Seventh-ranked Minnesota State wore down the Chargers on Friday, winning the opener of the WCHA series 5-1 in Mankato.

UAH (6-11-2 overall, 5-6-2 WCHA) was outshot 41-15 as the Chargers saw its winless streak against MSU go to 23 games. The Chargers are 0-19-4 against the Mavericks since their last victory in 2002.

BOX SCORE

The Mavericks (12-5-0 overall, 10-3-0 WCHA) moved into first place in the WCHA standings, two points over idle Bowling Green.

The Chargers, who sit in sixth place, escaped the first period unscathed, although giving the powerful Mavericks three power plays did not make it easy.

Fortunately, UAH goaltender Jordan Uhelski (36 saves) was on his game early, stealing a goal from Reggie Lutz on a diving stop.

Uhelski also needed saves on a quick shot by MSU leading scorer Zeb Knutson and a glove stop on Brad McClure.

UAH’s best chances to score came shorthanded. Hans Gorowski had a breakaway denied by MSU goaltender Jason Pawloski, and Madison Dunn’s slapper from the left circle hit the post.

Minnesota State dominated the second period.

The Mavericks scored the first goal five minutes into the second period. Ian Scheid’s cross-ice pass found Josh French, and Uhelski was well out of position. French capitalized on the wide open net.

MSU sensed it was about to take over the game, and started making it tougher on Uhelski by firing away.

At 12:43, captain C.J. Seuss made it 2-0 MSU as he fired in a rebound from a Parker Tuomie shot.

With six minutes to go, Richard Buri checked Jake Jaremko from behind. Jaremko was not plowed into the boards, so it was surprising that Buri got a five minute major and a game misconduct.

Seuss then scored during the major power play for a 3-0 Maverick lead. Uhelski had no chance as Seuss was alone on the doorstep.

With their energy and power play time, the Mavericks outshot the Chargers 22-3 in the second period.

Five minutes into the third, UAH got on the board when Tyler Poulsen, all alone in front of the Minnesota State net, redirected a Brandon Parker pass from the boards past Pawloski to cut the MSU lead to 3-1.

Whatever glimmer of hope the Chargers had to get back into the game was quickly squashed.

Fifty seconds later, Nicolas Rivera swings around the UAH net for a wrap-around, deflecting the puck off Kurt Gosselin’s stick for a goal.

One minute after that, Walker Duehr’s wrister from the left side beat Uhelski high and on his glove side, and just like that Minnesota State led 5-1.

It’s the second straight game the Chargers had fewer than 20 shots on goal while allowing more than 40. Bowling Green outshot UAH 42-12 last Saturday.

Andrew Dodson was back in the UAH lineup on Friday after missing five weeks from an injury.

Josh Kestner scored two goals for the second straight game as the Chargers earned a 3-3 tie Friday night at Bowling Green.

UAH (6-9-2 overall, 5-4-2 WCHA) got two points in the WCHA standings after earning its first-ever shootout victory (2-1).

BOX SCORE

Bowling Green (7-5-6 overall, 6-2-5 WCHA) got one point with its third tie in four games, staying in first place by that one point over Minnesota State.

UAH started with a defensive lapse and Bowling Green quickly pounced. Mitch McLain easily scored on a wide open net after a shot rebound came right to him all alone and Jordan Uhelski out of position. McLain easily made it 1-0 Falcons at 1:16.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH66ML-f6AY[/embedyt]

The Chargers got on the board at 5:37, as Madison Dunn unleashed a blast from the left point for his third goal of the season. Richard Buri’s pass from the boards earned the primary assist. Cody Champagne also got an assist for his first point of the season.

The Chargers then started hitting. Kurt Gosselin put on a vicious hip check on Niko Coffman, but it only earned him a minor roughing penalty that UAH was able to kill off. Coffman did not return to the game.

Cam Knight was not so fortunate after checking Lukas Craggs from behind into the boards. Knight got five minutes and a game misconduct at 9:52, ending his night early.

