Category Archives: Charger Hockey News

UAH picked to finish 8th in WCHA preseason polls

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At least the Chargers are expected to make the playoffs this time.

The WCHA preseason coaches and media polls were released during the league’s media teleconference Monday, and UAH finished eighth in both polls.

“We’re still building our foundation, but I like what our foundation is right now,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “We brought in a few extra players to bring depth to our program.

“As for the polls, they’re great. They’re motivational. They’re going up on our board, and we’re going to continue to use them as motivation. Respect is something you’ve got to earn day to day. We did some nice things last year, but now we’ve got to earn it all over again.”

The Chargers were picked to finish last in their first two seasons in the WCHA. UAH did finish last in 2013-14, but finished eighth last season to earn its first WCHA playoff berth, where the Chargers swept at Michigan Tech in two games. The first game was three-overtime thriller, won by the Huskies 1-0 as Carmine Guerriero made a WCHA-record 76 saves.

Guerriero did receive a vote in each poll for preseason all-WCHA. “He’s the guy who carried the load last year,” Corbett said. “With our added depth and the experience the players have gotten in our league, he doesn’t have to make 40 (saves) a night, but the great thing for us is we know he can.”

In the coaches poll, Minnesota State was the clear favorite to win the MacNaughton Cup again, getting eight first-place votes. Bowling Green and Michigan Tech got each of the other two first-place votes.

Minnesota State also took first in the media poll, but did not get a majority. The Mavericks had 12, Michigan Tech had nine, and Bowling Green got eight.

UAH opens the season on Oct. 9-10 at Propst Arena against Connecticut. The WCHA schedule begins two weeks later at home against Alaska Anchorage.

2015-16 Mankato Free Press WCHA Men’s Hockey Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Team (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Minnesota State (8) 89
2. Bowling Green (1) 79
3. Michigan Tech (1) 78
4. Bemidji State 61
5. Alaska 55
6. Ferris State 51
7. Northern Michigan 49
8. UAH 29
9. Alaska Anchorage 27
10. Lake Superior State 22

Preseason WCHA Player of the Year: Tyler Morley, Alaska
Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year: Corey Mackin, Ferris State
Preseason All-WCHA Team:
G Jamie Phillips, Michigan Tech
D Shane Hanna, Michigan Tech
D Casey Nelson, Minnesota State
F Tyler Morley, Alaska
F Alex Petan, Michigan Tech
F Bryce Gervais, Minnesota State

Carmine Guerriero received one vote for Preseason All-WCHA.

2015-16 Bemidji Pioneer WCHA Men’s Hockey Preseason Media Poll

Team (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Minnesota State (12) 265
2. Michigan Tech (9) 263
3. Bowling Green (8) 250
4. Bemidji State 184
5. Alaska 164
6. Ferris State 142
7. Northern Michigan 138
8. UAH 88
9. Lake Superior State 54
10. Alaska Anchorage 47

Preseason WCHA Player of the Year: Bryce Gervais, Minnesota State
Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year: Stephen Baylis, Bowling Green
Preseason All-WCHA Team:
G Jamie Phillips, Michigan Tech
D Shane Hanna, Michigan Tech
D Casey Nelson, Minnesota State
F Tyler Morley, Alaska
F Alex Petan, Michigan Tech
F Bryce Gervais, Minnesota State

Carmine Guerriero received one vote for Preseason WCHA Player of the Year. Jetlan Houcher received one vote for Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year. Guerriero and Max McHugh each received one vote for Preseason All-WCHA.

