Category Archives: Charger Hockey News

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Hoof Beats: Beaulieu named WCHA forward of the week

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After lifting the Chargers to a Saturday win and scoring four points on the weekend, Austin Beaulieu was named the WCHA Forward of the Week on Monday.

Beaulieu had a hand in all three goals that rallied UAH from being two goals down late in the third to victory in overtime on Saturday.

Beaulieu’s tally with 3:25 remaining in regulation cut FSU’s lead to 3-2. Beaulieu made a critical interception to keep the Chargers onside, and then assisted Brandon Salerno’s game-tying goal with 11 seconds to go. Beaulieu then tipped Cam Knight’s shot to score in overtime for the 4-3 UAH win.

Beaulieu also scored a goal in UAH’s 6-5 overtime loss on Friday.

The junior from Coral Springs, Fla. has four goals and six points on the season.

New commitments: Last Monday, we looked at how UAH’s recruits have been faring in juniors during the first half of the season. Since then, the Chargers got three more commitments.

On Dec. 31, forward William Zapernick announced his commitment to join UAH in 2020. The Edmonton native is currently with the Sherwood Park Crusaders of the AJHL, with 19 goals and 34 points in 36 games this season.

On Wednesday, forward Liam Izyk of the Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL) declared his commitment to UAH. The 20-year-old forward from Strathmore, Alberta is in his third season with the Oil Barons, has five goals and 18 assists for 23 points in 31 games this year. Izyk is expected to arrive in 2019.

On Friday, defenseman Max Coyle of Tillsonsburg, Ontario announced his commitment. In 40 games this season with the Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL), Coyle has 11 points on two goals and nine assists. He is also expected to join UAH next season.

Check out our commitments page for a running list of future Charger recruits.

New announcer coming: UAH hockey will have a new play-by-play voice for the Chargers’ final six home games on FloHockey.tv.

Peyton Turnage will take over calling duties beginning with UAH’s next home game, Jan. 18 against Alaska Anchorage.

Turnage, a member of the Penalty Box Radio crew, has spent the last five years broadcasting junior hockey (Nashville Jr. Predators) and club-level college hockey, primarily Vanderbilt and the SECHC. He resides in Louisville, Ky.

Turnage takes over for Zachary Bryan, another Penalty Box Radio alum who called UAH home games online for the last three years. His final game was Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win. Bryan will be taking a new broadcasting job in Oklahoma.

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Hoof Beats: Kestner off to solid start in ECHL

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Josh Kestner, who led UAH with a modern Division I-era school-record-tying 24 goals last season, is playing well in his first full pro season with the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL.

The season started a little late for Kestner, who was on injured reserve, but he scored two breakaway goals in his second game back in a 3-2 loss to Brampton on Oct. 27. The Huntsville native scored seven goals in his first eight games with the Growlers. Kestner has seven assists to give him 14 points in 15 games.

Kestner signed a tryout contract with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies after his career at UAH ended in March. He was assigned to Newfoundland during the preseason.

Other former Chargers in the ECHL: Matt Salhany scored twice for Adirondack on Oct. 17 against Newfoundland, but spending time on injured reserve has limited his action to five games this season. He recently returned to the lineup and has already produced a goal and an assist.

Tyler Poulsen started the season on the reserve list for Rapid City. He has an assist in nine games since his return.

Also in the North American minor leagues, Cody Dion (2010-11) has three goals and five assists in 10 games for Roanoke of the SPHL.

in the big leagues, the 2018-19 season has been a struggle for Cam Talbot, who is in his coldest spell of his NHL career. The Oilers netminder has a .873 save percentage in his last six starts, all losses, allowing 23 goals. Edmonton has been playing Mikko Koskinen in goal more over Talbot, who has a 3.29 goals against average and .889 save percentage in 15 starts.

Danchenko signs NLI: The Chargers got their first player in the new signing period on Tuesday when Adrian Danchenko signed his National Letter of Intent.

