The Chargers got another huge game from Mark Sinclair, and a big win to put them one step closer back to the WCHA playoffs.
Sinclair stopped all 35 shots he faced as UAH defeated Ferris State 2-0 in Big Rapids on Friday. The sophomore became the first UAH goaltender with multiple shutouts in a season since Scott Munroe had three in 2004-05.
UAH (7-24-2 overall, 7-16-2-2 WCHA, 25 points) extended its lead over Ferris State for the eighth and final conference playoff spot to seven points. The Chargers can clinch the berth with one point (a tie or better) in Saturday’s series finale (6:07 p.m. CST).
UAH also pulled to within six points of Alaska for seventh. The Nanooks were hosting first-place Minnesota State late.
Ferris State fell to 8-22-3 overall and 5-17-3-0 (18 points) in WCHA play.
Drew Lennon put the Chargers on top in a mostly uneventful first period. His shot through traffic from just outside the left circle at the 6:44 mark could not be seen by FSU goalie Roni Salmenkangas and was his first collegiate goal and point.
Austin Beaulieu and Jack Jeffers got the assists.
The Bulldogs did put on some pressure in the latter half of the first period, putting 13 shots on UAH netminder Mark Sinclair, who stopped them all.
Sinclair made another 12 saves in the second period, which had a bit more up-and-down action.
It wasn’t until two minutes remaining in the second when the first penalty occurred. Kurt Gosselin went off for tripping FSU’s Lucas Finner, but the UAH power play, which had struggled as of late, put a solid kill to end the period still leading 1-0.
UAH almost took a 2-0 lead with 9:27 left in the third, but Andrew Dodson’s goal was disallowed after video review showed he kicked the puck in.
The Chargers seemed to pick it up in that third period, keeping the Bulldogs at bay until FSU started getting more chances late. UAH had its only power play early in the period as there were only two penalties called all game.
FSU pulled goaltender Roni Salmenkangas (24 saves) with 1:40 left, and maintained extreme pressure for the rest of regulation.
But eventually, UAH would get that goal to seal the game. Bauer Neudecker deflected a pass out of the Charger zone, and the puck traveled all the way into the empty net with four seconds left.
Northern Michigan broke a tie with two late second-period goals and spoiled UAH’s Senior Day with a 6-3 win at the Von Braun Center on Saturday.
UAH (6-24-2 overall, 6-16-2-2 WCHA), which honored eight seniors prior to the Chargers’ final home game of the season, will have next week off before heading to Ferris State looking to lock down a WCHA playoff spot.
Northern Michigan (15-13-1, 14-7-1-0) took four of six points for the weekend, and moved into a tie for second place with Bowling Green in the WCHA standings.
UAH, which took two points Friday by winning in the 3-on-3 overtime following a 2-2 tie, scored first again Saturday. Connor James’s blast from long range and through traffic got past Atte Tolvanen.
His third goal of the season came at the 5:56 mark and was assisted by Christian Rajic and Madison Dunn.
The Wildcats, who scored both of their goals on Friday on the power play, struck again with the man advantage to tie the game at 1-1. Vincent De Mey got the goal from the left circle.
NMU took its first lead of the series early in the second period, as Griffin Loughran’s wrap-around past Jake Theut (34 saves) put the Wildcats up 2-1 at the 4:02 mark.
UAH tied the game on a beautiful power play goal two minutes later. Bauer Neudecker from the left circle passed to Austin Beaulieu near the left post, who set up Hans Gorowsky in the slot. Gorowsky beat Tolvanen high for his ninth goal of the season.
The Wildcats regained the lead at 3-2 with 3:25 left in the second. During 4-on-4 action, NMU had a 3-on-1 rush, with Tony Bretzman backhanding the puck in.
NMU took a two-goal advantage at 4-2 with 46 seconds left in the period. Jarrett Lee scored on another wrap-around, bouncing the puck just over Theut’s glove.
The Chargers started a rally on the power play in the third period. James scored again, this time from the right side, to cut NMU’s lead to 4-3 with 11:21 to go.
