Pretty crazy for a seventh-place game. Pretty crazy for any game, including the Chargers’ final home contest of the season.
Kolton Watts scored the game-winner in overtime — the only time UAH had the lead — as the Chargers stunned Vanderbilt 9-8 in the seventh-place game of the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center on Saturday.
Keaton Watts scored four goals and assisted on Kolton’s winner as the Chargers came back from deficits of 3-0, 4-3, 6-4, 7-6, and 8-7 to tie the game. Every time UAH answered the Commodores in regulation, Vanderbilt answered right back.
UAH improved to 10-10-1 overall, while Vanderbilt dropped to 9-17-0.
The Chargers were able to bust out the offense that they wanted in Friday’s quarterfinal loss to Tennessee, who had dominated in a 6-1 decision. And early on, it seemed Vanderbilt wanted to do the same thing.
Vanderbilt held the Chargers back for a good portion of the first period and staked a 3-0 lead. Braden Pichel and Matthew McPhail scored within a minute of each other, and captain Julian Yang netted the Commodores’ third goal with 7:33 remaining.
The Chargers finally battled back and gained some significant offensive zone time, and it paid off on the power play. Keaton Watts sniped his 17th goal of the season from the slot to get UAH on the board with under three minutes to go in the first.
With 9.3 seconds left in the period, Tyler Trombly cut Vanderbilt’s lead to 3-2, assisted by Kolton Watts and Roland Mann. And what was a 15-5 shots on goal advantage for Vanderbilt at one point turned into just 17-13 at the first intermission.
About halfway through the second, UAH tied the game at 3-3 when Josh Corrow, on a drop pass from Henry Hoff, blasted the puck from the left circle to beat Luke Cassidy glove side.
But 21 seconds later, the Commodores regained the lead on a Will McGoughran goal.
UAH would tie the game again at 4-4 with 4:06 left in the second. Keaton Watts scored his second goal of the game, putting in a rebound on his initial shot following nice passing from Kolton Watts and Bradly McDonald.
That started a scoring barrage by both teams. Vanderbilt bolted to a 6-4 lead on two quick goals 24 seconds part by Andrew Harder and Andrew Fietz.
Then 26 seconds after that, with 2:30 left in the period, Keaton Watts completed a hat trick with a shot behind the goal line that deflected off Cassidy. After two periods, Vanderbilt led 6-5.
It’s like a broken record at this point. Yang scored his second goal with 2:01 left to give Vanderbilt the lead yet again, 8-7.
That could have been the killer. And yet, UAH tied the game a fifth time. Keaton Watts netted his fourth goal of the game, finishing off a 3-on-1 break with a centering pass from Bradly McDonald, with a blast from the slot with 30 seconds left in regulation.
In overtime, Kolton Watts finally gave UAH it’s first lead with the game winner. Assisted by Keaton Watts and Tyler Trombly with 2:22 left, he went top shelf on Cassidy for the Charger victory.
The College Hockey South Division 2 quarterfinal between UAH and Tennessee was the season’s rubber match between the two clubs. Each team had a close win under its belt, so the Chargers felt like they had a fighting chance despite being the seventh seed to the Vols’ second seed.
In the end, Tennessee showed itself to be the stronger team, peppering UAH’s defenses and rolling to a 6-1 win at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center on Friday night.
The Chargers (9-10-1) will face Vanderbilt in the seventh-place game at the ISC on Saturday at 11 a.m. The Ice Vols (15-8-0) take on Tampa in the evening semfinals.
Tennessee outshot UAH by a 67-31 margin. The Vols’ pressure started and was maintained from the opening faceoff.
Most of the action in the first period was in the UAH zone as the Ice Vols maintained a constant pressure early. Tennessee would eventually get on the board first on a Will Schneider goal at the 5:34 mark.
But the Chargers would capitalize on a chance with under six minutes left in the first. Tyler Trombly’s outlet pass found Kolton Watts on a breakaway, and Watts beat UT goaltender Lincoln Simons from the slot to knot the game at 1-1.
