BOX SCORE

When you watch UAH play Minnesota State, you can see the gap between the programs. The Mavericks are simply faster and more skillful, worthy of being favorites to win the WCHA this season.

Once again, Carmine Guerriero made that gap not seem so big. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough to get UAH a point.

The sophomore goaltender from Montreal put up another 54 saves at Verizon Wireless Arena on Friday, keeping UAH (0-5-0 overall, 0-3-0 WCHA) in the game as long as he could in a 3-1 loss to 13th-ranked Minnesota State (3-2-0, 1-0-0).

Last February in Mankato, Minnesota State put up 65 shots against the Chargers. Guerriero stopped 61 in the 4-0 loss, setting a UAH modern Division I record for saves in a game. That’s 115 saves in two career starts in Mankato.

The Chargers needed every stop to have a chance at an upset.

From the outset, like that game in February, the Mavericks fired and shot and blasted and whatever synonym you want. They had 18 shots on goal in the first, 19 in the second, and 20 in the third.

Yet after two periods, it was scoreless.

The best chance for the Chargers up to that point came in the second period, where Regan Soquila’s shot from the left circle was stopped by Maverick goalie Stephon Williams, then Matt Salhany was denied by Williams on the rebound.

But UAH could not get the puck possession needed to mount any sustained offensive pressure against the tough Mavericks, as it has been in recent years. The Chargers only had 18 shots on goal in the game to the Mavericks’ 57.

Late in the second, Guerriero made two critical saves to keep the game scoreless. The first came on a 2-on-1: Guerriero made a sliding pad save from right to left on Brad McClure. Then Guerriero gloved a bullet from Jordan Nelson, shooting from the left circle, with 30 seconds left.

In the third period, the Mavericks finally got their rewards.

MSU went up 1-0 on a goal by Jean-Paul Lafontaine, set up by Matt Leitner, only 51 seconds into the period. Then 2:40 later, a power play goal on a rebound to Bryce Gervais made it 2-0 Minnesota State.

The Chargers had a chance with six minutes left with a two-man advantage following roughing and high-sticking penalties to Minnesota State, but the Maverick defense clamped down and kept UAH scoreless at that point.

UAH finally got on the board with 30 seconds left in the contest with the extra attacker. Max McHugh notched his first collegiate goal in front of the Maverick net, assisted by Matt Salhany and Brandon Carlson.

With Guerriero still pulled for the extra attacker, Matt Leitner won the center-ice faceoff, sent it to Zach Palmquist, who fired it from neutral ice into the empty net for the final 3-1 score.

The Chargers are now winless in their last 15 games against the Mavericks — the last win coming in 2002. The last time UAH won in Mankato was in 1999.

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

Back to the drawing board, as they say.

UAH lost 4-1 to Bowling Green on Saturday, swept by a combined score of 9-1 in the two-game home opening series with the Falcons.

After a couple of one-goal games at Colorado College, the Chargers (0-4-0 overall, 0-2-0 WCHA) had a much rougher time against a stronger conference opponent. UAH was outshot 47-21 on Saturday, and Bowling Green (3-1-0, 2-0-0) took advantage of eight power plays, scoring twice.

Still, UAH coach Mike Corbett said the Chargers played better on Saturday, at least in 5-on-5 situations. But the Chargers took 15 penalties, which led to eight Falcon power plays, with two converted into goals.

“They got 17 of the 47 shots on the power play and we’ve got to be more disciplined,” Corbett said. “That was our biggest thing this morning is just to be more disciplined in what we’re doing. We put ourselves behind the 8-ball penalty-wise.

“You figure all four of their goals, two on the power play and two turnovers. It’s pretty simple right there. Our turnovers were minimized compared to yesterday, but in big-time D-I hockey, you turn the puck over, the other team is going to score.”

The Chargers kept it close at the start, finally going into a first intermission without trailing. Bowling Green peppered UAH goalie Matt Larose with 15 shots, though, but he was able to stop them all.

UAH’s best scoring chance came with about eight minutes left in the first, as a Matt Salhany breakaway was denied by Falcon goaltender Tomas Sholl.

