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Preview: UAH at Catamount Cup

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Where: Gutterson Fieldhouse, Burlington, Vt.
When: Friday vs. Vermont, 6:05 p.m. CST; Saturday vs. Northeastern, 3 p.m. CST
Watch: Friday vs. Vermont | Saturday vs. Northeastern

Charger update: The first half of the 2018-19 season has been a struggle to say the least. UAH is 3-15-0 overall and 3-9-0 in WCHA play, losing the first 10 games before finally breaking through at Alaska on Nov. 16.

The results have gotten a little better heading into the break. UAH has won two of its last three, getting splits in road WCHA matchups at Bemidji State and Michigan Tech. The Chargers nearly had a sweep in its last action at Tech on Dec. 14-15, getting a 39-save, 1-0 shutout by Mark Sinclair before falling in overtime 2-1 in the second game.

Eight of UAH’s losses have been by one goal, meaning the Chargers have been in almost every game they have played thanks to stellar goaltending and defense. Sinclair is developing into an outstanding netminder in his sophomore season, posting a 2.60 goals against average and a .927 save percentage with a shutout. Senior graduate transfer Jake Theut has had his moments too with his .910 save percentage.

UAH is averaging 16.06 blocked shots per game, fourth highest in Division I. Cam Knight leads the Chargers with 42 blocks, averaging 2.33 per game, which ranks seventh in the nation.

Meanwhile, the offense could not keep up in the first half. Six of those eight one-goal losses were a 2-1 score, and the Chargers have only scored multiple goals four times in 18 games.

Freshman Jack Jeffers has shown some promise, currently leading UAH with five goals on the season. He, sophomore Christian Rajic, and senior graduate transfer Jesper Öhrvall each have six points.

Special teams have been a split, and very indicative of the Chargers’ defensive strength and offensive woes. The penalty kill has been in the top 15 in the country all year round, now at 85 percent efficiency, but the power play is only at 7.2 percent (59th of 60 teams in Division I).

The Chargers return home to resume WCHA play against Ferris State on Jan. 4-5. Puck drop at the VBC Propst Arena is 7:07 p.m. each night.

UAH 2018-19 statistics

The Catamount Cup: The 22nd edition of the University of Vermont’s holiday tournament features the host Catamounts, UAH, Northeastern, and Rensselaer. UAH plays Vermont and Northeastern plays RPI on Friday, then UAH plays Northeastern and Vermont plays RPI on Saturday.

UAH participated in the 2010 Catamount Cup, losing to Vermont 4-3 and defeating Mercyhurst 4-1 to take third place.

About the Catamounts: Vermont (5-8-1 overall, 1-6-1 Hockey East) will be in action for the first time in three weeks since splitting a non-conference road series at Colorado College. The Catamounts sit in last place in the 11-team Hockey East.

Like the Chargers, defense and goaltending has kept the Catamounts in a lot of games, but offense has been hard to come by, scoring just over two goals a game. Vermont’s power play is only slightly better than UAH’s at 8.7 percent (58th).

Stefanos Lekkas has started all 14 games between the pipes, posting a .936 save percentage, which leads Hockey East and is third nationally. Vermont’s penalty kill efficiency of 89.4 percent leads Hockey East and is fourth nationally.

UAH’s lone meeting with Vermont was in the 2010 Catamount Cup, with the Catamounts winning 4-3 in the opener,

Vermont 2018-19 statistics

About the Huskies: Northeastern (10-3-1 overall, 6-1-1 Hockey East) comes into Burlington riding a six-game winning streak. NU’s last game was a 7-2 win at Merrimack on Dec. 8. The 11th-ranked Huskies are tied for third in the Hockey East standings.

The Huskies offense has been hot, scoring 16 goals in their last two contests. They are averaging 4.00 goals per game, which is third in Division I.

Junior Grant Jozefek leads NU with 10 goals and 16 points in 14 games. Zack Solow has nine goals, seven of which have come during an ongoing six-game point-scoring streak. Canucks prospect Tyler Madden has six goals and 15 points on the season, but he is currently playing with Team USA at the World Junior Championships.