Danchenko, who announced his commitment to UAH on August 25, is a forward with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights of the NAHL. has 13 points (8 goals, 5 assists) in 18 games this season. The Palm City, Fla., native had 12 goals in 55 regular-season games with the Knights season.

The signing period for all Division I and II sports except football and basketball started on November 14, and will go all the way to August 1, 2019.

Sinclair named WCHA goaltender of the week: UAH goaltender Mark Sinclair was named the WCHA Goaltender of the Week on Nov. 19 for his performance in the Chargers’ 3-1 win at Alaska on Nov. 16. Sinclair stopped 44 of 45 shots, the most saves in Division I that week. It was the first collegiate victory for Sinclair.

Club team update: The UAH club hockey team’s first season back since 1985 is in full swing.

The Chargers (2-5-0) began their first season in October with a two-game series against UAB at the Huntsville IcePlex. The Chargers lost 9-3 in the first game, then the Blazers rallied late to win 6-5 in the second game.

UAH played three games at the Scholar Shootout at Vanderbilt from Nov. 9-11, losing 8-1 to Michigan, winning 3-1 to Clemson, and falling 3-2 to Vanderbilt. In the Chargers’ first victory, Alex Reichle stopped 62 of 63 Clemson shots. The Chargers split a two-game series at Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 16-17, winning 5-2 and losing 6-3.

Alexander McLeod has nine goals in UAH’s last five games.

UAH’s next action is Jan. 11-12 at Auburn. The Chargers host Middle Tennessee State at the IcePlex on Feb. 15-16. The Chargers will play more home games starting next season when they join the Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference (SECHC).

For more information on the UAH Chargers club hockey team, visit uahclubhockey.com.

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Hoof Beats: Roster breakdown and pro update

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The Chargers have announced the 10 newcomers to the program last week, bringing the total roster to 28 players for the 2018-19 season as preseason practice gets under way.

The newcomers feature eight freshmen and two transfers — Jake Theut from Northeastern and Jesper Öhrvall from Rensselaer — to make up for the nine players lost from last season’s team.

The roster consists of 15 forwards, 10 defensemen, and three goaltenders. The classes are somewhat balanced, with eight seniors, four juniors, eight sophomores, and eight freshmen.

The Chargers return 56 percent of points scored from last season. The top returning point scorer is senior defenseman Kurt Gosselin (16 in 2017-18). The top returning goal scorer is sophomore Christian Rajic, who had nine.

Mark Sinclair, a sophomore, is the only returning goaltender that saw action last season, posting a 3.67 goals against and .876 save percentage, but seeing improvement over the seven games he played. Theut played in two games last season for Northeastern last year.

Pro update: Here’s a rundown of where former Chargers will be applying their wares professionally this season.

Cam Talbot (2007-10) is heading into his sixth NHL season and fourth with Edmonton. Talbot is looking to rebound after posting a below-average goals against average (3.02) and save percentage (.908) last season as the Oilers missed the playoffs.

Josh Kestner (2014-18) earned a contract with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies after his tryout in the spring. After tying a UAH modern Division I-era record with 24 goals last season, he scored a goal in three games with the Marlies.

Tyler Poulsen (2015-18) also got a pro contract after a tryout with the ECHL’s Allen Americans. Poulsen scored a goal for the Americans after a netting 26 points in his final season with the Chargers.

Brennan Saulnier (2014-18) spent three games with the Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL) after scoring nine goals in his senior season at UAH. He signed with the Florida Everblades last month.

Matt Salhany (2013-17) switched ECHL teams for this season. After a goal and two assists in 20 games with South Carolina last season, Salhany signed with the Adirondack Thunder.

Carmine Guerriero (2013-17) is continuing his pro career in France, goaltending for HC Brest. Guerriero split time with five teams in the ECHL last season.

Cody Dion (2010-11) switched teams in the SPHL, signing with the Roanoke Rail Yard Dogs on Aug. 22. Dion spent the bulk of three seasons with Peoria, where he scored 12 regular-season goals and two playoff goals last season.

