Category Archives: Charger Hockey News

Hoof Beats: Awards given at banquet; Frenchy Open set

Posted on by
Chad Brears

Chad Brears was this season’s Charger of the Year. (Photo by UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan)

On Thursday, the Chargers held their end-of-season banquet at Spragins Hall, honoring the 2015-16 squad and looking forward to next season.

The Chargers’ Most Valuable Player was Max McHugh. The sophomore led UAH in points for the second straight season, scoring 22 points on seven goals and 15 assists.

Senior Frank Misuraca was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second time. The alternate captain was second on the club with 63 blocked shots. He had an even plus-minus rating and scored one goal with four assists for five points.

The Freshman of the Year was Adam Wilcox. In 33 games played, Wilcox was tied for the team among freshmen with four goals, including one power play and one shorthanded tally. He finished with nine points on the season.

The Charger of the Year award, which goes to the player who exemplifies what it means to be a UAH Charger, went to Chad Brears. The senior and alternate captain from Cold Lake, Alberta led the Chargers in goals this season with nine, and was third on the team in assists (10) and second in points (19). He also led UAH in plus-minus (+6).

Sign up for the Frenchy Open: The 2016 UAH Hockey Frenchy Open will tee off at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 25 at Hampton Cove Golf Course.

The golf tournament is the program’s biggest summer fundraising event. The tournament layout will be a four-player scramble with prizes going to the top three teams. Raffle and door prizes will be available.

Register online to reserve your spot. Registration per player is $150, which includes 18 holes of golf, a cart, a UAH Hockey shirt and hat, refreshments, and dinner. Full four-player teams can register for $600.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information, can call 256-824-2485 or email Nick Laurila.

In addition, there will be an UAH alumni hockey game at the Wilcoxon Municipal Ice Complex in Huntsville on June 24 at 7 p.m.

“The Frenchy Open” is named after Charger left wing Jean-Marc Plante, who died in 2001. Also known as “Frenchy,” the Laval, Quebec, native played for UAH from 1988-92, scoring 16 goals and 19 assists in 94 games. Plante worked at the front office of the Florida Panthers and became the athletic marketing director at UAH. A memorial scholarship is awarded in his honor to the Charger hockey player who demonstrates leadership, sportsmanship, and team spirit, and who participates in community and university volunteer service.

Rappleyea commits: Sean Rappleyea of South Amboy, N.J. committed to the Chargers for the 2016-17 season last week. The defenseman was an alternate captain this past season for the Ottawa Jr. “A” Senators of the Central Canada Hockey League.

This past season, Rappleyea led the Senators in 35 assists in addition to three goals scored. The CCHL Defenseman of the Year was scored a goal and eight assists in 16 playoffs games as the Senators reached the CCHL championship series.

Team banquet set for April 21

The UAH hockey program will have its post-season banquet at Spragins Hall on the UAH campus on April 21 at 6 p.m. Come join the Chargers as they celebrate the 2015-16 season, their third in the WCHA.

Cost is $25 per person, and you will have the opportunity to sponsor a player’s dinner at the banquet for $25.

There will be several silent auction items at the event as well as the opportunity to sit with your favorite player at dinner.

Payments will be accepted at the door upon arrival. You can RSVP online or email questions to Nick Laurila, UAH Director of Hockey Operations, at nick.laurila@uah.edu.

Hoof Beats: Four seniors to be honored in season finale

Posted on by
2015-16 Seniors

Jack Prince, Anderson White, Frank Misuraca, and Chad Brears finish their UAH careers this weekend. (Photo by UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan)

They committed to UAH when the hockey program was an independent with an uncertain future. This weekend, they will skate off the Von Braun Center ice one final time as Chargers, finishing their four-year odyssey.

Chad Brears, Frank Misuraca, Jack Prince, and Anderson White will be honored Saturday for Senior Night as the Chargers finish the 2015-16 season. UAH will host Bowling Green on Friday and Saturday, each game starting at 7:07 p.m.