Cayden Primeau has started all 14 games in goal, garnering a 2.40 goals against and .918 save percentage with two shutouts, but the Canadiens prospect is also with Team USA at the World Juniors. Senior Ryan Ruck, who has 78 starts at NU, would go for the Huskies.

Northeastern has won all four previous meetings with UAH, sweeping two series in Boston in 2012 and 2013.

Northeastern 2018-19 statistics

This week in the WCHA: All times are Central. All WCHA home games and the Great Lakes Invitational can be seen on FloHockey.tv.

Friday, December 28
UAH at Vermont (Catamount Cup), 6:05 p.m.
#3 Minnesota State vs. #4 Minnesota Duluth (Desert Hockey Classic, Glendale, Ariz.), 5:30 p.m.
Ferris State at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Saturday, December 29
UAH vs. #11 Northeastern (Catamount Cup at Vermont), 3 p.m.
#3 Minnesota State vs. #19 Clarkson/#15 Arizona State (Desert Hockey Classic, Glendale, Ariz.), 5:30/8:30 p.m.
Ferris State at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Alaska Anchorage at Omaha, 7:07 p.m.
Bemidji State at Air Force, 8:05 p.m.

Sunday, December 30
Michigan Tech vs. Michigan (Great Lakes Invitational, Detroit), noon
Lake Superior State vs. Michigan State (Great Lakes Invitational, Detroit), 3 p.m.
Bemidji State at Air Force, 6:05 p.m.
Windsor at Bowling Green (exhibition), 11 a.m.

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Sinclair stops 39 as UAH shuts out Michigan Tech

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Mark Sinclair is developing into one of the top goaltenders in the WCHA.

The sophomore stopped all 39 shots he faced, leading the Chargers to a 1-0 win over Michigan Tech in Houghton on Friday, giving UAH its first shutout victory in three years. It’s Sinclair’s first collegiate shutout.

BOX SCORE

Bailey Newton scored in the first period, and Sinclair made it stick as the Huskies threw all they could at him. It was the first UAH shutout since Matt Larose blanked Lake Superior State on Oct. 31, 2015.

The 39 saves tied a UAH record for saves in a shutout, joining Derek Puppa (against Minnesota State in 1995) and Scott Munroe (against Robert Morris in 2005). It was also the first 1-0 win for UAH since March 12, 2010, a shutout by Cam Talbot also against Robert Morris.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWXrRhYDc4E[/embedyt]

UAH (3-14-0 overall, 3-8-0 WCHA) has won two in a row, following up on its win last Saturday at Bemidji State. The Chargers moved into eighth place in the WCHA standings as Ferris State lost to Northern Michigan.

The loss was a blow to Michigan Tech (9-7-1, 8-2-1), who came into the game one point behind Minnesota State for the WCHA lead.

UAH got its goal with 9:30 left in the first period. Newton, a freshman defenseman, got his first collegiate goal and point with a one-timer blast up the middle from just inside the blue line.

John Teets gave him the feed for his fifth assist of the season. Connor Merkley earned his second helper.

The Chargers withstood a surge of pressure by the Huskies immediately afterward, but Sinclair was able to keep the UAH lead at intermission with nine saves.

The Tech barrage kept going in the second period, as the Huskies put 18 shots on goal to the Chargers’ five. And most of those five occurred during a UAH power play around the midway point of the period.

However, thanks to some quick saves from far and near by Sinclair — and a crucial post hit by Jake Lucchini — the Chargers kept Michigan Tech off the board and their lead into the third.

The Huskies got another 12 shots on goal in the third period, thanks in part to three power plays. The last one started with 51 seconds left, after they had already pulled their goaltender Robbie Beydoun (16 saves) for the extra attacker.

Tech had one final flurry in the final ten seconds, but Sinclair made point-blank stops on the Huskies top scoring threats. The Chargers were finally able to clear the puck to secure the win and the shutout.

Michigan Tech outshot UAH 39-17 for the game. Each team had four penalties and four failed power plays.

