Category Archives: 2015-16

Series Preview: vs. Connecticut, Oct. 9-10

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CATCHING THE GAMES
Friday, Oct. 9, 2015 – 7:07 p.m.
First 500 fans get free UAH Hockey T-shirts
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015 – 7:07 p.m.
First 500 fans get free UAH Hockey trading cards
Kids 12-under get free gen. admission to both games

The Chargers begin the next step as they host Connecticut on Friday and Saturday to start the 2015-16 season.

The first face-off is at 7:07 p.m. both nights. It is UAH’s 31st varsity season, 37th overall, and third in the WCHA.

On Friday, the first 500 fans receive a free UAH hockey t-shirt courtesy of Bryant Bank, Damson Auto, Sodexo and Anglin, Reichmann, Snellgrove & Armstrong P.C.  On Saturday, the first 500 fans receive the season’s first set of UAH hockey trading cards, sponsored by Wells Fargo. All season, kids 12 and under get free general admission courtesy of Huntsville International Airport.

All-time series: UAH leads 8-2-0, including a 6-2-0 record in Huntsville. The Chargers and Huskies last met in 2010 at the RPI Holiday Classic, with UAH taking a 6-2 victory. The last meetings at the Von Braun Center came in 2003, with UConn winning the first game 4-1 and UAH winning the second 6-0.

Max McHugh

Max McHugh

Charger recap: UAH finished last season with an 8-26-4 record overall and a 7-20-1 record in the WCHA. The Chargers lost to Michigan Tech in the first round of the WCHA playoffs in Houghton.

UAH looks to continue steady improvement by raising its offensive output. The Chargers averaged 1.63 goals per game last season, which was ninth in the WCHA.

Max McHugh led UAH with 12 goals and 23 points last season in his WCHA All-Rookie freshman campaign. Brandon Parker was tops on the team in assists as a freshman defenseman with 14. Now-seniors Chad Brears (3-12-15) and Jack Prince (5-9-14) round out the Chargers’ top returning scorers.

The backbone of the Chargers has been junior goaltender Carmine Guerriero, who posted one of the best seasons in UAH history. Guerriero posted a 2.56 goals against average ana .928 save percentage as he started 29 of UAH’s 38 games last year.

About the Huskies: Last season, UConn went 10-19-7 overall and 7-11-4 in Hockey East. The Huskies were expected to finish last in their new league after transferring from Atlantic Hockey, but UConn finished ninth. The Huskies lost to New Hampshire in the first round of the Hockey East playoffs. Connecticut was picked to finish ninth again in the Hockey East coaches’ preseason poll.

The Huskies’ top returning scorer is senior Shaun Pauly, who had five goals and 15 assists for 20 points last season. Pauly is one of the few upperclassmen on the roster, as UConn has 18 sophomores and seven freshmen. One of those sophomores is Spencer Naas, who tallied 13 goals, including five game-winners, in 2014-15.

Between the pipes is junior Rob Nichols, who started 35 games last season with a 2.73 goals against average and .918 save percentage.

Connecticut has played an exhibition game last week, defeating Queens University 3-1.

UAH in season openers: The Chargers haven’t won a season-opening game since 2009, when UAH stunned No. 5 Notre Dame 3-2 in South Bend (also on Oct. 9). UAH is 11-17-2 all-time in openers, but 4-11-1 in the modern Division I era. UAH hasn’t won a home opener since 2008, but is 15-13-2 all-time starting at the VBC (6-9-1 in the modern Division I era).

Around the WCHA: All 10 teams are in action this weekend, with nine starting their regular season and Michigan Tech playing an exhibition.

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

Friday, Oct. 9
Connecticut at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State vs. #4 North Dakota, 3:30 p.m. (Ice Breaker at Portland, Maine)
#16 Bowling Green at Ohio State, 6 p.m.
Ferris State at Western Michigan, 6 p.m.
Northern Michigan at Wisconsin, 7 p.m.
#10 Omaha at #6 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Bemidji State at #2 Minnesota Duluth, 7:07 p.m.
St. Cloud State vs. Alaska, 8:07 p.m. (Kendall Hockey Classic at Anchorage)
Arizona State at Alaska Anchorage, 11:07 p.m. (Kendall Hockey Classic)
Laurentian at #15 Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m. (Exhibition)

Saturday, Oct. 10
Connecticut at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State vs. Michigan State, 3:30 p.m. (Ice Breaker at Portland, Maine)
Western Michigan at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
Ohio State at #16 Bowling Green, 6:37 p.m.
Northern Michigan at Wisconsin, 7 p.m.
#10 Omaha at #6 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
#2 Minnesota Duluth at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
Arizona State vs. Alaska, 7:07 p.m. (Kendall Hockey Classic at Anchorage)
St. Cloud State at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m. (Kendall Hockey Classic)
Laurentian at #15 Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m. (Exhibition)

Hoof Beats: Chargers sport five jerseys, including ’96 throwbacks

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The UAH locker room at the Von Braun Center, displaying the five sweaters the Chargers will wear this season.

