Category Archives: 2013-14

Your Favorite Charger Hockey Memory Is …

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Pretty sure this is Matt Larose's bucket. Photo credit: Timothy Burns

Pretty sure this is CJ Groh’s bucket.
Photo credit: Timothy Burns

It’s been a hard fall for UAH Charger hockey.  But we all know that the ship is turning around, and we can rest our hopes in the future, which we all know is bright.

But with this off week between the 18-game fall and 20-game spring, it’s time for us to ask: What’s your favorite Charger hockey memory?  Mine isn’t the 1998 national championship game, which happened my freshman year.  It’s not Keenan Desmet’s overtime, game-winning goal in the last CHA tournament in 2010, a game that propelled the boys to their second NCAA appearance in four seasons.

No, my favorite Charger Hockey memory was UAH’s 5-4 overtime defeat of now-conference-foe Ferris State University at the 2002 UConn Ice Classic.  “You’re crazy!” is probably what you’re saying.  Hear me out, though:

  1. Everyone loves an overtime game winner.  The radio crew loved Gerald Overton, and to see him bang that one in?  Come on.
  2. Go look at the box: two runs of three straight goals.  That game was exciting, end-to-end, barnstorming hockey!
  3. Two goals by Ryan Leasa!  I love that guy!
  4. ONE OF THOSE GOALS WAS SHORTHANDED!!!  Tell me the last time that you saw a defenseman score shorthanded.  That team was lousy with guys who liked to put shorties in the net — yeah, you, Charlebois — but seeing a defenseman put one in was quality.  Nine Chargers scored a man short in 2002-03, including Jeremy Schreiber, another defenseman, which I had forgotten until I looked at the scoring table.
  5. Two goals for the Zirnis-Ross-Bushey line, which is by numbers the most successful line of the modern Charger era, even if Igor was only on that line for part of a season.  They were clicking that night, as was Charlebois-Hawes-Bresciani.  That was quite the 1-2 punch.
  6. The best player on the ice got just one point — Chris Kunitz, whom you now see starring in Pittsburgh.  He wasn’t a happy camper after that one.

That post-game atmosphere was fun.  The two CHA invitees (Findlay, UAH) had taken down the home school (UConn) and the top-five ranked school.  Remember, this was the Ferris State that won 31 games and made the NCAA tournament, the school’s first appearance in the dance.  Joel Bresciani was grinning ear-to-ear.  Even Coach Ross was in a good mood.  It was a good time.  I have a huge smile on my face just thinking about it.  I was in the building for it, and it was glorious.

What’s your favorite Charger Hockey memory?  Sound off in the comments on Facebook, tweet us back, or send an email to g@uahhockey.com.  We want to know!

Hoof Beats: Holiday break, then on to Wisconsin

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With finals over and a week off, many of the boys have gone home for the holidays.

Next up for the Chargers is a trip to 14th-ranked Wisconsin to face the Badgers on Dec. 27-28. The games will be televised on Fox Sports Wisconsin and Fox College Sports Pacific (12/27) and Central (12/28). Typically these channels are available on a digital sports tier with your cable or satellite provider.

More to come on this series (and where to watch it) in Catching the Game next week.

Alumni: Former Charger Craig Bushey taught hockey to students at Crestline Elementary School in Hartselle.

Around the WCHA: Minnesota State’s sweep of UAH propelled the Mavericks to second place in the WCHA standings, eight points behind Ferris State. It also put MSU back into the USCHO.com poll, coming in at No. 20.

Minnesota State’s Zach Stepan was back in action Tuesday after getting up slowly from Ben Reinhardt’s check from behind late in Saturday’s game. However, the Nashville Predators prospect wasn’t playing for MSU: He suited up for the United States National Junior Team against his teammates in an exhibition game in Mankato.  The Juniors won 3-2 in overtime, and Stepan made the cut for the U.S. squad as it plays in the World Junior Championships in Sweden starting Dec. 26.

First-place Ferris State had a week off from conference play, earned a tie at No. 3 Michigan on Tuesday and a win at Michigan State on Saturday. The Bulldogs are now No. 2 in the USCHO.com poll, with 12 first-place votes.

Bowling Green won and tied at Michigan Tech, and coupled with Bemidji State’s tie and loss at home with Alaska, means the Falcons and Beavers are tied for third.

Lake Superior State split at Alaska-Anchorage, and dropped down a notch to No. 18 in the poll. The Lakers are in a three-way tie for fifth with Michigan Tech and Anchorage. Also, Northern Michigan dropped two games at North Dakota.