Brears, an alternate captain from Cold Lake, Alberta, leads this year’s team with nine goals, and is tied for second with 17 points. In 124 career games at UAH, he has 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points. A three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete and two-time WCHA All-Academic, Brears was the WCHA’s Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year for 2013-14.

Misuraca, another alternate captain from Clinton Township, Michigan, has a goal and four assists this season. The defenseman has 30 assists in 126 career games. Of his 11 UAH goals, the most memorable is his blast from the right point with four seconds left in overtime at Bowling Green in 2013, giving the Chargers their first WCHA victory. Two-time WCHA All-Academic Team.

Prince, a forward from Leicester, England, has played 102 games for the Chargers, scoring 13 goals and 22 assists. He lead the 2013-14 squad with eight goals and 13 points, and last year was on Great Britain’s national team at the World Championships in the Netherlands. Named to the WCHA All-Academic Team for 2014-15.

White, a defenseman from Caledon, Ontario, has played in 72 games for UAH, scoring four assists. White was named a WCHA Scholar Athlete three times and was named to the WCHA All-Academic Team twice.

This week’s festivities: The final home series of the season is presented by the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.

On Friday, the first 500 fans receive the final set of UAH hockey trading cards. On Saturday, the first 500 fans get UAH hockey space capsules.

Kids 12 and under get free general admission, courtesy Huntsville International Airport.

The Blue Line Club lunch will take place Friday at noon at the Varsity Room of Spragins Hall. Bowling Green coach Chris Bergeron and the UAH coaching staff will be there to talk about this week’s series. Lenny’s Subs will be catering.

Commit for ’17: The Chargers got a verbal commitment on Monday from Christian Rajic, a forward for the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.

The Oakville, Ontario native will play for UAH starting in the 2017-18 season. Rajic has 61 points in 42 games this season with the Blades, good for 12th in the OJHL.

For more information on future Chargers, visit the Commitments page.

Hoof Beats: Larose’s big weekend earns WCHA weekly award

Posted on by
Matt Larose

Matt Larose earned his first WCHA Defensive Player of the Week award for his play against Minnesota State. (Photo by UAH Athletics)

Sure, there were some crazy plays this weekend that drew a lot of attention and allowed the Chargers to steal a couple of points from first-place Minnesota State and keep their playoff hopes alive. But it was the play of junior goaltender Matt Larose that gave UAH any chance at all.

Larose was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Larose stopped 83 of 87 Minnesota State shots on goal, including a combined 13 in both overtimes, as UAH got two ties against the 17th-ranked Mavericks at home.

In Saturday’s 1-1 draw, Larose made 49 saves, the most by any WCHA goaltender this season. He had 27 saves in Friday’s 3-3 tie.

Larose has started four straight games for the Chargers, the longest stretch of his UAH career, and six of the last seven. In that span, he has posted a .942 save percentage and 2.09 goals against average. For the season, his .931 save percentage is third-best in the WCHA, and his 2.24 goals against average is seventh.

Ties ties: You might have heard that there have been a plethora of ties in the WCHA this season, to where some have wondered if the WCHA should change its overtime procedures to reduce their frequency or outright eliminate them. Ties haven’t been much of an issue for UAH until recently with the two ties against Minnesota State over the weekend and three in its last six games.

The two ties against the WCHA leaders and defending champions was unexpected enough, but getting two ties in a series has been very rare in UAH’s program history. The only other time it happened was Oct. 22-23, 1999, at home against Mercyhurst.

With five, the Chargers have tied the season record for ties in a season, set in 2008-09. UAH has had seven overtime games this season (with a record of 1-1-5), two shy of the club record of nine set in 2002-03 (3-3-3).

McHugh impact: He’s only a sophomore, but Max McHugh already has as many career points as any current Charger. McHugh has 44 career points, which is tied with senior Chad Brears.

The difference is McHugh has done it through 66 career games at UAH, while Brears has played 120. It not a bad rate of production.

McHugh has more career assists with 26, and only trails Brears by one goal (19-18).