Dunn and Rajic provided the assists again. Rajic has a team-high 11 helpers on the season.
But the rally was snuffed when the Wildcats struck yet again on the power play. Denver Pierce’s one-timer in the slot glanced off the post and in and NMU lead by two again, 5-3, with 6:49 remaining.
The Wildcats finished with four power play goals on the weekend, beating a UAH penalty kill that was as high as fifth in Division I but has since fallen to 24th over the last three weeks.
Troy Loggins sealed the game with a long-range, empty-net goal with 24 seconds remaining.
Tolvanen stopped 24 of 26 UAH shots for the win.
UAH entered the day eight points ahead of FSU for eighth place in the WCHA standings and four points ahead of Alaska for seventh.
A roller-coaster of emotions ends up on the joyful side as the Chargers took two WCHA points from Northern Michigan following a 2-2 tie at the Von Braun Center on Friday.
NMU had tied the game with 5:34 remaining in regulation, and had won the game in overtime before video review overruled the goal because of goaltender interference.
Cam Knight scored just 36 seconds into the 3-on-3 second overtime, which gave the Chargers the second WCHA point. UAH had to withstand its own video review before it was finally confirmed.
The Chargers (6-23-2 overall, 6-15-2-2 WCHA) needed the points to enhance their WCHA playoff chances. With Ferris State getting just one point after its tie with Bemidji State, UAH increased its hold of the eighth and final playoff berth to eight points over FSU. UAH also pulled within four points of Alaska, which lost to Alaska Anchorage, for seventh.
For Northern Michigan (14-13-1, 13-7-1-0), its single point moved the Wildcats to within one point of third-place Lake Superior State.
Game two of the series and the final UAH home game of the season is Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The eight Charger seniors will be honored before the game.
The whole game was one of highs and lows.
Plenty of up-and-down action in the first period, although it did not lead to any scoring. The Wildcats outshot the Chargers 8-6 in the frame.
Scoring did start frantically in the second period, with the Chargers putting two up quickly.
At the 1:44 mark, Jack Jeffers drove up the left side and beat Atte Tolvanen to put UAH up 1-0. It was the seventh goal of the season for the freshman, and Hans Gorowsky had the assist.
Gorowsky had a hand on UAH’s second goal at 4:05. He and Brandon Salerno had a two-on-none, and Salerno finished off the give-and-go for his fifth goal of the season. Bailey Newton got his first assist.
Northern Michigan got on the board right after a Jeffers hooking penalty. Troy Loggins notched his 13th goal of the season on a one-timer to cut UAH’s lead to 2-1 at 5:12.
NMU had another power play almost immediately afterward, and the Wildcats at least used that time to test Sinclair with lots of rubber. NMU had 12 shots on goal within the first eight minutes of the second period, and 20 for the whole frame.
A scary moment for the Wildcats came with 5:45 left in the second when Tolvanen, who has started all 28 games this season, had to be tended to after Andrew Dodson collided with him. Dodson received a minor penalty for charging, but the Chargers were able to kill it.
UAH had a chance to put it away about halfway through the third period when back-to-back penalties by Loggins and Griffin Loughran gave the Chargers a two-man advantage for 1:48.
But Tolvanen (22 saves) came up big, making a glove save on Bauer Neudecker and covering up another possible Jeffers goal.
The Wildcats killed the penalties, then capitalized on Tyr Thompson’s hooking call with 5:34 left in regulation with a power play goal by Ty Readman.
In the regular 5-on-5 overtime, both teams had big chances with under two minutes to go. Joseph Nardi missed high on a breakaway with 1:40 left, and Tolvanen stopped Gorowsky 20 seconds later.
Adam Rockwood appeared to have scored to snatch victory from the Chargers with 26 seconds remaining in overtime, but the officials determined after video review that there was a Wildcat in the crease causing interference, and the goal was overturned.
The overtime ended to officially make it a 2-2 draw, and with renewed life the Chargers made it count. Cam Knight beat Tolvanen on a breakaway just 36 seconds in to give UAH two of the three league points.