UAH goaltender Cameron Crawford made 18 saves to keep the Chargers level at the first intermission despite Tennessee outshooting the Chargers 19-9. That would be his least busy period, however, as Crawford finished with 61 saves total, one short of his season high.
The Vols remained relentless, and scored two goals early in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. Jason Seaholm got a deflection past Crawford 1:38 into the frame, and then Connor Frazer finished a 2-on-1 break almost five minutes later.
Tennessee went up 4-1 on a power-play goal by Chris Kelly with 4:05 left in the second.
UAH had two chances on a breakaway and a 2-on-1 early in the third period, but Simons (30 saves) made the critical stops to keep the complexion of the game from changing. Then Kyle Oakley scored with 16:24 to go for a 5-1 Tennessee lead to add insult to injury. Kyle Stober scored the Vols’ sixth goal to finish it.
Other Friday quarterfinal results:
Clemson 4, Florida 3 (OT)
No. 6 seed Clemson rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat No. 3 Florida 4-3 in overtime.
Herbert Kopf scored the game-winner with 1:22 remaining in overtime. He also scored the Tigers’ first goal in the second period.
Michael Katz scored twice for the Gators.
Tampa 2, Central Florida 2 (Tampa wins shootout)
No. 5 seed Tampa won its quarterfinal over No. 4 Central Florida in a shootout following a 2-2 tie.
Aeryk Lehrhaupt and Ryan Steiner scored for Tampa in regulation, while Kent Bishop and Jacob Graziotti scored for UCF.
Florida Atlantic 5, Vanderbilt 1
The No. 8 seed Commodores had thoughts of a possible upside of the top-ranked team in AAU Division 2 after the first two periods were scoreless, but the Owls put those notions away with four goals in the first half of the third period. Leon Biller had a hat trick.
Saturday’s schedule
7th Place Game: #7 UAH vs. #8 Vanderbilt, 11 a.m. 5th Place Game: #3 Florida vs. #4 Central Florida, 1:30 p.m. Semfinal 1: #2 Tennessee vs. #5 Tampa, 4 p.m. Semfinal 2: #1 Florida Atlantic vs. #6 Clemson, 6:30 p.m.
A season goal for the UAH club hockey team has been achieved. Now it’s time for a new goal: Winning a championship.
The Chargers are in the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs this weekend at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center. They’ll take on the Tennessee Ice Vols on Friday night at 9:30 p.m. in a quarterfinal matchup.
Playing at home is a big deal for UAH.
“We’re very excited for the opportunity to play for a championship this weekend, and to be able to do it in Huntsville makes it even more special,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “Our goal from the beginning of the season was to get here, and the guys have worked extremely hard to be in this position so I’m very proud of them. It should be a pretty fun experience for the whole team, but especially the local players and we have a lot of talented players from Huntsville. To get to play in front of friends, family, their former coaches and teammates I think is something they’re all excited about.
“A big thank you to the Huntsville Sports Commission for putting this event on, and the people at College Hockey South for hosting these types of tournaments in Huntsville, and obviously the Huntsville Ice Sports Center for all their hospitality and coordination.”
The Chargers may be the No. 7 seed against the No. 2 seed Vols, but they have shown they can pull off the technical upset. The teams split their season series in two close battles, with UAH winning 4-3 in overtime in Huntsville in September and Tennessee winning 5-3 in Knoxville in November.
“We’ve played them twice this year, which can be a good and a bad thing,” Flynn said. “We know a little about them and they know a little about us. It is playoff hockey so I expect the intensity to ramp up a bit. We need to get back to playing on our toes, dictating the pace and tempo and having a little more urgency than we’ve had the last three weeks. Every mistake is amplified this time of year.”
UAH’s spring semester has been up and down, going 3-3 in its last six games, all on the road. The Chargers are coming off a series split against Ole Miss.
Keaton Watts had four points against Ole Miss to take the Chargers’ lead in scoring with 35 points (16 goals, 19 assists). His brother Kolton is two points behind, and Henry Hoff is heating up after a five-point night in UAH’s victory last Friday.
Cameron Crawford had a busy series in goal last weekend, making 107 saves in two games against the Rebels. He sports a season save percentage of .909 to go with a 3.57 goals against average.