Save the date: The Frenchy Open, the program’s biggest summer fund-raising golf tournament, is scheduled for Saturday, June 25, at 8 a.m. at Hampton Cove Golf Course. Registration details will come soon.

The alumni hockey game will be Friday, June 24, at 7 p.m. at the Huntsville Ice Plex.

Hoof Beats: McHugh nominated for Hobey

Posted on by
Max McHugh

Max McHugh

Make it Max?

UAH sophomore center Max McHugh is one of the opening nominees for the Hobey Baker Award. Fan voting has begun on Facebook.

McHugh leads the Chargers with 20 points this season on six goals and a team-high 14 assists. He is currently tied for fourth in the WCHA in points and tied for second in assists.

Fans can vote once every 24 hours, and the top 10 candidates will advance. The Hobey Baker Award will be presented during the Frozen Four in Tampa on April 8.

Other WCHA nominees include Kyle Schempp and Gerald Mayhew of Ferris State, Alex Petan and Jamie Phillips of Michigan Tech, Dominik Shine and Atte Tolvanen of Northern Michigan, Chris Nell of Bowling Green, and Tyler Morley of Alaska.

Talbot’s new deal: UAH alumnus Cam Talbot signed a three-year contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.

Talbot, in his first season with Edmonton after being traded by the New York Rangers in the offseason, has a 2.56 goals against average and a .915 save percentage in 27 games this season.

Talbot played for the Chargers from 2007-10, posting a 3.03 goals against average and .909 save percentage in 70 games.

Saulnier suspended: Forward Brennan Saulnier has been suspended for two games by the WCHA, which will keep him from the lineup when the Chargers visit Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 29-30. He’ll be eligible to play Feb. 12-13 against Minnesota State.

Saulnier had received a game misconduct penalty for contact to the head of a Ferris State player in the first period of Saturday’s 4-1 loss.

Saulnier was suspended one game for a similar infraction at Lake Superior State on Oct. 30. He’s third on the Chargers with 16 points, and tied for second in goals with six.

Up next: The Chargers are off this weekend, preparing for a critical series at Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 29 and 30. After another off week, UAH hosts WCHA-leader Minnesota State on Feb. 12 and 13.

UAH finds itself needing wins desperately in Anchorage, where the Chargers have never won (0-13 since 1987). The Chargers are five points behind eighth place and the final playoff spot, currently held by both Alaska Anchorage and Alaska.

Hoof Beats: Series with Alaska crucial to playoff run

Posted on by

UPDATED with Friday’s televised game being carried on WHNT2 in Huntsville.

If the Chargers want to get back into the WCHA playoffs, they will need to do some damage this weekend.

A disappointing first half of the season has UAH in 10th and last place in the WCHA standings. The Chargers are 2-10-2 in league play with six points, four points behind ninth-place Alaska — this weekend’s opponent at the Von Braun Center.

The real target is eighth place or better, which is playoff qualification. Alaska Anchorage and Lake Superior State are tied for seventh with 12 points, two up on Alaska and six up on UAH. The Chargers must take advantage of this series to stay within sight of these clubs.

Alaska comes in after taking only one point against Bemidji State over the weekend, losing and tying the Beavers in a pair of overtime games in Fairbanks. Alaska Anchorage hosts Bemidji State and Lake Superior hosts Bowling Green as the second half of the conference season gets going in earnest.

UAH also needs to win this series because it only gets tougher the rest of the way. Eight of the final 12 games are on the road, including a trip to Anchorage, and the remaining four home games are against the top two teams in the WCHA (Minnesota State and Bowling Green).

Friday’s game is on TV: Friday night’s UAH game against Alaska at the VBC is nationally televised. The game will be broadcast by American Sports Network, which is primarily carried on local digital stations and some regional sports networks.

In Huntsville, the game will be carried on WHNT2. On cable systems, the game will be on Comcast channel 1008, WOW! channel 908, Charter channel 193, or Mediacom channel 80.