Nearly a minute and a half into the major Falcon power play, Jacob Dalton give the UAH penalty kill a break with an interference penalty.

During the 4-on-4, Kestner picked up a loose puck and beat BGSU goaltender Eric Dop glove side to give the Chargers their first lead at 2-1.

UAH killed the remainder of the power play after it resumed, but the Falcons tied the game while the Chargers were on the power play. Stephen Baylis scored from the slot after a turnover with 3:13 remaining in the first and it was 2-2.

Two shorthanded goals were the killer for UAH in last Friday’s 3-2 loss at Northern Michigan. The Chargers have allowed five shorthanded goals this season, three in the last two series.

The second period was mostly lax until late, when both Uhelski and Dop put on a goaltending exhibition. Each made huge pad and glove saves on 2-on-1 rushes and breakaways to keep the score tied at the second intermission.

Kestner’s second goal of the game gave UAH a 3-2 lead just 2:08 into the third. He worked his way around Falcon defenseman Connor McDonald, then beat Dop high with an odd-angle shot for his 12th of the season.

McDonald tied the game at 3-3 with 10:10 to go, as his shot from the left point glanced off of John Teets’ arm in a screen and over Uhelski.

From there, it was the Uhelski (24 saves) and Dop (21 saves) show to keep the game equal through regulation. Dop made one final save on Dunn with nine seconds left.

The goalies stayed strong through the regular overtime (to make the game an official tie), and through the 3-on-3 overtime to determine who gets a second point WCHA standings.

In the shootout, Christian Rajic and Brandon Salerno beat Dop. Max Johnson scored in the first round, but Uhelski stopped Brandon Kruse to secure the point after tie.

It was UAH’s first point after tie in five tries since the WCHA instituted the tie-breaking procedure last season.

Josh Kestner scored two goals as the Chargers forced another series split with a 3-2 win on Saturday over Northern Michigan in Marquette.

UAH (6-9-1 overall, 5-4-1 WCHA) has split five of the eight series this season, all of them with the Chargers winning the Saturday contest. UAH is 5-2-1 on Saturdays and 1-7-0 on Fridays.

BOX SCORE

UAH goaltender Jordan Uhelski allowed two first-period goals, but was on the ball the rest of the way toward a 22-save night in sending Northern Michigan (8-8-0, 6-4-0) to its fourth loss in five games.

The Chargers completed the first of six straight road series. Their next stop is next week at Bowling Green.

Northern Michigan scored the first goal on the power play. Ryan Black’s blast from the right point was wide, but bounced off the boards behind the UAH net to Darien Craighead, who had an open net on Jordan Uhelski.

UAH tied the game at 1-1 as John Teets scored from the slot on a centering pass from the left side by Austin Beaulieu. Teets third goal of the season came with 2:59 left in the period.

NMU quickly gained the lead 57 seconds later. Troy Loggins scored from the left wing on an outlet pass from Jordan Klimek.

The Chargers equalized again with just three seconds left in the first after Jordan Klimek cross-checked Austin Beaulieu. On the power play, Connor Merkley found Josh Kestner in the left circle, who unleashed a one-timer for a 2-2 game at the first intermission.

Kestner struck again at 1:48 of the second period to give UAH its first lead of the night. He took a pass from behind the goal line by Christian Rajic, and scored alone from the slot.

It was Kestner’s 10th goal of the season, surpassing his team-leading total from all of last year.

The Wildcats amped up their offensive pressure in the third period, but Uhelski stopped all eight shots, including a couple while NMU netminder Mathias Israelsson (18 saves) was pulled for the extra attacker for almost the final two minutes.

Two shorthanded goals late in the second period were the Chargers’ downfall Friday in a 3-1 loss at Northern Michigan.

