An update on UAH-to-Atlantic Hockey: There is no update.

June was the month in which we we’re expecting Atlantic Hockey to deliberate expansion and potentially inviting UAH into the conference. It is now July, and we still do not know when the final answer will come down.

UAH suspended the hockey program back in May because it couldn’t get an answer on conference affiliation in time.

Recent developments may have made the wait even longer. Atlantic Hockey member Robert Morris stunned college hockey on May 26 with the announcement that it was cutting it’s men’s and women’s programs. Efforts to save the programs are under way, but RMU administrators appear unwilling to listen. Now RMU players are have high-profile legal representation ready for a possible showdown with the university.

If the Colonials don’t come back, Atlantic Hockey will drop to 10 teams for this coming season. The league now has to scramble to put a schedule together, meaning it’s possible that the topic of UAH will be put on the backburner.

Outside of the possible extra delay, it’s unclear how the RMU situation affects UAH’s chances of getting into Atlantic Hockey. UAH is by no means a simple replacement for RMU. Atlantic is back to an even number, although adding UAH and Long Island, provided both check the boxes acceptable to the league, would put it at 12.

For now, we keep on the lookout for a decision. Meanwhile…

WCHA closes up shop: The men’s WCHA, after 70 seasons as a significant part of college hockey’s history, officially announced its dissolution on July 2.

The demise of the WCHA men’s league was expected after seven schools announced they were leaving the conference two years ago. The schools have formed the new CCHA, which begins play this fall.

UAH, which joined the WCHA in 2013, was “granted their request to depart the league earlier this summer,” according the news release. UAH submitted its intention to leave the league in the fall of 2019.

That left representatives from the remaining two schools, Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks, to vote on dissolving the men’s WCHA. Fairbanks plans to play on as an independent, while Anchorage continues to raise funds in an attempt to resurrect its program.

The WCHA will continue on as a force in women’s college hockey.

Transfer update: Because NCAA hockey rosters are close to being finalized (if they aren’t already), movement from the transfer portal has slowed to a trickle with many UAH players still trying to find places to play for this season.

Matthew Jennings, a forward who was coming to UAH after three years at Ohio State, will go to St. Thomas instead.

Goaltender George McBey, who played one period for the Chargers this season as a freshman, will get a new start at Division III Milwaukee School of Engineering.

David Fessenden landed on a new team (New Hampshire) before UAH suspended the program for 2021-22. Tyrone Bronte announced he was transferring to Michigan Tech about a week after the program suspension.

Corbett to Quinnipiac: After one season as an assistant coach at Robert Morris, former UAH head coach Mike Corbett will join Rand Pecknold’s staff at Quinnipiac following the folding of RMU’s program. Corbett was the Chargers’ head coach from 2013-20.

Where: Verizon Wireless Center, Mankato, Minn.
When: Friday, 7:07 p.m.; Saturday, 7:07 p.m. (CST)
Watch: WCHA.tv
Team stats: UAH | Minnesota State

Jordan Uhelski’s .908 save percentage is 6th in the WCHA. (Photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography)

Charger update: UAH (6-10-2 overall, 5-5-2 WCHA) got two points after a tie and a loss at Bowling Green last week. The Chargers sit in sixth place in the WCHA standings, one point behind Ferris State and one point ahead of Alaska.

In the first game, Josh Kestner scored twice as the Chargers and Falcons battled to a 3-3 draw. UAH earned its first ever point after tie by winning the shootout. Madison Dunn scored the first goal.

UAH couldn’t muster much offense at all in game two, getting only 12 shots on goal in a 3-1 loss. Tyler Poulsen scored a third-period goal to put the Chargers in striking distance.

Jordan Uhelski stopped 39 of 42 Bowling Green shots to keep UAH in it on Saturday, and made a total of 63 saves on the weekend.

Kestner has 12 goals on the season, tying him for second for the WCHA lead and already matching the high for a Charger in the last 10 years. Ten of those 12 have come in conference play, which tops the conference. His overall 16 points is tied for sixth in the league.

This is the third of six stops for the Chargers in this long road swing. After taking next week off for the Christmas holiday, UAH goes to Bemidji State, Alaska, and Alaska Anchorage back-to-back-to-back.

Charger leaders:
Josh Kestner (Sr., F, 12 goals-4 assists-16 points in 18 games played)
Tyler Poulsen (Jr., F, 4-10-14 in 17 GP)
Brennan Saulnier (Sr., F, 7-4-11 in 18 GP)
Christian Rajic (Fr., F, 7-4-11 in 18 GP)
Kurt Gosselin (Jr., D, 3-5-8 in 18 GP)
Jordan Uhelski (Sr., G, 2.86 goals against average, .908 save percentage in 15 starts)

	Tale of the tape
6-10-2	Overall record	11-5-0
5-5-2	WCHA record	9-3-0
3.08 (2nd)	Goals/game	4.17 (1st)
3.08 (6th)	Goals allowed/game	2.33 (3rd)
15.3 (3rd)	Pen. minutes/game	16.8 (1st)
21.3% (3rd)	Power play	28.6% (1st)
81.0% (6th)	Penalty kill	84.1% (4th)
WCHA rank in parentheses, conference games only

About the Mavericks: Minnesota State (11-5-0 overall, 9-3-0 WCHA) rolled all over the Lakers at Lake Superior State last weekend, winning 5-1 and 7-0. The Mavericks stand in second place of the WCHA, one point behind Bowling Green, but MSU has played two fewer games.