Friday’s game will be carried on the regional sports network MASN. For DirecTV subscribers with the DirecTV Sports Pack, the game will be on Channel 640. For Dish Network subscribers with the Multi-Sport Pack, the game will be on Channel 432.

Check the ASN web site to see if and how the game is available in your area.

Friday’s game was supposed to be joined in progress on TSN2 in Canada, but the current schedule no longer shows the game listed.

Local fans are encouraged to come to the game (we always encourage that, especially for an important series like this weekend’s) or watch online at WCHA.tv.

This week’s festivities: UAH will have the sixth trading card set being given away on Friday to the first 500 fans, courtesy of Colonial Printing.

On Saturday, the first 500 UAH fans get free foam mini hockey sticks, courtesy of American Promotions.

The Blue Line Club lunch will take place Friday at noon at the Varsity Room of Spragins Hall. Alaska coach Dallas Ferguson and the UAH coaching staff will be there to talk about this week’s series. Lawlers Barbecue will be catering.

Don’t tell him:

Umm…

Hoof Beats: Offense boosting UAH’s solid start

Posted on by
Cody Marooney

Cody Marooney was named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week. (Photo by UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan)

UAH head coach Mike Corbett said before the season that he thought the Chargers would be able to “score a few more goals.” That certainly has been the case in the early going in 2015-16, and a big reason UAH is off to its best six-game start since 2004 with a 3-2-1 overall record.

The Chargers have averaged 3.67 goals scored per game through six games this season, good for 15th in NCAA Division I. Considering UAH averaged 1.08 and 1.63 goals per game the last two seasons, the increased offensive production is profound, even if it’s only been six games and the Chargers have yet to face the WCHA’s favorites. They’ll get their first chance this weekend at the Von Braun Center against Michigan Tech.

In the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, UAH scored four or more goals in a game a total of four times. The Chargers already have three games of five goals scored this season.

Brennan Saulnier currently is No. 1 in NCAA Division I in goals per game at 1.20 (six goals in five games). Saulnier missed Saturday’s game due to a one-game suspension by the WCHA for contact to the head late in Friday’s 5-4 overtime win at Lake Superior State. He’ll be back in the lineup on Friday against Michigan Tech at the VBC.

Saulnier is ranked 13th in NCAA Division I in points per game at 1.8 (nine points in five games), leading UAH’s prolific top scoring line from the left wing. Center Max McHugh is 26th (1.33) and right wing Chad Brears is 42nd (1.17).

Cody Marooney is tied for third in the nation in game-winning goals with two, both coming this weekend. He scored the overtime winner on Friday and the first goal of a 5-0 shutout win on Saturday at Lake Superior.

If there’s one part of the offense that has yet to consistently click, it’s the power play. UAH is 3-of-24 with the man advantage, a .125 percentage that ranks 42nd in the country. The Chargers were a combined 1-of-8 on the power play at Lake Superior State.

Players of the week: For the second time, UAH players earned two of the three WCHA player of the week honors on Monday.

Cody Marooney won the Offensive Player of the Week award for his aforementioned two game-winning goals at Lake Superior. He also had an assist in Friday’s game. Marooney did the same thing last season when he had two game-winning goals against Alaska-Anchorage.

Kurt Gosselin was named Rookie of the Week after a four-point weekend in his first two collegiate games. He had two goals on Friday and two assists on Saturday.

This week’s promotion: The Chargers host Michigan Tech, which eliminted UAH in the WCHA playoffs last season and is expected to content for the league title, this weekend. Puck drop is 7:07 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, the first 500 fans receive the third set of UAH Hockey trading cards, courtesy of Wells Fargo.

On Saturday, the first 500 fans receive a free UAH Hockey puck, courtesy of SportsMed.

All kids 12 and under get free general admission, courtesy of Huntsville International Airpor

Blue Line Club lunch: Another home series means another Blue Line Club luncheon this Friday at noon in the Varsity Room at Spragins Hall on the UAH campus.

Bojangles will be catering, and the special guest speaker will be Michigan Tech head coach Mel Pearson. UAH head coach Mike Corbett will also speak to the group about this weekend’s series.

