Category Archives: 2015-16

Arizona State, realignment and how it could affect UAH

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College hockey realignment is heating up again. Fortunately, this time UAH hockey isn’t looking for a conference slot to save its life, but could it find itself in a better deal than it is now?

The first move in this round of conference shuffling started a month ago when the Big Ten accepted Notre Dame as a hockey affiliate member starting in the 2017-18 season, bringing the conference’s hockey membership up to seven.

Now the question is where will the Big Ten get an eighth hockey member (because leagues love even numbers). It was speculated that they could get Division I-newcomer Arizona State.

That’s not going to happen, according to reports on Monday, cutting the Sun Devils’ options between the WCHA and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Reports from College Hockey News and USCHO.com on Friday have the NCHC trending toward a deal with Arizona State, although NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton said nothing was imminent, while WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson has reiterated openly that they are pursuing the Sun Devils.

Arizona State is an interesting prospect. It just finished its first season as a varsity program, playing a mix of Division I, III, and club teams. The Sun Devils went 5-22-2 against NCAA opponents — three of those against WCHA opponents (one against Alaska-Fairbanks in Anchorage, and two in a sweep at Lake Superior State). They will play a full Division I independent schedule this coming season, and have been intending to play in a conference starting in 2017-18.

In the WCHA, ASU would hands down be the largest university in terms of attendance, with over 69,000 students, over four times more than the league’s current leader, Bowling Green. Arizona State would also join Bowling Green as the only full Division I athletic programs in the WCHA.

But there are questions. A big one is where ASU plays, or will play. The Sun Devils’ primary home has been Oceanside Ice Arena, which was renovated to a capacity of only 840, which would be the smallest in the WCHA. ASU played four games this season at Gila Bend Arena, home of the Arizona Coyotes, drawing over 5,000 twice. The Coyotes could partner with ASU on a new arena.

Then there’s travel. Arizona State would be added to a conference that’s primarily in the Midwest but already has two teams in Alaska and one in Alabama. ASU should be good with chipping in on the subsidies UAH and the Alaska schools provide to the rest of the league to cover the additional costs of visiting those areas, but how much extra mileage can the WCHA handle?

The current membership must be OK with the answers to these questions if Robertson is this public about pursuing them.

But if the WCHA adds Arizona State, where will it go to find a 12th member? (Again, leagues love even numbers.) Does it try to get Robert Morris or Niagara from Atlantic Hockey?

We’ll continue to monitor this during the summer. Meanwhile, there are a couple of realignment ideas that would be interesting from a UAH point of view.

Modest proposal: Fixing the WCHA

Drew Evans at BGSUHockey.com wrote a column last week about fixing the WCHA in three steps. The second step was the conference expanding to 12 and going into divisions. Arizona State wasn’t one of the two teams he’d add, which is understandable given the questions above and, at the time, how unlikely ASU joining would be.

Evans suggests adding Robert Morris and either Mercyhurst or Niagara from Atlantic Hockey, and splitting the league into Western and Central divisions. Each division would have one Alaska school to spread the travel there, and UAH would be in the Central with Alaska, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Robert Morris, and Mercyhurst/Niagara.

The primary reason for this suggestion is travel management. Save for the Alaska team, most of a club’s travel within the division would be bus rides of no more than 12 hours (between Ferris State and Huntsville).

It’s an interesting idea, especially if the WCHA fails to get Arizona State.

More modest proposal: Return of the CCHA?

Chris Dilks at SBN College Hockey goes further, going beyond the WCHA. His plan to fix the Western conferences includes the formation of an 8-team conference with many members from the old CCHA, plus UAH:

  • UAH
  • Bowling Green
  • Ferris State
  • Lake Superior State
  • Miami
  • Michigan Tech
  • Northern Michigan
  • Western Michigan

There are few scenarios that would benefit UAH more than this setup, particularly in terms of travel. Sure, we’d lose rival Bemidji State as a conference foe, but to help the Chargers’ bottom line, it would be crazy for UAH not to accept this if it were presented.