Game two of the series is Saturday night at 6 p.m. CST.

Featured file photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography.

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Chargers score four straight to upend Beavers

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What a time to have a scoring burst.

UAH scored four unanswered goals, three in the third period, to defeat Bemidji State 4-2 on Saturday in Bemidji and get a series split.

BOX SCORE

It was a big turnaround for the Chargers (2-14-0 overall, 2-8-0 WCHA), who had a season high in goals after a lackluster 4-0 loss Friday.

The Chargers came out with more energy at the start, even though it was the Beavers (7-7-2, 5-4-1) were able to score two quick goals.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9zt4iHyWy0[/embedyt]

Charlie Combs’ backhander from just inside the right circle put BSU up 1-0 at the 7:04 mark. It was Combs’ fourth goal of the series after a natural hat trick on Friday.

Dillon Eichstadt followed up with a blast from inside the blue line 65 seconds later.

UAH got on the board right after their first power play expired. Connor Wood followed up on an Adam Wilcox shot to score his first goal of his UAH career with 7:45 remaining in the first.

The second period had no scoring, and not many scoring chances. Shots were 5-all in the period.

UAH then went on an unexpected scoring burst, getting two goals in 38 seconds early in the third period to take a 3-2 lead.

On a delayed penalty call, Bauer Neudecker took a centering pass from Christian Rajic, who beat BSU goalie Zach Driscoll to tie the game at the 3:56 mark.

On the ensuing power play, Cam Knight’s shot from the high slot found its way to the net at 4:34. Jesper Ohrvall got the assist.

The Chargers withstood two Bemidji power plays, and then extended their lead to 4-2 on Connor Merkley’s first tally of the year. He put in a rebound off a John Teets shot. Teets and Ohrvall got the assists.

BSU pulled Driscoll and had the extra attacker for the final 3:34 of the game. Bemidji State used that time to get a final 23-17 shots on goal advantage.

UAH goaltender Jake Theut gets his first collegiate victory, making 21 saves.

UAH travels to Michigan Tech next Friday and Saturday.

Three Stars of the Game:
1. Cam Knight, UAH (Game-winning goal)
2. Jesper Ohrvall, UAH (2 assists)
3. Charlie Combs, BSU (1 goal, 1 assist)

Cam Knight (pictured) scored the game-winning goal. File photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography.

 

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UAH shut out by Bemidji State

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Bemidji State defeated UAH 4-0 on Friday at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn.

UAH was never really in it, being outshot 40-15 as the Chargers fall to 1-14-0 overall and 1-8-0 in the WCHA.

Charlie Combs had a natural hat trick for Bemidji State (7-6-2, 4-2-1), and Hank Johnson got the shutout with 15 saves.

Bemidji State dominated the first period, outshooting UAH 18-2, but could only get one goal past Mark Sinclair. Alex Ierullo deflected a Dillon Eichstadt blast for a 1-0 lead.

The Chargers came out stronger in the second period on the opening faceoff, which lead to a 2-on-1 and a scoring chance for Bauer Neudecker.

Buoyed by a 5-on-3 power play, UAH was able to get some shots on Hank Johnson, but failed to score.

The Chargers’ next best chance to score came shorthanded. After a Jack Jeffers roughing penalty, the Beavers turned the puck over just outside their zone, and Hans Gorowsky was able to get a breakaway, but he too was stopped by Johnson.

BSU scored with five seconds left on that same power play, as Combs made it 2-0 with 4:31 left in the second.

Bemidji went up 3-0 just 59 seconds into the third as Combs drove up the right side toward Sinclair and scored his second goal of the game.

Combs finished his natural hat trick almost five minutes later on another power play.

Sinclair finished with 36 saves.

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Own goal is lone goal for UAH in loss to BG

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If it weren’t for a sliver of good luck, the Chargers would have no luck at all.

The 12th-ranked Falcons of Bowling Green defeated UAH 2-1 at the Von Braun Center on Sunday to complete a series sweep.