Geof Morris and Michael Napier of UAHHockey.com voted in the media poll. Here are our ballots:

Geof’s ballot:

  1. Bowling Green
  2. Minnesota State
  3. Michigan Tech
  4. UAH
  5. Alaska
  6. Bemidji State
  7. Northern Michigan
  8. Ferris State
  9. Lake Superior State
  10. Alaska Anchorage

Player of the Year: Carmine Guerriero, UAH
Newcomer of the Year: Stephen Baylis, Bowling Green
Preseason All-WCHA:
G Carmine Guerriero, UAH
D Shane Hanna, Michigan Tech
D Casey Nelson, Minnesota State
F Tyler Morley, Alaska
F Max McHugh, UAH
F Teddy Blueger, Minnesota State

Michael’s ballot:

  1. Michigan Tech
  2. Bowling Green
  3. Minnesota State
  4. Bemidji State
  5. Alaska
  6. Northern Michigan
  7. UAH
  8. Ferris State
  9. Lake Superior State
  10. Alaska Anchorage

Player of the Year: Jamie Phillips, Michigan Tech
Newcomer of the Year: Brett Boeing, Michigan Tech
Preseason All-WCHA:
G Jamie Phillips, Michigan Tech
D Shane Hanna, Michigan Tech
D Casey Nelson, Minnesota State
F Tyler Morley, Alaska
F Alex Petan, Michigan Tech
F Bryce Gervais, Minnesota State

More from Mike Corbett on the media teleconference:

  • On defense: “On defense, we played three freshman most of the year. Frank Misuraca had a breakout season. We’re going to have some good legs back there and be able to move the puck a little bit more, and not weather as many storms as we’ve had to the past couple of years.”
  • On offense: “Up front, we’re led by Max McHugh, a sophomore. He made the all-rookie team last year. He’s come back we feel a step faster and stronger. Our scoring, everyone is going to have to chip in, and Max is one who’s going to be skating against others’ top lines most nights. I like the kids we have up front. I think we’re going to be able to score a few more goals.”
  • On recruiting: “We’re not the sexiest program out there. We know that. We might not get a lot of help from junior coaches. But there’s plenty of players out there. And more than anything, getting kids who are up to the challenge of building this program. It’s easy to put on the jersey. It’s not easy to build a program and be the underdog every day. It’s not easy to get disrespected a lot of times. You’ve got to get strong mental kids who have that fire in their eyes, and I think we’ve got that with the kids that are coming in.”
  • On impact freshmen: “I think the guy who comes in with the pedigree is Jetlan Houcher, who scored 85 goals in juniors. He’s more of a shooter, and I think we’re going to be able to put Jetlan in a position to do what he does. We still have room on the depth chart to do that right now. With as many freshmen as we have, part of our recruiting was giving them the opportunity to be the players they want to be. Kurt Gosselin … is going to be able to add offense to the backline for us. When the puck is kicked low to high, he’s going to be able to make plays. He’s going to be able to improve our power play and help our offense 5-on-5.”

Hoof Beats: Newcomer notes

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UAH revealed its signees for the 2015-16 season on August 3. Many of the forwards put up some prolific numbers for their junior teams last season, which will hopefully signal continued growth for the Charger offense. Here’s a summary of how they played in the 2014-15 season:

Team Pos GP G A Pts PIM
Hunter Anderson Langley (BCHL) F 58 11 19 30 64
Madison Dunn Brooks (AJHL) F 60 8 35 43 58
Hans Gorowsky Fairbanks (NAHL) F 60 23 33 56 38
Kurt Gosselin Alberni Valley (BCHL) D 32 12 31 43 32
Jetlan Houcher Fort McMurray (AJHL) F 60 39 32 71 57
Cam Knight Wichita Falls (NAHL) D 60 9 24 33 55
Tyler Poulsen* Topeka (NAHL) F 56 29 32 61 44
Brandon Salerno Pickering (OJHL) F 49 30 39 69 30
John Teets Fairbanks (NAHL) D 60 3 17 20 53
Adam Wilcox Fairbanks (NAHL) F 43 6 11 17 96

* 2013-14 statistics

Jetlan Houcher (Photo by Fort McMurray Oil Barons)

Jetlan Houcher (Photo by Fort McMurray Oil Barons)

Some other tidbits on this class:

  • Jetlan Houcher will reunite with UAH sophomore Brennan Saulnier, who was his teammate at Fort Murray in the 2013-14 season. John Teets and Adam Wilcox were also on that Oil Barons squad, which won 45 games and reached the AJHL Division Final.
  • Tyler Poulsen played with Cody Champagne with Topeka in the 2013-14 season. Poulsen led the Roadrunners in scoring that year while Champagne was the second-leading scorer among defensemen as they reached the NAHL semifinals.
  • Hunter Anderson and Hans Gorowsky will join Cody Marooney and Brandon Parker to make four native Minnesotans on the roster, the most UAH has had at one time in its history. Anderson and Gorowsky would make it 10 Minnesotans overall in 31 seasons. (By contrast, UAH has had seven native Huntsvillians.)
  • Wilcox will be the fourth player from the state of Georgia to play from the Chargers, following Neil Ruffini, Kyle Lysaght, and Craig Pierce.
  • Teets will be the second UAH player to come from the state of Alaska (Levi Hall, 1995-96).
  • Brandon Salerno will be eligible to play for the Chargers in the 2016-17 season.

Frozen Tide exhibition: UAH will host Alabama’s club team at the Wilcoxon Ice Complex on Oct. 17, the weekend after the Chargers open the season at the VBC against Connecticut.

The growing Frozen Tide program, coached by Charger alumnus Mike Quenneville (’89), will be playing its first season in American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I.

UAH and Alabama played two exhibition games to start the 2012-13 season, with the Chargers winning 12-1 and 10-0.

New WCHA.tv partner:  Stretch Internet will provide the online streaming for WCHA.tv in the 2015-16 season, the WCHA announced on Wednesday.

The new WCHA.tv will allow for multiple HD streams, including picture-in-picture and the ability to watch up to four games at once. The portal will integrate live stats and social media, and be available on tablet, mobile, and Smart TV devices.

Information on WCHA.tv subscription packages and pricing for the 2015-16 season (including full season, monthly, single day, team-specific and more) will be available in September.

Season tickets, BLC info for 2015-16 now available

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Carmine Guerriero makes a save as Brent Fletcher chases the puck against Alaska Anchorage in the 2014-15 season.

Catch Carmine Guerriero and Brent Fletcher as the Chargers host 18 games this season and work their way up the WCHA standings. (Photo by UAH Athletics)

Hockey’s coming, y’all.

Season tickets for the 2015-16 season, UAH’s 31st season of varsity hockey and 37th overall, are on sale now. Reserve seating in the lower bowl of Von Braun Center’s Propst Arena is $199 for 18 home games this season — up $7 from last season but with two more games.

FlexTix packages are all back at the same rate. For $99, you’ll get 10 tickets to any 10 games you choose.

Blue Line Club information was also released. Consider making a tax-deductible donation to Charger hockey and get many great benefits. In addition to receiving multiple season tickets and FlexTix packs, you’ll get VIP parking, VBC hospitality room access, coaches’ luncheons, special events, and more.

For more information, order tickets, or join the Blue Line Club, call 256-UAH-PUCK (256-824-7825). Or, download and return the Blue Line Club and season ticket brochure.

Tickets to individual games will be available through Ticketmaster and the Von Braun Center box office at a later date. Check back on our tickets page for updates.

The Chargers open the season on Oct. 9 and 10 at the VBC against the Connecticut Huskies of Hockey East, followed by Homecoming weekend on Oct. 23 and 24 in their WCHA openers against Alaska-Anchorage.

Press release from UAHChargers.com

Hoof Beats: Frenchy Open fast approaching

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The program’s biggest summer fundraising event is just three weeks away!

The 2015 UAH Hockey Frenchy Open presented by CNTS Investments LLC and Total Package Hockey will tee off at 1 p.m. on June 6 at Huntsville Country Club.

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 polo shirt, refreshments, and dinner. Full four-player teams can register for $600.

Sponsorship opportunities are still 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 5 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.