The UAH locker room at the Von Braun Center, displaying the five sweaters the Chargers will wear this season. (Photo by UAH Athletics)

UAH revealed the jerseys the Chargers will wear in the 2015-16 season in a photo of their Von Braun Center locker room on Tuesday.

The Chargers will wear five different sweaters this season:

  • Home white: A couple of alterations were made to the white jerseys the Chargers wore the last two seasons. The shoulder yoke is now blue, and the blue stripe on the sleeve and waist is thicker.
  • Road blue: Unchanged.
  • Alternate gray: Unchanged.
  • Alternate black: Black version of the road sweater, with a blue shoulder yoke like  the one on the home white.
  • Throwback: For the first time in program history, the Chargers will wear throwback jerseys. These are the home whites to honor the 20th anniversary of the 1995-96 NCAA Division II national champions.

Michael’s opinion: The home whites look better simply because there is more blue, but I still think there’s too much black with “UAH” and the player number for my taste. I’m thrilled we still have the glorious road blues, because I don’t care much for the alternate blacks at all, although I bet I’m in the minority.

The 1996 Division II national champions. (Photo by UAH Athletics)

The 1996 Division II national champions. (Photo by UAH Athletics)

The throwbacks honoring the 1995-96 Chargers aren’t exact replicas. The throwbacks have the red stripe on the waste along the bottom of the sweater, whereas it was sandwiched between blue stripes in the original. The holes in the word “Alabama” were filled in with red 20 years ago, but not in the throwback (this is an improvement, in my opinion). Also, the number and “C”/”A” on the front suggest the throwback will have the same font as the other current jerseys, not the font from the original. Still, it’s great to see the effort to honor the undefeated national champions in this way. It should stir great memories for longtime UAH fans.

Guerriero on CHN’s All-America team: College Hockey News named UAH’s Carmine Guerriero to its preseason All-America team on Tuesday. The junior was selected as the second-team goaltender.

“Had a .927 save percentage last season while facing more shots per minute than any goaltender in the country. Edges out [Michigan Tech’s] Jamie Phillips and [Boston College’s] Thatcher Demko, who had offseason hip surgery and may miss the early part of the season.”

Chargers on TV: UAH’s home game with Alaska on Jan. 8 will be televised by American Sports Network, select affiliates of the Sinclair Networks Group and on several regional sports networks around the country.

The game is one of two WCHA contests ASN will broadcast as part of a deal to televise 30 college hockey games this season. The deal also includes Hockey East, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, and ECAC Hockey.

UAH picked to finish 8th in WCHA preseason polls

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At least the Chargers are expected to make the playoffs this time.

The WCHA preseason coaches and media polls were released during the league’s media teleconference Monday, and UAH finished eighth in both polls.

“We’re still building our foundation, but I like what our foundation is right now,” UAH head coach Mike Corbett said. “We brought in a few extra players to bring depth to our program.

“As for the polls, they’re great. They’re motivational. They’re going up on our board, and we’re going to continue to use them as motivation. Respect is something you’ve got to earn day to day. We did some nice things last year, but now we’ve got to earn it all over again.”

The Chargers were picked to finish last in their first two seasons in the WCHA. UAH did finish last in 2013-14, but finished eighth last season to earn its first WCHA playoff berth, where the Chargers swept at Michigan Tech in two games. The first game was three-overtime thriller, won by the Huskies 1-0 as Carmine Guerriero made a WCHA-record 76 saves.

Guerriero did receive a vote in each poll for preseason all-WCHA. “He’s the guy who carried the load last year,” Corbett said. “With our added depth and the experience the players have gotten in our league, he doesn’t have to make 40 (saves) a night, but the great thing for us is we know he can.”

In the coaches poll, Minnesota State was the clear favorite to win the MacNaughton Cup again, getting eight first-place votes. Bowling Green and Michigan Tech got each of the other two first-place votes.

Minnesota State also took first in the media poll, but did not get a majority. The Mavericks had 12, Michigan Tech had nine, and Bowling Green got eight.

UAH opens the season on Oct. 9-10 at Propst Arena against Connecticut. The WCHA schedule begins two weeks later at home against Alaska Anchorage.