UAH (5-9-1 overall, 4-4-1 WCHA) got a goal early in the second by Christian Rajic, but made turnovers on two power plays led to the Chargers’ seventh loss in eight series openers this season. UAH will try to salvage a split on Saturday, where the Chargers are 4-2-1 this year.

BOX SCORE

NMU (8-7-0, 6-3-0) ended a three-game losing streak while outshooting the Chargers 32-16.

The Chargers were very fortunate to get out of the first period unscathed. Most of the action was in the UAH zone, and the Wildcats had a 15-3 advantage in shots on goal.

Jordan Uhelski made all the saves, including one where he was caught out of position and dove back to make a stop on NMU’s Troy Loggins.

But he also needed a little help. During the first of two Wildcat power plays in the period, the net was left open again. Adam Rockwood tried to take advantage with a wraparound, but Madison Dunn was there in the crease to keep the game scoreless.

The second period started well enough, as the Chargers took a 1-0 lead on a power play goal by Christian Rajic, who sneaked one past NMU goalie Mathias Israelsson. His seventh goal of the season, assisted by Connor Merkley and Tyler Poulsen, came with 10:43 left.

UAH had the benefit of back-to-back slashing penalties by the Wildcats, but not only did the Chargers not convert, they gave up back-to-back shorthanded goals and the lead.

With 3:05 left in the period, Denver Pierce finished off a 2-on-1 break with Rockwood following a bad pass in the UAH end to tie the game. Then with 1:12 left, Rockwood was found all alone in front of the UAH net to make it 2-1 UAH.

Northern Michigan extended its lead to 3-1 on the power play at the 5:03 mark of the third period. After a Josh Kestner slashing penalty, Zach Diamontoni sneaked the puck between Uhelski’s legs from the slot.

Uhelski finished with 29 saves.

UAH now finds itself tied for fifth in the WCHA standings with Ferris State, which also has a 4-4 league record and 13 points. NMU is in fourth place with 18 points.

Defenseman Cam Knight was back in the UAH lineup after missing last week’s series against Ferris State with a small injury.

UAH got a much-needed win to finish its home stand in up-and-down fashion, beating Ferris State 5-3 Saturday night at the Von Braun Center for a series split.

UAH (5-8-1 overall, 4-3-1 WCHA) got two goals from Brandon Salerno to finish 3-2-1 on its six-game home stand before embarking on a 12-game road swing.

BOX SCORE

The next home game for the Chargers is January 26 against Bemidji State.

Ferris State (6-9-1, 3-4-1) held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in both intermissions, but both were erased by two-goal bursts by the Chargers in the second and third periods.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jeue1w-OkKI[/embedyt]

The Bulldogs continued where they left off Friday, when they scored six unanswered goals to win 6-2, and had control of most of the first period.

It took only 1:13 for the Bulldogs to take a 1-0. Corey Mackin’s tip of Nate Kallen’s shot up the middle bounced over UAH goaltender Jordan Uhelski like a bad bounce through an baseball infielder. It was Mackin’s second goal for the series.

UAH had a couple of power play chances, including a five-minute opportunity when Tyler Dorantes drew a major penalty for cross-checking Brennan Saulnier into the boards late in the first.

The power play continued into the start of the second period, and the Chargers finally capitalized. Josh Kestner ripped a one-timer from the left circle to tie the game at 1-1 at the 1:21.

It was Kestner’s team-leading eighth goal of the season, assisted by Brandon Parker on the pass from the high slot, and Tyler Poulsen.

The major power play was cut short on Kestner’s tripping penalty, resulting on some 4-on-4 hockey before a Ferris State power play.

Eight seconds into the FSU advantage, before the Bulldogs could get possession, Saulnier found Salerno in front of the FSU net. Salerno deked FSU goaltender Darren Smith and scored his first goal of the season to give UAH a 2-1 lead at the 3:34 mark.

UAH almost made it 3-1 on a Kestner breakaway, and the goal light went on, but the referee waved it off. Video replay confirmed the no goal as the puck hit the pipe.