With eight teams, this conference could play a 28-game schedule with every team playing each other home and away. It also leaves the door open for future expansion, perhaps including Robert Morris, Niagara, and/or Mercyhurst as Evans suggested. (Any of those three would still not be the furthest away from UAH in such a league.)

Dilks’s plan hinges on North Dakota joining the Big Ten as a hockey-only member, and the rest of the WCHA/NCHC and Arizona State coming together in a 10-team, two-division league. I don’t know if UND would go for joining the Big Ten, although North Dakota as a hockey-only Big Ten member makes more since than Rutgers and Maryland as full-time Big Ten members.

Realignment has been rumored to return from the moment the current league setup was agreed upon. Now we see if that time has come, and whether UAH can be all the better for it.

Hoof Beats: Awards given at banquet; Frenchy Open set

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Chad Brears

Chad Brears was this season’s Charger of the Year. (Photo by UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan)

On Thursday, the Chargers held their end-of-season banquet at Spragins Hall, honoring the 2015-16 squad and looking forward to next season.

The Chargers’ Most Valuable Player was Max McHugh. The sophomore led UAH in points for the second straight season, scoring 22 points on seven goals and 15 assists.

Senior Frank Misuraca was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second time. The alternate captain was second on the club with 63 blocked shots. He had an even plus-minus rating and scored one goal with four assists for five points.

The Freshman of the Year was Adam Wilcox. In 33 games played, Wilcox was tied for the team among freshmen with four goals, including one power play and one shorthanded tally. He finished with nine points on the season.

The Charger of the Year award, which goes to the player who exemplifies what it means to be a UAH Charger, went to Chad Brears. The senior and alternate captain from Cold Lake, Alberta led the Chargers in goals this season with nine, and was third on the team in assists (10) and second in points (19). He also led UAH in plus-minus (+6).

Sign up for the Frenchy Open: The 2016 UAH Hockey Frenchy Open will tee off at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 25 at Hampton Cove Golf Course.

The golf tournament is the program’s biggest summer fundraising event. The tournament layout will be a four-player scramble with prizes going to the top three teams. Raffle and door prizes will be available.

Register online to reserve your spot. Registration per player is $150, which includes 18 holes of golf, a cart, a UAH Hockey shirt and hat, refreshments, and dinner. Full four-player teams can register for $600.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information, can call 256-824-2485 or email Nick Laurila.

In addition, there will be an UAH alumni hockey game at the Wilcoxon Municipal Ice Complex in Huntsville on June 24 at 7 p.m.

“The Frenchy Open” is named after Charger left wing Jean-Marc Plante, who died in 2001. Also known as “Frenchy,” the Laval, Quebec, native played for UAH from 1988-92, scoring 16 goals and 19 assists in 94 games. Plante worked at the front office of the Florida Panthers and became the athletic marketing director at UAH. A memorial scholarship is awarded in his honor to the Charger hockey player who demonstrates leadership, sportsmanship, and team spirit, and who participates in community and university volunteer service.

Rappleyea commits: Sean Rappleyea of South Amboy, N.J. committed to the Chargers for the 2016-17 season last week. The defenseman was an alternate captain this past season for the Ottawa Jr. “A” Senators of the Central Canada Hockey League.

This past season, Rappleyea led the Senators in 35 assists in addition to three goals scored. The CCHL Defenseman of the Year was scored a goal and eight assists in 16 playoffs games as the Senators reached the CCHL championship series.

Team banquet set for April 21

The UAH hockey program will have its post-season banquet at Spragins Hall on the UAH campus on April 21 at 6 p.m. Come join the Chargers as they celebrate the 2015-16 season, their third in the WCHA.

Cost is $25 per person, and you will have the opportunity to sponsor a player’s dinner at the banquet for $25.

There will be several silent auction items at the event as well as the opportunity to sit with your favorite player at dinner.

Payments will be accepted at the door upon arrival. You can RSVP online or email questions to Nick Laurila, UAH Director of Hockey Operations, at nick.laurila@uah.edu.