Schedule change: The Thanksgiving weekend series against rival Bemidji State has been changed to Wednesday, November 25 and Friday, November 27. Puck drop remains at 7:07 p.m. for both games. The change means UAH will avoid going up against the Iron Bowl on Saturday, November 28.

UAH will host its first ever game on a Wednesday. The Chargers have played only four times on Wednesday before, all on the road:

Wednesday, Dec. 12, 1990 at Minnesota (lost 10-0) — A stop in Minneapolis on the way to Alaska.
Wednesday, Dec. 11, 1991 at Alaska-Fairbanks (lost 9-5 but later won by forfeit) — Part of four games in five nights in Alaska
Wednesday, Dec. 30, 1998 at Connecticut (won 3-0) — Holiday tournament right before New Year’s
Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011 at Merrimack (lost 6-0) — Northeast road trip that also sandwiched Thanksgiving

Brears named Academic All-District: UAH forward Chad Brears was named to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All District At-Large Team, announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America on Thursday.

The junior from Cold Lake, Alberta, was named to the District 4 first team in NCAA Division I covering Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Puerto Rico.

Brears scored a 4.0 grade-point average majoring in mechanical engineering this year. He was second on the Chargers this past season with 15 points (three goals and 12 assists) in 36 games.

UAH announces team awards, captains at banquet

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Last Wednesday night was the end of season banquet for the Chargers, who celebrated the strides made in the 2014-15 season and looked forward to the next step in the program’s growth.

Sophomore goaltender Carmine Guerriero was the team’s Most Valuable Player of the 2014-15 season. Guerriero had a .928 save percentage, fourth-best in UAH history, and a 2.56 goals against average, fifth-best in program history.

Defensive Player of the Year went to junior Frank Misuraca, who led UAH defensemen in goals with six goals. He was second among Chargers with 69 blocks.

After making the WCHA All-Rookie Team and leading the Chargers in scoring with 23 points, Max McHugh was an obvious choice for Freshman of the Year.

The Charger of the Year Award, which goes to the player who exemplifies what it means to be a UAH Charger, went to senior Craig Pierce. The Roswell, Ga., native became an alternate captain this season, scoring three goals in 28 games and battling a wrist injury.

Also announced were the 2015-16 captains. Junior Brent Fletcher will don the “C” for the Chargers next season, with seniors Frank Misuraca and Chad Brears being the alternate captains.

Press release from UAHChargers.com

Hoof Beats: Prince invited to Team GB

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Photo Credit: Timothy Burns

Photo Credit: Timothy Burns

Jack Prince will playing for a spot on his home country’s national team.

The Charger wing from Leicester, England is on Team Great Britain’s initial 31-man squad preparing for the World Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The team will be pared down to 23 players in two weeks.

Prince scored five goals with nine assists for 14 points in his just-completed junior season, and has 30 points in three years at UAH.

Dunn commits: The Chargers picked up a commitment on Wednesday from Madison Dunn, a forward from the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

Dunn, who is from Calgary, had eight goals and 35 assists for 43 points in 60 games with the Bandits during the regular season. He had two goals and five assists in six playoff games so far as Brooks goes into the second round of the AJHL playoffs.

More information on incoming recruits is coming soon. For more information, visit the Commitments page.

Banquet in two weeks: Remember that the UAH hockey post-season banquet is Wednesday, April 1, at 7 p.m. at Spragins Hall.

The cost is $25 per person, and you 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.

The hockey office asks that you RSVP for the event.  If you have any other questions you can email Nick Laurila.

Around the WCHA: The WCHA Final Five is this weekend at the XCel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The semifinals take place Friday, with Bowling Green facing Michigan Tech at 4:07 p.m. MacNaughton Cup champion Minnesota State faces Ferris State at 7:37 p.m. The Broadmoor Cup championship game is Saturday night at 6:07 p.m.

The champion gets an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota State and Michigan Tech, ranked second and fifth respectively in the Pairwise Rankings, are locks to be at-large bids, with No. 12 Bowling Green in decent shape with at least a semifinal victory. If Ferris State wins the Broadmoor Cup, it is conceivable that the league could get four teams in college hockey’s big dance.