2015-16 Mankato Free Press WCHA Men’s Hockey Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Team (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Minnesota State (8) 89
2. Bowling Green (1) 79
3. Michigan Tech (1) 78
4. Bemidji State 61
5. Alaska 55
6. Ferris State 51
7. Northern Michigan 49
8. UAH 29
9. Alaska Anchorage 27
10. Lake Superior State 22

Preseason WCHA Player of the Year: Tyler Morley, Alaska
Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year: Corey Mackin, Ferris State
Preseason All-WCHA Team:
G Jamie Phillips, Michigan Tech
D Shane Hanna, Michigan Tech
D Casey Nelson, Minnesota State
F Tyler Morley, Alaska
F Alex Petan, Michigan Tech
F Bryce Gervais, Minnesota State

Carmine Guerriero received one vote for Preseason All-WCHA.

2015-16 Bemidji Pioneer WCHA Men’s Hockey Preseason Media Poll

Team (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Minnesota State (12) 265
2. Michigan Tech (9) 263
3. Bowling Green (8) 250
4. Bemidji State 184
5. Alaska 164
6. Ferris State 142
7. Northern Michigan 138
8. UAH 88
9. Lake Superior State 54
10. Alaska Anchorage 47

Preseason WCHA Player of the Year: Bryce Gervais, Minnesota State
Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year: Stephen Baylis, Bowling Green
Preseason All-WCHA Team:
G Jamie Phillips, Michigan Tech
D Shane Hanna, Michigan Tech
D Casey Nelson, Minnesota State
F Tyler Morley, Alaska
F Alex Petan, Michigan Tech
F Bryce Gervais, Minnesota State

Carmine Guerriero received one vote for Preseason WCHA Player of the Year. Jetlan Houcher received one vote for Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year. Guerriero and Max McHugh each received one vote for Preseason All-WCHA.

Geof Morris and Michael Napier of UAHHockey.com voted in the media poll. Here are our ballots:

Geof’s ballot:

  1. Bowling Green
  2. Minnesota State
  3. Michigan Tech
  4. UAH
  5. Alaska
  6. Bemidji State
  7. Northern Michigan
  8. Ferris State
  9. Lake Superior State
  10. Alaska Anchorage

Player of the Year: Carmine Guerriero, UAH
Newcomer of the Year: Stephen Baylis, Bowling Green
Preseason All-WCHA:
G Carmine Guerriero, UAH
D Shane Hanna, Michigan Tech
D Casey Nelson, Minnesota State
F Tyler Morley, Alaska
F Max McHugh, UAH
F Teddy Blueger, Minnesota State

Michael’s ballot:

  1. Michigan Tech
  2. Bowling Green
  3. Minnesota State
  4. Bemidji State
  5. Alaska
  6. Northern Michigan
  7. UAH
  8. Ferris State
  9. Lake Superior State
  10. Alaska Anchorage

Player of the Year: Jamie Phillips, Michigan Tech
Newcomer of the Year: Brett Boeing, Michigan Tech
Preseason All-WCHA:
G Jamie Phillips, Michigan Tech
D Shane Hanna, Michigan Tech
D Casey Nelson, Minnesota State
F Tyler Morley, Alaska
F Alex Petan, Michigan Tech
F Bryce Gervais, Minnesota State

More from Mike Corbett on the media teleconference:

  • On defense: “On defense, we played three freshman most of the year. Frank Misuraca had a breakout season. We’re going to have some good legs back there and be able to move the puck a little bit more, and not weather as many storms as we’ve had to the past couple of years.”
  • On offense: “Up front, we’re led by Max McHugh, a sophomore. He made the all-rookie team last year. He’s come back we feel a step faster and stronger. Our scoring, everyone is going to have to chip in, and Max is one who’s going to be skating against others’ top lines most nights. I like the kids we have up front. I think we’re going to be able to score a few more goals.”
  • On recruiting: “We’re not the sexiest program out there. We know that. We might not get a lot of help from junior coaches. But there’s plenty of players out there. And more than anything, getting kids who are up to the challenge of building this program. It’s easy to put on the jersey. It’s not easy to build a program and be the underdog every day. It’s not easy to get disrespected a lot of times. You’ve got to get strong mental kids who have that fire in their eyes, and I think we’ve got that with the kids that are coming in.”
  • On impact freshmen: “I think the guy who comes in with the pedigree is Jetlan Houcher, who scored 85 goals in juniors. He’s more of a shooter, and I think we’re going to be able to put Jetlan in a position to do what he does. We still have room on the depth chart to do that right now. With as many freshmen as we have, part of our recruiting was giving them the opportunity to be the players they want to be. Kurt Gosselin … is going to be able to add offense to the backline for us. When the puck is kicked low to high, he’s going to be able to make plays. He’s going to be able to improve our power play and help our offense 5-on-5.”