Eight teams are in the tournament, the top four from the North Division and the top four from the South Division. Florida Atlantic, the top-ranked team in AAU College Hockey Division 2, and Tennessee are the top seeds by way of winning the South and North divisions, respectively. The other six teams were seeded in order of their placement in the latest AAU D2 MyHockey rankings.
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased for a whole day’s games ($15) or a weekend pass ($30) either at the Ice Sports Center or online.
Friday – Quarterfinals No. 3 Florida vs. No. 6 Clemson, Rink 1, 6 p.m. No. 4 Central Florida vs. No. 5 Tampa, Rink 2, 7 p.m. No. 1 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 8 Vanderbilt, Rink 1, 8:30 p.m. No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 7 UAH, Rink 2, 9:30 p.m.
The teams will be reseeded for the semifinals, with the lowest remaining seed matched against the highest remaining seed.
Saturday – All games on Rink 1. 7th Place Game: Lowest seeded Friday loser vs. second lowest seeded Friday loser, 11 a.m. 5th Place Game: Highest seeded Friday loser vs. second-highest seeded Friday loser, 1:30 p.m. Semfinal 1: 4 p.m. Semfinal 2: 6:30 p.m.
Sunday – All games on Rink 1. 3rd Place Game: Semifinal losers, 10 a.m. Championship Game: Semifinal winners, 12:30 p.m.
Pictured: UAH’s Kolton Watts battles Tennessee’s Kenneth Richter for the puck at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center on Sept. 22. Photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography.
Henry Hoff scored a hat trick to lead the UAH club team to a 7-4 win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Friday night to clinch a spot in the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs.
The Chargers (9-8-1 overall, 7-4-0 CHS) scored four power-play goals, with three in the second period to pull away from the Yellow Jackets (4-17-1, 2-8-1).
UAH’s season continues next week in the conference tournament, which will take place at the Ice Sports Center in Huntsville from Feb. 16-18.
Keegan Goodell put Georgia Tech up 1-0 in the first five minutes, but UAH responded with three goals in the first period.
Josh Corrow’s 10th goal of the season tied the game halfway through the frame, then UAH took the lead two minutes later on Elijah Howard’s second. Hoff made it 3-1 four minutes later.
The Yellow Jackets got a quick goal by John McEvilly to start the second to cut UAH’s lead to 3-2, but UAH responded with three power-play goals by Tyler Trombly, Hoff, and Bradly McDonald. The Chargers were 4-for-6 with the man advantage.
McEvilly scored with four seconds left in the second for Georgia Tech’s third goal, and Goodell notched his second with 4:11 remaining in the third for the Jackets’ fourth.
But Hoff’s third goal of the game and 11th of the season with 2:09 to go was the exclamation point for the Chargers. He also had two assists for a five-point night.
Despite the power-play advantages, UAH was actually outshot by Georgia Tech 47-35. Cameron Crawford kept the Yellow Jackets at bay with 43 saves.
UAH and Georgia Tech finish the regular season Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Central Time.
Pictured: Henry Hoff against Middle Tennessee earlier this season. Photo by Jamie Crawford/JC Sports Photography
The UAH club hockey team finishes the regular season this weekend at Georgia Tech with a spot in the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs in sight.
One point (tie or overtime loss) against the Yellow Jackets will put the Chargers into the tournament, which will be held at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center on Feb. 16-18.
UAH is in third place with 12 points in the CHS Division 2 North, where the top four teams qualify. Fourth-place Clemson (11 points) and fifth-place Middle Tennessee (nine points) happen to face each other in a series this weekend: A Clemson victory would clinch playoff berths for both the Tigers and UAH.
UAH holds the tiebreaker over Middle Tennessee by virtue of the Chargers’ sweep over the Blue Raiders in September. UAH and Clemson split their series in October.
The Chargers spent last weekend at Ole Miss with mixed results, winning 4-1 and losing 6-1.
“Very happy to get two points on Friday at Ole Miss,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “They gave us everything we expected. We were able to pull away in the third period and get a big win.