The WCHA Final Five can be seen on Fox College Sports Central. Find FCS on your local cable or satellite provider.

 

Hoof Beats: Three ways to get in

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Unfortunately, the Chargers could not yet punch their ticket into the WCHA playoffs over the weekend due to the disappointing losses to Alaska in the final home series of the season. However, UAH still has three ways to clinch a playoff spot in the regular season’s final week.

Here is the bottom part of the WCHA standings. Two teams will be the seventh and eighth seeds in the WCHA playoffs, while the last-place team will be out (remember that Alaska is ineligible, meaning ninth place gets in this season). For more on playoff possibilities and predictions for the whole league, visit Geof’s WCHA Playoff Prediction Blog.

Team W L T Pts.
8. Alabama-Huntsville 7 18 1 15
8. Lake Superior State 7 18 1 15
10. Alaska-Anchorage 5 19 2 12

 

The Chargers need ONE of the following to happen this weekend:

1. Get a point at Bowling Green. UAH needs only a win or tie at No. 13 Bowling Green to earn a playoff berth. Getting that in front of BG’s Bleacher Creatures won’t be easy as the Falcons are 8-5-1 at home this season, and they beat the Chargers 5-0 and 4-1 in Huntsville back in October. Bowling Green is also smarting after losing to Alaska-Anchorage 6-1 on Saturday, which dropped the Falcons into the Pairwise bubble for an NCAA tournament at-large bid, so don’t look for a respite from BG even though it has locked down the third seed in the WCHA tournament. But if this was possible last season…

2. Alaska-Anchorage loses or ties. The same Alaska Nanooks who swept the Chargers over the weekend are now our strongest allies. Alaska-Anchorage must sweep their in-state rivals in Anchorage this week to stay alive (and to win the Governor’s Cup) and hope UAH gets swept to outright pass the Chargers, who have the tie-breaker over Anchorage with their sweep of the Seawolves in Huntsville on Jan. 2-3. The Seawolves stunned the Nanooks in Fairbanks back in mid-January with a pair of one-goal victories, but then lost nine in a row to plummet to the bottom of the WCHA standings before their win over Bowling Green on Saturday.

3. Lake Superior State is swept by Ferris State. UAH and Lake Superior State are tied with identical conference records (7-18-1, 15 points), and the Chargers have the tiebreaker over the Lakers with their 2-1-1 record against them this season. That means if UAH is swept by Bowling Green and Alaska-Anchorage sweeps Alaska, the Chargers would need Lake Superior to get swept and stay at 15 points to use that tiebreaker and get into the playoffs. If the Lakers get any ties or wins in this situation, UAH would be out.

Best get that point at Bowling Green and end all uncertainty.

Carmine Guerriero (Photo by Doug Eagan)

Carmine Guerriero (Photo by Doug Eagan)

Guerriero nominated for Richter Award: UAH’s Carmine Guerriero is one of 28 nominees for the 2015 Mike Richter Award, given to the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA Division I. The award is presented by Let’s Play Hockey and the Herb Brooks Foundation.

Guerriero has a .926 save percentage, which is fourth best in the WCHA and 18th best in the country. The sophomore from Montreal, Quebec has a 2.58 goals against average and has made at least 30 saves in 15 games this season, including a 54-save performance at Minnesota State on October 24.

Five finalists will be announced on March 18, with the winner being presented at the 2015 NCAA Frozen Four in Boston.

Year-end banquet date announced: The annual end-of-year UAH hockey banquet will take place at Spragins Hall on Wednesday, April 1, at 7 p.m.

The price of a ticket to the event is $25 per person, with the opportunity to sponsor a player’s dinner at the banquet for $25 as well. There will be several silent auction items at the event as well as the chance to sit with your favorite player at dinner.

Payments will be accepted at the door upon arrival. You can RSVP online, or if you have any other questions, please email UAH director of hockey operations Nick Laurila at nick.laurila@uah.edu.