Hoof Beats: Newcomer notes

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UAH revealed its signees for the 2015-16 season on August 3. Many of the forwards put up some prolific numbers for their junior teams last season, which will hopefully signal continued growth for the Charger offense. Here’s a summary of how they played in the 2014-15 season:

Team Pos GP G A Pts PIM
Hunter Anderson Langley (BCHL) F 58 11 19 30 64
Madison Dunn Brooks (AJHL) F 60 8 35 43 58
Hans Gorowsky Fairbanks (NAHL) F 60 23 33 56 38
Kurt Gosselin Alberni Valley (BCHL) D 32 12 31 43 32
Jetlan Houcher Fort McMurray (AJHL) F 60 39 32 71 57
Cam Knight Wichita Falls (NAHL) D 60 9 24 33 55
Tyler Poulsen* Topeka (NAHL) F 56 29 32 61 44
Brandon Salerno Pickering (OJHL) F 49 30 39 69 30
John Teets Fairbanks (NAHL) D 60 3 17 20 53
Adam Wilcox Fairbanks (NAHL) F 43 6 11 17 96

* 2013-14 statistics

Jetlan Houcher (Photo by Fort McMurray Oil Barons)

Jetlan Houcher (Photo by Fort McMurray Oil Barons)

Some other tidbits on this class:

  • Jetlan Houcher will reunite with UAH sophomore Brennan Saulnier, who was his teammate at Fort Murray in the 2013-14 season. John Teets and Adam Wilcox were also on that Oil Barons squad, which won 45 games and reached the AJHL Division Final.
  • Tyler Poulsen played with Cody Champagne with Topeka in the 2013-14 season. Poulsen led the Roadrunners in scoring that year while Champagne was the second-leading scorer among defensemen as they reached the NAHL semifinals.
  • Hunter Anderson and Hans Gorowsky will join Cody Marooney and Brandon Parker to make four native Minnesotans on the roster, the most UAH has had at one time in its history. Anderson and Gorowsky would make it 10 Minnesotans overall in 31 seasons. (By contrast, UAH has had seven native Huntsvillians.)
  • Wilcox will be the fourth player from the state of Georgia to play from the Chargers, following Neil Ruffini, Kyle Lysaght, and Craig Pierce.
  • Teets will be the second UAH player to come from the state of Alaska (Levi Hall, 1995-96).
  • Brandon Salerno will be eligible to play for the Chargers in the 2016-17 season.

Frozen Tide exhibition: UAH will host Alabama’s club team at the Wilcoxon Ice Complex on Oct. 17, the weekend after the Chargers open the season at the VBC against Connecticut.

The growing Frozen Tide program, coached by Charger alumnus Mike Quenneville (’89), will be playing its first season in American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I.

UAH and Alabama played two exhibition games to start the 2012-13 season, with the Chargers winning 12-1 and 10-0.

New WCHA.tv partner:  Stretch Internet will provide the online streaming for WCHA.tv in the 2015-16 season, the WCHA announced on Wednesday.

The new WCHA.tv will allow for multiple HD streams, including picture-in-picture and the ability to watch up to four games at once. The portal will integrate live stats and social media, and be available on tablet, mobile, and Smart TV devices.

Information on WCHA.tv subscription packages and pricing for the 2015-16 season (including full season, monthly, single day, team-specific and more) will be available in September.

Season tickets, BLC info for 2015-16 now available

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Carmine Guerriero makes a save as Brent Fletcher chases the puck against Alaska Anchorage in the 2014-15 season.

Catch Carmine Guerriero and Brent Fletcher as the Chargers host 18 games this season and work their way up the WCHA standings. (Photo by UAH Athletics)

Hockey’s coming, y’all.

Season tickets for the 2015-16 season, UAH’s 31st season of varsity hockey and 37th overall, are on sale now. Reserve seating in the lower bowl of Von Braun Center’s Propst Arena is $199 for 18 home games this season — up $7 from last season but with two more games.

FlexTix packages are all back at the same rate. For $99, you’ll get 10 tickets to any 10 games you choose.

Blue Line Club information was also released. Consider making a tax-deductible donation to Charger hockey and get many great benefits. In addition to receiving multiple season tickets and FlexTix packs, you’ll get VIP parking, VBC hospitality room access, coaches’ luncheons, special events, and more.

For more information, order tickets, or join the Blue Line Club, call 256-UAH-PUCK (256-824-7825). Or, download and return the Blue Line Club and season ticket brochure.