By the numbers: The 2015-16 season

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Chad Brears (Photo by UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan)

Chad Brears (Photo by UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan)

There are two ways to look at evaluating the Chargers’ season, which ended Saturday with a 7-21-6 overall record, a 5-17-6 WCHA record, and no WCHA playoff berth from a last-place finish.

One is the fact that we didn’t win as many games as last season, when UAH went 8-26-4 and made the WCHA playoffs as the 7th seed (finishing 8th in the standings). Going with that, it’s easy to assume that the Chargers regressed when many expected to continue an upward trend toward greater competitiveness.

The other is going deeper into the numbers to see where UAH specifically improved and specifically faltered. Basically, the team improved overall and in parts, but not as much as was hoped or expected.

Record:
2013-14: 2-35-1 (.066)
2014-15: 8-26-4 (.263)
2015-16: 7-21-6 (.294)
Change from 2014-15:+.031

Let’s start with the team record. UAH had one fewer win, but they had five fewer losses and two more ties. The Chargers’ overall win percentage (.294) is higher than last season’s (.263). And in WCHA play, UAH had one more conference point (16) than last season (15). It just so happened that 16 wasn’t enough to make the playoffs this time.

Scoring margin:
2013-14: -3.29
2014-15: -1.55
2015-16: -0.97
Change from 2014-15: +0.58

UAH had six ties this season, a program record, with eight games going to overtime, one shy of the program record. The Chargers were in more close games this season, and that’s reflected in the scoring margin.

Offense:
2013-14: 1.08 goals per game
2014-15: 1.63
2015-16: 2.15 (WCHA rank: 9th; Division I rank: 52nd)
Change from 2015-16: +0.52

UAH’s offense grew by another half goal per game. Again, 2.15 goals per game isn’t much, ranking UAH only 9th in the WCHA, although the conference hardly has any offensive juggernauts (only Michigan Tech is averaging over three goals per game). The Chargers scored 73 goals this season, surpassing their 2014-15 total of 62 with four games to spare. They were shut out only three times this season (one coming against North Dakota’s Cam Johnson, who was shutting out everybody en route to that prestigious program’s scoreless streak record), compared to eight times last season and 12 times in 2013-14.

There is a caveat, however. A chunk of those 73 goals — 22 of them, in fact — came in the first six games of the season, where UAH started 3-2-1. Thirty percent of the goals came against Connecticut, Alaska Anchorage, and Lake Superior State. The Chargers then could not score more than three for 26 games, going 3-18-5 in that span, before exploding for seven in their win over Bowling Green on Friday.

Sophomore center Max McHugh led the team again in points with 22 on seven goals and 15 assists, compared to the 12 goals and 11 assists from last season. It was senior right wing Chad Brears who scored the most goals for UAH this season with nine, including a stretch of five in seven games from late November through December. Sophomore left wing Brennan Saulnier had six goals in five games to start the season, earning him WCHA Offensive Player of the Month honors for October, but could not find the net the rest of the way. Thirty percent of goals and 32 percent of points came from this line.

If there is to be further improvement in this area, it’s going to come from consistency and depth.

Matt Larose

Matt Larose (Photo by UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan)

Defense:
2013-14: 4.37 goals allowed per game
2014-15: 3.18
2015-16: 3.12 (WCHA rank: 10th; Division I rank: 43rd)
Change: +0.06

Very slight improvement here, and the average goals allowed would have been a little better if the Chargers hadn’t given up 16 goals in the final three games (it was down to 2.90 before that).

Last season, Carmine Guerriero became the Chargers’ No. 1 netminder. He didn’t have the strong season in 2015-16, and when Matt Larose posted UAH’s first shutout since 2010 at Lake Superior State, UAH returned to the rotation used in 2013-14. When Larose stopped 27 of 28 shots in a 3-1 rebound win against Alaska on Jan. 9, Larose became the primary netminder the rest of the season. Larose had the hot hand (glove) that Guerriero had last year, and went on to post the fourth-best single-season save percentage (.921) and goals against average (2.60) in UAH’s modern Division I era.