Just as quickly as UAH took the lead, Ferris State took it right back.

The Bulldogs converted a Parker tripping penalty into the tying goal by Zac Tierney with 2:58 left in the second. Then Mitch Maloney, who had a hat trick in FSU’s win Friday, made it 3-2 Bulldogs on a breakaway goal with 41 seconds left.

UAH regained the lead with another two-goal spurt halfway through the third.

At 10:06, John Teets scored from near the blue line for his second goal of the season to tie the game at 3-3, with Madison Dunn and Hans Gorowsky getting the assists.

Salerno got his second goal of the game just 2:48 later, taking a nice feed from Poulsen as the Chargers regained the lead again at 4-3.

UAH made sure it would keep that lead for good as Gorowsky converted a two-on-one with Kestner with 1:55 remaining.

The Chargers withstood one final flourish from the Bulldogs, who pulled Smith with about a minute left and got a power play after UAH was assessed a delay of game penalty for intentionally knocking its goal off the mooring.

Uhelski finished with 32 saves in his 11th start of the season. Ferris State outshot UAH 35-26.

With 13 points, the Chargers head into their long road stretch in fifth place in the WCHA standings. The first stop is Northern Michigan next weekend.

Three stars of the game:
1. Brandon Salerno (2 goals)
2. Hans Gorowsky (goal, assist)
3. Tyler Poulsen (2 assists)

Notes: UAH is 4-2-1 on Saturdays this season, but 1-6-0 on Fridays. … FSU defenseman Cam Clarke left the game after taking a puck to the head in the second period.

Ferris State scored six straight unanswered goals Friday to defeat the Chargers 6-2 at the Von Braun Center.

UAH (4-8-1 overall, 3-3-1 WCHA) got first-period goals from Adam Wilcox and Josh Kestner to take a 2-0 lead.

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

Then Ferris State (6-8-1, 3-3-1) scored one in the first, two in the second, and three in the third, all by Mitch Maloney, to put the Chargers away en route to the Bulldogs’ third straight WCHA victory.

Game two of the series is Saturday night at 7:07 p.m. in Propst Arena. It will finish off a six-game homestand for the Chargers before they start a run of 12 straight on the road. The next home series will be in late January.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyc2rmFfdXU[/embedyt]

The Chargers got on the board first with a Georgia connection. Wilcox (of Alpharetta) with an odd angle shot put in a rebound from Connor Wood (of Buford) for his first goal of the season at the 6:31 mark. It was Wood’s third assist.

UAH made it 2-0 two-and-a-half minutes later thanks to Huntsville native Kestner. He scored his seventh of the season, assisted by Brandon Parker (his second).

Liam MacDougall scored with 6:05 left in the first to cut UAH’s lead to 2-1.

Ferris State put the pedal down in the second period and took the lead.

At the 10:49 mark, Jasen Fernsler tied the game at 2-2 as UAH goalie Mark Sinclair went down after making an initial save on Zach Yoder’s shot. The Bulldogs had a 10-3 shots advantage in the second period at that point.

It was 3-2 Bulldogs with 2:34 left in the second when their captain, Corey Mackin, put in the rebound on Tyler Dorantes’ shot all alone from the slot.

UAH had 25 seconds of power play to start the third period, followed by a 5-on-3 situation, but couldn’t convert any of them. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs added three more, a natural hat trick by Mitch Maloney.

Maloney’s first goal of the game right after the partial power play expired to make it 4-2. Then Maloney got his second with 12:44 to go, then got the third with 7:26 left. He now has 11 goals on the season.

FSU goaltender Darren Smith stopped 31 of 33 UAH shots in the win. Sinclair made 29 saves, but allowed all six goals.

Both teams were scoreless on the power play: Six opportunities for UAH, five for Ferris State.