Cody Campbell (2008-11) is starting his seventh season with Les Ducs d’Angers in France. Last season, he started all 44 games, scoring nine goals and 29 assists for 38 points.

Matti Järvinen (2009-10) is entering his second season with Tappara in his native Finland. He had 23 points in 60 games in the regular season last year and three goals in the playoffs, helping Tappara reach the league championship series again.

Clarke Saunders (2010-12) will play his second season in Slovenia, minding the net again for HDD Jesenice. His club won the Slovenian championship last season. He had a 2.16 goals against average in the regular season and 2.12 GAA in the playoffs.

Latest commitments: The Chargers have secured two commitments for the 2019-20 season.

Adrian Danchenko is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound forward from Palm City, Fla. He played for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the NAHL the last two seasons, scoring 12 goals in 55 regular-season games last year. He’ll move to the USHL this season, playing for the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

Neutral Zone has Danchenko as a 3.5-star recruit, saying he “has good speed/size combo with vision. Values possession and is tough to defend.”

UAH picked up another 3.5-star goaltender in David Fessenden, who plays for the Northeast Generals of the NAHL. The Parker, Colo., native posted a 3.18 goals against average and .912 save percentage in 35 starts.

Says Neutral Zone: “Huge frame [6-foot-6, 220 pounds] and has consistently improved in the last year. Has faced adversity but has proven resilient. Still a project but has a high ceiling.”

Club team joining SECHC: The new UAH club hockey team will join the South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference in the 2019-20 season.

The SECHC is primarily comprised of SEC schools with ACHA Div. III club teams (Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt), but will be expanding by at least four teams next fall. In addition to UAH, the SECHC has announced that Clemson, Florida State, and Middle Tennessee State will also be joining the league.

Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee State, Auburn, and Ole Miss are on UAH’s 2018-19 schedule.

For more information on UAH’s club team, visit uahclubhockey.com.

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2018-19 season tickets on sale now

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Season tickets for the 2018-19 UAH hockey campaign are on sale now.

A lower-level, reserved-seat season ticket costs $199 for 16 home games — 14 WCHA conference games and a non-conference series against Arizona State.

FlexTix packages also return for $99. A FlexTix is a booklet of 10 coupons redeemable at the door for individual game tickets at any home game.

Last year’s season ticket holders and Blue Line Club members received renewal brochures last week. The deadline for same-seat season ticket renewals is September 1.

The Blue Line Club is the booster club of UAH hockey. Blue Line Club memberships start at $1,000 and include season tickets, VIP parking at the Von Braun Center, access to the hospitality room and special events, and a tax deduction.

Season tickets and Blue Line Club memberships can be ordered by mailing in the order form or calling 256-UAH-PUCK. Individual game tickets will be available at a later date.

The Chargers have their opening home series on Oct. 19-20 against Arizona State. Special festivities are being planned to celebrate the 40th season of ice hockey at UAH, which began with the original club team that began play in 1979.

The homecoming series is the following weekend, Oct. 26-27 against Lake Superior State to start WCHA play.

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Hoof Beats: OT rules, All American Scholars highlight July

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In case you missed it, here’s a wrap-up of news and notes around UAH and college hockey in July, as the summer off-season drags on.

WCHA gets to keep OT format: The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panels approved a proposal that will allow conferences to use 3-on-3 and shootout formats after the regular 5-on-5 overtime period to award points in league standings.

This allows the WCHA and NCHC to continue its format of the past two seasons. Each conference game is worth three points, and a game is officially a tie if no one scores during the 5-on-5 overtime, with each team getting a league point. A 5-minute, 3-on-3 sudden death overtime period is played, and if the game is still tied, a sudden death shootout determines which team gets a second league point.

Alternatively, conference may use just a shootout without the 3-on-3 period. The Big Ten uses this format.

Neither format can be used for non-conference games. Only the mandatory five-minute, 5-on-5 overtime is allowed, although 20-minute sudden death overtimes can be used for regular-season tournament games that require a winner.

