7 UAH, Rink 2, 9:30 p.m.

The teams will be reseeded for the semifinals, with the lowest remaining seed matched against the highest remaining seed.

SaturdayAll games on Rink 1.
7th Place Game: Lowest seeded Friday loser vs. second lowest seeded Friday loser, 11 a.m.
5th Place Game: Highest seeded Friday loser vs. second-highest seeded Friday loser, 1:30 p.m.
Semfinal 1: 4 p.m.
Semfinal 2: 6:30 p.m.

SundayAll games on Rink 1.
3rd Place Game: Semifinal losers, 10 a.m.
Championship Game: Semifinal winners, 12:30 p.m.

Pictured: UAH’s Kolton Watts battles Tennessee’s Kenneth Richter for the puck at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center on Sept. 22. Photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography.


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UAH can clinch CHS berth at Georgia Tech

UAH (8-8-1 overall, 6-4-0 CHS) at Georgia Tech (4-16-1, 2-7-1)
Where: Atlanta IceForum
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m. CT; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. CT
Watch: TBD

The UAH club hockey team finishes the regular season this weekend at Georgia Tech with a spot in the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs in sight.

One point (tie or overtime loss) against the Yellow Jackets will put the Chargers into the tournament, which will be held at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center on Feb. 16-18.

UAH is in third place with 12 points in the CHS Division 2 North, where the top four teams qualify. Fourth-place Clemson (11 points) and fifth-place Middle Tennessee (nine points) happen to face each other in a series this weekend: A Clemson victory would clinch playoff berths for both the Tigers and UAH.

UAH holds the tiebreaker over Middle Tennessee by virtue of the Chargers’ sweep over the Blue Raiders in September. UAH and Clemson split their series in October.

STATS: UAH | GEORGIA TECH

The Chargers spent last weekend at Ole Miss with mixed results, winning 4-1 and losing 6-1.

“Very happy to get two points on Friday at Ole Miss,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “They gave us everything we expected. We were able to pull away in the third period and get a big win.

“Saturday was a bit of a different story. I think there are a lot of frustrations about the outcome, but the biggest thing is we just decided to take a night off in a game where we could have clinched a playoff spot. We’ve talked through what needs to change, and where our minds need to be to be successful. Full credit to Ole Miss, that’s behind us now and our focus in on getting points this weekend against Georgia Tech.”

The Yellow Jackets are in last place coming into this series and are eliminated from CHS playoff contention. Their last action was a couple of one-goal losses at Embry-Riddle in Florida. This series will be Georgia Tech’s final games of the season.

“We’ve had a good week of practice; the guys are excited for the opportunity this weekend and know what’s in front of us,” Flynn said. “Georgia Tech is similar to Ole Miss in that their record doesn’t quite indicate what they’re capable of. They’ve added some players in the second half and have been playing some good hockey the last few weeks. It’s going to take a team effort to get the results we want and continue our season.”

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UAH can step towards playoffs at Ole Miss

UAH (7-7-1 overall, 5-3-0 CHS) at Ole Miss (5-14-0, 2-8-0)
Where: Mid-South Ice House, Olive Branch, Miss.
When: Friday, 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 4:15 p.m.
Watch: Black Dog Hockey (subscription)

The UAH club hockey team can take a big step toward a season goal of earning a spot in the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs for the first time against Ole Miss this weekend.

The Chargers’ magic number to clinch a spot in the tournament is four points, meaning two wins in their last four games would lock in the top-four finish in the North Division required to qualify for the tournament.

Two weeks ago, UAH split a pair of one-goal games at Vanderbilt to start the spring semester after a two-month layoff. The Chargers lost 5-4 the first night but rebounded with a 3-2 overtime win in the second.

HELP UAH CLUB HOCKEY

“I will give the guys credit, we really didn’t show any rust,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “We had good energy. I felt we carried the play for most of the first game, but exactly like what we talked about, we just made too many mistakes and hats off to Vandy they took advantage.

“When you lose a game like that, where you feel you played well enough to win, it’s very easy to hang your head and lose the next day. Again, credit to the guys, we kind of went through the motions for the first half of the game but really flipped the switch in the last five minutes of the second period, ramped up our intensity through the entire third period and overtime, and found a way to get two big points out of that game. With MTSU getting three points on the road at Georgia Tech, those two points for us were huge.”

Kolton Watts scored the OT winner in the victory, part of a four-point series. His brother Keaton had three points on the weekend. Both lead the Chargers with identical lines: 13 goals, 16 assists, 29 points.

Ole Miss is in last place in the CHS D2 North. The Rebels’ last league action saw a series split against Vanderbilt, however, back on Dec. 1-2.

Last weekend, Ole Miss played three games against Alabama AAU squads, losing twice to the Tide’s D1 team before beating their D3 team, 5-4.

“We need to keep that momentum rolling into this weekend’s series against Ole Miss,” Flynn said. “We’ve talked all year about making playoffs and now that’s right in front of us. We just need to be focused and execute our game plan. Ole Miss has a lot of speed and skill and their record doesn’t indicate what they’re capable of, in my opinion. We’re going to have to put together two complete 60-minute efforts, play strong defensively and see what comes out the other side.”