BOX SCORE

The Chargers’ lone goal was an own goal, and technically one of only 14 shots on net for UAH (1-13-0 overall, 1-7-0 WCHA). Meanwhile, Bowling Green (10-3-2, 5-2-1) fired 37 on goal.

UAH goaltender Jake Theut had a solid outing with 35 saves to keep the game close. Meanwhile, Bowling Green goalie Eric Dop stopped all 13 shots he faced, though the empty net goal prevents him from officially recording a shutout.

The Falcons opened scoring again with nifty passing on a 3-on-1 break. Casey Linkenheld buried the one-timer with 8:55 left in the first period.

Some not-so-nifty passing by the Falcons resulted in a tie game with 6:20 remaining in the frame. With the Bowling Green net empty for an extra attacker because of a delayed penalty against the Chargers, the puck deflected off a Falcon defenseman near the UAH blue line and traveled all the way down the ice into the BG goal.

It was the second time in almost three years that UAH was the benefactor of an own goal during a delayed penalty. The other time was Feb. 12, 2016 at the VBC, where a similar play cost Minnesota State in a 3-3 tie.

The goal was credited to Jack Jeffers, his fourth of the season. The Chargers killed the ensuing hooking penalty on Drew Lennon.

There was no scoring in the second period. The Falcons ratcheted up the pressure, however, outshooting the Chargers 14-6.

Bowling Green regained the lead at 2-1 just 48 seconds into the third period on Lukas Craggs’s backhander.

From there, the Falcons continued to dominate possession and prevent the Chargers many chances at a real goal to tie it up. Bowling Green outshot UAH 14-4 in the third for the 37-14 total.

UAH travels to Bemidji State next weekend, not returning to the VBC until Jan. 4-5 against Ferris State.

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Third-period burst powers Falcons to win over Chargers

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For a good chunk of the game, the Chargers played better than a 1-11 team against the 12th-ranked team in the country, but two power play goals early in the third period lifted Bowling Green to a 6-2 win over UAH at the Von Braun Center on Saturday.

UAH (1-12-0 overall, 1-6-0 WCHA) hung with the Falcons (9-3-2, 4-2-1) in shots on goal (30-28 BGSU) and shot attempts (53-48 BGSU), but Bowling Green was able to get the better of the Charger penalty kill, which came into the game rated sixth in Division I. The Falcons were 2-for-4 with the advantage.

BOX SCORE

It wasn’t a typical good night, either, for UAH goaltender Mark Sinclair, who made 23 saves and allowed six goals. Falcon netminder Ryan Bednard made 26 saves in the win.

The Falcons scored first on a sloppy line change by UAH, which resulted on a two-on-none break. Sam Craggs had the finisher at the 6:40 mark of the first period.

The Chargers tied the game on the power play. Jack Jeffers’ pass from the right side across the slot found an open Christian Rajic, who buried it for a 1-1 game with 2:41 left in the first. It was Rajic’s first goal of the season, assisted by Jeffers and Cam Knight.

Bowling Green regained the lead at 2-1 with just over 11 minutes remaining in the second, when Adam Smith’s shot from the point made it past Sinclair through a screen. It was 3-1 Falcons with 7:40 left in the period when Lukas Craggs scored on a wraparound.

UAH didn’t break then, and cut the deficit to 3-2 on Ben Allen’s first collegiate goal. The Texas native scored from the slot after taking a centering pass from Rajic with 6:16 left in the second.

Bowling Green pulled away with two power play goals early in the third period. After Bailey Newton was called for holding, Max Johnson capitalized to make it 4-2 at the 3:46 mark. Then Cameron Wright put in a rebound off the pipe at 6:13 following a Connor James high-sticking penalty.

Lukas Craggs added a goal with 3;13 remaining for the final 6-2 count.

The series finale is Sunday at 3:07 p.m. at the VBC.

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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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Sinclair, Chargers finally get their first wins

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The Chargers finally get their first victory of the season. And Mark Sinclair finally gets the first win of his collegiate career.

Sinclair was phenomenal, making 44 saves in UAH’s 3-1 win over Alaska in Fairbanks on Friday.