UAH goaltender Mark Sinclair finished with 41 saves, the third 40-plus-save outing of the season.
Three stars of the game:
1. Cam Knight, UAH (3-on-3 OT goal) 2. Hans Gorowsky, UAH (2 assists) 3. Mark Sinclair, UAH (41 saves)
File photo of Cam Knight by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography
The sixth-ranked Mavericks clamped down on the Chargers again on Saturday in a 4-0 decision, completing a series sweep in Mankato, Minn.
UAH (6-23-1 overall, 6-15-1-1 WCHA) was held to only 12 shots on goal, half of which came in the third period when the game was pretty much decided.
The Chargers still hold eighth place in the WCHA standings by seven points over Ferris State, which was swept by Lake Superior.
But the Mavericks (23-6-1, 18-4-0-0) showed again why they are the best team in the conference. MSU now has a commanding 11-point advantage over second-place Bowling Green, which lost to Northern Michigan.
If the standings hold, the Chargers would be back in Mankato for the WCHA quarterfinals. Since MSU outscored UAH 10-1 in this series, the Chargers must find a way to compete with the Mavericks over the final weeks of the regular season.
Minnesota State scored early again in this one, this time at the 2:34 mark when Chris Van Os-Shaw flipped the puck just over Mark Sinclair, who could not cover the puck in the crease.
UAH would not get its first shot on goal until 11:19 in, when Jack Jeffers drove to the net and collided with MSU goaltender Dryden McKay. Jeffers received a penalty on the play.
That would be the only shot on goal for the Chargers in the first, one of only two shot attempts as just about the whole period was held in the UAH end.
Things got dicey in the second period. Just over two minutes in, Sinclair misplayed the puck behind the net, giving it to Jake Jaremko, who tucked it in the open net to make it 2-0.
Less than a minute later, Connor Wood put Connor Mackey into the boards hard. Wood got a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
UAH was able to hold on until Parker Tuomie put a high stick to the head of Sinclair, knocking his helmet off. Tuomie received a five-minute major for spearing and a game misconduct, giving the Chargers three minutes of power play to work with.
However, the Chargers only got one shot on goal during the advantage.
Minnesota State would extend its lead to 3-0 on its next power play following a Kurt Gosselin slashing penalty. Julian Napravnik scored high from the left point.
David French made it 4-0 Mavericks with 51 seconds left in the second. The third period was garbage time.
McKay got the shutout with 12 saves. Sinclair stopped 31 of 35 shots for UAH, which was shut out for the sixth time this season.
The Chargers are now 0-24-4 in their last 28 games against Minnesota State, dating back to 2002.
UAH has its final home series of the season next week. The Chargers host Northern Michigan on Friday (6:07 p.m.) and Saturday (3:37 p.m.).
It only takes a moment for an upset bid to dissolve against a top team like Minnesota State.
The sixth-ranked Mavericks scored two quick goals early in the third period and rolled from there, turning a 1-0 lead into a 6-1 victory over the Chargers on Friday in Mankato, Minn.
UAH (6-22-1 overall, 6-14-1-1 WCHA) will try again to break a long-standing winless streak against MSU on Saturday night.
Minnesota State (22-6-1, 17-4-0-0) maintained its eight-point lead over Bowling Green atop the WCHA standings.
The Mavericks struck early with a goal at the 3:21 mark. Edwin Hookenson’s shot from the right point got between the legs of Jake Theut.
Theut would probably like that one back, but he was stout from that point through the second period.
The closest the Mavericks would score in the second period was with about four minutes remaining, when he slid to his left to make a toe save on Charlie Gerard.
So UAH only had a 1-0 deficit, but Theut could do little to stop what happened in the third.
At 2:08, MSU had Chris Van Os-Shaw and Julian Napravnik on a 2-on-1 all alone, with Napravik finishing to make it 2-0. At 3:14, Connor Mackey fired a rebound from the high slot to make it 3-0.
