Bemidji State (10-7-3, 10-3-1-0 WCHA) at UAH (1-16-3, 1-10-3-1 WCHA)
WHERE: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala.
WHEN: Thursday, 7:37 p.m.; Friday, 7:37 p.m.
WATCH: FloHockey.tv (subscription)
LISTEN: Penalty Box Radio
PROMOTION: Kids 12-under get free general admission at the VBC box office.
TICKETS

UAH probably put on its best effort last weekend. Now the Chargers must turn this effort into victories and make a run at the WCHA playoffs.

The Chargers lost 5-2 in both games at North Dakota, which showed why its ranked No. 1 in the country. UAH was within a goal in the third period in both games, and the Hawks put each game away with an empty-net goal.

This brings UAH some confidence going into this week’s series against Bemidji State at the VBC. The Chargers will want to show that they have improved since the series in Bemidji back in November, when the Beavers won 5-3 and 7-0.

Josh Latta had a three-point weekend against North Dakota and now leads the Chargers with 13 points. He has points in four of the last five games. Christian Rajic scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season on Friday.

Mark Sinclair started both games in net at UND, making 64 total saves.

Bemidji State sits in second place in the WCHA standings, five points behind first-place Minnesota State, after sweeping Ferris State at home last week. UAH is in last place, six points behind Alaska Anchorage and seven behind eighth-place Ferris State.

The Beavers have two 10-goal scorers in Aaron Miller and Adam Brady. Their hottest forward is Owen Sillinger, who had five points in the sweep of Ferris State and earned WCHA forward of the week honors.

Defenseman Elias Rosén had four assists last week against FSU to win the WCHA rookie of the week award, and is tied with Miller for the team lead in assists with 11.

These will be the 91st and 92nd meetings between the Chargers and the Beavers. BSU holds a 51-34-5 in the overall series dating back to 1994.

TEAM STATISTICS: UAH | Bemidji State

The Bemidji Pioneer: Beavers head south to warm up against rival Alabama Huntsville

This week in the WCHA: All times Central. Games can be streamed online via subscription to FloHockey.tv.

Thursday, January 9
Bemidji State at UAH, 7:37 p.m.

Friday, January 10
Bemidji State at UAH, 7:37 p.m.
Minnesota State at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
Bowling Green at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
Alaska Anchorage at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.

Saturday, January 11
Minnesota State at Ferris State, 5:07 p.m.
Bowling Green at Michigan Tech, 5:07 p.m.
Alaska Anchorage at Northern Michigan, 5:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.

UAH (1-14-3) at No. 1 North Dakota (14-1-2)
WHERE: Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D.
WHEN: Friday, 7:37 p.m.; Saturday, 7:07 p.m.
WATCH: NCHC.tv (subscription)

After a struggling first half to the season, UAH resumes action at North Dak ota to face the No. 1-ranked Fighting Hawks. Before the break, the Chargers took a 2-point tie and a loss at Ferris State on December 13-14.

Christian Rajic and Josh Latta lead UAH with 10 points. Rajic, Jack Jeffers, and Tyr Thompson each have four goals.

Goaltender Mark Sinclair has a 1.91 goals against average and .946 save percentage over his last three starts (3.91 GAA and .892 SV% for the season).

The Fighting Hawks have won sevengames in a row and are unbeaten in their last 13. They defeated the USA Under-18 team in an exhibition game on December 28.

Jordan Kawaguchi leads UND with 24 points on seven goals and 17 assists. He leads a Fighting Hawk offense that is tops in Division I at 4.18 goals per game.

Adam Scheel has played all 17 games in net for North Dakota, posting a .927 save percentage and 1.56 goals against average with two shutouts. UND is third in the nation in scoring defense.

The Chargers are 0-7 all-time against No. 1. The last chance came against Boston College on Dec. 29, 2012 at the Mariucci Classic in Minnesota, when UAH fell 5-2.

UAH is 0-4 all-time against North Dakota, meeting up in Grand Forks in 1989 and 2016. The series four years ago went 1-0 and 4-1 in favor of UND, which was ranked No. 2 at the time.

The Chargers return home next weekend against Bemidji State.

This week in the WCHA: All times Central.

Friday, January 3
UAH at #1 North Dakota, 7:37 p.m.
* Northern Michigan at #11 Bowling Green, 5:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
* Alaska at #3 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.

Saturday, January 4
UAH at #1 North Dakota, 7:07 p.m.
* Northern Michigan at #11 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Bemidji State, 6:07 p.m.
* Alaska at #3 Minnesota State, 6:07 p.m.
* Lake Superior State at Alaska Anchorage, 8:07 p.m.
Michigan Tech at #17 Arizona State, 6:05 p.m.

Sunday, January 5
* Lake Superior State at Alaska Anchorage, 8:07 p.m.
Michigan Tech at #17 Arizona State, 6:05 p.m.

WHERE: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala.
WHEN: Friday, 7:07 p.m.; Saturday, 7:07 p.m.
WATCH: FloHockey.tv (subscription)
TICKETS

Still looking for answers, the Chargers host Northern Michigan this weekend at Propst Arena.