Earlier this summer, a proposal was pushed to eliminate all formats following the 5-on-5 overtime. Eastern leagues (Hockey East, ECAC, Atlantic Hockey) do not have extra overtime procedures for conference games.

Other NCAA rule updates: The panel also approved the following rule changes:

  • Officials can now review video to determine whether a player may be ejected.
  • Slashing has been redefined: “Any forceful or powerful chop with the stick on an opponent’s body, the opponent’s stick, or on or near the opponent’s hands that, in the judgment of the referee, is not an attempt to play the puck, should be penalized as slashing.”
  • A player coming off the ice must be within five feet of the bench before a substituting player hits the ice.
  • Each team will have one timeout in overtime, regardless of whether a team used its timeout in regulation.
  • Teams can now dress up to 19 skaters, up from 18.
  • A player who catches the puck must place it on the ice for play to continue legally. A minor penalty will be assessed if the player conceals or throws the puck after catching it.
  • Coaches must use a challenge to review goals scored where a potential high stick is involved or if the puck might have touched the netting out of play and leads to a goal.

Beaulieu, Teets named All American Scholars: Sophomore forward Austin Beaulieu and junior defenseman John Teets were named Krampade All American Scholars on Monday by the American Hockey Coaches Association.

All American Scholars earned at least a 3.6 grade-point average each semester and played 40 percent of their school’s games last season. Beaulieu and Teets played all 37 games for the Chargers in 2017-18, each scoring three goals and six assists.

Adeniye commits: Ayodele Adeniye announced his commitment to UAH on July 12. The Columbus, Ohio defenseman is expected to join the Chargers in 2019.

Last season, Adeniye had eight points in 33 games for the Ohio Blue Jackets U18 club. He will play for the Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL), which had current Chargers Andrew Dodson and Connor Merkley and will have UAH commits Peyton Francis and Ryland Mosley.

Neutral Zone has a 3.5-star rating on Adeniye: “[Adeniye] uses his 6’5” frame to defend. Takes good angles and gets sticks on pucks. Hits and hits often. Smart positionally and makes simple outlets. Athletic player with a solid upside. B grade at NHL Cup.”

Schedule changes: Three home games had their start times changed. The Jan. 19 game against Alaska Anchorage will start at 3 p.m., and the Feb. 8-9 series against Northern Michigan will have the puck drop at 6 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Club team schedule released: The re-launched UAH club hockey team released its 2018-19 season schedule on Monday.

The team, which will compete in ACHA Division 3, will play 17 games. The Chargers will play four home games at the Huntsville IcePlex, opening the season on Oct. 26-27 against UAB. UAH will host Middle Tennessee on Feb. 15-16.

Zirnis joins Nanooks as assistant: Alaska is going from one UAH alum to another on its coaching staff. Karlis Zirnis joined the Nanooks as an assistant for first-year head coach Erik Largen.

Zirnis, who scored 119 points for the Chargers from 1999-2003, was most recently the head coach at Shreveport of the NAHL, leading the junior club to the Robertson Cup championship. He coached for his native Latvia at the 2014 and 2015 World championships and at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.

Alaska had former Charger Lance West as interim head coach last season and as an assistant coach for nine years prior. West joined Mike Corbett’s staff at UAH in June after Alaska hired Largen as head coach.

West returns to UAH as assistant coach

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Lance West will be back behind the UAH bench this fall, joining Mike Corbett’s staff as an assistant coach, the school announced Monday.

West was the interim head coach at Alaska last season. He was a finalist to be the permanent head coach, but Alaska hired Erik Largen, who was one of West’s assistants. West was an assistant coach at Alaska under Dallas Ferguson for nine seasons prior.

West played for the Chargers from 1991-95, scoring 113 points in 108 games.

After graduating from UAH in 1995, West served as a volunteer assistant for the Chargers from 1995-1998, when the Chargers captured two Division II national championships. He served as an assistant coach under Doug Ross from 2000 to 2007.

West takes the place of Matt Thomas, who was named director and under-18 coach for the Washington Little Capitals.