Tickets to individual games will be available through Ticketmaster and the Von Braun Center box office at a later date. Check back on our tickets page for updates.

The Chargers open the season on Oct. 9 and 10 at the VBC against the Connecticut Huskies of Hockey East, followed by Homecoming weekend on Oct. 23 and 24 in their WCHA openers against Alaska-Anchorage.

Press release from UAHChargers.com

Chargers’ 2015-16 schedule released with 18 home games

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It's good to be home. (Photo by Chris Brightwell)

It’s good to be home, where UAH will play 18 times in the 2015-16 season. (Photo by Chris Brightwell)

For the first time in 15 years, UAH is scheduled to play more home games than not.

The WCHA released its 2015-16 composite schedule on Monday, and UAH followed with the official revealing of the Chargers’ slate.

The Chargers will have 18 home games for the first time since the 2000-01 season, when UAH hosted the College Hockey America conference tournament. In terms of regular season, it’s the most home games in UAH’s modern Division I era, and the most home games against Division I teams ever. This is an exciting development given the difficulty UAH has securing home non-conference games (see UAH’s recent independent years).

In addition to the 28-game WCHA schedule, UAH will have three non-conference series, two at home, representing Hockey East and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

UAH opens the season at home for the first time since 2012 with the first of three non-conference series, Oct. 9-10 against Connecticut. UConn last came to Huntsville as a member of Atlantic Hockey to open the Chargers’ 2003-04 season, but now the Huskies represent Hockey East. UConn was expected to struggle transitioning to the East’s premier conference in its first season in 2014-15, but finished in a tie for ninth and look to be a program on the rise.

Homecoming at hockey is back as the Chargers open league play at home against Alaska-Anchorage on Oct. 23-24. UAH won both games against UAA in Huntsville last season as the Seawolves struggled to last place in the WCHA.

The Chargers hit the road for the first time at Lake Superior State, where they earned three critical points last season on the way to a WCHA playoff spot. UAH then hosts their playoff opponent from last season, Michigan Tech, on Nov. 6-7. Tech, one of three opponents who reached the NCAA tournament last season, swept the Chargers in Houghton in two games, the first being the 1-0 triple overtime marathon that saw Carmine Guerriero make 76 saves.

Bemidji State returns to Huntsville for rounds 77 of 78 of the Chargers-Beavers rivalry on Thanksgiving weekend. Rounds 79 and 80 will be in Bemidji on Feb. 26-27.

On Dec. 18-19, Colorado College comes to Huntsville after the Chargers visited Colorado Springs to open the 2014-15 campaign. The Tigers finished last in the powerful NCHC, but managed two one-goal wins over UAH, both on third-period goals.

The Chargers ring in 2016 at one of the storied programs in college hockey. UAH visits North Dakota for the first time since 1989, when the Chargers lost 12-6 and 11-5. UND, owners of seven national championships, won the NCHC regular season title and reached the Frozen Four last month.

All but six of the Chargers’ home games come before the New Year, meaning UAH will see a lot of travel down the stretch. UAH has only one series in January, February, and March. The Charges host Alaska on Jan. 8-9, defending WCHA champion and NCAA tournament participant Minnesota State on Feb. 12-13, and Bowling Green on March 4-5 to finish the regular season.

The Chargers go to the state of Alaska once, a late-January set in Anchorage.

Season ticket and Blue Line Club information will be released over the summer. For more information, call 256-UAH-PUCK.

Here is the 2015-16 UAH Charger hockey schedule. Home games are in bold, all starting at 7:07 p.m.

Oct. 9-10 – Connecticut
Oct. 23-24 – Alaska Anchorage*
Oct. 30-31 – Lake Superior State*
Nov. 6-7 – Michigan Tech*
Nov. 20-21 – Bowling Green*
Nov. 27-28 – Bemidji State*
Dec. 4-5 – Northern Michigan*
Dec. 11-12 – Minnesota State*
Dec. 18-19 – Colorado College
Jan. 1-2 – North Dakota
Jan. 8-9 – Alaska*
Jan. 15-16 – Ferris State*
Jan. 29-30 – Alaska Anchorage*
Feb. 12-13 – Minnesota State*
Feb. 19-20 – Northern Michigan*
Feb. 26-27 – Bemidji State*
March 4-5 – Bowling Green*

March 11-13 – WCHA Quarterfinals (at top four seeds)
March 18-19 – WCHA Final Five (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
March 25-27 – NCAA Tournament Regionals
April 7-9 – NCAA Frozen Four (Tampa, Fla.)

* WCHA game.