Bowling Green scored four second-period goals and never looked back to defeat UAH 5-0 on Wednesday in Ohio in the first game of a home-and-home series.
Game two is Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Von Braun Center, the final home game of the season for the Chargers.
UAH fell to 3-13-1 overall and 3-8-0 in WCHA play as it finished an 9-day, 5-game road trip. The 13th-ranked Falcons improved to 18-8-1 and 7-5-1.
After a scoreless first period, Bowling Green broke the stalemate almost halfway through the second. Connor Ford beat David Fessenden high with a wrister from the right circle.
The Falcons took a 2-0 lead when Max Johnson’s shot up the middle deflected high off a Charger defender and just under the crossbar with 8:25 left in the second. A minute later, Brandon Kruse put BG up 3-0.
Anton Malmstrom made it 4-0 at the second intermission when he scored during an extended delayed penalty on UAH. Ford added a goal late in the third period.
David Fessenden made 36 saves for the Chargers, who were outshot 41-11.
UAH took the early lead again, but Lake Superior State scored four unanswered goals to take a 4-1 victory Saturday in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
The Chargers (3-12-1 overall, 3-7-0 WCHA) took a 1-0 lead with their first power-play goal since January 9. Quinn Green appeared to deflect Dayne Finnson’s snipe from the left circle for his third goal of the season at the 5:33 mark. (Finnson was credited with the goal as of publish time.)
Tyrone Bronte got his team-leading ninth assist on the goal, which ended a 0-for-17 streak for the UAH power play.
Lake Superior State (12-4-3, 6-3-0) tied the game with a seeing-eye goal with 9:18 left in the first. Mitch Oliver’s shot from the right point went through all sorts of traffic and David Fessenden could not see it.
Hampus Erikkson put the Lakers up 2-1 with a singular effort. He circled around the UAH zone to the left side and beat Fessenden high from the circle at 4:16 of the second period.
Three minutes later, Lake Superior went up 3-1 when Louis Boudon slipped the puck between the pipe and Fessenden’s extended right pad right after a power play expired.
Brandon Puricelli just about sealed the deal with a steal and a breakaway, tucking the puck past Fessenden with a back-hander for a 4-1 Laker lead early in the third.
Fessenden finished with 17 saves on 21 Laker shots. UAH put 20 shots on freshman goaltender Ethan Langenegger, who stopped 19 of them.
UAH’s next stop on this week-long road trip is Bowling Green, Ohio, to face the Falcons on Wednesday in the first part of a home-and-home series. The Chargers host Bowling Green next Sunday in their home season finale.
Lake Superior State scored two third-period goals, including the game-winner with 9.2 seconds remaining, to beat UAH 2-1 on Friday night in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
UAH (3-11-1 overall, 3-6-0 WCHA) held a 1-0 lead after two periods thanks to more strong goaltending by David Fessenden (26 saves) and a goal by Bennett Stockdale.
Stockdale drove along the goal line made a move around a defender and slipped the puck through Mareks Mitens’s five-hole for his second goal of the season.
Defensemen Josh Martin and Drew Lennon got the assists. It was the first collegiate point for Martin, who joined the Chargers last month.
Lake Superior (11-4-3, 5-3-0) got a 4-on-4 goal by Jacob Nordqvist with 9:45 remaining. Norqvist scored on a rebound at point-blank range following Hampus Eriksson’s shot.
The 20th-ranked Lakers went on the power play after a slashing penalty was called on Connor Wood with 21.8 seconds left in the third period. Will Riedell then scored with 9.2 remaining with a blast up the middle.
The Lakers outshot the Chargers, 28-10. Almost half of the Lakers’ shots came in the first period as the Chargers started closing shooting lanes in the second period.
Game two of the series is Saturday at 4:07 p.m. Central Time.
Northern Michigan got revenge in a big way Wednesday, trouncing the Chargers 8-2 to split the mid-week series in Marquette, Michigan.
After falling 3-1 to UAH on Tuesday, the Wildcats scored four times in the first period and never looked back. NMU added two goals in both the second and third periods and outshout UAH 29-20.