Bowling Green had a power play goal with 1:34 left in the frame as Ben Murphy fired on a wide open net. However, video replay showed why it was wide open: Dan Salvo’s right leg strayed into the crease and tripped Larose. The goal was overturned, leaving the game scoreless after one.

It didn’t take long, however, for UAH to fall behind again. Brandon Hawkins squeaked the puck between the pipe and Larose on the power play at 2:29 of the second for a 1-0 Bowling Green lead.

At 8:13, Jakob Reichert made it 2-0 on a forehand-backhand deke on Larose. Mitch McLain got the assist.

Then Kevin Dufort scored his fifth goal of the season at 14:51, poking it past Larose after a shot from Pierre-Luc Mercier. The goal came on the power play following a questionable clipping call on Brent Fletcher, who had upended Ben Murphy in front of the penalty boxes.

The Chargers were desperate for a goal to keep it close going into the third, and they got it from Frank Misuraca. His goal from the slot with 1:56 left in the second, on a nice pass from Brent Fletcher, cut Bowling Green’s lead to 3-1. It was Misuraca’s second goal of the season and sixth of his career.

UAH could not muster a rally in the third, partly because of penalties that led to eight power plays for the Falcons. The Chargers had 15 penalties for 41 minutes, while Bowling Green had 11 for 22. Another was Bowling Green sophomore goalie Tomas Sholl, who made the saves when necessary – 20 in all.

The final nail in the coffin came from Dufour, whose second goal of the game came with 6:38 to go.

Larose had a total of 43 saves in the loss.

The Chargers are now winless in their last 19 regular season home games, and their last 30 against Division I opponents.

UAH visits Minnesota State next week, the first of three road series. The Chargers return home on Nov. 14-15 against Lake Superior State. Corbett remains confident in his club.

“I like our team. Our team’s got to get better on the defensive zone and we’ve got to eliminate the turnovers. To me, that’s the biggest thing. If we don’t turn the puck over, I like to think we have more offensive end zone time.

“We just got to continue to get better in every facet of our game. Now got our freshman who got four games under their belt. Richard Buri gets his first game tonight and he was very solid. Is it one thing? No. It’s every aspect of our game. And that’s going to be a recurring theme. Our guys have to understand, even our older guys, they remember how hard it is in this league, how hard it is to be a Division I player, and that’s what we talk about. There aren’t any nights off, there aren’t any shifts off. We’ve seen what happens when we take a shift off.”

Coming home against a good WCHA opponent reminded the Chargers they still have work to do.

UAH couldn’t find the rallying magic — or much offense at all — it found at Colorado College last week, as another early deficit turned into a 5-0 loss to Bowling Green in their home opener Friday. The loss put a damper on the homecoming festivities in front of an announced crowd of 2,420.

The Chargers fell to 0-3-0 on the season and 0-1-0 in the WCHA. The Falcons (2-1-0, 1-0-0) dominated in shots on goal, holding a 41-20 advantage.

The first Bowling Green goal came shorthanded. Nolan Valleau, who already had four assists on the season, centered to Mitchell McClain all alone in the slot in front of Carmine Guerriero. McClain pounded it home for a 1-0 lead at the 6:59 mark.

The second goal came on another nice centering pass, and another defensive zone turnover. Pierre-Luc Mercier from the left side sends it to Kevin Dufour at the doorstep, who beat Guerriero with 23.5 seconds remaining in the first.

For the third straight game, the Chargers found themselves with a 2-0 deficit after one.

However, penalties would prevent the Chargers from making the second-period rally that was done in both games at Colorado College. The crucial one came with 6:55 left, as Brennan Saulnier left the game with a game misconduct to go along with a five-minute checking from behind penalty.

Cody Champagne then went off for a minor boarding penalty 29 seconds later. In the waning seconds of that penalty, Brandon Hawkins shot went off of Guerriero’s glove and in to give Bowling Green a 3-0 lead.

It was one of the few pucks that got by Guerriero that period, as he made 17 saves in the frame, many with his glove and his body.

The Chargers didn’t pose much of a threat in the third period, and Bowling Green tacked on a couple of goals to clinch the game. Matt Pohlkamp made it 4-0 at 1:42, and Ben Murphy made it 5-0 at 6:42.