Hoof Beats: Final home games for seniors

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2014-15 seniors

The 2014-15 seniors. Top to bottom: Jeff Vanderlugt, Graeme Strukoff, Craig Pierce, Doug Reid, Ben Reinhardt, Alex Carpenter. (Photo by UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan)

Saturday night will be final time coming off the Propst Arena ice for six senior Chargers. They will be honored before the final home game of the season against Alaska.

The 2014-15 seniors are:

Alex Carpenter (Portage, Mich.): Alex transferred to UAH after two years at Western Michigan last season and sat it out because of NCAA transfer rules. He became a regular in the lineup, with three goals and four assists in 30 games.

Craig Pierce (Roswell, Ga.): Craig became an alternate captain this season. In 101 career games with the Chargers, he has nine goals and five assists. He is 3-1-4 this season in 22 games.

Doug Reid (Innisfil, Ont.): Captain of the Chargers the last two years. Doug has played in 120 career games at UAH, scoring four goals and dishing 12 assists.

Ben Reinhardt (Arnprior, Ont.): A defenseman who led the team in blocks last season, Ben returned to the lineup from injury last weekend. In 97 career games at UAH, he has eight assists.

Graeme Strukoff (Chilliwack, B.C.): Graeme has played 114 games at defenseman for UAH, scoring four goals and 14 assists for 18 points.

Jeff Vanderlugt (Richmond Hill, Ont.): Jeff has the most career points on this year’s Charger squad with 32, scoring 19 goals and 13 assists in 101 games. He led the Chargers in goals with seven in the 2012-13 season.

Westy back in Huntsville: Lance West, assistant coach for Alaska, has now coached against his alma mater in two series. Both of those were in Fairbanks, so this weekend’s series will be the first time he’s been on a coaches bench at the VBC since he was an assistant for UAH under Doug Ross from 2000-07.

West is in his fifth season as a Nanooks assistant coach. He is 15th on the Chargers’ all-time varsity scoring list with 113 points on 45 goals and 68 assists, playing from 1991-95.

Mini shuttles will be given away to the first 500 fans at Saturday's game.

Mini shuttles will be given away to the first 500 fans at Saturday’s game.

This week’s promotions: On Friday night, the first 500 fans will receive a set of UAH hockey trading cards. The first 500 fans to Saturday’s game receive a free mini-shuttle courtesy of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Puck drop is 7:07 p.m. both nights.

Kids 12 and under get free admission to both games courtesy of Huntsville International Airport.

Blue Line Club luncheon: For the last time this season, come meet and greet with the coaches at the Blue Line Club luncheon. Alaska head coach Dallas Ferguson and UAH head coach Mike Corbett will speak this Friday at noon in the Varsity Room at Spragins Hall.

Terranova’s is catering. Tickets are $8 at the door, and free for Blue Line Club members.

Hoof Beats: McHugh is WCHA’s rookie of the week

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Max McHugh

Max McHugh (Photo by Doug Eagan)

UAH freshman center Max McHugh was named the WCHA’s Rookie of the Week on Monday.

McHugh scored the game-winner in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Lake Superior State. His power-play goal in the third period broke a 1-1 tie.

The Seattle native leads the Chargers with eight goals and 18 points this season. He is fourth among freshmen in the WCHA in points.

Doug Reid, who scored a goal in each game this weekend at Lake Superior, was nominated for WCHA Offensive Player of the Week. Carmine Guerriero, who stopped 25 of 26 shots in both games, was nominated for WCHA Defensive Player of the Week.

Ferris State approaches: The Chargers are now alone in eighth place in the WCHA, which is also the seventh seed among playoff eligible teams. They have a chance to move up this weekend with the Ferris State Bulldogs coming to the Von Braun Center. Puck drop on Friday and Saturday nights is 7:07 p.m.

UAH, with 15 league points, is three behind Ferris State. A Charger sweep would pass the Bulldogs, who are coming off a split at home to No. 8 Bowling Green.