Quenneville named club team coach: Mike Quenneville, who played and coached for UAH’s varsity program, will be the head coach of the new club hockey team.

Quenneville was a two-time SECHC and ACHA Div. III Coach of the Year for the club team at Alabama, where he was head coach from 2010-16.

Quenneville played for the Chargers from 1987-89, scoring seven goals and 30 points in 53 games. He was an assistant coach for Doug Ross from 1996-98, during UAH’s two NCAA Division II national championships.

The club team is currently raising funds for its first season this fall.

WCHA gets new streaming deal: The WCHA on Monday announced a multiyear partnership with FloSports to stream every game hosted by a WCHA member institution live and on-demand.

FloSports takes the place of Stretch Internet. To watch WCHA games online, a monthly or annual pro subscription to FloHockey.tv will be required.

Hoof Beats: Teets named Academic All-District; hockey fundraisers set

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John Teets

John Teets (UAH Athletics)

John Teets, a junior majoring in finance with a 4.00 GPA, represents UAH on the 2017-18 Academic All-District
Men’s At-Large Team.

The teams are selected by CoSIDA and presented by Google Cloud. Teets made the first team in District 4, which covers Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina.

First-team Academic All-District honorees advance to the Academic All-America ballot. First- and second-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced in June.

Teets played in all 37 games for the Chargers this season, scoring three goals and six assists for nine points. One of the goals was on a shorthanded breakaway that proved to be the game winner in UAH’s 4-2 win at Michigan Tech on Oct. 21. Teets was third on the team in blocks with 48.

Larson transfers: Jordan Larson, who missed most of the 2017-18 season with an injury, is transferring to Lakehead University in Ontario.

Larson, who is from Fort Frances, Ontario, moves closer to home after playing only 10 games and scoring two assists in his sophomore season. As a freshman in 2016-17, he played in all 34 games, scoring four goals and 11 points.

Larson will have three years of eligibility in CIS (the Canadian equivalent of the NCAA) and will pursue a kinesiology degree.

Frenchy Open set: The 2018 Frenchy Open, the biggest summer fundraiser for the UAH hockey program is set for June 23 at RTJ at Hampton Cove.

The golf outing fundraiser is presented by Maynards Capital Services and The Select Group.

Registration is $150 per individual and $600 per team. Hole sponsorship is $100.

Raffle prizes, door prizes, a registration gift, and hole-in-one prizes will be given away.

For more information, contact director of hockey operations Tim Flynn: 256-824-2485 or tim.flynn@uah.edu.

Club team begins fundraising: The UAH club hockey team is trying to raise funds to compete this coming season.

The club, the first at UAH since the original team was upgraded to varsity in 1985, has created a fundraiser at GoFundMe to receive donations.

The funds are needed for  ice rental, uniforms, travel, and other related costs.

Zirnis’s Mudbugs win title: The Shreveport Mudbugs, coached by UAH alumnus Karlis Zirnis, won the Robertson Cup as NAHL champions on Monday.

The Mudbugs defeated the Minot Minotaurs 2-1 in the championship game in Blaine, Minn. The game featured several players committed to WCHA teams.

Zirnis, who scored 119 points in 133 games at UAH from 1999-2003, finished his second season as the Mudbugs’ head coach.

Chargers’ 2018-19 schedule released with 16 home games; season begins Oct. 6

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Christian Rajic

Christian Rajic and the Chargers open WCHA play against Lake Superior for Homecoming on Oct. 26-27. (Photo by Todd Thompson)

UAH and the WCHA released their 2018-19 schedules on Wednesday. The Chargers will play their 34th varsity season and 40th overall with 36 regular-season games, with 16 at home.

The schedule is much more balanced in terms of home and away than last season’s, which had two long road trips and two long home stands. In addition to the 28-game WCHA schedule, UAH will play eight non-conference games against six opponents.

