A shorthanded goal with 7:34 remaining in the third period was the difference in UAH’s 5-4 loss at Vanderbilt on Saturday.
The goal came on a turnover behind the UAH net not long into a Charger power play. Julien Yang stole the puck and scored before Charger goaltender Cameron Crawford could recover in time.
It’s a stinging loss to start the spring semester for UAH, who fell to 6-7-1 overall and 4-3-0 in College Hockey South play despite outshooting Vanderbilt 53-20. The Chargers will need to rebound quickly for Sunday’s 1 p.m. series finale.
It was the third straight victory for Vanderbilt (8-13-0 overall, 7-2-0 CHS), who took the lead atop the CHS Division 2 North and clinched a spot in the CHS Division 2 tournament in Huntsville next month.
The first period was mostly quiet until UAH’s Kolton Watts broke the ice with an unassisted goal, his 12th of the season, at the 12:23 mark.
Then everything went haywire.
Andrew Harder tied the game at 1-1 for Vanderbilt with 2:50 to go, but Tyler Trombly regained the lead for the Chargers 48 seconds later.
Vanderbilt capitalized on an Matteo Siciliano slashing penalty to tie the game at 2-2 with 54 seconds remaining with a William Pho goal, and to add insult Harder scored again with 27 seconds left for a 3-2 Commodore lead at the first intermission.
In the second period, UAH outshot the Commodores 22-4 but it sure didn’t feel it. The Chargers did get two Josh Corrow goals 1:25 apart in the middle of the frame to regain the lead at 4-3, but Yang, the Commodores’ leading scorer, countered with a goal for a 4-4 tie at the end of two.
The third period saw lots of up-and-down action, and with Harrison Parent going off for roughing with 7:47 to go, the Chargers had an opportunity. But it only took 10 seconds for Yang’s steal and score to put Vanderbilt up 5-4.
* Friday’s game was postponed due to weather and road conditions forcing the early closing of the Ford Ice Center Bellevue.
The UAH club hockey team returns from a two-month hiatus to start the spring semester and a goal to reach the College Hockey South Division 2 tournament.
The Chargers do not have any regular season home games left, but the conference tournament is in their house at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center. UAH has three road series to take care of in order to secure its spot, starting with this weekend’s trek to Nashville to face Vanderbilt.
“We’re excited for this stretch run,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “To us, all of these games are playoff games and must wins. We’re within striking distance of teams and our first goal (qualifying for the playoffs), but there’s a team or two chasing us down and they’re not too far behind.
UAH is 6-6-1 overall with a 4-2-0 record in CHS, putting the Chargers in fourth place in Division 2 North. The top four teams qualify for the CHS D2 tournament, and UAH is up two points on fifth-place Middle Tennessee.
“Right now we control our destiny, but one weekend where we come out flat and the situation could flip,” Flynn said. “We’re very aware of that.”
When we last saw the Chargers in November, they had defeated Middle Tennessee 4-3 in the third-place game of the Veteran’s Cup in Huntsville, snapping a four-game losing streak. The Watts brothers, Kolton and Keaton, combined for five points as they continue to lead UAH in scoring. Cameron Crawford has been a stalwart between the pipes, posting a .916 save percentage and 3.68 goals against.
“I think the boys are ready,” Flynn said. “They know there’s a playoff berth on the line, and that’s a goal we set before last season. All in all it’s going to be a fun second half, and hopefully we’ll get a few more home games.”
The Commodores are currently belying their 7-13-0 overall record. Vanderbilt is 6-2-0 in College Hockey South play following a dominating sweep of Clemson in South Carolina to open the spring, surpassing the Tigers for second place in Division 2 North. Vanderbilt is one point behind first-place Tennessee with four league games to go.
Vanderbilt is paced by Julian Yang, who leads the team in goals (9), assists (8), and points (17), but somehow didn’t notch a point against Clemson. The Commodores’ next two leading scorers are defensemen: Reese Popkin and Jay Kourkoulis, who each got two goals in the series against the Tigers.
Andrew Shearson has been Vandy’s go-to in goal, posting a 3.34 goals against and .910 save percentage in 16 starts. Shearson earned College Hockey South Player of the Week by stopping 60 of 61 shots with a shutout against Clemson.
“Vanderbilt is going to be a very tough first test,” Flynn said. “They have a lot of weapons and are coming off a sweep of Clemson on the road. We’re just going to have to go out there and execute for 60 minutes. Starting slow has been an issue through the first semester, and we can’t afford that this time of year.