From there, the Mavericks found their scoring touch. Ian Scheid, Parker Tuomie, and Chris Van Os-Shaw added goals as MSU outshot UAH 43-15 for the game.
The Chargers averted the shutout as Kurt Gosselin scored on a backhander on the power play with 3:04 remaining. Fourth goal of the season and 20th of his career for Gosselin.
Austin Beaulieu and Theut assisted on the goal. It was the first goalie assist for UAH since John Griggs had one in the 2010-11 season.
Theut finished with 37 saves. MSU goalie Dryden McKay made 14 saves.
UAH is now winless in 27 games (0-23-4) against Minnesota State dating back to the 2001-02 season.
Alaska quashed a lot of the momentum UAH had after its sweep of Anchorage last week. The Chargers did not help themselves Saturday.
UAH was swept by the Nanooks after a 5-2 defeat at the Von Braun Center, giving Alaska a six-point advantage over UAH for seventh place in the WCHA standings.
The Chargers (6-21-1 overall, 6-13-1-1 WCHA), leaving points on the table against the team they were tied with coming into the weekend, heads to Mankato next week to face the top team in the league in Minnesota State.
The Chargers uncharacteristically racked up penalties, particularly in the first two periods, in what was their least disciplined game of the season. UAH had 32 penalty minutes, 10 on major penalties.
Alaska (8-16-2, 8-11-1-1) exploited the Chargers’ penalty kill, who had the fifth-highest efficiency in Division I coming into the weekend. The Nanooks scored four times on 10 power play opportunities.
UAH committed four penalties in the first period, including a cross-checking penalty on Dayne Finnson that needed video review (it was kept as a two-minute minor).
The first was a slashing call on Cam Knight at 1:17, and Alaska converted at 2:05 when Tyler Cline’s shot from the left point found its way through traffic and UAH goalie Mark Sinclair (32 saves).
The penalties were not conducive to generating offense, and it showed in the period shot totals. Alaska only lead in shots on goal 8-4, but had at 20-7 advantage in shot attempts thanks to the four power plays.
UAH did tie the game at 1-1 in the first, almost by accident. A turnover in the Alaska zone saw the puck come right to Christian Rajic in the right circle. Rajic quickly just threw the puck on net, and it got past Anton Martinsson (19 saves) for his second goal of the season with 4:11 left in the period.
The second period was more of the same, except worse. UAH was shorthanded for literally half the period because of two major penalties.
The first was against Bailey Newton, whose hit on Matthew Doran just 37 seconds in drew a five-minute penalty, his second in as many games. This time, however, Newton did not get a game misconduct.
Colton Leiter scored late in the extended power play to give Alaska a 2-1 lead at the 5:31 mark of the second.
The second UAH major penalty was against Andrew Dodson, who checked Tyler Cline from behind. Cline had to be helped to the bench, but he would return to action. Dodson did get the game misconduct and was ejected with 11:31 left in the second.
The Nanooks used this to score two more power play goals and increase their lead to 4-1. Tristan Thompson found gold from long range, and Max Newton’s goal was originally waved off but video review overturned the call.
With 3:17 left in the second, Hans Gorowsky scored his eighth goal of the season from the slot to cut Alaska’s lead in half. Despite all the penalties, the Chargers found themselves down only two entering the third.
UAH had many looks but hardly any shots in a power play early in the third. Alaska then extended its lead to 5-2 after Chad Staley finished off a 2-on-1 with 13:13 to go, and that was all she wrote.
The Chargers were outshot 37-21 in the game and were 0-for-4 on the power play.
UAH’s final home series of the season is Feb. 8-9 against Northern Michigan.
The power plays. The penalty shot. The 2-on-1 shorthanded breaks. So many chances went for naught.
The Chargers lost to Alaska 3-1 at the VBC on Friday, seeing their 3-game overall unbeaten streak and 3-game home winning streak come to an end. UAH will go for the series split Saturday at 7 p.m. as Military Appreciation Weekend continues.