WCHA Standings Conference Overall
GP W L T Pts W L T
Ferris State 12 10 0 2 22 14 2 3
Minnesota State 12 9 3 0 18 11 7 0
Bowling Green 14 6 6 2 14 8 8 4
Bemidji State 14 5 5 4 14 5 9 6
Lake Superior State 12 6 6 0 12 10 7 1
Michigan Tech 12 4 4 4 12 6 9 5
Alaska-Anchorage 14 5 7 2 12 8 8 2
Northern Michigan 10 4 5 1 9 6 10 2
Alaska 12 4 7 1 9 7 8 3
Alabama-Huntsville 12 1 11 0 2 1 17 0


THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA
All times Central.
* WCHA game.

Friday, December 27
UAH at Wisconsin, 7:00 p.m. (TV: FS Wisconsin, FCS Pacific)
Michigan Tech vs. Michigan State, 2:30 p.m. (Great Lakes Invitational, Detroit)
Bowling Green vs. Boston College, 3:35 p.m. (Three Rivers Classic, Pittsburgh)

Saturday, December 28
UAH at Wisconsin, 8:00 p.m. (TV: FS Wisconsin, FCS Central)
Michigan Tech vs. Western Michigan or Michigan, 2:30 or 6:00 p.m. (Great Lakes Invitational, Detroit)
Bowling Green vs. Penn State or Robert Morris, 3:35 or 6:35 p.m. (Three Rivers Classic, Pittsburgh)

Minnesota State 4, UAH 1 (2nd game)

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A tight matchup turned ugly as Minnesota State beat UAH 4-1 on Saturday night at the Von Braun Center.

The Mavericks scored two power-play goals after back-to-back checking from behind major penalties to the Chargers. Those turned a tight 2-1 game into a breather for the Mavericks’ seventh straight victory. MSU won the first game Friday night also by a 4-1 score.

Frank Misuraca and Ben Reinhardt got the major penalties, which automatically come with game misconducts. Misuraca’s hit came on Brett Knowles with 6:47 left in the game, and Reinhardt’s was on Nashville Predators prospect Zach Stepan just 37 seconds later. Both Mavericks were slow to get up and had to be helped off the ice.

Minnesota State captain Johnny McInnis took exception to the hit on Knowles and started jawing at the UAH bench. He drew a minor unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but it was indicative of how ugly the game got.

The game was loaded with penalties through out, with several minors in the first two periods. UAH had 11 penalties total for 44 minutes, and Minnesota State had nine for 29 minutes.

Minnesota State came out firing, notching the first 10 shots on goal for the game before UAH got its first. The Mavericks outshot the Chargers 14-6 for the period, despite UAH having four power plays to MSU’s two. The Chargers even had 50 seconds of two-man advantage, but could not get much rubber on Mavericks goalie and Islanders prospect Stephon Williams.

The Mavericks tested UAH net minder Carmine Guerriero in their two power plays, including a four-shot-on-goal barrage in their first advantage.

The beginning of the second period mimicked the first period, with the Mavericks firing away and dominating possession. The difference was that they were able to break through with two goals. Johnny McInnis passed from the slot to JP Lafontaine, who buried the puck past Guerriero for a 1-0 lead at the 1:53 mark.

Six minutes later, Jordan Nelson put in a rebound for a 2-0 Maverick advantage. He was assisted by Brett Knowles and Max Gaede.

Chad Brears fired the puck from the right point, and Brandon Clowes deflected it past Williams for his first goal of the season and cut Minnesota State’s lead to 2-1. Frank Misuraca also assisted on the play.

Like the night before, the Chargers found themselves down one with a period to go. But after the checking from behind majors, the game got away from UAH.

Matt Leitner, who would get his own contact to the head major and game misconduct for a hit on Brent Fletcher with 2:18 to go, scored the first goal during the major power play to make it 3-1. Chase Grant followed up just under a minute later for the final score.

Guerriero finished with a season-high 42 saves.

The Chargers get next weekend off before heading to Wisconsin for a two-game series on Dec. 27-28. UAH returns home on Jan. 3-4 to face Bowling Green in a WCHA rematch.

Minnesota State 4, UAH 1

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UAH will just have to keep fighting for win number two. But tonight, Minnesota State continued to raise its game.

The Mavericks used three third-period goals to beat the Chargers 4-1 on Friday night at the Von Braun Center. It’s MSU’s sixth straight victory.