Pts
CHS
Overall
Tennessee
13
6-2-0 (1)
11-7-0
Vanderbilt
12
6-2-0 (0)
7-13-0
Clemson
10
5-3-0 (0)
10-6-0
UAH
8
4-2-0 (0)
6-6-1
MTSU
6
3-5-0 (0)
8-10-2
Georgia Tech
4
2-6-0 (0)
3-12-0
Ole Miss
4
2-8-0 (0)
4-12-0
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.
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.
Alabama scored with 1:56 remaining in overtime to beat UAH 3-2 at the College Hockey South Veterans Cup on Friday at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center.
UAH (5-6-1) will face Middle Tennessee, who lost 5-4 to Auburn in the opener, in the third-place game on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Frozen Tide (9-5-0) will play Auburn in the championship game at 6:30.
It was the third time in three meetings that the two clubs went into overtime. Each team won an OT game when UAH and Alabama met in Huntsville in October.
This time, Max Savaloja won the rubber match for the Tide, sending the Chargers to their fourth straight loss.
The loss also spoiled another great outing for UAH goaltender Cameron Crawford, who made 45 saves. Alabama outshot the Chargers 47-31 in the match.
Matthew Dumond scored the lone goal of the first period for Alabama, but UAH tied the game at 1-1 two minutes into the second period as Kolton Watts notched his 10th goal of the season.
UAH took a 2-1 lead 27 seconds into the third period, as Bradly McDonald’s redirect of Josh Corrow’s shot found its way past Tide goaltender Luc Haggitt.
Alabama tied the game at 2-2 with 8:18 remaining in regulation on a Jacob Best goal.
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.”
Three unanswered goals early in the third period powered Tennessee’s 5-3 victory over UAH on Sunday in Knoxville.
UAH (5-5-1 overall and 4-2-0 in College Hockey South Division 2) and Tennessee (5-5-0 and 2-2-0) split the season series, with the Chargers winning 4-3 in overtime in Huntsville on Sept. 22.
UAH opened the scoring 4:17 into the game. A breakdown in the Tennessee end led to Kolton Watts finding Tyler Trombly at the left doorstep, who buried an open-net shot.
Tennessee came right back to tie the game with 12:02 left in the first as Jason Seaholm scored on a power play.
With 3:18 left in the first, UAH’s Matteo Siciliano mixed it up with UT’s Myles Jackson behind the Charger net, with Siciliano getting an excessive roughing major and Jackson getting a facemasking major. Both resulted in game misconduct penalites.
While there was a lot of back-and-forth action during much of the second period, there was no scoring into late in the frame. After Kyle Stober’s power-play goal gave the Ice Vols their first lead with 2:30 remaining, Trombly scored his second goal of the game, a tic-tac-toe with Kolton and Keaton Watts, 35 seconds later to knot it up at 2-2.
The Vols scored three goals in a 3:19 span early in the third, including their third power-play goal of the game. Tennessee was 3-for-5 in power play opportunities, while UAH was 1-for-7.
Kolton Watts scored his ninth goal of the season with 9:01 remaining in regulation to cut UT’s lead to two, but the Chargers could not rally further.
Tennessee outshot UAH 41-32. Cameron Crawford made 36 saves in net for the Chargers, who have lost three straight games.
UAH finishes up the fall semester portion of the season at home next weekend with the College Hockey South Veteran’s Cup. The Chargers play Alabama on Nov. 10 at 8:30 p.m. at the Huntsville Sports Ice Center.
For the first time in over four years, Cameron Crawford took to the ice for live game action.
The Michigan native had spent those four years as a midfielder for the UAH lacrosse team. Now he was back between the pipes for the UAH club hockey team, facing Auburn to open the new season.
Crawford’s re-debut was unexpectedly busy. He faced 67 pucks, stopping 62 of them as the Chargers battled the Tigers to a 5-5 draw.
“Going into the first game this year against Auburn was kind of nerve wrecking to say the least,” Crawford said. “In the moment though, I was just happy to be playing hockey again and having fun.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t extremely exhausted. After the game I was extremely light headed and could barely walk once I got home as my body was simply not used to the all-out nature of competitive hockey. Both of my groin muscles felt strained and I was overall extremely sore and drained. Even some of my old gear wasn’t really able to hold up to the increase in effort during the game as early in overtime one of my toe ties on my right leg pad snapped allowing it to freely rotate on my leg for the remainder of the game. Overall, the fact we were able to leave Friday night in a tie was a miracle from my perspective.”
Cameron Crawford celebrates with Josh Campball, and Zachary Wolfe after UAH’s overtime win over Tennessee (photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography)
Since then, Crawford has been steadily getting back into the groove, and it’s showing in the results. The Chargers have won in his last four starts, including big victories over AAU D1 Alabama (avenging 17-0 and 7-1 losses to the Tide last season) and a strong Clemson team that is tied with UAH atop the College Hockey South Division 2 North. Along with a 3.53 goals against average, the 22-year-old senior has a .922 save percentage, which leads College Hockey South Division 2 and is second in all of AAU College Hockey Division 2 (minimum four starts).