UAH’s first goal came in the second period. Bauer Neudecker’s fifth goal of the season came with a feeder from Tyrone Bronte, who notched his eighth assist of the year.
The second goal was with 1:47 left in the contest. Quinn Green’s wrister from the right dot was his second goal of the season.
Derek Krall (21 saves) got the start in net as the Chargers (3-10-1 overall, 3-5-0 WCHA) rested David Fessenden during this span of four games in five days. Fessenden was hurt late in Tuesday’s win.
NMU improved to 8-12-0 overall and 6-4-0 in WCHA play.
The Chargers next head to Lake Superior State for games Friday and Saturday to finish the road trip.
What does the fox say? An odd question to ask regarding a hockey game, but in a weirdly scheduled game in a weirdly scheduled season, apparently the fox says “victory.”
The Chargers, having to wear jerseys with the emblem of Fox Motors, a local car dealership, snapped a 29-game road winless streak Tuesday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over Northern Michigan at the Berry Events Center in Marquette, Mich.
UAH’s blue road jerseys did not make the trip, and with the winter storm battering a swath through the Midwest, they could not be shipped in time. So the Chargers wore basic white jerseys with the Fox Motors logo along with their regular blue helmets and pants.
The one thing that could be considered normal was the play of UAH goaltender David Fessenden, who stopped 35 of 36 shots. The sophomore returned to action after being scratched in the Chargers’ last game against Minnesota State on Friday.
Fessenden’s status is up in the air again, however. Fessenden had to be helped off the ice with 2:22 remaining in the third period. Inexplicably, Fessenden received a delay of game penalty.
Derek Krall filled in the rest of the game, making one save as the Chargers killed the penalty and finished the victory.
David Fessenden wears the borrowed Fox Motors jersey. (Photo by Shannon Stieg)
UAH (3-9-1 overall, 3-4-0 WCHA) won its third game of the year, surpassing last season’s mark.
The series finale is Wednesday night at 6:07 p.m. The Chargers travel to Lake Superior State for games Friday and Saturday.
The Wildcats (7-12-0 overall, 5-4-0 WCHA) had come in winners of five of their last six, but it was the Chargers who put the squeeze on them through most of two periods.
To start the scoring, Tyrone Bronte drove to the net, crossed to goaltender Rico DiMatteo’s right and delivered a nice back-hander over the pad for a 1-0 Chargers lead 4:32 in.
UAH took a 2-0 lead early in the second period when Adrian Danchenko followed up Ben Allen’s shot with a pop-in rebound from the slot.
The Chargers had their first three-goal lead of the season with 4:14 remaining in the second. Connor Wood, on a 2-on-1 fresh out of the penalty box, centered a pass to Bauer Neudecker, who ripped the puck past DiMatteo for his fourth goal of the season.
DiMatteo made 13 saves as the Wildcats lost for this first time in four starts for the freshman.
NMU’s top line would not be denied, however. Andre Ghantous, assisted by Joseph Nardi, beat a sprawling Fessenden to cut UAH’s lead to 3-1 with 2:53 remaining in the second.
No goals were scored in the third period, even though Northern Michigan dominated possession. The Wildcats outshot the Chargers 16-2 in the final frame and 37-16 for the game.
Part of the reason for the shots advantage was the faceoff advantage. NMU won that battle by a decisive 47-23 margin.
But Fessenden would come up big yet again, making use of his large frame and quick glove to keep the Wildcats out of the net.
UAH had not won a road game since March 1, 2019 at Bowling Green. The Chargers had gone 0-24-5 on the road since.
Technically, UAH played as the home team. This series was originally scheduled for January 22 and 23 in Huntsville but COVID-19 issues with the Chargers forced a postponement.
The distance between the young Chargers and experienced Mavericks was reaffirmed Friday night, as third-ranked Minnesota State handily defeated UAH again 5-0.
UAH’s winless streak against Minnesota State stands at 36 games (0-32-4) dating back to 2002, and barring a meeting in the WCHA playoffs, this could be the last game between UAH and Minnesota State for a while. MSU joins the CCHA next season, while UAH is still looking for a conference home.