Guerriero finished with 36 saves. Chris Nell, a freshman, got his first collegiate shutout with 20 saves.

The Chargers have now lost six straight home openers, and their winless streak at home against Division I opponents is now at 29 games (0-26-3). They’ll try to finally break that streak Saturday night against the Falcons at 7:07 p.m.

UAH’s second game of the season followed the same storyline as the first. Unfortunately, that included the ending.

The Chargers rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie, but another late third period goal by Colorado College resulted in a 4-3 loss Saturday night in Colorado Springs.

CC won Friday’s game 3-2 in similar fashion: Take a lead, give it up, win it late anyway.

In the first, the Chargers found themselves shorthanded three times, and Colorado College spent much of the period in their offensive zone.

Matt Larose did what he could to withstand the onslaught, but only could do so much. On the one power play UAH had, Hunter Fejes took a shorthanded breakaway and backhanded over Larose to give CC a 1-0 lead at the 8:59 mark.

It seemed the Chargers would at least have a smaller first-period deficit than Friday night, but Alex Roos scored with 3.6 left in the frame, and the Tigers again lead 2-0 after one — just like Friday — and outshot the Chargers 15-4.

Also like Friday, could the Chargers have another second-period rally? It would become a chore quickly, after Christian Heil made it 3-0 Tigers just 25 seconds in.

Still, the answer was yes. Three blasts of yes.

UAH would score three unanswered goals, all defenseman blasts from just inside the blue line that found their way past CC goaltender Chase Perry.

The first was by Brandon Carlson from the right point at 6:12, assisted by Cody Marooney and Regan Soquila.

The second was by Misuraca at 16:26, with shades of the overtime winner he had against Bowling Green last season. His MisuRocket™ was assisted by Carlson and Matt Salhany, also from the right point.

Then Carlson got the equalizer just two minutes later, which was more from center but still close to the right point. Misuraca and Marooney with the helpers.

All this despite the Tigers outshooting the Chargers 20-8 for the period. Larose did his part with glove saves of blasts and covering up critical rebounds and redirects.

Boosted by the rally, the Chargers had an extra step in the third period. After being outshot all weekend, UAH had a 14-10 advantage in the final frame. Meanwhile, Larose continued to make big saves, even after needing attention for a right leg cramp.
However, just like Friday — again — the Tigers needed just one shot for the win. It came from Peter Stoykewych, who — like the three UAH goals — was a blast from just inside the blue line with 5:26 to go. Colorado College then clamped down to preserve their 4-3 win.

Larose finished the night with 41 saves.

UAH (0-2) opens the home season next Friday and Saturday (Oct. 17 and 18) against Bowling Green.

Mike Corbett talks with Candace Horgan of USCHO.com:

Last season, with a ton of freshman and buzz from joining a new conference, UAH went up to Boston to play a Northeastern team not expected to do too much. That Northeastern team went 19-14-4, starting with a four-goal first period against a stunned Charger team on the way to a 9-2 thrashing.

Friday night, UAH took some more freshman — and a handful of sophomores whose first college hockey experience was that night in Boston — went to Colorado Springs to face a Colorado College team not expected to do too much.

The Chargers lost this time as well, 3-2 to the Tigers, but an early deficit drown them this time. And with this UAH team still bursting with youth, the resiliency is a great sign.

Still, a loss is a loss, UAH’s fifth season opener in a row. Cody Bradley’s goal with 7:03 remaining was the game-winner for a Colorado College team that outshot the Chargers 40-18.

Like last year, UAH found itself behind quickly. Penalties didn’t help, and CC took advantage of a Jeff Vanderlugt tripping call to net the first goal of the game. Aaron Harstad’s blast from the right point found its way past Carmine Guerriero at the 3:45 mark.

The Tigers got two more power plays over the next nine minutes, and the Chargers were able to hold them off. However, a defensive lapse left Teemu Kimihalme all alone in the left circle, and he slapped it past Guerriero for a 2-0 CC lead halfway through the first.

CC had an 11-1 shots advantage by that point, but UAH started to get into the flow more in the second half of the period. The Chargers got a handful of couple of scoring chances in a stretch of five minutes with only one stoppage of play, but could not find the net.