Tickets are $8, but free to Blue Line Club members.

WCHA Standings Record Pts.
Minnesota State 4-0-0 8
Michigan Tech 3-3-0 6
UAH 2-1-1 5
Alaska-Anchorage 2-1-1 5
Northern Michigan 2-1-1 5
Ferris State 2-2-0 4
Bowling Green 1-1-0 2
Bemidji State 0-3-1 1
Alaska 0-2-0 0
Lake Superior State 0-2-0 0

WCHA roundup: Michigan Tech comes to Huntsville this weekend after splitting a home series with Ferris State. The Huskies dropped out of this week’s USCHO.com poll. … Minnesota State moved to 4-0 in conference play after sweeping Alaska in Mankato. The Mavericks started the season 0-4. … Alaska’s Tyler Morley was also served a one-game suspension Saturday for a hit to the head on a Minnesota State player. … Alaska-Anchorage split with No. 12 Bowling Green in Anchorage. Bowling Green dropped to No. 14 in the USCHO.com poll. … Bemidji State and Northern Michigan skated to a scoreless tie Friday (by the way, UAH has never been involved in one of those), but NMU won Saturday to take three points in the series.

Friday, Oct. 30
UAH 5 at Lake Superior State 4, OT
Ferris State 4 at #18 Michigan Tech 5, OT
Bemidji State 0 at Northern Michigan 0, OT
Alaska 2 at Minnesota State 5

Saturday, Oct. 31
UAH 5 at Lake Superior State 0
#12 Bowling Green 2 at Alaska Anchorage 4
Ferris State 3 at #18 Michigan Tech 2
Bemidji State 1 at Northern Michigan 3
Alaska 1 at Minnesota State 2

Sunday, Nov. 1
#12 Bowling Green at Alaska Anchorage, 5:07 p.m.

Hoof Beats: 1996 NCAA champions to be honored during Homecoming

Posted on by

Twenty seasons ago, UAH won its first NCAA national championship in any sport. On Saturday, on Homecoming weekend, those Chargers will be honored again.

The 1996 NCAA Division II national champion Chargers will be recognized during the first intermission of Saturday night’s game against Alaska Anchorage. Game time is 7 p.m.

The 1995-96 Chargers finished with an defeated 26-0-3 record, and defeated Bemidji State for the national championship in Huntsville by scores of 7-3 and 3-0.

Today’s Chargers will wear the 1996 replica jerseys during the game, and the first 500 kids will receive 1996 replica kids jerseys of their own. Kids 12 and under get free general admission.

Homecoming week: Festivities for UAH Homecoming will continue all week, including the hockey series with Alaska Anchorage.

Following Friday’s game, the homecoming court will be presented at Charger Madness at Spragins Hall, which starts at 10 p.m.

Blue Line Club lunch: The second Blue Line Club luncheon of the year will take place Friday at noon in the Varsity Room at Spragins Hall on the UAH campus.

LawLers Barbecue will be catering, and the special guest speaker will be Alaska Anchorage head coach Matt Thomas. UAH head coach Mike Corbett will also speak to the group about this weekend’s series.

Tickets are $8, but free to Blue Line Club members.

WCHA roundup: Michigan Tech and Ferris State split the first WCHA series in Big Rapids … Minnesota State failed to score a goal in being swept at St. Cloud; the Mavericks have been shut out in three straight games … Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State split a home-and-home non-conference series … Alaska defeated AIC and RPI to win the Alaska Goal Rush for the fourth straight year; Anchorage also beat those teams … Bemidji State tied top-ranked North Dakota at home, but lost in Grand Forks … Bowling Green earned a win and a tie in western New York.