PtsCHSOverall
Tennessee178-2-0 (1)13-7-0
Vanderbilt157-3-0 (1)8-14-0
Clemson105-3-0 (0)10-9-0
UAH105-3-0 (0)7-7-1
MTSU94-5-1 (0)9-10-3
Georgia Tech52-7-1 (0)4-14-1
Ole Miss42-8-0 (0)5-14-0
CHS record in W-L-T (OL). Two points for a win, one point for a tie or overtime loss. Top four qualify for the CHS D2 playoffs.

AAU Division 2 championships outlook

Not only is the conference playoffs on the horizon, but also the national tournament. The AAU Division 2 tournament will be held in West Chester, Pa., from March 6-13.

Twenty teams qualify based on the national rankings. The top two from each of six conferences (including College Hockey South) in these rankings get automatic bids, along with the top eight remaining. The last ranking period is February 14 at the end of the regular season.

As it stands right now, UAH sits at No. 11. College Hockey South, the largest conference in AAU D2, is also the strongest: Led by No. 1 Florida Atlantic and No. 2 Florida getting in automatically, it would have nine of 14 teams qualify, including seven of the eight at-large bids.

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Chargers start semester with big series at Vanderbilt

UAH (6-6-1 overall, 4-2-0 CHS) at Vanderbilt (7-13-0, 6-2-0)
Where: Ford Ice Center Bellevue, Nashville, Tenn.
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.*
Watch: YouTube

* Friday’s game was postponed due to weather and road conditions forcing the early closing of the Ford Ice Center Bellevue.

The UAH club hockey team returns from a two-month hiatus to start the spring semester and a goal to reach the College Hockey South Division 2 tournament.

The Chargers do not have any regular season home games left, but the conference tournament is in their house at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center. UAH has three road series to take care of in order to secure its spot, starting with this weekend’s trek to Nashville to face Vanderbilt.

“We’re excited for this stretch run,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “To us, all of these games are playoff games and must wins. We’re within striking distance of teams and our first goal (qualifying for the playoffs), but there’s a team or two chasing us down and they’re not too far behind.

STATISTICS: UAH | Vanderbilt

UAH is 6-6-1 overall with a 4-2-0 record in CHS, putting the Chargers in fourth place in Division 2 North. The top four teams qualify for the CHS D2 tournament, and UAH is up two points on fifth-place Middle Tennessee.

“Right now we control our destiny, but one weekend where we come out flat and the situation could flip,” Flynn said. “We’re very aware of that.”

When we last saw the Chargers in November, they had defeated Middle Tennessee 4-3 in the third-place game of the Veteran’s Cup in Huntsville, snapping a four-game losing streak. The Watts brothers, Kolton and Keaton, combined for five points as they continue to lead UAH in scoring. Cameron Crawford has been a stalwart between the pipes, posting a .916 save percentage and 3.68 goals against.

“I think the boys are ready,” Flynn said. “They know there’s a playoff berth on the line, and that’s a goal we set before last season. All in all it’s going to be a fun second half, and hopefully we’ll get a few more home games.”

The Commodores are currently belying their 7-13-0 overall record. Vanderbilt is 6-2-0 in College Hockey South play following a dominating sweep of Clemson in South Carolina to open the spring, surpassing the Tigers for second place in Division 2 North. Vanderbilt is one point behind first-place Tennessee with four league games to go.

Vanderbilt is paced by Julian Yang, who leads the team in goals (9), assists (8), and points (17), but somehow didn’t notch a point against Clemson. The Commodores’ next two leading scorers are defensemen: Reese Popkin and Jay Kourkoulis, who each got two goals in the series against the Tigers.

Andrew Shearson has been Vandy’s go-to in goal, posting a 3.34 goals against and .910 save percentage in 16 starts. Shearson earned College Hockey South Player of the Week by stopping 60 of 61 shots with a shutout against Clemson.

“Vanderbilt is going to be a very tough first test,” Flynn said. “They have a lot of weapons and are coming off a sweep of Clemson on the road. We’re just going to have to go out there and execute for 60 minutes. Starting slow has been an issue through the first semester, and we can’t afford that this time of year.

PtsCHSOverall
Tennessee136-2-0 (1)11-7-0
Vanderbilt126-2-0 (0)7-13-0
Clemson105-3-0 (0)10-6-0
UAH84-2-0 (0)6-6-1
MTSU63-5-0 (0)8-10-2
Georgia Tech42-6-0 (0)3-12-0
Ole Miss42-8-0 (0)4-12-0
CHS record in W-L-T (OL). Two points for a win, one point for a tie or overtime loss. Top four qualify for the CHS D2 playoffs.
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UAH faces rematches at Veterans Cup

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.”

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Chargers head to Georgia, Tennessee

UAH (5-3-1, 4-1-0 CHS D2) at Georgia (7-2-1, 3-1-1 CHS D1)
When: Friday, 8:00 p.m. CDT
Where: The Ice, Cumming, Ga.
Watch: YouTube

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.

UAH at Tennessee (4-5-0, 1-2-0 CHS D2)
When: Sunday, 12:15 p.m. CST
Where: Knoxville Coliseum, Knoxville, Tenn.
Watch: YouTube

“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.”

Statistics: UAH | Georgia | Tennessee

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.

AAU College Hockey Division 2 rankings:

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UAH hosts Clemson in battle for first

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.

TEAM STATISTICS: UAH | CLEMSON

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:

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.