The Mavericks are ranked No. 7 in this week’s USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.

The 12 goals last week boosted the Mavericks’ average in conference games to 4.17, leading the league by over a full goal over the second-place Chargers. Their overall scoring average of 3.75 puts them third in Division I.

Minnesota State has many offensive weapons, a big reason why the Mavericks were picked to win the MacNaughton Cup as the WCHA regular-season champion. Eight players have double-digit points, and ten have at least four goals this season.

Leading them is Zeb Knutson, who has eight goals and 20 points, tied for the top in WCHA overall scoring. C.J. Seuss (formerly Franklin), a Winnipeg Jets prospect, is right behind him with a 18 points (fourth in the WCHA) and a team-leading 14 assists. Freshman Jake Jaremko’s 17 points gives the Mavericks three of the WCHA’s top five overall scorers.

Between the pipes, Connor LeCouvee, a senior transfer who played the last three seasons at Boston University, has a 2.02 goals against average (second in the WCHA) and .912 save percentage (fourth in the WCHA) in nine starts. Junior Jason Pawloski has a 2.47 GAA and .905 save percentage in seven starts.

Players to watch:
Zeb Knutson (Sr., F, 8-12-20 in 16 GP)
C.J. Seuss (Sr., F, 4-14-18 in 16 GP)
Jake Jaremko (Fr., F, 4-13-17 in 16 GP)
Daniel Brickley (Jr., D, 4-10-14 in 16 GP)
Marc Michaelis (So., F, 7-6-13 in 16 GP)
Ian Scheid (So., D, 7-3-10 in 16 GP)

Series notes: The Chargers and Mavericks have played 55 times, the fourth-most among UAH’s opponents. MSU leads the all-time series 29-19-7, including a 17-6-4 mark in Mankato. The Chargers haven’t beaten the Mavericks in the last 22 meetings (0-18-4), with the last UAH victory coming in 2002. Last season, MSU won 2-0 and 3-2 in Huntsville.

This week in the WCHA: All times are Central. Games featuring WCHA teams at home can be seen on WCHA.tv.

Friday, Dec. 15
UAH at #7 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
Ferris State at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
Alaska Anchorage at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 16
UAH at #7 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
Ferris State at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
Alaska Anchorage at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.

UAH had very few chances to score Saturday night in a 3-1 loss at Bowling Green.

UAH (6-10-2 overall, 5-5-2 WCHA) only managed 12 shots on goal against the Falcons (8-5-6, 7-2-5), who dominated with 42.

BOX SCORE

It was the stellar play of Charger goaltender Jordan Uhelski and his 39 saves that UAH was even in it to the end.

The lone Charger goal came early in the third period by Tyler Poulsen on the power play, but that was all UAH could manage.

UAH leaves Ohio taking two of six points in the series. The Chargers got a 3-3 tie with a shootout point on Friday.

Bowling Green, which retained first place in the WCHA standings, scored the first goal again, as Alec Rauhauser found the net on a wrister from the left circle at the 8:44 mark of the game.

The Falcons made it 2-0 as Connor McDonald, just as he did on his goal Friday, launched the puck high from the right point through traffic. Jordan Uhelski never got a good look at it as it found the net with 2:02 remaining in the period.

The Chargers had two power plays in the first and the Falcons had none, but both opportunities found very few offensive chances. Bowling Green outshot UAH 11-4 in the opening frame.

It got worse in the second period, as the Chargers simply could not get any pressure on the Falcons and goaltender Ryan Bednard. UAH only had three shots on goal (and only six attempts) in the period.

Meanwhile, Bowling Green kept humming, thanks in part to four power plays. The Falcons had six shots on goal on the first one, matching UAH’s total for the whole game at the time, and had 17 for the second period.

Uhelski stopped all six in that power play, but was not so fortunate later. Back-to-back penalties by Brandon Parker and Cody Champagne put the Falcons two men up, and Stephen Baylis made them pay with a one-timer from the right circle for a 3-0 lead with 7:08 left in the second.

At 4:19 of the third, the Chargers finally got on the board after a Brandon Kruse high sticking penalty. Tyler Poulsen redirected a Levi Wunder shot from the left point for his fourth goal of the season.

Wunder’s assist was his second, and Cam Knight got his eighth helper of the year.

But the Falcons took control and fired away at Uhelski immediately afterward. The Chargers had a few chances late, including a Josh Kestner breakaway with about nine minutes left, but Bednard (11 saves) made the stop.