UAH starts the season at their closest NCAA opponent, Miami, in Oxford, Ohio, on Oct. 6-7. The Chargers last faced the Redhawks toward the end of the 2011-12 season, and in the 2010 NCAA Midwest Regional semifinals before that.

UAH visits two more teams from the NCHC in Colorado the following week. First, the Chargers go to Colorado Springs to take on Colorado College on Oct. 12, then visit Denver to play the Pioneers on Oct. 13. UAH head coach Mike Corbett and assistant coach Gavin Morgan are Denver reached the NCAA tournament last season as NCHC tournament champion.

“Once again we have a very tough non-conference schedule,” Corbett said. “We need to be ready to put ourselves in position to help our league with some non-conference wins.”

The Chargers have their home opening series on Oct. 19-20, hosting Arizona State in a non-conference battle of the Sun Belt. Last season, UAH split a series with the Sun Devils in Tempe. ASU, the newest Division I program, is an independent.

Homecoming is the following weekend as UAH faces Lake Superior State to start WCHA play. Michigan Tech, which won the WCHA playoff championship in March, comes to Huntsville on Nov. 2-3 to complete a six-game home stand.

The Chargers make their only trip to Alaska with a visit to Fairbanks on Nov. 16-17. After Thanksgiving, UAH hosts Bowling Green on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, followed by trips to Bemidji State and Michigan Tech heading into the holiday break.

UAH will play in the Catamount Cup at Vermont just before New Year’s. The Chargers will face the host Catamounts on Dec. 28 and NCAA tournament participant Northeastern on Dec. 29. UAH’s only other appearance in the holiday tournament was in the 2009-10 season, when the Chargers finished in third place.

It’s conference play the entire second half of the season. The Chargers begin 2019 hosting Ferris State on Jan. 4-5, then go to Lake Superior State the next week. UAH hosts both Alaska schools to finish off January.

The Chargers will face a tough final stretch. They go to WCHA regular-season champion and NCAA tournament participant Minnesota State on Feb. 1-2, then host WCHA playoff finalist Northern Michigan on Feb. 8-9. After a week off, UAH will need to withstand the Dawg Pound of Ferris State and the Bleacher Creatures of Bowling Green to finish the regular season.

“We have some good rest dates and will have to win some games on the road down the stretch,” Corbett said.

Official releases: UAH | WCHA

2018-19 UAH Hockey Schedule

Home games in bold.
* WCHA game.

Oct. 6-7 at Miami
Oct. 12 at Colorado College
Oct. 13 at Denver
Oct. 19-20 vs. Arizona State
Oct. 26-27 vs. Lake Superior* (Homecoming)
Nov. 2-3 vs. Michigan Tech*
Nov. 16-17 at Alaska*
Dec. 1-2 vs. Bowling Green*
Dec. 7-8 at Bemidji State*
Dec. 14-15 at Michigan Tech*
Dec. 28 at Vermont (Catamount Cup)
Dec. 29 vs. Northeastern (Catamount Cup)
Jan. 4-5 vs. Ferris State*
Jan. 11-12 at Lake Superior*
Jan. 18-19 vs. Alaska Anchorage*
Jan. 25-26 vs. Alaska*
Feb. 1-2 at Minnesota State*
Feb. 8-9 vs. Northern Michigan*
Feb. 22-23 at Ferris State*
March 1-2 at Bowling Green*
March 8-10 WCHA Quarterfinals (best-of-3)
March 15-17 WCHA Semifinals (best-of-3)
March 23 WCHA Championship
March 29-31 NCAA Regionals
April 11 & 13 NCAA Frozen Four (Buffalo)

Hoof Beats: Updates on Talbot and other Charger pros

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Cam Talbot and the Edmonton Oilers finished a disappointing season on Saturday, missing the Stanley Cup playoffs after a run to the Western Conference final a year ago.

The former Charger (2007-10) had a career-low .908 save percentage and a career-high 3.02 goals against average in 67 starts, compiling a 31-31-3 record with one shutout.

Josh Kestner has played three games for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies during his amateur tryout, scoring a power play goal. The playoff-bound Marlies finish the regular season on Sunday.