UAH reduced the number of shots on goal allowed per game from 37.58 last year to 33.18 this year, and it was the usual suspects, the top skill teams like Minnesota State and Michigan Tech, who would put the most rubber on net.

The Chargers also continued to block a lot of shots. Their 15.24 blocks per game is the most in the WCHA and 9th-highest in Division I, lead again by Brandon Carlson (65) and Frank Misuraca (63). Brandon Parker also made the top 50 among defensemen in the nation in blocked shots.

Power play efficiency:
2013-14: 12-137 (8.8%)
2014-15: 19-124 (15.3%)
2015-16: 15-140 (10.7%) (WCHA rank: 9th; Division I rank: 58th)
Change: -4.6%

Here is where the Chargers regressed, returning to being one of the least inefficient power play units in the country (only Alaska Anchorage was worse in the WCHA). Only once (at Bowling Green on Nov. 20) did the Chargers score more than one power play goal. Not surprisingly, McHugh and Brears combined for five of the 15 PPGs from the top line. Freshman Jetlan Houcher got three of his four goals this season on the power play, and Josh Kestner and Madison Dunn each had two.

Penalty killing efficiency:
2013-14: 117-166 (70.5%)
2014-15: 164-201 (81.6%)
2015-16: 119-145 (82.1%) (WCHA rank: 8th; Division I rank: 33rd)
Change: +0.5%

“Streaky” might be a good adjective for the penalty kill this season, and the rankings may look a little odd being near the bottom of the WCHA yet in the middle of the pack in Division I. It turned out to be an overall slight improvement, which was necessary as yet again the Chargers were in the top 10 in the country in penalty minutes per game at 15.3. (Perhaps not coincidentally, half the WCHA was in the top 10 in penalty minutes per game, all at fifth place or lower in the standings.)

Like the overall defensive numbers, the penalty killing faltered in the final three games, as Bemidji State and Bowling Green went scored six power play goals in that stretch. Michigan Tech and Bowling Green also exploited the penalty killing unit back in November to the tune of eight power play goals in four games against UAH. Against these top power play clubs, the Chargers struggled.

But after that, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, the Chargers killed 33 straight penalties, the team’s longest streak in 13 years. It included a 9-for-9 weekend at Minnesota State.

UAH shut out in season finale, 5-0

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UAH completed its 2015-16 season in ugly fashion Saturday night, losing to Bowling Green 5-0 at the Von Braun Center.

The Chargers (7-21-6 overall, 5-17-6 WCHA) were shut out for the third time this season. The Falcons (20-12-6 overall, 16-7-5 WCHA) host a first-round WCHA playoff series against Bemidji State next week.

BOX SCORE

The first period saw a few penalties and a few power plays, but that was just the beginning.

UAH could not convert on its first two (including a two-man advantage for 1:14), but Bowling Green did on its first. Brett D’Andrea beat Charger goaltender Carmine Guerriero from just in front of the crease for a 1-0 Falcon lead with 8:00 left in the first.

Bowling Green got another power play with 4:23 left after Brandon Parker gets called for slashing, but UAH killed that along with a shorthanded breakaway chance by Adam Wilcox.

Then with 1:38 left in the first, the Falcons got a two-man advantage of their own after Brent Fletcher was given a minor for charging, and Anderson White got a major for kneeing on a collision with Mitch McLain that required McLain to be helped off the ice and to the locker room.

The hard-hitting, penalty-inducing play continued into the second period. UAH killed the remainder of the two-man advantage and the major power play, then got two more advantages itself on a holding penalty on Sean Walker and an interference call on McLain, who was able to return to action.

UAH still couldn’t score on BG netminder Chris Nell, and had to survive another penalty kill after having too many men on the ice.

With all that, Bowling Green didn’t need any power plays to extend its lead. John Schilling made it 2-0 at 6:47 of the second, firing the puck alone in front of Guerriero, who made the save. The rebound came right to Schilling behind Guerriero, and Schilling buried it.

On UAH’s fifth power play of the night, Nell stoned Josh Kestner after a nice pass from Chad Brears. That was the Chargers’ best scoring chance at that point.