Christian Rajic scored three goals, earning UAH’s first hat trick by a freshman since 2002, to lead the Chargers to a 5-3 victory over Lake Superior State on Saturday at the Von Braun Center.

UAH (4-7-1 overall, 3-2-1 WCHA) also got a 41-save performance from goaltender Jordan Uhelski, matching a season high, to get a split with LSSU (3-8-3 overall, 2-4-2 WCHA). The Chargers are 3-1-1 in their last five games.

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

Rajic has UAH’s first hat trick since Kurt Gosselin did it against Ferris State last season, and the first by a Charger freshman since Jared Ross against Bemidji State on March 9, 2002.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ0pSj0ypPI[/embedyt]

The Chargers needed all of that from Rajic and Uhelski as the Lakers kept threatening to dismantle two three-goal leads. They fired 44 shots on Uhelski, including 21 in the third period.

UAH scored the first goal of the game halfway through the first. On the Chargers’ first power play, Kurt Gosselin blasted a Brennan Saulnier pass at the 10:32 mark for his third goal of the season. Connor James also got an assist.

With 5:08 left to go, UAH made it 2-0. Tyler Poulsen made a drop pass to Brandon Salerno, and his shot was tipped by Christian Rajic past Laker goaltender Nick Kossoff.

Poulsen got another assist on a feed to Saulnier with 1:54 to go in the first. Saulnier beat Kossoff from the right circle for his team-leading seventh goal of the season and a 3-0 Charger lead.

Lake Superior prevented a clean sheet for UAH in the first with a power play goal in the last minute. Brayden Gelsinger beat Jordan Uhelski from the right side to cut UAH’s lead to 3-1 at the first intermission.

Lake Superior drew within one when Josh Nenadal found the net from the doorstep on Uhelski’s left at 7:19 of the second.

Christian Rajic had UAH’s first hat trick by a freshman since Jared Ross did it in 2002. Click for gallery. (Photo by Todd Thompson/Rivercat Photography)

Then Rajic made some history.

Halfway through the game, Rajic put in a rebound on a Madison Dunn shot and a scramble to put UAH up 4-2 at the 8:09 mark.

Just 1:45 later, from near the boards on the left side of the offensive zone, Rajic scored his third goal of the game and the Chargers led by three again.

Rajic now has six goals in his freshman campaign.

The Lakers pulled Kossoff at that point after he allowed five goals on 23 shots. Freshman Mareks Mitens took over in net.

Max Humitz cut UAH’s lead to 5-3 at the 11:11 mark of the second, and that was the score at second intermission.

After all that scoring in the first two periods, there were no goals in the third, but not for lack of effort, particularly by the Lakers. They fired 21 shots on goal against Uhelski to only UAH’s five on Mitens.

Mitens ended up stopping all 11 shots he faced.

UAH finishes its homestand with a two-game series against Ferris State next Friday and Saturday. Both games at the Von Braun Center start at 7 p.m.

Three stars of the game:
1. Christian Rajic (UAH), hat trick
2. Tyler Poulsen (UAH), 2 assists
3. Connor James (UAH), 2 assists

Right now, it just seems Lake Superior State has the Chargers’ number.

The Chargers saw its three-game unbeaten streak end Friday night with a 3-1 loss to the Lakers at the Von Braun Center.

UAH (3-7-1 overall, 2-2-1 WCHA) has now lost the last five meetings with Lake Superior State (3-7-3 overall, 2-3-2 WCHA).

BOX SCORE

LSSU goaltender Nick Kossoff was a big reason for the Lakers’ victory. He stopped 26 of 27 UAH shots, making big stops to prevent the Chargers from completing a rally.

UAH could only get a Madison Dunn goal late in the second period, and its power play could not convert on seven opportunities.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvchJ8pqyLc[/embedyt]

Game two of the series at Propst Arena is Saturday at 7:07 p.m.

The struggling UAH penalty kill struggled some more in giving the Lakers the early lead. Following a Josh Kestner boarding penalty, LSSU had numbers and allowed Diego Cuglietta to score at the 5:18 mark of the game.