UAH supporters can hope that one day, when the program regains solid footing, the Chargers will match up with the Mavericks again and finally put the streak to rest.
But for now, tough lessons were learned against the undisputed best team in the WCHA, although like in Thursday’s 4-1 loss the Chargers (2-9-1 overall, 2-4-0 WCHA) it would not easily go away in the first period.
The Mavericks (13-2-1, 10-0-0) scored first right after a power play expired. Dallas Gerads put in a rebound from the slot with 7:05 left, the only tally of the frame.
Minnesota State, also akin to Thursday’s game, put the game away in the second period with four goals, including two on the power play.
With 15:34 remaining in the third period, UAH finally got its first power play of the series. The Chargers failed to convert, while MSU finished 4-for-10 with the advantage in the two games.
Minnesota State goaltender Dryden McKay earned his eighth shutout in 14 starts this season, stopping all 16 UAH shots.
Derek Krall made his fourth start of the season for UAH, making 31 saves. David Fessenden, who left early in the third period of Thursday’s game, was scratched.
UAH next faces a busy week with four games in five days in Michigan. The Chargers play at Northern Michigan to make up a postponed series on Tuesday and Wednesday before heading to Lake Superior State on Friday and Saturday.
The Chargers have one home game remaining, against Bowling Green on February 28.
For a period at least, there were thoughts of an upset.
But Minnesota State did what a third-ranked team should do, scoring three goals in the second period en route to a 4-1 win over the Chargers at the Von Braun Center on Thursday night.
UAH (2-8-1 overall, 2-3-0 WCHA) struck first 3:32 into the contest when Quinn Green, taking a feed from the rigth wing Bauer Neudecker, beat superstar goaltender Dryden McKay from the high slot.
Tyrone Bronte extended his point-scoring streak to five games with the secondary assist on Green’s first collegiate goal.
After that, it was all Mavericks, who outshot the Chargers 46-10.
Minnesota State (12-2-1 overall, 9-0-0 WCHA) had tied the game with 7:18 left, but after a long video review officials determined that Brendan Furry’s stick was above the crossbar.
The Mavericks started the second period on a blistering pace and tied the game up on a power play. Andy Carroll back-handed in a rebound with goaltender David Fessenden down at 4:31 to go.
MSU took a 2-1 lead just over a minute later when Walker Duehr’s deflection in front handcuffed Fessenden. With 7:18 remaining, Cade Borchardt’s one-timer made it 3-1.
It was all Fessenden could do while being bombarded. The Mavericks put up 20 shots on goal in the second period alone.
UAH defenders were handling all they could as well, blocking 10 shots in the second period and 24 for the game.
Ayodele Adeniye led the Chargers with six blocked shots. During the power play when the Mavericks scored their second goal, Adeniye blocked two hard shots from the right slot. The first occurred while a Maverick player was falling on him. Adeniye got up with a limp before sliding to block the second. He skated gingerly off the ice but returned after being tended to.
Fessenden left the game hurt early in the third period and finished with 29 saves. Derek Krall, who started the Chargers’ second game against Michigan Tech last week, stopped 13 of 14 shots the rest of the way.
Dallas Gerads added a third-period power-play goal for the final 4-1 score. Meanwhile, UAH did not get any power plays.
Game two of the series is Friday night at 7:07 p.m.
UAH played better in its 4-1 loss to Michigan Tech at the Von Braun Cebter on Saturday, but the Chargers have work to do to regain their legs following their pandemic-induced layoff.
The Huskies wore down the Chargers with three unanswered goals in the third period to complete a sweep of the non-conference series.
The Chargers (2-7-1), who were idle for 27 days because of COVID-19 protocols coming into the weekend, had only 19 shots on goal. But even that was improvement over the nine shots on net they had in Friday’s 3-1 defeat.