The Chargers and Bulldogs split their series in Big Rapids, Mich. in November. UAH won the first game 3-2 and lost the second game 5-2. More to come in our series preview on Thursday.

This week’s promotions: On Friday, the first 500 fans will receive a set of UAH hockey trading cards. The first 500 fans to Saturday’s game receive a free pair of UAH thunder stick noise makers. As always this season, kids 12 and under get free admission courtesy of Huntsville International Airport.

Blue Line Club luncheon: Before every home series, come meet and greet with the coaches at the Blue Line Club luncheon. Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels and UAH head coach Mike Corbett will speak this Friday at noon in the Varsity Room at Spragins Hall.

Terranova’s is catering. Tickets are $8 at the door, and free for Blue Line Club members.

 

Hoof Beats: Playoff push in the final 10 games

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Ten games to go. It’s been a while since UAH hockey has had meaningful games down the stretch.

The Chargers find themselves tied with Lake Superior State for eight place in the WCHA with 20 points. UAH has two games in hand, and are two points up on Alaska-Anchorage The top eight teams make the WCHA playoffs, not counting postseason-ineligible Alaska.

UAH is only one point behind seventh-place Bemidji State, but also only four points behind Ferris State and Northern Michigan, who are tied for fourth. The top four get to host the first round of the playoffs. It will take some masterful play against some tough opponents to earn one of those coveted spots.

Here’s how the remaining schedule break down:

  • Away at Michigan Tech, Friday-Saturday: Arguably the toughest series is this next series. Back in November, the Chargers were swept by the Huskies, now ranked 8th in the nation, in Huntsville. The 4-2 and 5-2 scores at home were more competitive than last year’s games in Houghton, where UAH was blown away 4-1 and 10-4. Points here will go a long way.
  • Away at Lake Superior State, Feb. 13-14: The Chargers get a week off before heading to the Soo, where they’ll face a Lakers team fight they didn’t have the first half of the season, primarily thanks to the hot goaltending of Gordon Defiel. UAH and LSSU split their series in Huntsville back in November, with Defiel getting a 1-0 shutout.
  • Home vs. Ferris State, Feb. 20-21: UAH surprised many by nabbing a win in Big Rapids against C.J. Motte and the Bulldogs on November 21. The Chargers may benefit at home against a Ferris State team that has hovered around .500 while having trouble scoring consistently.
  • Home vs. Alaska, Feb. 27-28: It’s been a roller-coaster season for the Nanooks, who received a postseason ban from the NCAA in October. Alaska would love to play spoiler (and could very well) in Lance West’s homecoming, but the ‘Nooks have had difficulties on the road.
  • Away at Bowling Green, March 6-7: The Falcons have joined the upper echelon of the league this season, and could still be battling for the MacNaughton Cup in the regular-season finale. Could another MisuRocket™ stun the BG faithful and perhaps clinch a playoff berth for the Chargers?

What will happen? Watch for Geof Morris’s calculations on The WCHA Playoff Prediction Blog in the coming weeks.

Watch the boys on the road: Charger fans an get together to watch UAH hockey road games the rest of the season at two Huntsville locations.

On campus, UAH students can watch the games at Charger Union’s World of Wings, thanks to UAH Student Affairs.

Games can also be seen at The Office Break Room and Bar, for those who are adult beverage inclined.

Teets commits: UAH received another commitment last week, as John Teets announced he would play for the Chargers.

Teets is a 6-3, 200-pound defenseman from Fairbanks, Alaska, currently playing for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the North American Hockey League. Teets has three goals and 13 assists for the Ice Dogs this season.

His Ice Dogs teammate, foward Adam Wilcox, committed to UAH back in December.

Also see: Penalty Box Radio had a feature Tuesday exploring the improvement of the Chargers this season. Justin Bradford talked with UAH coach Mike Corbett, rising star goaltender Carmine Guerriero, and top-scoring freshman Max McHugh about how the work the team has put in is paying off.