Category Archives: 2023-24

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Vols up first for Chargers in CHS playoffs at home

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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.

More from 256 Today: Blast from the past: UAH to face Vols in College Hockey South playoffs

College Hockey South Division 2 Playoffs

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.

Streaming

All games will be broadcast on the College Hockey South YouTube channel.

Schedule

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.


UAH drops regular season finale to GT

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The UAH club hockey team lost 5-4 on Saturday night at Georgia Tech in its regular season finale.

The Chargers, who will play in the College Hockey South Division 2 tournament in Huntsville next weekend, drop to 9-9-1 overall and 7-5-0 in CHS play. Georgia Tech improves to 4-18-1 overall and 3-8-1 in CHS play.

UAH took an early 1-0 lead on a Bradly McDonald breakaway goal just 1:48 in, but Georgia Tech led 2-1 at the first intermission after two John McEvilly goals, the second coming with 21 seconds remaining.

BOX SCORE

McEvilly then got a hat trick by scoring 15 seconds into the second period for a 3-1 Jackets lead.

UAH cut the lead in half when Keaton Watts scored on a breakaway short-handed about four minutes later. Then with 13:31 remaining in the second, Elijah Howard poked in a rebound off Tech goaltender Brendan Germano’s skate to tie the game at 3-3.

Watts scored again with 3:18 remaining in the period to regain the lead for UAH.

McEvilly struck again with his fourth goal of the game to tie it at 4-4 with 13:25 left in the third. With 10:59 to go, Zach Keschner put Georgia Tech up for good.

Goaltender Cameron Crawford stopped 55 of 60 shots for UAH.

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Hoff scores hat trick as UAH powers way to CHS playoff spot

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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.

BOX SCORE

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

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UAH can clinch CHS berth at Georgia Tech

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UAH (8-8-1 overall, 6-4-0 CHS) at Georgia Tech (4-16-1, 2-7-1)
Where: Atlanta IceForum
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m. CT; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. CT
Watch: TBD

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.

STATS: UAH | GEORGIA TECH

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.”

UAH can’t clinch yet with loss to Ole Miss

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The UAH club hockey team lost to Ole Miss 6-1 on Saturday, resulting in a series split in Olive Branch, Miss.

The Chargers (8-8-1 overall, 6-4-0 College Hockey South), who won Friday night 4-1, remain two points away from securing their first CHS D2 playoff berth. UAH finishes the regular season next weekend at Georgia Tech.

Ole Miss improved to 6-15-0 overall and 3-9-0 in CHS play.

BOX SCORE

The Rebels got some energy after a fracas at center ice halfway through the first led to three penalties assessed to each team. They would eventually take a 1-0 lead at the first intermission on Doyle Coughlin’s goal with 5:32 remaining in the period.

Ole Miss scored three goals in the second period to pull away, then two more in the third before Matthew Diercks finally got UAH on the board.

The Chargers were shorthanded, resting top players Kolton Watts, Keaton Watts, and Josh Corrow along with goaltender Cameron Crawford.

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Chargers thump Ole Miss 4-1

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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.

BOX SCORE

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.

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UAH can step towards playoffs at Ole Miss

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UAH (7-7-1 overall, 5-3-0 CHS) at Ole Miss (5-14-0, 2-8-0)
Where: Mid-South Ice House, Olive Branch, Miss.
When: Friday, 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 4:15 p.m.
Watch: Black Dog Hockey (subscription)

The UAH club hockey team can take a big step toward a season goal of earning a spot in the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs for the first time against Ole Miss this weekend.

The Chargers’ magic number to clinch a spot in the tournament is four points, meaning two wins in their last four games would lock in the top-four finish in the North Division required to qualify for the tournament.

Two weeks ago, UAH split a pair of one-goal games at Vanderbilt to start the spring semester after a two-month layoff. The Chargers lost 5-4 the first night but rebounded with a 3-2 overtime win in the second.

HELP UAH CLUB HOCKEY

“I will give the guys credit, we really didn’t show any rust,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “We had good energy. I felt we carried the play for most of the first game, but exactly like what we talked about, we just made too many mistakes and hats off to Vandy they took advantage.

“When you lose a game like that, where you feel you played well enough to win, it’s very easy to hang your head and lose the next day. Again, credit to the guys, we kind of went through the motions for the first half of the game but really flipped the switch in the last five minutes of the second period, ramped up our intensity through the entire third period and overtime, and found a way to get two big points out of that game. With MTSU getting three points on the road at Georgia Tech, those two points for us were huge.”

Kolton Watts scored the OT winner in the victory, part of a four-point series. His brother Keaton had three points on the weekend. Both lead the Chargers with identical lines: 13 goals, 16 assists, 29 points.

Ole Miss is in last place in the CHS D2 North. The Rebels’ last league action saw a series split against Vanderbilt, however, back on Dec. 1-2.

Last weekend, Ole Miss played three games against Alabama AAU squads, losing twice to the Tide’s D1 team before beating their D3 team, 5-4.

“We need to keep that momentum rolling into this weekend’s series against Ole Miss,” Flynn said. “We’ve talked all year about making playoffs and now that’s right in front of us. We just need to be focused and execute our game plan. Ole Miss has a lot of speed and skill and their record doesn’t indicate what they’re capable of, in my opinion. We’re going to have to put together two complete 60-minute efforts, play strong defensively and see what comes out the other side.”

PtsCHSOverall
Tennessee178-2-0 (1)13-7-0
Vanderbilt157-3-0 (1)8-14-0
Clemson105-3-0 (0)10-9-0
UAH105-3-0 (0)7-7-1
MTSU94-5-1 (0)9-10-3
Georgia Tech52-7-1 (0)4-14-1
Ole Miss42-8-0 (0)5-14-0
CHS record in W-L-T (OL). Two points for a win, one point for a tie or overtime loss. Top four qualify for the CHS D2 playoffs.

AAU Division 2 championships outlook

Not only is the conference playoffs on the horizon, but also the national tournament. The AAU Division 2 tournament will be held in West Chester, Pa., from March 6-13.

Twenty teams qualify based on the national rankings. The top two from each of six conferences (including College Hockey South) in these rankings get automatic bids, along with the top eight remaining. The last ranking period is February 14 at the end of the regular season.

As it stands right now, UAH sits at No. 11. College Hockey South, the largest conference in AAU D2, is also the strongest: Led by No. 1 Florida Atlantic and No. 2 Florida getting in automatically, it would have nine of 14 teams qualify, including seven of the eight at-large bids.

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Chargers get back at Vandy with OT win

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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.

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

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)