“Saturday was a bit of a different story. I think there are a lot of frustrations about the outcome, but the biggest thing is we just decided to take a night off in a game where we could have clinched a playoff spot. We’ve talked through what needs to change, and where our minds need to be to be successful. Full credit to Ole Miss, that’s behind us now and our focus in on getting points this weekend against Georgia Tech.”
The Yellow Jackets are in last place coming into this series and are eliminated from CHS playoff contention. Their last action was a couple of one-goal losses at Embry-Riddle in Florida. This series will be Georgia Tech’s final games of the season.
“We’ve had a good week of practice; the guys are excited for the opportunity this weekend and know what’s in front of us,” Flynn said. “Georgia Tech is similar to Ole Miss in that their record doesn’t quite indicate what they’re capable of. They’ve added some players in the second half and have been playing some good hockey the last few weeks. It’s going to take a team effort to get the results we want and continue our season.”
The UAH club hockey team took out Ole Miss 4-1 on the road Friday night, moving closer to clinching a College Hockey South Division 2 playoff spot.
The Chargers (8-7-1 overall, 6-3-0 CHS) can qualify for the tournament for the first time with a win Saturday in the series finale. The Rebels fell to 5-15-0 overall and 2-9-0 in CHS play.
UAH led 1-0 after just 1:10 with a goal by Josh Corrow, his ninth of the season, assisted by Tyler Trombly.
After a scoreless second period, Kolton Watts scored his 14th goal of the season early in the third for a 2-0 Charger lead. He was assisted by Corrow and Bradly McDonald.
The Rebels cut UAH’s lead to 2-1 with 8:18 to go, but Keaton Watts also got his 14th goal to make it 3-1 Chargers three minutes later.
Kolton Watts, who assisted on Keaton’s goal, then notched his second goal of the game with 3:49 remaining to put the game away.
Kolton Watts scored 1:36 into overtime as UAH rebounded for a 3-2 victory over Vanderbilt in Nashville on Sunday to salvage a series split.
It was a big comeback for the Chargers (7-7-1 overall, 5-3-0 College Hockey South), who suffered a 5-4 loss on a shorthanded goal in the third period on Saturday. The win snapped UAH’s three-game losing streak in conference play and moved the Chargers back into a tie for third in CHS Division 2 North.
The Commodores (8-14-0, 7-3-0), who clinched a spot in the CHS Division 2 tournament on Saturday, extended their lead atop the North division to two points with the overtime loss.
Cameron Crawford stopped 32 of 34 shots in the win, winning this goaltending battle with Vanderbilt’s Andrew Shearson (33 saves).
Henry Hoff gave UAH the early lead with his eighth goal of the season at the 3:10 mark, assisted by Josh Corrow and Bradly McDonald.
Ethan Smiley equalized for the Commodores just under nine minutes remaining in the first period. Braden Pichel gave Vanderbilt a 2-1 lead with 12:36 left in the second.
It only took 10 seconds into the third for the Chargers to tie the game at 2-2. Keaton Watts’s team-leading 13th goal of the season came on an assist from Matteo Siciliano.
Then Kolton Watts matched his brother’s total in overtime with his 13th, unassisted.
The Chargers are idle next weekend. They head to Ole Miss on Feb. 2-3 and Georgia Tech on Feb. 9-10 to finish the regular season.
Pictured: Kolton Watts scored the game-winning goal in overtime against Vanderbilt on Jan. 21, 2024 (Photo by Jaime Crawford/JC Sports Photography)
Matthew Scott and Zach Wolfe are leaving UAH knowing they had a hand in keeping the Charger club team alive and growing.
The two defensemen finished their UAH hockey careers last Saturday at the Veterans Cup, a 5-4 victory over Middle Tennessee. They graduate in December.
Scott joined the club since it’s re-establishment in 2018. Wolfe joined the following year.
“At my freshmen orientation, I mentioned to a tour guide that I had played travel hockey in high school, and they suggested I reach out to the cub team here at UAH, which had been reformed the previous season,” Wolfe said. “I met club founders Ralph Drensek Jr. and Alex McLeod at a Welcome Week event. They invited me to the team’s tryouts, and the rest is history.”