UAH carried that energy into the second, and sustaining that energy and confidence paid off. The Chargers spent much more time in the offensive zone, and despite CC having more shots on goal in the period, UAH battled back to tie the game.

The first Charger goal of the season came at 12:11 of the second, when on a UAH power play, Chad Brears shot rebounded off CC goaltender Tyler Marble, and Brent Fletcher found the net to cut the Tigers’ lead to 2-1. Brandon Parker also got an assist for his first point at UAH.

About six minutes later, the Chargers got an odd man rush. Alex Carpenter from the left side sent a sweet centering pass to Jeff Vanderlugt, who knocked it home to tie the game at 2-2 with 1:59 left in the 2nd. Carpenter, a junior who transferred to UAH from Western Michigan but never played a game for the Broncos, got his first college point.

UAH found itself shorthanded for a chunk of the beginning of the third period, the Chargers were able to withstand Tiger rushes thanks to quick work by Guerriero, who finished the night with 37 saves.

And it seemed UAH would capitalize after another big penalty kill with under eight minutes to go, but on an odd man rush, Bradley’s blast top shelf gave CC the lead again. After that, CC continued to pin the Chargers in their own end, and UAH couldn’t get the offensive rushes need to equalize.

The Chargers and Tigers face off again at 8:05 p.m. CDT on Saturday.

The season finale went very much like the season itself. Plenty of effort. Plenty of competitiveness. But still short.

UAH lost to Northern Michigan 5-2 on Saturday. The Chargers finish the season at 2-35-1, setting an NCAA record for losses in a season. The 1999-2000 Michigan Tech team held the old record of 34.

It’s not the way the Chargers’ four seniors – Alex Allan, Brice Geoffrion, C.J. Groh, and Mat Hagen — envisioned their final games in the blue and white. Still, the boys showed the heart they’ve displayed all season, especially after a rough first period that saw them down 3-0 quickly.

Needing a win or tie to nail down a playoff spot, the Wildcats wasted no time showing they mean business.

NMU scored the first goal at the 3:24 mark. Wade Epp lofted the puck from the left point, and it squeezed between C.J. Groh’s glove and the post for a 1-0 lead.

The other two goals were by Darren Nowick. The first came from the slot on a nice sliding pass from Gerard Hanson for a 2-0 advantage just 5:25 into the game. Nowick’s second was on a scuffle in front of Groh as the puck squirted into the net at the 8:59 mark.

During the second period, the Wildcats earned their WCHA playoff spot when Lake Superior State lost at Ferris State. But the period itself belonged to the Chargers as they turned a potential blowout into a one-goal game.

UAH cut NMU’s lead to 3-1 after Jack Prince’s shot from the right point on the power play following a too many men on the ice penalty. Prince’s seventh goal of the season was assisted by Cody Marooney and Ben Reinhardt.

Prince tallied his eighth goal of the season and second of the game with 13:06 left in the second. After a flurry of shots on NMU goalie Mathias Dahlstrom resulted in a number of rebounds, Prince scored from behind the goal line to make it 3-2 NMU. The assists went to Steven Koshey and Regan Soquila.

UAH weathered over five minutes of power play to start the third period thanks to consecutive penalties. Groh, making his first start of the season, came up with big saves to keep it a one-goal game. The much-maligned penalty kill shone in this game, killing all six Wildcat advantages.

The Chargers then turned up the energy on offense, but could not find away to beat Dahlstrom again. NMU then made it a 4-2 lead after Nowick drove in to beat Groh and earn a hat trick with 6:06 to go.

Wade Epp then sealed the win for the Wildcats with an empty-netter with 39 seconds remaining.

We would like to thank all our supporters for their time and effort this season. It was difficult, but the foundation is being laid for this program by Coach Corbett and his staff. Stay tuned throughout the summer for news and updates about how you can help support the program in 2014-15.

The Chargers couldn’t find the consistent offensive pressure in a 4-1 loss to Northern Michigan on Friday.

Reed Seckel scored twice, and Mathias Dahlstrom made 27 saves as the Wildcats kept their WCHA postseason aspirations alive.