It was the fourth straight goal allowed via the power play for UAH going to last Saturday’s 3-3 tie with Alaska Anchorage.

The Chargers tried to answer on their first man advantage, and made some nifty passes, but could not find the net. They had four shots on net, including three by Kestner, who was denied by Kossoff going post to post.

The Lakers extended their lead during 4-on-4 hockey after coincidental minor penalties to UAH’s Christian Rajic and LSSU’s Brayden Gelsinger. Jake Hand put in a rebound with 1:27 left in the first for a 2-0 score.

UAH came out of the second period with more aggressiveness, but it didn’t result in any scoring right away. Much of that had to do with Kossoff, who made some big saves, including a close-range shot by Christian Rajic and another robbery of Kestner during a major power play late in the period.

The Chargers outshot the Lakers 17-6 in the second period.

UAH finally got its first goal with 53 seconds remaining in the second, but not without a little controversy. Tyler Poulsen put a shot on net, but then made impact with Kossoff. The rebound went to Madison Dunn, who buried his second goal of the season to cut LSSU’s lead to 2-1.

The Lakers wanted goaltender interference called on Poulsen, but after a couple of minutes of video review the goal was confirmed.

The Chargers kept plugging in the third period, but Kossoff was still there. He made another big save early on Levi Wunder, who was all alone in front.

Fortunately the UAH penalty kill was perfect the rest of the way. UAH survived a two-man advantage for Lake State as the minutes started to dwindle, staying one goal behind with five minutes to go.

UAH had one final shot after Aiden Wright went off for tripping with 1:25 left. However, after Uhelski was pulled for an extra attacker, Max Humitz scored on the empty net with 8.6 seconds remaining to seal the Laker win.

Charger goaltender Jordan Uhelski made 19 saves on 21 Laker shots.

On Friday night, the Chargers showed a good crowd what they can do when things go right. On Saturday night, they showed what they can do when things go wrong. Both nights, they left entertained.

Connor Merkley’s goal with 0.9 seconds remaining completed a rally from a two-goal deficit as the Chargers tied Alaska Anchorage 3-3 on Saturday at the Von Braun Center. UAA won the second WCHA point in a shootout.

UAH (3-6-1 overall, 2-1-1 WCHA), after dominating in Friday’s 5-1 win in the series opener, got two goals by Josh Kestner and 31 saves by Jordan Uhelski.

But Alaska Anchorage (1-7-2, 1-2-1) had built its lead on three unanswered power play goals in the second period, two on a major penalty.

BOX SCORE

Still, the Chargers found a way to at least get a point in front of another good crowd for homecoming and military appreciation weekend, thanks to the freshman Merkley’s critical goal, his first at UAH.

“We were fighting the whole third period to get back into the game,” Merkley said. “We had a lot of good opportunities. We knew if we just stuck to it, we’d get a bounce.

“We had a couple of good keeps by the D-man and ran a normal play that had been working. It had just popped loose to me free in front of the net and I hammered it home.”

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qikTXQThfE[/embedyt]

The announced attendance of 3,072 was excellent for a college football Saturday.

“The fans want wins, and so do we,” Kestner said. “The more times we win, the more fans we get. Coming out Friday night with a 5-1 win made our reputation pretty high. It was a bigger crowd than I thought tonight, but it was a great feeling. I love playing in front of my hometown. It was fun to play and I imagine it was fun to watch as well.”

“Homecoming weekend, a lot of fans, a lot of kids and their parents coming to a game for the first time — I don’t think anybody was let down,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “Anybody who stayed to the end both nights was not let down. Hopefully we’ll build on it.”

Just like Friday night, the Chargers came out strong, dictating the action for the first 10 minutes.