Uhelski continued to make huge saves to keep UAH within striking distance. With about five minutes left, he made a stop on Tyler Spezia’s breakaway, and then gloved the rebound attempt by Kruse immediately after.

Next up for the Chargers is a trip to Mankato, Minn., next week to face second-place Minnesota State. It’s the third of six straight road series.

Where: Propst Arena, Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala.
When: Friday, 7:07 p.m.; Saturday, 7:07 p.m.
Watch: Tickets | Promotions | WCHA.tv
Team stats: UAH | Alaska Anchorage

Brennan Saulnier (UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan)

Charger update: UAH (2-6-0 overall, 1-1-0 WCHA) split the series at Arizona State, ending a stretch of eight road games to start the season. The Sun Devils won the first game 3-2 on Friday, and the Chargers came back with a 3-1 victory on Saturday.

Brennan Saulnier scored a goal in each game at ASU, and Kurt Gosselin had a goal and two assists for the series. Kestner secured Saturday’s win with an empty-net goal, giving him four on the season and tying Saulnier for the team lead.

Mark Sinclair made 19 saves in his second start on Friday. Jordan Uhelski was the netminder in the win as he stopped 18 of 19 shots.

The Chargers are ready to play at home for a while. They’ll spend the next six games in three weeks at the VBC.

Charger leaders:
Josh Kestner (Sr., F, 4 goals-2 assists-6 points in 8 games played)
Brennan Saulnier (Sr., F, 4-2-6 in 8 GP)
Kurt Gosselin (Jr., D, 2-4-6 in 8 GP)
Tyler Poulsen (Jr., F, 3-2-5 in 7 GP)
Jordan Uhelski (Sr., G, 3.35 goals against average, .896 save percentage in 6 starts)

	Tale of the tape
2-6-0	Overall record	1-6-1
1-1-0	WCHA record	1-1-0
2.12	Goals/game	2.00
3.50	Goals allowed/game	3.25
14.5	Pen. minutes/game	13.6
15.4%	Power play	15.4%
73.9%	Penalty kill	82.5%

About the Seawolves: Alaska Anchorage (1-6-1 overall, 1-1-0 WCHA) played its first WCHA series last week at Lake Superior State and earned a split. The Seawolves lost 3-2 in overtime and won 4-1 to end a six-game losing streak.

Senior forward Austin Azurdia scored twice against Lake Superior last week to take the team’s scoring lead. Jeremiah Luedtke had a goal and two assists in the series.

Senior goaltender Olivier Mantha stopped 65 of 69 shots against the Lakers, including 34 in the Seawolves’ win on Saturday.

Players to watch:
Austin Azurdia (Sr., F, 3-4-7 in 8 GP)
Tad Kozun (Sr., F, 2-4-6 in 8 GP)
Jeremiah Luedtke (Jr., F, 2-3-5 in 8 GP)
Jordan Xavier (Fr., F, 3-0-3 in 8 GP)
Olivier Mantha (Sr., G, 3.26 GAA, .909 SV%, 8 GP)

Series notes: Alaska Anchorage holds a 20-7-2 edge in the all-time series, but UAH was won five of the last eight meetings with one tie. UAH is 4-6-2 against UAA at home. Last season, the teams played in Anchorage, with the Chargers sweeping by scores of 5-2 and 3-2.

This week in the WCHA: All times are Central. Games featuring WCHA teams at home can be seen on WCHA.tv.

Friday, Nov. 10
Alaska Anchorage at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
Alaska at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
#20 Northern Michigan at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State at Bowling Green, 6:37 p.m.
#10 Minnesota State at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 11
Alaska Anchorage at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
Alaska at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
Michigan Tech at #20 Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State at Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
#10 Minnesota State at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.

Kurt Gosselin

UAH junior defenseman Kurt Gosselin was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Monday.

Gosselin had three points in UAH series split at then-No. 5 Michigan Tech. He had two assists in UAH’s 5-4 loss on Friday, and scored a power play goal in the Chargers’ 4-2 victory on Saturday. Defensively, Gosselin blocked six shots, one short of the WCHA leaders for the week.

It was the third time Gosselin got the award after winning it twice last season. It’s Gosselin’s fourth WCHA weekly award including his Rookie of the Week award in the 2015-16 season.

Three other Chargers were honorable mention in the WCHA’s weekly awards: Josh Kestner (goal and two assists) for Offensive Player of the Week (won by Alaska’s Colton Leiter); Jordan Uhelski (74 saves, 41 in the win) for Goaltender of the Week (won by Lake Superior State’s Nick Kossoff); and Christian Rajic (goal and two assists) for Rookie of the Week (won by Alaska’s Steven Jandric).

Here's a free lesson for all young hockey players on creating a shooting lane and going #BarDown courtesy of Chargers D-Man Kurt Gosselin: pic.twitter.com/runGspex6v

— UAH Hockey (@uahhockey) October 23, 2017