UAH (6-20-1 overall, 6-12-1-1 WCHA) went 0-for-7 on the power play and outshot the Nanooks 32-29.
Anton Martinsson was the answer for Alaska (7-16-2, 7-11-1-1), which moved three points up on UAH for sole possession of seventh place in the WCHA standings. The junior goaltender made 31 saves, including a diving stop on Connor Merkley’s penalty shot in the third period.
The Chargers struck first when Bauer Neudecker’s backhander from the left circle beat Martinsson at the 8:16 mark of the first period.
Neudecker’s fifth goal of the season was assisted by Jack Jeffers and Madison Dunn.
UAH had a chance to increase its lead with a two-man advantage for over a minute late in the first, but the Martinsson and the Nanooks kept the Chargers at bay.
At 2:11 of the second, Bailey Newton boarded Jack Weiss hard, and got a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Newton has taken a sizeable team lead in penalty minutes in his freshman season with 51.
Two minutes of the major penalty were killed almost immediately with an Alaska penalty, but the Nanooks capitalized when the power play resumed. Kylar Hope’s redirection past UAH goalie Mark Sinclair (26 saves) tied the game up at 1-1 at 6:26.
UAH give the lead to the Nanooks. Colton Leiter scored just after the halfway point of the game to put Alaska up 2-1.
The Charger power play, which went 4-for-9 against Alaska Anchorage last week, struggled through the second and third periods, making missed chances for them to tie the game.
With 16:23 to go, Merkley was hooked on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. Martinsson dove ahead on the attempt and swiped the puck away from Merkley before he could get a good shot.
Max Newton increased Alaska’s lead to 3-1 after scoring with 10:58 to go.
Even while getting breaks shorthanded, UAH couldn’t get the payoff. Hans Gorowsky and Drew Lennon each had chances on 2-on-1 breaks that were swept aside by Martinsson.N
The Chargers’ special teams took center stage Saturday in a 6-3 win over
Alaska-Anchorage.
UAH scored a pair of short-handed goals – the team’s first of the season –
and a power-play goal in a four-goal second period en route to the win and a
sweep of the weekend series.
“This was a shot in the arm for our special teams,” said UAH head coach Mike Corbett. “That’s where the special teams’ play is huge.”
It was UAH’s first series sweep of the season and the first since the
2016-17 season.
Kurt Gosselin and Hans Gorowsky each scored twice to lift the Chargers to 6-11-1 in the WCHA and 6-19-1 overall. Gosselin’s goals lift him to fourth all-time among UAH defensemen in the Division I era with 19.
Gorowsky and Gosselin each scored a short-handed and a power play goal.
Gorowsky’s tally was UAH’s first short-handed goal of the season. Cam Knight
had a goal and an assist for the Chargers and Jesper Ohrvall also scored.
Gosselin had an assist to go with his two goals and Austin Beaulieu added two
assists.
“The special teams were working together,” Gosselin said. “We
watched the film and we’re able to adapt.”
The Chargers trailed 1-0 and were outshot 13-5 after the first period that
more resembled the opening game of a series, instead of the second game.
“It was our typical Friday start,” Corbett said of the Chargers’
sluggish first period. “We’re lucky we weren’t down 3-0.”
Goaltender Mark Sinclair finished the game with 26 saves in posting his
fourth win of the season and back-to-back victories this weekend.
It was a rare back-to-back start for the sophomore netminder but Corbett
said he was up to the task.
“We felt he played well (Friday) and we needed him to play well
(Saturday),” he said.
The Seawolves (1-16-1, 2-21-1) opened the scoring with a power play goal at
11:11 of the first period.
While they were sluggish in the opening period, the Chargers came out and
played a solid second period.
Just three minutes into the period, Knight put a backhand shot past UAA
goaltender Kristian Stead to tie the score at 1-1.
But the tie was short-lived as the Seawolves regained the lead just 42
seconds later.
With 5:02 gone in the period and UAH on the power play, Gosselin’s slap shot
from the blue line evaded Stead to tie the game at 2-2.