Friday, October 16
#16 Michigan Tech 5 at Ferris State 1
Lake Superior State 3 at Northern Michigan 6
#10 Bowling Green 4 at Canisius 2
#1 North Dakota 4 at Bemidji State 4, OT
#14 Minnesota State 0 at #12 St. Cloud State 4
Rensselaer 3 vs. Alaska Anchorage 4 (Brice Alaska Goal Rush at Fairbanks)
American International 2 at Alaska 7 (Brice Alaska Goal Rush)

Saturday, October 17
#16 Michigan Tech 2 at Ferris State 3
#10 Bowling Green 2 at RIT 2, OT
Northern Michigan 0 at Lake Superior State 4
#14 Minnesota State 0 at #12 St. Cloud State 3
Bemidji State 2 at #1 North Dakota 5
American International 2 vs. Alaska Anchorage 6 (Brice Alaska Goal Rush at Fairbanks)
Rensselaer 2 at Alaska 4 (Brice Alaska Goal Rush)

 

Hoof Beats: Big series for Saulnier earns WCHA award

Posted on by
Brennan Saulnier

Brennan Saulnier

After a three-goal, five point weekend, UAH sophomore forward Brennan Saulnier was named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.

Saulnier had two goals and two assists to lead the Chargers to a 5-2 victory over Connecticut on Saturday, which secured a series split. His first goal tied the game at 2-2 in the first period, and his second extended UAH’s lead to 4-2. The four points were the most by a Charger in a single game since Jack Prince did the feat at Michigan Tech on Feb. 8, 2014.

Saulnier’s goal on Friday in the first period tied the game at 1-1, but the Chargers would ultimately lose 5-2.

The Halifax, Nova Scotia native led all Chargers with 10 shots on goal for the weekend. He also committed three penalties.

It is Saulnier’s second WCHA weekly award. Last season, he won the WCHA Rookie of the Week award after having two assists against Air Force.

hockey-day-huntsville

Click to enlarge

In-state exhibition: UAH hosts the Alabama Frozen Tide club team on Saturday at the Huntsville IcePlex for an exhibition contest. Game time is 6 p.m., with “Skate with the Chargers” following the game.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under and students with ID, and the price includes admission to Skate with the Chargers. UAH students get free skate rental with the purchase of a ticket.

Alabama, coached by former Charger player and assistant coach Mike Quenneville, is playing its first season in ACHA Division I, the highest level in club hockey. Another UAH tie: Senior forward Andre Morard is the son of Gus Morard, who played on UAH’s first club teams from 1979-83.

The game is part of Hockey Day Huntsville at the IcePlex, a celebration of the game in the Rocket City. Youth league games will take place Saturday morning, followed by the Point Mallard Ducks taking on the St. Louis Jr. Blues at 2 p.m. Food trucks will be on hand throughout the day.

Guerriero on Richter watch: Carmine Guerriero has been named to the watch list for the 2016 Mike Richter Award, which goes to the best goaltender in NCAA Division I. The award is presented by Let’s Play Hockey and the Herb Brooks Foundation.

Guerriero was a candidate for the award last season as he posted a .928 save percentage — 14th highest in Division I — and a 2.56 goals against average in 29 starts. Against UConn, he stopped 59 of 65 shots, a .908 save percentage, including 22 straight to finish UAH’s win on Saturday.

WCHA roundup: The WCHA went 5-9-3 in non-conference action in the opening week of the season (not including Michigan Tech’s two exhibition victories). Some of the highlights:

  • Bemidji State, like last year, pulled off an early-season stunner by beating No. 2-ranked Minnesota Duluth in Bemidji on Saturday (the first game in Duluth on Friday was postponed due to a power outage).
  • In the matchup of preseason top-ten teams, Omaha won the Spirit of the Maverick trophy by going into Mankato and taking both games from Minnesota State.
  • No. 16 Bowling Green held serve at home and in Columbus to sweep Ohio State.
  • The Alaska teams went 1-3 in the Kendall Hockey Classic in Anchorage, including the Alaska Nanooks being Arizona State’s first Division I victim.