On UAH’s first power play, Kestner fired a one-timer from the left circle to beat Olivier Mantha for the first goal of the game. It was Kestner’s fifth goal of the season, with Cam Knight’s pass to Kestner being his fourth assist. Tyler Poulsen also got his third assist of the year.

“I liked our start again,” Corbett said. “We did build on it (Friday’s win) and we were able to get a power play goal. Once again we were outshooting them pretty handily.

“We had a couple of game objectives as a team,” Kestner said. “One of those was to get the first goal, so to cross that off the list was nice.”

The second half of the first period, however, saw the Seawolves try to fight back as the Chargers made some sloppy turnovers. Jordan Uhelski was there to make saves and covers, including a point-blank stop on Austin Azurdia that almost tied the game.

The second period saw plenty of chances on both sides. But then late in the period, things went south for UAH fast.

Anchorage tied the game up at the 14:03 mark on the power play. Following a Tyler Poulsen tripping call, Nicolas Erb-Ekholm scored from the high slot.

With 2:53 left in the frame, a scrum in the corner of the UAH zone after the whistle, and Brennan Saulnier got a roughing major and a game misconduct. There were also offsetting penalties on UAH’s Richard Buri and UAA’s Corey Renwick.

Anchorage capitalized twice on the major power play. Austin Azurdia gave UAA the lead with 2:03 to go in the period, and Tad Kozun made it 3-1 Seawolves with 7.5 seconds left.

“We’re talking a lot about what you can control right now, and you can’t control the referees,” Corbett said. “As young players, they get consumed by something that they can’t control, and it showed in our penalty kill. We were standing right next to the guy that scored the goal in the back door twice. We weren’t dialed in, and that’s what led to their 3-1 lead after two.”

UAH weathered the rest of the power play to start the second, and then got started on a rally.

On the power play, Poulsen’s shot from the right circle rebounded to near the goal line, and Kestner took the puck with Mantha out of position and easily scored his second goal of the game with 15:24 to go.

“I had a nice dish to Poulsen, who I thought was going to bury it but it ended up landing right on my stick,” Kestner said. “So it was nice to get another one on the board.

“Our special teams had struggled for the past 20 reps or so. Now that we got one on the board, it definitely got everyone’s momentum and hype up.”

Then at the buzzer, during a 6-on-4 advantage with a power play and Uhelski pulled for the extra attacker, Merkley from the slot found the net for his first collegiate goal. Video replay confirmed the puck crossed the line at 0.9 seconds left, causing the crowd to erupt again as the game was tied at 3-3.

“We got back to controlling what we could control,” Corbett said. “We killed the last two minutes of that five-minute power play, then OK: We gotta go at ’em. And they just kind of sat back. We get a power play, we score on that power play.

“Just be resilient. We knew we were going to have to fight through adversity. This was adversity we created by ourselves and we fought through it. I’m proud of the kids, because maybe in years past, we don’t do that.”

“It was great to see that we could come in between the second and third, rally the troops, and throughout our leadership,” Merkley said. “We just stayed composed and we knew that if we stuck to the game plan and fought hard, we could battle the adversity and come back. That’s a great thing to see out of the team moving forward.”

UAH had a power play chance in overtime but could not score. The extra period ended resulting as an official 3-3 tie.

No scoring occurred during the 3-on-3 overtime period. Jeremiah Luedtke scored in the first round of the shootout to earn the extra point for the Seawolves, and Kestner could not answer it.

Uhelski finished with 31 saves on the night, and Mantha had 35.

The Chargers continue their six-game home stand with Lake Superior State next Friday and Saturday.

It may be just the first game, but the Chargers took a step toward establishing their presence they have missed at Von Braun Center.

UAH opened its home season with dazzling plays and timely goals, entertaining a homecoming and Military Appreciation Weekend crowd of 3,128, in a 5-1 victory over Alaska Anchorage on Friday night.

BOX SCORE

UAH (3-6-0 overall, 2-1-0 WCHA), which had won only two games at home last season, got two goals from Brennan Saulnier as the Chargers had 40 shots on goal against the Seawolves (1-7-1, 1-2-0).