Matt Larose made a season-high 43 saves to keep UAH in the game as long as he could, but the Mavericks were able to capitalize on the power play with three goals on seven opportunities.

The Mavericks dominated possession in the first period, due partly because of three straight UAH penalties. The third power play was the charm for the Mavericks, as Dylan Margonari redirected the puck past Larose for a 1-0 lead.

Fortunately for the Chargers, it was the only goal Larose would allow in a period where they were outshot 20-5.

UAH stepped it up to start the second, forcing the Mavs into multiple icings and taking their timeout early. But Minnesota State would crank up the offensive pressure with four more power play shots following a Stephen McKenna slashing call.

UAH got its power play chances but could not convert. On one, the Chargers had MSU goalie Cole Huggins out of position, giving Brandon Carlson a wide open net, but his shot was blocked by a defenseman. In another, Minnesota State had five clears, allowing only one UAH shot on goal.

So many chances for goals, but none were to be found in the second period. UAH was still in the match despite a 33-16 shots deficit through two.

UAH finally broke through at the 3:46 mark of the third. Jack Prince earns his first goal of the season in traffic, assisted by Matt Salhany and Joakim Broberg, to tie the game at 1-1.

And then, what seems all too commonplace after a big goal this season, it didn’t take long for the opponent to retaliate. Just 18 seconds after a Brandon Carlson hooking penalty and 29 seconds after UAH tied it up, J.P. LaFontaine scored on a rebound to regain the lead for Minnesota State.

Just under three minutes later, Zach Lehrke made it 3-1, and that basically put the game away for good. MSU captain Johnny McInnis added another power play goal — the Mavs’ third on the night — for the final 4-1 score.

Minnesota State finished the game with a 47-24 shots advantage. UAH went 0-for-5 with the man advantage.

Both teams meet again Saturday night at 7:07 p.m. Kids 12 and under get free admission, and the first 500 fans get a Charger Blue bobblehead.

Catching the Game: vs. Minnesota State, Dec. 13-14

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Back home after nearly a month, the Chargers build on Saturday’s win against Minnesota State. Game time is 7:07 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and the VBC box office. This week’s promotions are:

  • Kids 12 and under get free admission for all remaining home games this season.
  • Friday night, the first 500 fans receive a set of UAH hockey trading cards.
  • Saturday night, the first 500 fans receive a Charger Blue bobblehead doll.

If you can’t make the game, there are many ways to follow the action:

TEAM COMPARISON
UAH_logo_100 2013-14 Stats
1-15-0 Overall record 9-7-0
1-9-0 WCHA record 7-3-0
1.06 Goals per game 2.56
4.31 Goals allowed per game 2.56
12.8 Penalty minutes per game 16.7
8.6% Power play 20.0%
62.0% Penalty kill 87.3%
Matt Salhany (2-4-6)
Frank Misuraca (1-4-5)
Alex Allan (3-1-4)
Regan Soquila (1-3-4)
Steven Koshey (1-3-4)		 Leading scorers JP Lafontaine (6-6-12)
Matt Leitner (3-8-11)
Johnny McInnis (5-4-9)
Teddy Blueger (3-6-9)
Zach Palmquist (2-7-9)
Carmine Guerriero
(8 GS, 3.41 GAA, .903 SV%)
Matt Larose
(8 GS, 5.00 GAA, .875 SV%)		 Goaltending Cole Huggins
(8 GS, 1.80 GAA, .932 SV%)
Stephon Williams
(8 GS, 3.47 GAA, .868 SV%)

 

The Chargers and Mavericks have a long history, playing 43 times over the past 25 years, in both Division I and II. The series is even at 19-19-5, but Minnesota State (which went by “Mankato State” for many of those games) is 8-0-2 in the last 10 meetings. Last year, the Mavericks visited Huntsville and won 4-1 in the first game and tied 2-2 in the second.

MSU was the favorite to win the WCHA this season in both the media and coaches polls, but did not come out of the gate like the favorite. The Mavericks started 4-7, but have since won five straight games entering this series as they continue to regain their offensive touch. MSU swept Northern Michigan at home, 3-2 and 3-0, last week to move into second place in the WCHA behind Ferris State.

JP Lafontaine and Matt Leitner are the Mavericks’ leading scorers, but the team is getting a big boost since Zach Lehrke returned from injury. Lehrke has eight points in his last six games.