The teams met in Marquette four weeks ago, with the Wildcats taking both games by scores of 5-3 and 4-2. NMU needed an empty-net goal in each game to clinch victory.

The Chargers remain winless after 12 games, and most recently had their biggest setback on Saturday when they fell 7-0 at Bemidji State.

Christian Rajic had an assist in Friday’s 5-3 loss at Bemidji to tie the team lead in points with seven. Rajic had a goal and an assist against NMU in earlier this month.

Northern Michigan (7-5-2 overall, 5-3-0 WCHA) is coming off being swept in a home-and-home against its arch-rival, Michigan Tech. The two losses pushed NMU out of this week’s USCHO.com Top 20.

Griffin Loughran, who had a goal in each game against the Chargers, did the same against Tech to lead NMU with 11 goals in 14 games. He has 19 points total to lead the WCHA in both categories.

After this weekend with NMU, the Chargers head back on the road with series at Bowling Green and Ferris State before the holiday break. UAH’s next home series is January 9-10 against Bemidji State.

Promotions: Kids 12 and under can get free admission to both games at the Von Braun Center box office, courtesy of Huntsville International Airport.

For Black Friday, UAH hockey ornaments will be given to the first 300 fans.

This week in the WCHA: All times Central. All WCHA conference games (*) can be seen on FloHockey.tv (online subscription).

Friday, November 29
* Northern Michigan at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.
* Michigan Tech at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
#16 Bowling Green at #5 Notre Dame, 6 p.m.
#1 Minnesota State at #8 Minnesota Duluth, 6:07 p.m.

Friday, November 29
* Northern Michigan at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Lake Superior State, 4:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Alaska Anchorage, 8:07 p.m.
* Michigan Tech at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
#16 Bowling Green at #5 Notre Dame, 6:07 p.m.
#1 Minnesota State at #8 Minnesota Duluth, 6:07 p.m.

WHERE: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala.
WHEN: Friday, 7:07 p.m.; Saturday, 7:07 p.m.
WATCH: FloHockey.tv (subscription)
TICKETS

The last two weeks, the Chargers have played better and better against two of the better teams in the WCHA. That first victory, however, has continued to elude them.

The Chargers (0-8-0 overall, 0-4-0 WCHA) feel they can finally end their losing streak this weekend when they return to Propst Arena to take on the Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage.

Last weekend, the Chargers lost 5-3 and 4-2 to Northern Michigan in Marquette, both being one-goal games until NMU scored an empty-net goal in the final minute.

It was the best offensive effort for UAH this season. The five goals matched their total from the first six games, and the Chargers outshot NMU 59-56 for the series.

“Our group has continued to get better,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said told media on Tuesday. “Now we just have to learn how to win those games. We have to learn how to not make that big mistake at the crucial time.

“These kids can handle adversity. And they’re not listening to the outside noise. They’re seeing that they’re improving every day.

Freshman Josh Latta had an assist in each game, giving him five on the year. Still searching for his first goal, he currently leads UAH in scoring with those five points.

Jack Jeffers, Christian Rajic, and Tyr Thompson each scored their second goals of the season in the series.

Alaska Anchorage (1-4-1 overall, 1-1-0 WCHA) has had its own struggles in recent years. The Seawolves won only three games overall and two games in WCHA play last season.

So, this weekend is as good a chance as any for the Chargers to end their skid, especially at home.

“We have to try to do as much as we can against the bottom group teams,” Corbett said.

“It’s always good to be home. For us, to be able to get off the bus after a long trip and then skate and play at the VBC, it’s great.”

The Chargers want fans to come to Propst Arena after the big football game in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

“Alabama plays (LSU) at 2, and we play at 7, so everybody’s got to come out for the 7:00 game,” Corbett said. “We’re hoping to be able to get a good crowd on Friday and a good crowd on Saturday to help our guys.”

Anchorage does have a win over their arch-rival Alaska. Last week, the Seawolves lost 4-3 and tied 3-3 with Omaha at home.

Freshman Nick Wicks has eight points on two goals and six assists in six games so far. Nine of Anchorage’s 13 goals this season have come from freshmen, including three from Alex Frye.

Promotions: Kids 12 and under can get free admission to both games at the Von Braun Center box office, courtesy of Huntsville International Airport.

This week in the WCHA: All times Central. All WCHA conference games (*) can be seen on FloHockey.tv (online subscription).

Friday, November 8
* Alaska Anchorage at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* #3 Minnesota State at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
* Lake Superior State at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
Ferris State at Western Michigan, 6 p.m.
St. Cloud State at #16 Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
Arizona State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.

Saturday, November 9
* Alaska Anchorage at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* #3 Minnesota State at Michigan Tech, 5:07 p.m.
* Lake Superior State at Bemidji State, 6:07 p.m.
St. Cloud State at #16 Northern Michigan, 5:07 p.m.
Western Michigan at Ferris State, 6 p.m.
Arizona State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.