The Falcons took a 3-0 lead with 56 seconds remaining in the second when Stephen Baylis beat Guerriero high from the slot.

At the end of the second, Frank Misuraca hit BG’s Tyler Spezia high at center ice. Spezia was slow to get up, and Misuraca, one of the four seniors playing his last game for UAH, only got a minor penalty.

The third period was all Bowling Green. The Falcons outshot the Chargers 20-6 for the period, finishing with a 36-24 advantage for the game.

BG made it 4-0 on a Brandon Hawkins goal at 7:10, and Baylis got his second goal of the night on the power play at 13:16.

Nell rebounded from allowing six goals in UAH’s 7-5 win on Friday night to posting his fourth shutout of the season. He made 24 saves.

Guerriero stopped 31 of 36 shots for UAH.

The Falcons were 2-of-8 on the power play, while the Chargers where 0-for-7.

Chargers explode for seven goals in upset of Bowling Green

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The Chargers, playing for pride in their last series of the 2015-16 season, scored four third-period goals to beat Bowling Green 7-5 on Friday night at the Von Braun Center.

UAH (7-20-6 overall, 5-16-6 WCHA) scored seven goals for the first time since 2008, six of them against the top goaltender in the WCHA in Bowling Green’s Chris Nell.

BOX SCORE

Bowling Green (19-12-6 overall, 15-7-5 WCHA) was eliminated from the race for the MacNaughton Cup as regular season champions. The Falcons will be the third seed, hosting a first-round playoff series in the WCHA tournament.

Bowling Green scored first at only the 1:47 mark, when Kevin Dufour scored for his third straight game. He put in a rebound past UAH goaltender Matt Larose off a Scott Walker shot from the point.

The Falcons had the first five shots on goal, but then somehow UAH went on a burst, scoring three unanswered goals on just eight shots.

The first came at 7:03, when the captain, Brent Fletcher, took the puck behind the net, wrapping around Nell’s right and scored his fourth goal of the season. He was assisted by Regan Soquila.

Then Soquila gave the Chargers the lead at 9:53, when on a delayed penalty call (a slash by Dufour), deflecting a Brandon Carlson shot past Nell while camped in front. Adam Wilcox also assisted on Soquila’s third goal of the season.

Almost five minutes later, UAH made it 3-1. Hans Gorowsky, on a two-on-one with Jetlan Houcher, beat Nell stick-side from the slot for his second goal. Chad Brears was credited with his ninth assist. That’s how the first period ended.

The second period was all Falcons, who awakened with three unanswered goals of their own to retake the lead.

Again, BG struck quickly, this time at 1:31, as Tyler Spezia rushes down the left side and beats Larose five hole to cut UAH’s lead to 3-2.

Following a Carlson hooking penalty, the Falcons tied the game on the power play with 6:49 remaining in the period. In a scramble in front of the net, Stephen Baylis, while being taken down, somehow put the puck in. While the goal light went on, the officials did not see it, but called a goal following a lengthy video review.

Bowling Green took a 4-3 lead with 1:42 left in the 2nd, as Brandon Hawkins sniped one past Larose from between the top of the circles.

The Falcons outshot the Chargers 15-4 in the period.

So if UAH’s first period was good and its second period was bad, what about the third period?

Fabulous. The Chargers scored four times.

Matt Salhany got things started, picking Adam Smith’s pocket and turned on the jets for a breakaway, scoring at the 8:13 mark to tie the game at 4-4.

After a scramble in the UAH net that lead to another review of a potential Bowling Green goal — this time no — the Chargers got another power play. Josh Kestner‘s one-timer from the left circle gave UAH the lead again at 5-4 with 8:53 left. Cam Knight made the pass from the right point to set up Kestner’s sixth goal of the season, and Jack Prince got the secondary assist.

A minute 20 later, Max McHugh scored his seventh goal of the season, taking the puck from center ice and beating Nell stick side, to make it 6-4 Chargers.

Bowling Green would get one back with 4:42 left on a goal by Sean Walker.