Matt Salhany’s three-point night at Bowling Green on Saturday propelled him to the team lead in scoring. Frank Misuraca’s OT winner and an assist has him in second.

The Chargers’ will be off for the first time in two months next week before a two-game non-conference set at Wisconsin on Dec. 27-28. UAH’s next home series is Jan. 3-4 against Bowling Green.

More previews:

Hoof Beats: Misuraca is UAH’s first WCHA player of the week

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Frank Misuraca

Frank Misuraca

Frank Misuraca, after scoring the overtime winner for the Chargers on Saturday at Bowling Green, was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. He’s the first UAH player to earn one of the league’s weekly honors.

In Saturday’s 4-3 win, Misuraca also notched an assist on UAH’s first goal. He blocked four shots for the series and had a +1 rating.

This season, Misuraca has a goal and four assists in 15 games, and he is fifth on the team in blocks with 20.

Coaches’ lunch: The Chargers are finally back home, which means another chance for you to get ready for the series with a little lunch and talking college hockey.

The Blue Line Club luncheon is Friday at noon at the Varsity Room at Spragins Hall. Minnesota State head coach Mike Hastings, along with UAH’s Mike Corbett, will be on hand to answer your questions about this weekend’s series with the Mavericks.

LawLers Barbecue is catering. Tickets are $8 at the door, while Blue Line Club members get in free.

Kids get in free: Thanks to Huntsville International Airport, kids 12 and under will get free admission to not only this weekend’s series with Minnesota State, but all remaining home games this season. The promotion applies to UAH’s Saturday home Gulf South Conference basketball games as well.

Though there are no limits on free admissions for those under 12, availability is based on a first-come-first-served basis.

The power of four: On Saturday, the Chargers scored four goals against a Division I opponent for the first time since Jan. 14, 2011, a 5-4 loss to Merrimack. Four seems to be the magic number for UAH: The team is 4-2-1 in its last seven games scoring four or more goals against D-I opponents.

Around the WCHA: Ferris State extended its win streak to 13 games after sweeping Lake Superior State over the weekend. The Bulldogs, now ranked fourth in this week’s USCHO.com poll, face two in-state rivals this week: No. 3 Michigan tonight and Michigan State on Saturday.

Lake Superior dropped to No. 17 as the only other WCHA team ranked in the poll. The Lakers head up to Anchorage to play the Seawolves.

After a sweep of Northern Michigan, Minnesota State moved up to second place and have won five in a row coming into Huntsville. Bemidji State dropped to third after back to back 2-2 ties at home with Michigan Tech.

WCHA Standings Conference Overall
GP W L T Pts W L T
Ferris State 12 10 0 2 22 13 2 2
Minnesota State 10 7 3 0 14 9 7 0
Bemidji State 12 5 4 3 13 5 8 5
Bowling Green 12 5 6 1 11 7 8 3
Michigan Tech 10 4 3 3 11 6 8 4
Lake Superior State 10 5 5 0 10 9 6 1
Alaska-Anchorage 12 4 6 2 10 7 7 2
Northern Michigan 10 4 5 1 8 6 8 2
Alaska 10 3 7 0 6 6 8 2
Alabama-Huntsville 10 1 9 0 2 1 15 0


THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA
All times Central.
* WCHA game.

Wednesday, December 11
Ferris State at Michigan, 6:05 p.m.

Friday, December 13
* Minnesota State at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Bowling Green at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
* Alaska at Bemidji State, 7:37 p.m.
* Lake Superior at Alaska-Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.
Northern Michigan at North Dakota, 7:37 p.m.

Saturday, December 14
* Minnesota State at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* Bowling Green at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
* Alaska at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
* Lake Superior at Alaska-Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.
Ferris State at Michigan State, 6:00 p.m.
Northern Michigan at North Dakota, 7:07 p.m.

Kids get in free this weekend; plus bobbleheads!

Charger Blue bobblehead dolls will be given to the first 500 fans at Saturday's game.

Charger Blue bobblehead dolls will be given to the first 500 fans at Saturday’s game.

Coming off Saturday’s their thrilling victory at Bowling Green, the Chargers host Minnesota State on Friday and Saturday at Propst Arena at Von Braun Center. Puck drop both nights is 7:07 p.m.

Kids 12 and under get free admission both nights, compliments of the Huntsville International Airport.

On Friday night, the first 500 fans receive a set of UAH hockey trading cards. Get tickets

On Saturday night, the first 500 fans receive a Charger Blue bobblehead doll. Get tickets

Come out and cheer on the Chargers in the final home series before the holidays!