“I found the club hockey table on my first day on campus in 2018,” Scott said. “After talking to the guys, I was excited to hear that they were bringing back the club hockey team, and I was all in after that.”
Wolfe and Scott were defensemen whose contributions were not reflected on the scoresheet (Scott had five career assists, and Wolfe three), but they have many more memories.
Zachary Wolfe (Photo by Jaime Crawford/JC Sports Photography)
“I have a ton of fond memories with the team, many of them the in-between moments of team meals, warmups, or goofing off with the guys. If I had to pick an all time favorite, though, it would be our overtime win versus Alabama earlier this season,” Wolfe said. “The game was one of the most emotionally charged I have ever played in, and there were a couple moments where I looked down the bench at the guys during stoppages and was kind of overwhelmed at how far we had come in my time here. The whole game was a very even match and the third had been incredibly tense, so the relief and emotion when Corrow scored in overtime was massive. Every player gave their all for that win, and I felt like it was a great testament to how much work our guys had put into making UAH a team worth playing for.”
“I can’t pick just one (memorable moment), but it was special to be a part of the revival of the club program,” Scott said. “The guys did an amazing job of pulling together a competitive team with a great goalie and coaches Mike Quenneville (Coach Q), Ralph Drensek, and Jim Spanier. It turned out we had a really good group and surprised several teams with how competitive we were. We created rivalries with Auburn, Alabama, and UAB. I remember playing against Michigan in our Nashville tournament and playing in a tournament in Daytona Beach. I also enjoyed playing against my brother (Ryan) during his four years playing for Auburn.”
Those moments exemplified just how far the club Chargers have come. They were here for it all: Scott had been on the club team since it was re-established in 2018, playing the most games (72). Wolfe joined the Chargers in 2019, second to Scott in games played with 56.
Matthew Scott (Photo by Jaime Crawford/JC Sports Photography)
“Wow, I have been there through all of the ups and downs of the club hockey team,” Scott said. “In the beginning, we had a surprisingly competitive team for our first year. The next couple of years it was a struggle to find enough players and a goalie to keep the team going. We even had a season where we did not win a game. Our coaches have always been supportive and encouraging throughout my time as a Charger. This year was the first year that we had an abundance of players, and it’s nice to see the program growing and succeeding.
UAH won four games in its first season, but rarely was in a game that was decided by more than two goals. The club lost the entire 2020-21 season to the COVID-19 pandemic and then struggled to field a competitive team in 2021-22. The Chargers’ earned a winning season last year and are now in a position to make the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs.
“The team I joined as a freshman and the team I have played with this season feel like they are decades apart,” Wolfe said. “When the pandemic hit (during my freshman spring semester), we lost essentially our entire roster to graduation or leaving the university for health reasons. By spring 2021, UAH club hockey consisted of myself, Ralph Drensek, Nick Boyce, Zach Nobrega, and Matthew Scott. It took a lot of work just to keep the club from folding, much of it thanks to Ralph and Nick’s administrative efforts.
“As COVID restrictions loosened up, we were able to get some awesome players to play for us; guys like Elijah Howard, Jacob Harrison, Jacob Newman, and Michael Clemons were instrumental in keeping us alive our first season back,” Wolfe said. “Many of those games were not pretty, but we were glad to get a chance to play at all.
“Now, I’ve been fortunate enough to see this team go from struggling to survive, to struggling for the top spot in the AAU D2. We’ve had lots of great hockey players and great guys join the team and contribute to both winning games and creating a team atmosphere worth playing for. I’m grateful for the experiences this team has given me as well as the guys I’ve had the opportunity to get to know better. There’s no other group of guys in club hockey I’d rather have in that locker room.”
“I have had some great coaches,” Scott said. “My first coach (Coach Q) I watched when he coached Alabama when I was a kid. It was great to have him as the first Chargers club team coach. Our second Coach, Drensek, was also very positive and supportive even when we were really struggling, and our current coach, Tim Flynn, has been a great leader and supportive of the team.