The Falcons pulled Nell for the extra attacker with 1:43 left and on the power play (after a boarding penalty on Kestner). But after the power play was killed, Kestner was able to sink the empty-net goal, his second of the game, for the final 7-5 result.

Seven goals, despite UAH being outshot 32-20 for the game. The last time UAH scored seven goals in a game was Feb. 1, 2008, also a 7-5 win at Robert Morris. That was also the last time the Chargers scored four goals in a period.

Larose had 27 saves in the contest, while Nell only stopped 13 of 19.

The season finale is Saturday night at 7:07 p.m. at the Von Braun Center. Four UAH seniors will be honored before the game.

Series Preview: vs. Bowling Green, March 4-5

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CATCHING THE GAMES
Friday, March 4, 2015 – 7:07 p.m.
First 500 fans get free UAH Hockey trading cards
Saturday, March 5, 2015 – 7:07 p.m.
First 500 fans get UAH space capsules
Kids 12-under get free gen. admission to both games
Team statistics: UAH | Bowling Green

UAH will finish off the 2015-16 season at the Von Braun Center this weekend against Bowling Green.

On Friday, the first 500 fans receive a free set of UAH Hockey trading cards. On Saturday, the first 500 fans receive a free UAH space capsule, courtesy of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Kids 12 and under get free admission to both games.

Saturday is also Senior Night, as Anderson White, Frank Misuraca, Chad Brears, and Jack Prince will play their final college games.

Matchup history: Bowling Green is 16-3-1 all time against the Chargers, including a 6-2-0 record in Huntsville. The two UAH wins at the VBC came in 2000. Earlier this season, Bowling Green swept the Chargers in Ohio, winning 3-2 in overtime and 4-3.

Charger recap: UAH (6-20-6 overall, 4-16-6 WCHA) went up to Bemidji State last week, looking to keep alive slim WCHA playoff chances.

On Friday, Madison Dunn scored late in the second period, but the Beavers tied the game with 7:34 left in the third. The Chargers had a power play and a penalty shot in overtime but could not find the winning goal as the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

On Saturday, Bemidji State scored three in the first period and took a 4-0 lead in the second, cruising to a 6-2 victory and officially ending UAH’s playoff hopes. Brandon Parker and Dunn scored the UAH goals.

Matt Larose played both games in goal, stopping 36 of 37 shots on Friday, and making 31 saves on Saturday.

LEADING SCORERS: Max McHugh (So., 6-15–21, 32 GP), Chad Brears (Sr., 9-8–17, 28 GP), Brennan Saulnier (So., 6-11–17, 28 GP), Brandon Parker (So., 3-9–12, 32 GP), Jetlan Houcher (Fr., 4-5–9, 25 GP), Matt Salhany (Jr., 3-6–9, 31 GP), Kurt Gosselin (Fr., 2-7–9, 25 GP)

GOALTENDING: Carmine Guerriero (Jr., 3.10 GAA, .904 SV%, 17 GP), Matt Larose (Jr., 2.44 GAA, .926 SV%, 16 GP)

UAH Tale of the tape
(WCHA rank)		 Bowling Green
6-20-6 Overall record 19-11-6
4-16-6 (10th) WCHA record 15-6-5 (T-2nd)
2.06 (9th) Goals/game 2.67 (T-2nd)
3.00 (8th) Goals allowed/game 2.11 (2nd)
13.3 (3rd) Pen. minutes/game 9.8 (10th)
10.9% (9th) Power play 15.2% (4th)
82.6% (7th) Penalty kill 85.2% (6th)

About the Falcons: Bowling Green  (19-11-6 overall, 15-6-5 WCHA) is playing for a WCHA regular-season championship this weekend. The Falcons enter the final series of the regular season two points behind Minnesota State in the race for the MacNaughton Cup. They are tied with Michigan Tech in second place.

BG has won three straight after losing four of five. Last week, the Falcons swept Ferris State 4-3 and 6-2.