About midway through the period with John Teets in the penalty box for
cross-checking, Gorowsky took a breakout pass from Gosselin and put the puck
over Stead for a 3-2 lead. It was the Chargers’ first short-handed goal of the
season.
Gosselin ran the count to 4-2 with 16 seconds left in the period as he
scored on a 2-on-1 break with Andrew Dodson. It was UAH’s second short-handed
goal of the game and season.
“We had a good second period,” Corbett said. The Chargers outshot
UAA 19-5.
“We knew we started out slow,” said Gosselin. “We figured it
out between (the first and second) periods.”
After the Seawolves scored in the third to cut UAH’s lead to 4-3, Gorowsky scored an empty-netter with 1:05 left in the game. Ohrvall scored the finale with just 9.5 seconds to play for the final 6-3 count.
With the win, the Chargers are tied for eighth place in the WCHA with
Alaska-Fairbanks, which hosts Bowling Green Saturday night. UAH and the Nanooks
(6-10-1) each have 20 points.
The Chargers host Alaska-Fairbanks next Friday and Saturday nights.
“Fairbanks is bigger and stronger (than UAA),” Gosselin said.
“We’re a hard-working team … we’ll be ready for them.”
The Chargers rode a three-goal second period and three power play goals to cruise to a 6-2 win over Alaska Anchorage at the Von Braun Center on Friday.
UAH (5-19-1, 5-11-1-1 WCHA) scored six goals for the first time in nearly three years. The Chargers will go for their first sweep of the season in the rematch Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.
“It’s preparation throughout the week,” said UAH senior captain Kurt Gosselin, who had a goal and two assists. “As a team we always got together after and before practice to make sure who we were focused on who we were playing and what their game plan was.
“They have a pretty simple forecheck, and we were able to counter it and get up the ice. All of our offense was from our forwards working hard and getting low. In the last couple of games, shooting the puck is where we’re getting our success.”
Alaska Anchorage fell to 2-20-1 overall and 1-15-1-0 in WCHA play.
The Chargers wanted to perform better in the first period on Fridays, trying to score the first goal and guard against defensive breakdowns.
UAH outshot Anchorage 13-8, generating a few scoring chances inside and out. And the Chargers did get that first goal, as Connor Wood put UAH up 1-0 at the 9:32 mark. Cam Knight and Adam Wilcox had the assists.
However, they allowed Nicolas Erb-Ekholm to tie it up with 2:11 left in the period.
“We started out the first 10 minutes, then they took the next five to seven, then we had the last good two to three,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “I thought it was going to be a little tighter of a game”
The Chargers really took control in the second period with three goals.
The first was by freshman Jack Jeffers, who took the team lead in goals with his sixth after a nifty move leading to a wrister to roof the puck over Carlson for a 2-1 UAH lead at 4:40. Kurt Gosselin and Madison Dunn with the assists.
UAH made it 3-1 just over a minute later, when Andrew Dodson scored his first collegiate goal. He knocked in a centering pass by Connor James, with Brandon Salerno getting the second helper.
Then some tic-tac-toe action, Bauer Neudecker to Austin Beaulieu to Hans Gorowsky, to make it 4-1 with 1:08 remaining. It was Gorowsky’s fourth goal of the season.
“Bauer Neudecker had some great patience on the half-wall, and he saw an opening to get it down to Austin Beaulieu on the goal line,” Gorowsky said. “Austin waited for his player to come to me, and I had a wide open shot. Once again, they did all the work and I got the reward.”
Gosselin added a power play goal two minutes into the third, burying a second chance effort for a 5-1 advantage. Gorowsky and Knight with the apples.
“We were able to do some things in the second period that we wanted to practice all week and it’s nice to see the guys execute,” Corbett said.
Another UAH power play goal extended its lead to 6-1, when Gorowsky put in the rebound of Gosselin’s shot from the slot for his second goal of the game. Neudecker also got the assist.
In all, 13 Chargers got points, driving home that this team uses scoring by committee.