Once again, UAH’s starting goaltender had to work hard to keep the Chargers in the game. This time, it was freshman Derek Krall, who had not seen any action in two months with David Fessenden assuming the No. 1 spot. Krall responded admirably with 37 saves on 41 Michigan Tech shots.
Trenton Bliss opened the scoring for Michigan Tech (11-5-1) by sneaking the puck off Krall and in with 11:07 remaining in the first period.
Michigan Tech nearly made it 2-0 when Alec Broetzman deflected a centering feed during a power play, but Krall denied him with a sprawling pad save and sitting cover.
The Chargers tied the game at 6:57 of the second period in a rather unorthodox fashion. Bennett Stockdale, trying to create a chance in front of the Tech net, was tripped as he crossed the goal line. His back-hander deflected off a Husky defender and past goalie Blake Pietila (18 saves) for his first college goal and point.
Bauer Neudecker and Tyrone Bronte got the assists. Bronte now leads the Chargers with six assists and nine points.
Michigan Tech dominated possession for the rest of the period after the UAH goal. The Huskies outshot the Chargers 15-5 in the frame, keeping Krall busy with the pad and glove.
The biggest test for UAH came at start the third period. After back-to-back penalties to Connor Wood and Ayodele Adeniye to end the second, the Chargers had to kill off a 5-on-3 Huskies advantage for 1:33.
Test passed, thanks in large part to Krall, who robbed Arvid Caderoth’s doorstep snipe with the pad to keep the game tied 1-1.
However, the Huskies eventually put the game away with three unanswered goals over a span of 3:46 as Tech kept firing.
Justin Misiak pounded in a rebound through traffic in the slot to put the Huskies up 2-1 almost four minutes into the third. Tristan Ashbrook wristed in a centering pass two minutes later, and Alec Broetzman followed up with a slapshot from the left circle a minute after that.
UAH will turn attention to the best team in the WCHA, No. 6 Minnesota State, for a conference series at the VBC on Thursday and Friday.
UAH goaltender David Fessenden earned his first career shutout, stopping all 42 Ferris State shots in a 2-0 Charger victory at the Von Braun Center on Saturday.
Fessenden’s 42 saves were the second-most in a shutout in UAH history, two shy of now-Michigan Tech goaltender Mark Sinclair’s record of 44 set last season.
The Chargers (2-5-1 overall, 2-2-0 WCHA) completed its first series sweep in two years, and already matched their win total from last season. Combined with Friday’s 5-4 overtime victory, UAH’s had a very successful opening series at Propst Arena.
In the crazier stat department, UAH posted its first shutout at the VBC since October 25, 2003, when Adam MacLean and Scott Munroe combined to blank Connecticut 6-0.
It certainly wasn’t easy, as Ferris State (0-8-0 overall, 0-4-0 WCHA) used six power plays to pepper the Charger net. But the Bulldogs could not convert on any of them, as UAH’s penalty kill was a perfect 11-for-11 on the weekend.
Early penalties to Tyrone Bronte and Ayodele Adeniye put the Chargers in a bind. The closest call was when Jake Willets had the puck all alone in the slot but was denied with Fessenden’s pad.
Ferris State had three power plays in the first period alone, allowing the Bulldogs a lot of time in the UAH end, even though the Chargers had two power plays of their own. FSU had 19 shot attempts to UAH’s seven, and had a 10-3 advantage in shots on goal.
The second period was a bit more even in terms of offensive possession, with Ferris State only outshooting UAH 13-10. However, the Chargers were the ones who finally capitalized with two late goals.
With 2:56 remaining and on a delayed penalty, Connor Merkley took a Tyr Thompson pass at the blue line and drove up the middle, beating Logan Stein with the backhand for his first goal of the season. Bahn also got an assist, his fourth, to tie for the team lead.
On the ensuing power play, Tyrone Bronte put the Chargers up 2-0 with 1:33 to go. The third goal of the season for the Australian freshman was assisted by Dayne Finnson and Mick Heneghan.
In the third period, it was again all about the big sophomore from Parker, Colorado.