Chris Nell has become the best goaltender in the WCHA in his sophomore season. He leads the conference with a 1.82 goals against average (5th in Division I) and a .933 save percentage (4th in Division I), and was recently named a Mike Richter Award nominee last week for the nation’s best goaltender.

Mark Cooper’s 24 points is tied for 6th in the conference, and his 14 goals are tied for second. Sean Walker and Mark Friedman (Flyers prospect) are tied for 6th in assists with 16. Mitch McLain is on a roll, scoring two goals and two assists against Ferris State to earn WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honors. Kevin Dufour had three goals against Ferris to increase his total to 12 on the season.

LEADING SCORERS: Mark Cooper (Sr., 14-10–24, 36 GP), Matt Pohlkamp (Jr., 7-15–22, 36 GP), Brandon Hawkins (So., 10-10–20, 35 GP), Mark Friedman (So., 4-16–20, 36 GP), Sean Walker (Jr., 3-16–19, 36 GP), Kevin Dufour (Jr., 12-6–18, 34 GP)

GOALTENDING: Chris Nell (So., 1.82 GAA, .933 SV%, 31 GP), Tommy Burke (Sr., 2.88 GAA, .896 SV%, 7 GP)

Around the WCHA: 

All times Central. Games featuring WCHA teams at home can be seen on WCHA.tv.

Friday, March 4
Bowling Green at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
Northern Michigan at #13 Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
Bemidji State at #16 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Alaska Anchorage at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.

Saturday, March 5
Bowling Green at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
Northern Michigan at #13 Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
Bemidji State at #16 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Alaska Anchorage at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.

Hoof Beats: Four seniors to be honored in season finale

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2015-16 Seniors

Jack Prince, Anderson White, Frank Misuraca, and Chad Brears finish their UAH careers this weekend. (Photo by UAH Athletics/Doug Eagan)

They committed to UAH when the hockey program was an independent with an uncertain future. This weekend, they will skate off the Von Braun Center ice one final time as Chargers, finishing their four-year odyssey.

Chad Brears, Frank Misuraca, Jack Prince, and Anderson White will be honored Saturday for Senior Night as the Chargers finish the 2015-16 season. UAH will host Bowling Green on Friday and Saturday, each game starting at 7:07 p.m.

Brears, an alternate captain from Cold Lake, Alberta, leads this year’s team with nine goals, and is tied for second with 17 points. In 124 career games at UAH, he has 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points. A three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete and two-time WCHA All-Academic, Brears was the WCHA’s Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year for 2013-14.

Misuraca, another alternate captain from Clinton Township, Michigan, has a goal and four assists this season. The defenseman has 30 assists in 126 career games. Of his 11 UAH goals, the most memorable is his blast from the right point with four seconds left in overtime at Bowling Green in 2013, giving the Chargers their first WCHA victory. Two-time WCHA All-Academic Team.

Prince, a forward from Leicester, England, has played 102 games for the Chargers, scoring 13 goals and 22 assists. He lead the 2013-14 squad with eight goals and 13 points, and last year was on Great Britain’s national team at the World Championships in the Netherlands. Named to the WCHA All-Academic Team for 2014-15.

White, a defenseman from Caledon, Ontario, has played in 72 games for UAH, scoring four assists. White was named a WCHA Scholar Athlete three times and was named to the WCHA All-Academic Team twice.

This week’s festivities: The final home series of the season is presented by the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.

On Friday, the first 500 fans receive the final set of UAH hockey trading cards. On Saturday, the first 500 fans get UAH hockey space capsules.

Kids 12 and under get free general admission, courtesy Huntsville International Airport.

The Blue Line Club lunch will take place Friday at noon at the Varsity Room of Spragins Hall. Bowling Green coach Chris Bergeron and the UAH coaching staff will be there to talk about this week’s series. Lenny’s Subs will be catering.

Commit for ’17: The Chargers got a verbal commitment on Monday from Christian Rajic, a forward for the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.

The Oakville, Ontario native will play for UAH starting in the 2017-18 season. Rajic has 61 points in 42 games this season with the Blades, good for 12th in the OJHL.