“That’s as complete a game that we’ve played since I’ve been here,” said UAH head coach Mike Corbett, now in his fifth season. “It was nice to see. Power play, penalty kill, 5-on-5 … we dominated the first half of the game. We were able to get our shot totals and put some by their goalie.”

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fYQUYEynDI[/embedyt]

The first period was all Chargers, who dominated puck possession and were making plays that got the crowd into it. UAH had 24 shot attempts, and 19 were on net. UAA only had 10 attempts with four on goal.

Saulnier was seemingly everywhere, and he got UAH on the board early at 2:18 on the power play. He found a spot from the slot to beat UAA goaltener Olivier Mantha for his fifth goal of the season. He was assisted by Austin Beaulieu and Kurt Gosselin.

Mantha, a senior who known for his ability to keep the Seawolves in any game, was a big reason the Chargers’ lead wasn’t larger.

Saulnier struck again in the second, with a wrister from the left circle for a 2-0 UAH lead with 15:08 left. At six goals, Saulnier matches his season high in just nine games.

“For myself, our power play has really been clicking,” Saulnier said. “I’ve been finding the open areas and getting my shots off.

It was also the first time the Chargers scored the first goal of the game this season.

“It was nice to get the first one tonight and I felt like we were just rolling after that,” Saulnier said.

“That first goal was a big one for him, because he shows the poise,” Corbett said. “He outwaits the goalie and then he scores the goal.

“Our best players have to be the best players and he was one of them tonight.”

The Seawolves answered at 7:06 when UAA’s leading scorer Austin Azurdia fired a shot past Jordan Uhelski high from close range.

But any momentum the Seawolves may have gained did not last long. UAH regained its two-goal advantage at 10:30. Cam Knight’s doorstep shot led to a scramble in the UAA net.  Beaulieu got a shot in, then Christian Rajic put in a rebound for a 3-1 lead. It was Rajic’s third goal of the season.

“We eliminated the big mistake tonight,” Corbett said. “Even when we made a mistake and they scored their goal, we were able to come right back with our third goal.”

UAH took a 4-1 lead when John Teets made a beautiful centering pass to Levi Wunder, who fired it from the slot for his first collegiate goal.

In the third period, Anchorage came out stronger and made Uhelski work a bit more. But he was up to the task, making saves and recovering rebounds. He finished with 16 saves on UAA’s 17 shots on goal.

“It’s tough when you don’t really get a lot of action during the game, you kind of lull a little bit,” Uhelski said. “Honestly, it’s just staying even keel the whole game, making sure I don’t get too high or too low, and when it was time to step up and do my part for the team, I was ready.

“It was just a battle in front. Obviously, I’m not the biggest guy, so I’ve got to be looking around, I’ve got to be moving, I’ve got to be really active as far as locating that puck and jumping on it. But my ‘D’ made it really easy for me because anytime there was a scrum they were clearing the guys out, and I just cover the puck.”

“We tried to play a little more cautious and sometimes that can be our Achilles’ heel when you let off and let them back in the game,” Saulnier said. “U-Haul played really well in that third period for us. He was our best player in the third period.”

Madison Dunn put in an empty-netter with 1:52 to go for the final 5-1 score and another eruption from the crowd, which was larger than any crowd last season.

“The crowd was amazing tonight. It was electric in there,” Saulnier said. “It was like having an extra guy on the ice all night. We fed off that.

“I really like our team this year. We work hard, got a good group, and I think we showed it tonight that we’re going to contend in the WCHA.”

Game two of the series is Saturday night at 7:07 p.m. at the VBC as homecoming an Military Appreciation Weekend continues.

Three stars of the game:
1. Brennan Saulnier, UAH (2 goals)
2. Austin Beaulieu, UAH (2 assists)
3. Connor Wood, UAH (2 assists)