Friday, Oct. 9
Connecticut 5, UAH 2
#4 North Dakota 5, Lake Superior State 2 (Ice Breaker at Portland, Maine)
#16 Bowling Green 6, Ohio State 3
Western Michigan 3, Ferris State 2
Northern Michigan 2, Wisconsin 2, OT
#10 Omaha 3, #6 Minnesota State 2
Bemidji State at #2 Minnesota Duluth, postponed (power outage)
St. Cloud State 3, Alaska 0 (Kendall Hockey Classic at Anchorage)
Alaska Anchorage 3, Arizona State 2, OT (Kendall Hockey Classic)
#15 Michigan Tech 5, Laurentian 1 (Exhibition)

Saturday, Oct. 10
UAH 5, Connecticut 2
Michigan State 4, Lake Superior State 1 (Ice Breaker at Portland, Maine)
Western Michigan 1, Ferris State 1, OT
16 Bowling Green 2, Ohio State o
Northern Michigan 3, Wisconsin 3, OT
#10 Omaha 2, #6 Minnesota State 0
Bemidji State 3, #2 Minnesota Duluth 2
Arizona State 2, Alaska 1 (Kendall Hockey Classic at Anchorage)
St. Cloud State 6, Alaska Anchorage 2 (Kendall Hockey Classic)
#15 Michigan Tech 5, Laurentian o (Exhibition)

Bowling Green moved up to No. 10 in this week’s USCHO.com poll. Minnesota State fell to No. 14, and Michigan Tech is at No. 16. Bemidji State, Northern Michigan, and Ferris State all received votes.

Hoof Beats: Chargers sport five jerseys, including ’96 throwbacks

Posted on by
The UAH locker room at the Von Braun Center, displaying the five sweaters the Chargers will wear this season.

The UAH locker room at the Von Braun Center, displaying the five sweaters the Chargers will wear this season. (Photo by UAH Athletics)

UAH revealed the jerseys the Chargers will wear in the 2015-16 season in a photo of their Von Braun Center locker room on Tuesday.

The Chargers will wear five different sweaters this season:

  • Home white: A couple of alterations were made to the white jerseys the Chargers wore the last two seasons. The shoulder yoke is now blue, and the blue stripe on the sleeve and waist is thicker.
  • Road blue: Unchanged.
  • Alternate gray: Unchanged.
  • Alternate black: Black version of the road sweater, with a blue shoulder yoke like  the one on the home white.
  • Throwback: For the first time in program history, the Chargers will wear throwback jerseys. These are the home whites to honor the 20th anniversary of the 1995-96 NCAA Division II national champions.

Michael’s opinion: The home whites look better simply because there is more blue, but I still think there’s too much black with “UAH” and the player number for my taste. I’m thrilled we still have the glorious road blues, because I don’t care much for the alternate blacks at all, although I bet I’m in the minority.

The 1996 Division II national champions. (Photo by UAH Athletics)

The 1996 Division II national champions. (Photo by UAH Athletics)

The throwbacks honoring the 1995-96 Chargers aren’t exact replicas. The throwbacks have the red stripe on the waste along the bottom of the sweater, whereas it was sandwiched between blue stripes in the original. The holes in the word “Alabama” were filled in with red 20 years ago, but not in the throwback (this is an improvement, in my opinion). Also, the number and “C”/”A” on the front suggest the throwback will have the same font as the other current jerseys, not the font from the original. Still, it’s great to see the effort to honor the undefeated national champions in this way. It should stir great memories for longtime UAH fans.

Guerriero on CHN’s All-America team: College Hockey News named UAH’s Carmine Guerriero to its preseason All-America team on Tuesday. The junior was selected as the second-team goaltender.

“Had a .927 save percentage last season while facing more shots per minute than any goaltender in the country. Edges out [Michigan Tech’s] Jamie Phillips and [Boston College’s] Thatcher Demko, who had offseason hip surgery and may miss the early part of the season.”

Chargers on TV: UAH’s home game with Alaska on Jan. 8 will be televised by American Sports Network, select affiliates of the Sinclair Networks Group and on several regional sports networks around the country.

The game is one of two WCHA contests ASN will broadcast as part of a deal to televise 30 college hockey games this season. The deal also includes Hockey East, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, and ECAC Hockey.