“I want to give a special shout-out to Zach Wolfe, who joined in the second year of the program and who is also graduating this year. It has been a great ride!”
“I just want to congratulate Scotty and Wolfey on a great career,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “It’s been a pleasure coaching them. They are two very impressive young men who are always ready and willing to do whatever is asked of them. They deserve a ton of credit for sticking through the tough post-COVID season, always showing up, always working hard and trusting that their hard work would pay off. I’m glad they got to end their career on a high note with a win over MTSU at home. They are leaving UAH Club Hockey better than they found it, and that’s what we’re going to ask of every graduating class.”
Now Scott and Wolfe are looking toward the next chapters of their young lives. Scott is majoring in business management and plans to stay in Alabama to start his career.
“I am headed back to Nashville, where I grew up, to pursue a career in cybersecurity,” Wolfe said. “I still hope to play hockey in some form back home, too. Thankfully, Nashville is not far from Huntsville, so I will absolutely be back to support the team in future games. I’m excited to see where they can go with this foundation.”
Scott and Wolfe would like to offer thanks for their time at UAH.
“I would like to thank my parents for coming to every game,” Scott said. “I also want to thank the coaches and my teammates over the years who have made my time at UAH so memorable.”
“Any shout outs would be remiss without thanking the original founders for giving us a team to play for,” Wolfe said. “Of those guys, extra special thanks goes to Ralph Drensek, Nick Boyce, Zach Nobrega, and Tyler Zwierzchowski for being excellent friends and teammates to me all these years. All the guys who joined our lean roster right after the pandemic, especially Jacob Newman, Jacob Harrison, and Henry Hoard, who all played defense with me during some very short benched games. Kolton and Keaton Watts, Josh Corrow, Bradly McDonald, and Matteo Siciliano for helping take ownership of the team and steer it in the right direction. For the new guys that joined this year and made a good team great, like Tyler Trombly, Andrew Bauer, Ian Arnt, Josh Campbell, Jackson Herman, Kaleb Watts, Nate Litton, and Cameron Crawford, all of whom I have had the pleasure of getting to know better this season. Coach Tim Flynn, who not only took on coaching the team when we could barely ice a squad, but did it without complaint, and helped turn us back into a team. My friends, for showing up to games and cheering the entire time, regardless of if we were any good, turning the Huntsville Iceplex into an exciting barn to play in. Finally, I’m thankful for my parents, who gave me the opportunity to play hockey in the first place, and supported me every step of the way. Playing hockey at UAH has been a great experience through the highs and lows, and I consider myself very blessed to have been a part of the team. Roll Chargers!”
Top photos: Matthew Scott (left) by Jaime Crawford/JC Sports Photography; Zachary Wolfe (right) by McKenna Riopelle.
The UAH club hockey team ended the fall semester on a high note with a 5-4 victory over Middle Tennessee on Saturday in the third-place game of the College Hockey South Veterans cup at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center.
It was a much-needed win for the Chargers (6-6-1), who rallied from a three-goal deficit to snap a four-game losing streak. UAH went 3-0 against the Blue Raiders (5-7-2) this season.
Keaton Watts had a three-point night, and Cameron Crawford, starting in back-to-back days for this first time this season, made 33 saves. Watts received a gold jersey from College Hockey South for being player of the team for the weekend.
Middle Tennessee opened scoring with a Donovan Yesnach goal just over six minutes into the game, but Kolton Watts, after a flurry of chances in front, got the finisher and tied the game at 1-1 two minutes later.
Robert Settle gave the Blue Raiders a 2-1 lead with just under two minutes left in the frame on a nice deflection in front, and then with 25 seconds remaining, Harvey Rench put MTSU up 3-1 on the power play.
MTSU went up 4-1 on another power play goal 1:51 into the second, but Bradly McDonald cut the Raiders’ lead in half after beating Ethan Roy (48 saves) glove side from the right circle 71 seconds later.
Keaton Watts was named player of the team for the weekend. Photos by McKenna Riopelle.