Tyler Poulsen scored a goal in two games for the ECHL’s Allen Americans, and was able to turn his amateur tryout contract into a pro contract. He is not on the Americans’ postseason roster.

Brennan Saulnier was released from his amateur tryout contract with the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators after three games.

Matt Salhany (2013-17) scored a goal and three points in 25 games for the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL.

Cody Dion (2010-11) had 12 goals and 24 points in 38 games for the Peoria Rivermen of the SPHL.

On Tuesday, Graeme Strukoff (2011-15) signed with the Sydney Bears in Australia for the 2018 season.

Chargers in the Pros page

Chargers pick up transfer goaltender: Jake Theut, a goaltender from Northeastern University, will be a graduate transfer to UAH for next season.

Theut was the third goaltender for the Huskies this season, playing in two games. In 2016-17, Theut played in three games, getting a shutout in his only start.

Theut gives UAH three goaltenders this season. Mark Sinclair, who started five games this season, and Josh Astorino will be returning sophomores.

Club hockey returns: A student hockey club is being formed at UAH.

UAH has not had club hockey since 1985, when the original club team, created in 1979 and winners of club national championships in 1982, 1983, and 1984, was elevated to varsity status in preparation for the university to join the NCAA.

It’s not uncommon for schools with NCAA Division I or III varsity hockey programs to also have student club teams, although this would be the first such situation in the Southeast. The team will play other southern club teams in the American College Hockey Association (ACHA).

UAH students interested in playing can email the club at clubhockey@uah.edu. Off-ice memberships are also available.

West a finalist for Alaska job: UAH alum Lance West is a finalist for the head coaching job at Alaska.

West, an assistant with the Nanooks for nine seasons prior, was the interim coach this season after Dallas Ferguson resigned. Alaska was 11-22-3 overall and 9-17-2 in WCHA play, finishing in eighth place.

West played for the Chargers from 1991-95, scoring 113 points in 108 games.

Kestner makes Second Team All-WCHA

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Josh Kestner

Josh Kestner (Photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography)

Josh Kestner was named to the All-WCHA Second Team on Thursday, becoming the first Charger to reach that high in all-league honors.

Kestner tied the UAH modern Division I era record with 24 goals this season. The senior’s 32 points were the most by a Charger since the 2006-07 season. Kestner tied for the WCHA lead with 19 goals in conference play, while scoring a league-best nine goals on the power play.

Kestner finished his UAH career with 44 goals, sixth most in the modern Division I era.

It marks the second straight year a Charger made the all-WCHA teams. Kurt Gosselin became the first with third team honors last season, and Max McHugh made the all-rookie team for 2014-15.

Kestner signed an amateur tryout contract with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, the Maple Leafs’ top affiliate.

In addition, 15 UAH players made the 2017-18 WCHA All-Academic Team. These Chargers have a grade-point average of at least 3.0 for the previous two semesters, or an overall GPA of at least 3.0 for all terms:

Austin Beaulieu (So., F, Coral Springs, Fla.); Richard Buri (Sr., D, Nitra, Slovakia); Cody Champagne (Sr., D, Brookfield, Conn.); Hans Gorowsky (Jr., F, Lino Lakes, Minn.); Kurt Gosselin (Jr., D, Brighton, Mich.); Connor James (So., D, Wainwright, Alberta); Josh Kestner (Sr., F, Huntsville, Ala.); Cam Knight (Jr., D, North Reading, Mass.); Max McHugh (Sr., F, Seattle, Wash.); Brandon Parker (Sr., D, Fairbault, Minn.); Sean Rappleyea (So., D, Sayreville, NJ); Teddy Rotenberger (Fr., D, Huntsville, Ala.); Brandon Salerno (So., F, Toronto, Ontario); John Teets (Jr., D, Fairbanks, Alaska); Jordan Uhleski (Sr., G, Flint, Mich.); Adam Wilcox (Jr., F, Alpharetta, Ga.).