“My hockey fitness has gotten a lot better and I am finally starting to get used to playing two games in a row,” Crawford said. “My favorite memory this season definitely has to be our overtime win against Alabama as I was told about what happened last year and how much it meant to the team. That was also the best I’ve felt physically throughout a full game. However, I hope and expect that memory to be surpassed as we have a lot of potential and a big season still ahead of us.”
“Craw has been awesome for us this year,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “I think when all of us coaches saw him at tryouts, we knew we had something special. Getting to know him off the ice has been great, he’s really become a leader on and off the ice in the short time he’s been here. He gives us a chance to win every night he plays and is one of the main reasons we’re in the position we’re in as we approach the end of the first semester.”
Getting back to hockey was not something Crawford originally expected. He joined the UAH lacrosse team in the 2020 season, and played 23 games over four seasons. He was allowed a fifth year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was not offered by now-former head coach Connor Doyle.
“At the time I was obviously devastated and angry,” Crawford said. “However, after some time I was able to accept what happened and realized I needed to move on. I was satisfied with my time playing lacrosse here at UAH and even though I didn’t get the closure I wanted there was no point in dwelling on it.
“Once I came to terms with that several people around me suggested I try and play hockey again, and with lacrosse out of the picture it was a no-brainer. Growing up, hockey was always my first love as a sport, and the opportunity to lace up the skates again and just have fun was too good to pass up.”
Crawford’s last hockey action before UAH was at Saline High School in Michigan, just outside of Ann Arbor. Coincidentally, his mother followed a similar path: She played NCAA Division I soccer at the University of Michigan but left her senior year to play club hockey.
“Getting back into the swing of things has definitely had its ups and downs,” Crawford said. “Mentally, it has been easier to jump back into it. The muscle memory is still there as well as the fundamentals of positioning, and movement. However, the physical side of it has definitely fallen behind a bit since my high school days. The muscles required for playing hockey goalie definitely aren’t the same as a lacrosse defenseman. At this point in the season most of it has come back enough that it’s not bothering me as much. However, there are days where I can definitely feel how much my flexibility has declined since high school.”
Crawford isn’t the only UAH lacrosse player on the hockey team, and those teammates have been a boon to him.
“I also want to mention and give a shoutout to all of my friends and roommates that are still on the lacrosse team as they have been extremely supportive this year by showing up to as many of the games as they can to cheer on myself and the other lacrosse guys on the team such as Josh Campbell, Matteo Siciliano, Ian Arnt, and Andrew Bauer. Their support, along with my girlfriend Catey Welch (on the UAH women’s lacrosse team) and my family have meant the world to me this year and I could not be happier with how things have turned out.”
Crawford is finishing up his degree at UAH in atmospheric science and meteorology. He hopes to stay in the Huntsville area as he prepares for his career.
UAH (5-3-1) returns to action on Nov. 3 at Georgia and Nov. 5 at Tennessee. The Chargers are home for the Veteran’s Cup on Nov. 10 and 11.
Pictured at top: Cameron Crawford squares up to make a save in UAH’s win over Middle Tennessee on September 29. Photo by Jaime Crawford/JC Sports Photography.
Clemson had a firm 5-1 win over the UAH club hockey team on Saturday, forcing a series split between the top two teams in College Hockey South’s Division 2 North.
The Chargers (5-3-1 overall, 4-1-0 CHS) won the opener 4-2 on Friday. The Tigers (8-2-0, 4-1-0) moved back into a tie with UAH atop the division with eight points through five conference games.
Clemson took a 2-0 lead in the first, with Cade Heinold scoring just past halfway through the period and Herbert Kopf scoring on the power play with 25 seconds remaining.
Almost three minutes into the second period, Keaton cut Clemson’s lead to 2-1 with his third goal of the seires, assisted by Kolton Watts.
But the Tigers regained a two-goal lead with Kopf’s second goal of the game with 13:36 left in the period.
Clemson scored two quick goals, one by Kopf to complete a hat trick, in the first two minutes of the third period for a commanding 5-1 advantage. Four power plays for Clemson in the third period made it difficult for UAH to mount a comeback.
Andrew Sledge started the game in goal for UAH, stopping 22 of 27 shots before being pulled early in the third. Cameron Crawford stopped all 12 shots he faced the rest of the way.
Shots on goal were even at 39 piece.
UAH has next weekend off before single games at Georgia and Tennessee. The game at Tennessee on Nov. 5 is the Chargers’ next conference game.