Keaton Watts scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season on the power-play with 1:25 remaining and UAH trailed 4-3 at the second intermission. The Chargers outshot MTSU 22-6 in the period en route to a 53-37 advantage for the game.
The Chargers have been struggling on the penalty kill, allowing seven power-play goals in the last three games, but they were able to the tie the game on a short-handed goal by Josh Corrow with 13:07 left in regulation. It was UAH’s first shorty of the season.
Then UAH finally got its first lead of the game at 5-4 when Tyler Trombly fired in a rebound from the slot with 6:53 to go.
UAH’s penalty kill stepped it up with two MTSU opportunities knocked out in the final 4:40.
UAH will now be on a two-month break for the holidays and finals. The Chargers’ next action is Jan. 19-20 at Vanderbilt. Their next home games would be a the College Hockey South Division 2 Tournament in February should UAH qualify.
It was the final game as Chargers for Zachary Wolfe and Matthew Scott, who graduate in December.
The UAH club hockey team wants to turn things around to end the fall semester in this weekend’s Veterans Cup at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center, hosted by College Hockey South and the Huntsville Sports Commission.
“We’re excited to be a part of the Veteran’s Cup this year,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “A big thank you to the North Alabama Hockey Association (NAHA) for sponsoring the special jerseys we’ll be wearing this weekend. We also want to give a big thank you to the Huntsville Sports Commission for bringing this event to town, and the Huntsville Ice Sports Center for being a great partner with the league and hosting multiple College Hockey South events throughout the season. This will be the first time since I’ve been here that we get to compete for a trophy; that’s not something to take lightly.”
The Chargers will join three familar AAU/CHS teams in the two-day event: D1 Alabama and Auburn along with D2 club Middle Tennessee. UAH has played all three this season, going a combined 3-2-1.
In this Friday’s semifinals, Auburn (8-3-1) faces Middle Tennessee (5-5-2) at 6 p.m. before UAH (5-5-1) plays Alabama (8-5-0) at 8:30 p.m. The third-place game is Saturday at 4 p.m. and the championship is at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be ordered online or purchased at the door. The tournament will be streamed on College Hockey South’s YouTube channel.
UAH has lost three straight games, dropping a 4-1 decision at Georgia on Friday and losing 5-3 at CHS D2 North rival Tennessee. Against Georgia, Andrew Sledge made 46 saves while the Chargers only had 11 skaters.
Jackson Herman, left, and Cameron Crawford, right, battle against Tennessee in Knoxville on Nov. 5. Photo by Tim Newman.
“I was very happy with the effort from our team on Friday night at Georgia,” Flynn said. “We had a short bench, and a lot of guys who were not used to playing as many minutes as they did during that game. They did everything we asked, competed and kept us in the game really until the last minute or so. Obviously, Sledge was a rock in net and had a great game too.”
Against the Ice Vols, Tyler Trombly scored twice in a nip-and-tuck battle that was tied 2-2 after two periods, but UT blew ahead early in the third to split the season series.
“We hadn’t played our best up until (the third period) but were in a position to get points,” Flynn said. “We just had too many costly mistakes. Penalties, turnovers, blown assignments, etc. Things you can’t do against good teams.
“There are a lot of areas we can improve on, and honestly we’d probably been getting away with some bad habits at times up to this point. This will be a wake up call. Need to have a good week of practice and reset going into another weekend against two very tough opponents. Regardless of who we play Saturday, it’s going to be a challenge.”
The Chargers split their series with the Frozen Tide at home on Oct. 13-14, both games going to overtime. On Saturday, they will face either Auburn, who tied and beat UAH in Huntsville to start the season, or Middle Tennessee, against whom UAH scored 20 goals in a two-game sweep.
“We had a great back and forth series with Alabama about a month ago, so we’re excited for the rubber match on Friday,” Flynn said. “They have a lot of team speed, and they use it well. That’s always a challenge when we play them.
“Whether it’s Auburn or MTSU on Saturday, they each provide different challenges, but we’re just going to have to be ready to play our game, focus on our execution and limit mistakes both mental and physical to have success this weekend. Looking forward to a great tournament, it should be a lot of fun.”