 

Highlights: UAH 4, Bowling Green 3

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Here are video highlights of UAH’s 4-3 overtime win over Bowling Green on Saturday night:

 

If you have a WCHA TV subscription, you can watch Bowling Green’s broadcast on demand over the next 30 days.

Notes:

  • UAH notches its first-ever WCHA victory.
  • The Chargers scored four goals against a Division I opponent for the first time since Jan. 14, 2011, a 5-4 loss to Merrimack.
  • It was UAH’s first overtime victory since beating Nebraska-Omaha 2-1 in Omaha on Jan. 29, 2011.

Next up: The Chargers return home and host Minnesota State on Friday and Saturday. Puck drop is at 7:07 p.m. both nights.

UAH 4, BGSU 3, OT

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Somewhere under there, Frank Misuraca cries for everyone to get off of him because he can't breathe. (Credit: Todd Pavlack)

Somewhere under there, Frank Misuraca cries for everyone to get off of him because he can’t breathe. (Credit: Todd Pavlack)

Oh, you want to see the man of the hour? Okay.

(Credit: Todd Pavlack)

Wow.  What a game.  That would be an exhilarating game even if it wasn’t that first win all of our young men have been working and working and working to get.  But to have all of the frustration of this season to be decided on a last-second overtime goal?  COME ON.

So how did we get here?  I mean, it was tied at three after regulation time expired.  So there was some fun, yeah?

Yeah.

Sean Walker started off the scoring in the first for the Falcons, flinging a puck through traffic that I’m not sure Carmine Guerriero ever saw.  But after a few minutes, it was a Charger power play and …

… tic-tac-GOAL for Cody Marooney, his first collegiate marker.

The Chargers couldn’t pull ahead even with 1:06 of 5×3 late in the first when Brett Mohler (hooking) and Connor Kucera (boarding) took minor penalties.  Guerriero was still sharp after not a lot of pressure, and he stopped a couple of chances to end the frame.

Unfortunately for partisans in blue and white, the Falcons struck early in the 2nd, with Brent Tate slipping the defense to find a Cam Wojtala pass in the slot for a goal.

A couple of penalties on Marooney left the Chargers scrambling to cover Falcons, but the Chargers were crashing the point pretty hard.  BG countered by taking the puck wide to the boards while looking for cross-ice passes to the bottoms of the circle.  But they took their eyes off the puck for a second, and …

… it’s Matt Salhany time!

Who cares that the Falcons scored 52 seconds later?  Okay, we should all care, but the key thing is that the home side didn’t go up 3-1 late in the 2nd.  Instead, the margin was just one, and the boys knew that they had a very good chance at winning this one.

I will let these two tweets stand to vent my frustration with a broadcaster that was … sub-par but has a career that should have him be better.

Sorry, you mess with my alma mater and I’m gonna say something about it.  Back to hockey!

There were a lot of times where I could’ve tweeted this:

We're calling him CG35, and we're hope that he's okay with that. (Credit: Todd Pavlack)

We’re calling him CG35, and we’re hope that he’s okay with that. (Credit: Todd Pavlack)

Then at the 12:30 mark of the third, Jack Prince had the puck just outside of the slot.

After that point, the boys were flying all over the ice.  There was a puck that ended up in the net before being taken back out and flipped in the air, but no amount of Prince arguments got the referees to change their mind, even with a review.  Presumably Jack tried a Cockney accent while he was at it.

A late tripping penalty on Brent Fletcher led to a BG power play with just 2:49.  Did the boys quit?  Hell no they didn’t.  Have you seen these guys quit?  Every WCHA coach praises their intensity.  Intensity is what made the PK happen.  The boys were again pressuring the D and looking for breakaways, and Joakim Broberg was tripped up.  4×4 for :31, and the penalty carried into overtime.

Overtime is a bit of a haze for me, but that’s mainly because it was just wide-open, end-to-end hockey, great goaltending at both ends, solid back-checking, strong passes through neutral ice, and good shots.  In other words:

But nothing, nothing, nothing replaces what Frank Misuraca did.

Oh, wait, yeah, this:

That “charge the hashes” stuff was pure Tim Thomas.  Steve Koshey helped out just enough to make sure that the puck was fluttering and rolling past BG sticks.  That the puck didn’t go in told you that this just might be the night.

MisuROCKET.

Good night, everybody.