The first period belonged to Northern Michigan, but the Wildcats could only manage a 1-0 lead. The goal was on the power play by Brock Maschmeyer, who fired a shot through traffic from the center point that UAH goaltender Matt Larose could not track.

The Chargers increased their scoring opportunities toward the end of the first period, but could not convert. Jack Prince was denied on a point-blank shot by NMU goalie Mathias Dahlstrom for UAH’s best chance.

Meanwhile, Larose was sharp. He kept the UAH deficit at 1-0 after a sliding save on a John Siemer. NMU had a 16-9 shots advantage after one.

Northern Michigan quickly made it 2-0 to start the second. Dominik Shine went top shelf over Larose’s glove at the 1:06 mark.

UAH had more pressure in the second, however, and finally broke through on the power play after Austin Handley’s holding call. Cody Marooney deflected a Brandon Carlson shot past Dahlstrom for his second goal of the season with 3:58 left. Craig Pierce got the second assist.

NMU extended its lead back to two with 4.3 seconds left. Reed Seckel’s shot went five hole on Larose for a 3-1 Wildcats lead after two.

The Wildcats scored their final goal with 11:13 left. After UAH’s Mat Hagen had a breakaway coming out of the penalty box that was denied by Dahlstrom, Seckel — who was also in the box with a coincidental high sticking penalty — drove toward the net and beat Larose for his second goal of the game.

UAH fell to 2-34-1, tying the 1999-2000 Michigan Tech Huskies for the NCAA record for losses in a season.

The season finale is tomorrow night at 7, and free general admission is again available thanks to Huntsville International Airport. It will be Senior Night, as the Chargers bid farewell to Hagen, Alex Allan, Brice Geoffrion, and C.J. Groh. The first 500 fans will receive a free mini Saturn V rocket courtesy of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

Photos from Chris Brightwell

Photos from Jazzmine Jordan:

Two games. Two rare leads. Two more losses. Two more heartbreaks.

UAH had a one-goal lead for the second straight night, but, just like Friday, lost by one goal. On Saturday, it was a 3-2 Lake Superior State victory.

It was also another great goaltending performance that kept the Chargers in the game. Carmine Guerriero made 36 saves, following up Matt Larose’s 42-save performance on Friday. Lake Superior outshot UAH 39-20 on this night.

As Geof stated in yesterday’s recap, this young team will learn how to win in these situations. But for now, it hurts.

Lake Superior controlled the play early, and took a 1-0 lead six minutes in on a goal by Ian Mitchell from the left circle.

But after a Mitchell Nardi hooking penalty at 9:23, the bulk of the scoring chances went to the Chargers. UAH didn’t convert on the power play, but the increased pressure continued afterward. It finally paid off near the end of the period, when on a 2-on-1 break, Jeff Vanderlugt buried a shot past LSSU goalie Kevin Kapalka with 28 seconds left to tie the game. It was Vanderlugt’s fourth goal of the season, assisted by Doug Reid’s fifth assist.

UAH took a 2-1 lead early in the second. During a 4-on-4 situation, Matt Salhany stole the puck, went on a breakaway, faked and beat Kapalka for his fifth goal of the season. Brian Garber, who was broadcasting the game on WCHA TV, said Salhany shook Kapalka “out of his pants.”

The Lakers amped up the pressure at that point, but UAH goaltender Carmine Guerriero was up to the task. He made several saves from a variety of distances, and it took an odd bounce for Lake Superior to tie the game. Stephen Perfetto’s shot from near the goal line bounced off the post and in with 1:54 left in the second.

Lake Superior kept it going in the third, and finally took the lead with 9:21 left as Dan Radke’s deflection stymied Guerriero.

UAH had a few chances to tie things late, but for the most part had difficulty getting out of the defensive zone for a chunk of the period.

UAH drops to 1-32-1 for the season and 1-21-1 in the WCHA. Lake Superior goes to 16-15-1 overall and 12-12-0 in the WCHA, tied for fifth place.

The Chargers travel to Bemidji State next weekend. UAH returns home to finish the season in two weeks, entertaining Northern Michigan.

Stars of the game:
1. Dan Radke (LSSU, game-winning goal)
2. Stephen Perfetto (LSSU, goal)
3. Matt Salhany (UAH, goal)