UAH improved to 1-10-0 overall and 1-4-0 in the WCHA. Sinclair, a sophomore, was playing well this season but came into tonight with an 0-12-0 record at UAH.

BOX SCORE

Alaska dropped to 1-8-2 overall and 1-3-1 in WCHA play. The Chargers and Nanooks play again Saturday night at 10:07 p.m. CST at the Carlson Center.

UAH also got enough offense when they urgently needed it.

The Chargers took an early 1-0 lead when Jack Jeffers scored from the slot as a puck bounced off the back boards right to him all alone. It was Jeffers’ third goal of the season, assisted by Jesper Ohrvall and Christian Rajic, at the 4:35 mark.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKlE7vnDtB0[/embedyt]

It was only the second lead of the season for the Chargers, but it didn’t last long. Just over 10 minutes later, Alaska tied it up as Tristan Thompson’s shot from the left point deflecting off of Kylar Hope’s skate in the slot. The deflection plus the screen tied up Sinclair, which is what it took to score against him Friday.

Despite the 1-1 score after the first period, it was the Nanooks who had the majority of chances, outshooting the Chargers 14-2.

The Chargers were more aggressive offensively in the second period, and they regained the lead at 2-1 with 8:37 left.

After winning the faceoff in the defensive zone, the Chargers put together an offensive rush. Connor Merkley from the slot passed to Bauer Neudecker in the right circle, and Neudecker threaded the needle between the crossbar and Alaska goaltender Anton Martinsson for his first collegiate goal and point.

Merkley and John Teets, a Fairbanks native, notched his second assist of the season.

UAH extended its lead to 3-1 at 1:25 of the third period. Austin Beaulieu, tied up in the right corner of the offensive zone, backhanded the puck to the slot, where Madison Dunn received it all alone. Dunn beat Martinsson five-hole for his second goal of the season.

The rest was up to Sinclair, who withstood everything the Nanooks could throw at him. Twenty of his 44 saves came in the third period, from deflecting Chris Jandric’s shot from the left side off the post, to stopping Kylar Hope’s breakaway.

Martinsson finished with 17 saves for UAF.

Header file photo by Doug Eagan/UAH Athletics

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Preview: UAH at Alaska

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Where: Carlson Center, Fairbanks, Alaska
When: Friday & Saturday, 10:07 p.m. CST (7:07 p.m. AKST)
Watch: FloHockey.tv (subscription required)

Charger update: UAH (0-10-0 overall, 0-4-0 WCHA) is looking to hit the reset button on a confounding and frustrating start to the season.

“Hopefully the week off gives us a good energy level coming into this weekend,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “We will be rusty from not playing but for us to have success we need our energy levels high.

“The mood has been good. The group is realizing what we have to do to be successful after being humbled the first quarter of the season.”

The Chargers enter the series with Alaska still looking for its first win, having scored only nine goals in ten games. Two weeks ago, UAH hosted Michigan Tech and lost 2-1 and 4-1. The Chargers scored a lone goal in the third period in each game. Brandon Salerno scored his second goal of the season, and Madison Dunn notched his first.

The Chargers are also battling injuries. Senior captain defenseman Kurt Gosselin, who left the first game against Michigan Tech with a broken finger, will be out for a few more weeks. Forwards Connor Wood and Ben Allen are also out, but Corbett says they are hoping they return in two weeks when the Chargers host Bowling Green.

One bright side has been goaltender Mark Sinclair, who continued to show why he’s become the everyday starter. He stopped 63 of 68 shots in the Tech series (38 of 40 in the first game) to gave him a season save percentage of .922, sixth-best in the WCHA.

Another strength for the Chargers has been the penalty kill. UAH has killed 85.1 percent of opponents’ power plays, which is second in the WCHA and 11th nationally.

UAH 2018-19 statistics

About the Nanooks: Alaska (1-7-2 overall, 1-2-1 WCHA) has had its own rough start in Erik Largen’s first season as head coach, although last week the Nanooks had a successful trip to Lake Superior State, taking five of six points in the WCHA series. UAF took two points after scoring in the 3-on-3 overtime following a 3-3 tie on Friday, then got its first victory 4-3 on Saturday.