For more information on future Chargers, visit the Commitments page.

Chargers eliminated with 6-2 loss at Bemidji State

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There will officially be no postseason for the Chargers, who lost 6-2 to Bemidji State in Minnesota on Saturday.

UAH (6-20-6 overall, 4-16-6 WCHA), on a seven-game winless streak, will wrap up the 2015-16 season next week at home against Bowling Green. Next Saturday night will be Senior Night.

BOX SCORE

Bemidji State (15-13-6 overall, 10-11-5 WCHA) punched a ticket to the WCHA playoffs Friday, and sit in sole possession of sixth place.

The Beavers took control at the opening bell, scoring just 11 seconds in as John Parker drove down the right side of the Charger zone and beat goaltender Matt Larose high.

UAH regrouped and found some offensive pressure of their own, peppering BSU netminder Michael Bitzer with a few shots on goal, but that was the most the Chargers could muster in the first period.

With 5:53 left in the period, UAH’s Madison Dunn tripped BSU’s Kyle Bauman in the neutral zone, giving the Beavers a power play. A quick turnover gave Matt Salhany a shorthanded breakaway. Salhany, who missed a penalty shot on Friday, hit the post.

After that, it all fell apart for UAH.

The Beavers then converted their power play for a 2-0 lead. Gerry Fitzgerald scored on a one-timer blast from the left point.

Then with 49.6 seconds left in the first, Brennan Saulnier leveled Graeme McCormack without the puck in the corner of the Bemidji zone. Saulnier got a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct — Saulnier’s fourth misconduct or game misconduct of the season.

BSU scored on the major power play just 17 seconds in, with Myles Fitzgerald making it 3-0 after one.

The Beavers tacked another on the power play at 3:41 of the second for a 4-0 lead. John Parker’s second goal of the night from the slot.

Brandon Parker gets UAH on the board at the halfway point of the game, scoring his third goal of the season from the right circle. Jack Prince got his fifth assist of the year on the play, and Brandon Carlson got his first helper.

But Bemidji State regained the four-goal lead with Myles Fitzgerald’s second goal of the game, driving to the net right from the draw with 4:03 left in the second.

Madison Dunn scored UAH’s second goal with 13:30 left, taking the puck bounced off the boards behind the Bemidji net and scoring from the slot to cut BSU’s lead to 5-2.

UAH had a chance to make it interesting with a power play with under 10 minutes to go, but Bemidji State capitalized on a 2-on-1 shorthanded opportunity to put the game away for good. Charlie O’Connor had the final goal.

The Beavers outshot UAH 38-17, and went 3-for-7 on the power play. Larose made 32 saves, while Bitzer stopped 15 for BSU.

The long-shot path to the playoffs for UAH

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This probably calls for your favorite “so you’re telling me there’s a chance” meme.

Following UAH’s 1-1 tie at Bemidji State on Friday night, along with both Alaska and Alaska Anchorage losing, the Chargers still have a chance to make the WCHA playoffs, but a lot of things have to go their way.

WCHA Standings (3 games left) W-L-T Pts
8. Alaska Anchorage 8-15-2 18
9. Alaska 6-15-4 16
10. UAH 4-15-6 14

For the Chargers to make the postseason, the following must happen:

  • UAH beats Bemidji State tonight
  • Alaska loses to Michigan Tech tonight
  • Alaska Anchorage loses to Minnesota State tonight
  • UAH sweeps Bowling Green next week
  • Alaska takes exactly three points from Alaska Anchorage next week

This would put UAH in eight place with 20 points, with Alaska and Alaska Anchorage tied at 19 points. The Chargers won’t be able to take any tiebreakers, so they must have more points outright. Alaska Anchorage has the tiebreaker edge over UAH with its 2-1-1 record over the Chargers this season, and in the event of a three-way tie, UAA will have more conference wins.

Meanwhile, the race for the MacNaughton Cup is getting interesting between Minnesota State, Michigan Tech, and Bowling Green. For more on all the WCHA races, visit The WCHA Playoff Prediction Blog.