Around the halfway point, Fessenden made a nifty sliding save on Coale Norris on a 2-on-1 break. With just over five minutes to go, Fessenden’s stick denied Ethan Stewart on another point-blank opportunity.
The Bulldogs only had one power play in the final frame, but still managed 19 shots on goal to UAH’s five. They had 28 attempts to UAH’s nine.
Fessenden’s final five saves came in the final 20 seconds, as Ferris State had pulled Stein for the extra attacker and UAH was forced to ice the puck twice in the final minute.
The Chargers’ next action is next weekend at Bemidji State. They return to the VBC on January 22-23 against Northern Michigan.
The Chargers were back at the Von Braun Center for the first time in 10 months, although it has seemed like eons. They wanted to treat the fans who supported them when a future did not seem possible.
And treat them they did in thrilling fashion. Ben Allen scored with 2.4 seconds remaining in regulation to tie, and Dayne Finnson blasted the game-winning goal in a 5-4 UAH overtime win over Ferris State on Friday night.
A socially-distanced crowd of 1,124 erupted as the Chargers (1-5-1 overall, 1-2-0 WCHA) clinched their first victory in seven games this year and the first under head coach Lance West. UAH snapped a 14-game winless streak going back to last season.
UAH will be going for the series sweep Saturday night at 7 p.m.
The Chargers threw just about everything they could at Ferris State freshman goaltender Logan Stein, who was making his season debut after finishing the world junior championship with a gold medal as Team USA’s backup. UAH had 45 shots on goal, the most in a game since 2015.
The game was a constant back-and-forth, testing both Stein and UAH goalie David Fessenden, who stopped 26 of 30 FSU shots.
UAH started with a strong power play, but it was Ferris State (0-7-0, 0-3-0) that scored the first goal. Antonio Venuto poked the puck through Fessenden’s left side at the 4:32 mark.
UAH answered with another power play, and this one was successful. Tyrone Bronte from the slot deflected Finnson’s pass from the left point over Stein’s glove to tie the game at 1-1 with 7:03 remaining in the first.
Tyrone Bronte, right, celebrates with Lucas Bahn after scoring UAH’s first goal. (Photo by Chuck Edgeworth/UAH Athletics)
The Chargers took a 2-1 lead at 5:31 of the second period. Tyr Thompson’s blast from the right side rebounded off Stein to Drew Lennon in the left circle, and Lennon drove the puck home.
Ferris State tied the game back up at 2-2 around halfway through the contest on Coale Norris’s putback from the slot.
UAH survived a scare in the second half of the second period after getting back-to-back slashing penalties. But the Chargers and Fessenden’s three crucial saves kept the game even through two.
The Chargers had a big chance to pull ahead with a two-man advantage with about 12 minutes to go in regulation. Allen had a prime chance point blank denied by Stein and a Lennon blast hit the crossbar, but UAH came up empty.
The Bulldogs took a 3-2 lead not long after on a Mitch Deelstra goal, beginning a stirring stretch of goals in the final 7:30 of regulation.
UAH re-tied the game with 4:22 in regulation with its second power-play goal. Tyr Thompson’s wrister from the left circle resulted in his team-leading third goal of the season, giving Mick Heneghan his first career point with the primary assist.
Ferris State answered under two minutes later on a Justin Michaelian goal, and it appeared the Chargers might be destined for their fourth one-goal loss of the season.
Not so fast, said UAH. With Fessenden pulled with the extra attacker and time winding down, the Chargers mounted one final rush. Lennon sent the puck up to Quinn Green just before the blue line, who fed it to Allen, who wristed the puck past Stein with 2.4 seconds remaining to tie the game at 4-4.
The officials confirmed the goal after checking video replay to make sure the Chargers were onside after Green took the puck.
UAH got the overtime game-winner with its third power-play goal. The Bulldogs were called for too many men on the ice, giving the Chargers a 4-on-3 advantage. Finnson’s one-timer in the right circle on a feed from Bauer Neudecker beat Stein glove side with 2:30 left in the 3-on-3 period.
While the Chargers were 3-for-6 on the power play, they killed all five of Ferris State’s advantages.