WHERE: Berry Events Center, Marquette, Mich.
WHEN: Friday, 6:07 p.m.; Saturday, 5:07 p.m. (CDT)
WATCH: FloHockey.tv (subscription)

The Chargers head north this weekend in search of their first win of the season, taking on Northern Michigan in the first road WCHA series.

UAH has found some success against Northern Michigan in recent years. Last season, the Chargers took a 2-point tie at home. In 2017-18, UAH went 3-4 against the Wildcats. Two of those wins came in Marquette, including one victory in the WCHA quarterfinals.

UAH (0-6-0 overall, 0-2-0 WCHA) lost 5-1 and 4-1 to No. 2-ranked Minnesota State last weekend in the Chargers’ first series at home. The second game was tied 1-1 with 10 minutes to go, but the Mavericks scored two quick goals to pull away.

Despite being outshot 88-30 for the series, the Chargers got a strong effort from goaltender Mark Sinclair. The junior played both games and made 79 saves, including 45 in the first game, one short of his career high.

UAH continued to struggle offensively, now with only five goals on the season. Jack Jeffers and Sean Rappleyea had the tallies for the Chargers against Minnesota State. Jeffers and freshman Josh Latta lead UAH with three points.

Northern Michigan (4-1-1, 2-0-0) is off to a strong start, getting a sweep at Ferris State (4-3 and 6-4) last week to start WCHA play and enter the USCHO.com poll at No. 20. The Wildcats also posted a tie and win at Boston University to weeks ago.

Two sophomore forwards have been tearing it up for NMU. Vincent de May and Griffin Loughran each have six goals already. Loughran scored four goals, including a hat trick on Saturday, against Ferris State to earn WCHA forward of the week honors.

Northern Michigan has split time in net between sophomore Nolan Kent and freshman John Hawthorne. Hawthorne has put up the better numbers in his three starts, with a 2.27 goals against average and .921 save percentage.

Series preview by the Marquette Mining Journal

This week in the WCHA: All times Central.

Thursday, October 31
Omaha at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.

Friday, November 1
* UAH at #20 Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
* #18 Bowling Green at #2 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
Omaha at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.

Saturday, November 2
* UAH at #20 Northern Michigan, 5:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
* #18 Bowling Green at #2 Minnesota State, 6:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
Michigan Tech at #14 North Dakota, 7:07 p.m.

WHERE: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala.
WHEN: Friday, 7:07 p.m.; Saturday, 7:07 p.m.
WATCH: FloHockey.tv (subscription)
TICKETS

The Chargers open the home schedule and WCHA action this weekend against a nemesis.

Minnesota State (3-0-1), No. 2 in the latest USCHO.com and USA Today polls, will be the highest-ranked Division I team to ever visit Huntsville.

The Mavericks, who are favored to take the WCHA title again this season, have been the hardest nuts to crack for the Chargers. UAH hasn’t beaten MSU in the six seasons since joining the WCHA. The Chargers’ last win in the series came in 2002.

“It’s going to be a huge challenge,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “We played them in the playoffs at the end of last year, so we know exactly what we’re getting into with them. But it’s a good challenge, a challenge we have to embrace. I’m excited to see how we’re going to be up to that challenge.”

Meanwhile, UAH (0-4-0) has had a rough start out of the gate, scoring only three goals in four road games. Coach Mike Corbett says his young team is learning how tough Division I hockey can be.

“We are playing nine freshman on most nights,” Corbett said. “As I have told this group before, D-I hockey is a men’s league and our young guys now have a good understanding of what it takes to compete night in and night out at this level.

“We have improved every game even though the scores may not show it.  We need to fight out way to the net front to get second chance opportunities. Lots of shots missing the net and young mistakes have hurt us, especially at the end of shifts.”

“I like this team a lot. There will be a learning curve but our young guys are all players that will help us continue to win games. We have to stay on them and keep pushing for improvement and good habits within their game.”

Jack Jeffers and Josh Latta each have two assists in the early going. In goal, time has been split between junior Mark Sinclair and freshman David Fessenden, each with two starts.

For the Mavericks, freshman Lucas Snowden has already made a mark with seven points (two goals and five assists) in four games. Senior Marc Michaelis is continuing to be a force with four goals. Goaltender Dryden McKay has allowed only six goals in four games.

“They’re an older, senior-laden group and have a very good offense,” Corbett said. “We have to match their intensity right off the bat.”

Promotions: Schedule magnets will be given away in Friday’s opener. Kids 12 and under can get free admission to both games at the Von Braun Center box office, courtesy of Huntsville International Airport.

This week in the WCHA: All times Central. All WCHA conference games (*) can be seen on FloHockey.tv (online subscription).

Friday, October 25
* #2 Minnesota State at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Michigan Tech at #17 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Northern Michigan at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
* Alaska at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State at #5 Notre Dame, 6 p.m.
Bemidji State at #16 North Dakota, 7:37 p.m.

Saturday, October 26
* #2 Minnesota State at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Northern Michigan at Ferris State, 5:07 p.m.
* Michigan Tech at #17 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Alaska at Alaska Anchorage, 8:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State at #5 Notre Dame, 5 p.m.
Bemidji State at #16 North Dakota, 7:07 p.m.