“It’s awesome, because it makes it easier for every line,” Gorowsky said. “We expect it on this team. We don’t have any guys that are going to score 25 goals this season. We need it from all four lines.”
UAH, ranked 60th in Division I on the power play this season, finished 3-for-5 with the advantage.
“We need that (power play) to be able to get us some offense,” Corbett said. “They’re moving the puck and they’re shooting. There’s no great formula: Get the puck to the net and get some bodies to the net and we made some plays.”
“Our special teams have been getting together besides practice, going over game film, drawing it out on the board, and making sure we’re all on the same page,” Gosselin said. “Just trying to keep it simple. Our success was us sticking to our structure and getting pucks on net.”
Anchorage cut UAH’s lead to 6-2 with 4:09 to go on a goal by Carmine Buono.
With a Friday success under their belt, the Chargers need to guard against a Saturday letdown.
“This team has to learn how to finish,” Corbett said. “We’ve got to guard against tomorrow. We have the opportunity to get six points and we’ve got to take advantage of that.
“This team hasn’t been in this situation very often. I know we have a hungry group, and we’re going to make sure that they’re ready.”
“The guys should get some rest and have the same tenacity for tomorrow,” Gosselin said. “We’ve got to come out hot like we did.”
The Chargers outshot the Seawolves 32-23.
Mark Sinclair made 21 saves for the victory for UAH. Carlson made 26 saves for UAA.
Three Stars: 1. Hans Gorowsky, UAH (2 goals, 1 assist) 2. Kurt Gosselin, UAH (1 goal, 2 assists) 3. Bauer Neudecker, UAH (2 assists)
The Chargers (4-19-1 overall, 4-11-1-1 WCHA) shook off Friday’s 7-2 blowout loss, getting a stellar performance by goaltender Mark Sinclair, who made 36 saves over regulation and overtime.
Jesper Ohrvall had the only tally in the shootout, which went two rounds.
UAH nearly had the win over Lake Superior (14-6-2, 9-5-2-0), which had won seven straight. Madison Dunn put the Chargers up 1-0 with 9:32 left in the third period, but Brendan McKay knotted the game up for the Lakers with 1:57 remaining.
The Chargers remain in eighth place in the WCHA standings, four points clear of Ferris State, as they come home for next week’s series against Alaska Anchorage.
The first period was nondescript until 25 seconds remaining, when things got chippy at the halfwall in the Laker zone.
Dayne Finnson’s hit on Anthony Nellis into the boards resulted in the UAH freshman getting a five-minute contact-to-the-head major for elbowing and a game misconduct. Nellis, the Lakers’ second-leading scorer, skated off on his own power but was taken back to the locker room.
John Teets (8), Connor James (4), Madison Dunn (14), and Christian Rajic (9) celebrate Dunn’s third-period goal. (Photo by Mike Barrett / Laker Hockey Blog)
Lake Superior’s major power play carried over into the second period, and the Lakers thought they had a goal off the goalpost, but it was immediately waved off because of a Diego Cuglietta interference penalty.
Nellis would return to action, and was part of a sequence with under five minutes remaining in the second where he had three straight shots in a span of about five seconds. Sinclair remained on point, however, using his blocker and gloves to keep the game scoreless through two.
Dunn finally broke the deadlock on the power play with his third goal of the season, assisted by Connor James and Jack Jeffers. Then McKay was the only one to beat Sinclair with 1:57 remaining in regulation.
It was a rough and tumble game for Sinclair all night. The Lakers tried many times to beat Sinclair high, and a few rang off his face mask. He appeared to take one puck off a shoulder, and in the extra 3-on-3 overtime, was shaken up when a collision with the goalpost after three players barreled into the UAH net.
But Sinclair remained in the game, and was able to hold off the Lakers for the rest of the extra overtime. Then, he made stops on Nellis and Pete Veillette in the sudden-death shootout.
Christian Rajic missed on the first round, but Ohrvall tucked the puck past Nick Kossoff (25 saves) to secure the second WCHA point for the Chargers.