The Nanooks’ leading scorer this season is freshman Chris Jandric, who has nine points. He scored his two goals, along with two assists, in the series at Lake Superior, earning him WCHA Rookie of the Week honors. His brother Steven, a sophomore, has two goals this season.

Colton Leiter, who had the most goals last season among returning players with nine, leads Alaska in goals so far this season with three.

Junior Anton Martinsson has gotten the bulk of action at goaltender this season, posting a 3.24 goals against average and a .896 save percentage in eight starts.

Alaska 2018-19 statistics

Series notes:
Overall: Alaska leads 22-9-2.
In Fairbanks: Alaska leads 13-5-0.
In WCHA games (since 2013-14):  Alaska leads 10-3-1.
First meeting: Dec. 11-12, 1987 at Fairbanks. Alaska won 10-6 and 5-4.
Last meeting: Jan. 5-6, 2018 at Fairbanks. Alaska won 3-2, UAH won 3-1.

This week in the WCHA: All times are Central. All WCHA home games can be seen on FloHockey.tv.
* Denotes conference game.

Friday, November 16
* UAH at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
* Alaska Anchorage at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Lake Superior at #10 Bowling Green, 6:37 p.m.
* Ferris State at #3 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Michigan Tech at Clarkson, 6 p.m.
Bemidji State at #2 St. Cloud State, 7:07 p.m.

Saturday, November 17
* UAH at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
* Alaska Anchorage at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Lake Superior at #10 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at #3 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Michigan Tech at Clarkson, 6 p.m.
Bemidji State at #2 St. Cloud State, 6:07 p.m.

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UAH can’t stop slide in another loss to Tech

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The Chargers played a stronger game in the series finale with Michigan Tech, but their first victory eluded them again as their scoring woes continued.

Michigan Tech defeated UAH 4-1 Saturday at the Von Braun Center, dropping the Chargers to 0-10-0 overall on the season and 0-4-0 in WCHA play.

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

The Chargers will get an off week after starting the season with five straight series. Their next action is against Alaska, also currently winless at 0-7-1, in Fairbanks on Nov. 16-17.

The Huskies improved to 3-3-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the WCHA. They didn’t dominate possession like they did in their 2-1 win on Friday, outshooting the Chargers by a slimmer margin at 29-23.

However, the Chargers mustered only one late goal, and have only scored nine goals in their 10 games.

The first period was relatively quiet, with the closest either team came to scoring was during the Michigan Tech power play. UAH goalie Mark Sinclair lost sight of the puck after a shot sent it into the air. A Husky had poked the puck past Sinclair, but a referee, having also lost sight of the puck, blew the whistle to end play beforehand.

Michigan Tech scored the first goal 47 seconds into the second period. Jake Lucchini made a drop pass to Keegan Ford, who blasted the puck from the right point, beating Sinclair high stick side.

After Connor Merkley was called for a delay of game penalty for a faceoff violation, the Huskies struck again. Lucchini found the net from the left side for a 2-0 Tech lead with 12:33 left in the second.

The Chargers had a strong power play following, with three shots on goal, but Tech goaltender Matt Jurusik was there to stop them all.

Jurusik was also there to stop Madison Dunn’s shot on a two-on-none shorthanded opportunity to keep UAH off the board.

The Huskies started the third period with a power play after a Christian Rajic slashing penalty with one second left in the second, and they used it to make it 3-0. Sinclair couldn’t stop Grayson Reitmeier’s deflection in the slot of a Seamus Donohue shot up the middle.

UAH avoided the shutout with 5:53 remaining on just its second power play goal of the season. Hans Gorowsky found Madison Dunn from the right circle to the right doorstep of Jurusik, and Dunn buried it for his first goal of the season. John Teets also netted his first assist.

It was just the second power play goal of the season for UAH in 40 opportunities.

Lucchini scored an empty net goal with 12 seconds to go after Sinclair (25 saves) was pulled for one final push.