Long road trip finishes on down note with loss to UAA

The Chargers scored in the first minute, but couldn’t muster much afterward in a 2-1 loss at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

The disappointing loss finished off a long road trip for UAH (8-16-2 overall, 7-11-2 WCHA). The Chargers went 2-4-0 in the continuous Bemidji-Fairbanks-Anchroage trip, and 3-8-1 in the 12-game stretch on the road.

Alaska Anchorage earned just its second win of the season and broke a 9-game losing streak.

UAH had won back-to-back games after a 4-2 victory Friday in the series opener.

The Chargers will have next week off before playing at the Von Braun Center for the first time in two months against Bemidji State (Jan. 26-27).

UAH pounced on a turnover in the UAA zone to take a lead just 48 seconds in. Tyler Poulsen got the steal, fed the puck to Brennan Saulnier, who found Connor Merkley in the slot, and Merkley scored his second goal of the season.

It was a team-leading 12th assist for Poulsen, and the sixth helper for Saulnier.

The Chargers had a 8-2 shots advantage at one point, but the Seawolves asserted themselves and started making life difficult for UAH goaltender Jordan Uhelski. UAA outshout UAH 13-2 the rest of the first period, and at 12:43 tied the game as Alex Jackstadt poked the puck through a pileup in front of Uhelski.

The second period had a lot of hard hits, and the worst may have been on UAH sophomore winger Jordan Larson, who had just made his season debut Friday after a preseason injury kept him sidelined.

During a 2-on-1, Larson’s backhand shot went wide, and he was soon hit high by UAA defenseman Aaron McPheters. Larson was slow to get up, but eventually made it back to the bench. A few minutes later, however, Larson had to be escorted off the ice and to the locker room with his head down.

Late in the second, Hans Gorowsky received an elbow to the face by UAA’s Corey Renwick, who would get a major penalty. Gorowsky was shaken, but skated to the bench on his own power.

UAH couldn’t score on the major power play that bled into the third period, nor could the Chargers score on another major power play after David Trinkberger cross-checked Saulnier. Somehow Saulnier got an embellishment penalty, which shortened the power play by two minutes.

Anchorage killed the penalties unscathed, and with 10:19 to go, took its first lead of the series when Trey deGraaf’s second attempt got over Uhelski’s pad.

The Seawolves withstood the Chargers’ final barrage on shots on UAA senior goaltender Olivier Mantha, who stopped all 12 UAH shots in the third period.

Shots for the game were tied 29-29. Uhelski finished with 27 saves.

Second line is tops as UAH beats UAA 4-2

Levi Wunder’s goal with 2:55 to go was the game-winner as the Chargers grinded a 4-2 win at Alaska Anchorage on Friday.

The second line of Wunder, Hans Gorowsky, and Josh Kestner was the spark of the offense for UAH (8-15-2 overall, 7-10-2 WCHA), which has won back-to-back games.

BOX SCORE

Wunder had a goal and an assist, Gorowsky had a goal and an assist, and Kestner had two assists before his empty-net goal, his 16th of the season, in the final second.

Alaska Anchorage (1-16-4 overall, 1-11-3 WCHA) has lost nine straight.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01PzdUDQ6PA[/embedyt]

 

UAH scored first at the 3:54 mark. Kestner found Levi Wunder wide open driving down the left wing. Wunder centered the puck to Hans Gorowsky, who had an easy third goal of the season. It was the fifth assist of the season for both Wunder and Kestner.

UAH took a 2-0 lead on a two-man advantage early in the second. Brennan Saulnier whipped a nasty shot from the high slot, hitting the bottom of the crossbar at 4:14. Kurt Gosselin got his sixth assist, and Cam Knight his 10th.

Like UAH’s last game in Fairbanks, that 2-0 lead did not last long as UAA got on the board 1:19 later. The rest of the Charger power play was killed via a hooking penalty, and on the resulting power play for Anchorage, Austin Azurdia cut it to 2-1 as a puck came to him in front of a wide open net after UAH’s Jordan Uhelski made a save on Tad Kozun.

Anchorage tied the game at 2-2 just before the halfway point of the third period. Brandon Switzer prevented a UAA icing, then found Nicolas Erb-Ekholm all alone in front of the UAH net. Erb-Ekholm beat Uhelski high.

Then came Wunder’s game-winning goal, the second for the freshman. Kestner passed the puck ahead to Gorowsky on the left of Mantha. Gorowsky’s shot was saved, but the rebound went right to Wunder, who put it away.

UAA pulled Mantha for the extra attacker in the final minute, and Kestner scored unassisted with :00.2 left.

Uhelski had 18 saves in the win.

UAH shotout UAA 25-20 in the power-play-filled game. UAH had eight opportunities and UAA had six.

The series finale — and the final road game of UAH’s 12-game road swing and the regular season — is Saturday night at 10:07 p.m. Central.

Notes: Kestner now has 22 points on the season, giving him back-to-back seasons of 20 points or more. … Jordan Larson made his season debut, coming back from a preseason injury.

Preview: UAH at Alaska Anchorage

Where: Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, Alaska
When: Friday, 10:07 p.m.; Saturday, 10:07 p.m. (CST)
Watch: WCHA.tv
Team stats: UAH | Alaska Anchorage

Charger update: UAH (7-15-2 overall, 6-10-2 WCHA) split the series at Alaska Fairbanks last week, losing 3-2 and winning 3-1. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak.

In the first game, Kurt Gosselin scored his fourth goal of the season and Austin Beaulieu tallied his first, but the Nanooks broke a 2-2 tie with a goal with 55 seconds remaining to prevent Mark Sinclair (21 saves) from getting his first win in his fifth start.

In the finale, Josh Kestner notched his team-leading 15th goal (2nd in the WCHA) and Beaulieu scored again to give UAH a 2-0 lead. Christian Rajic’s empty-net goal with 43 seconds to go sealed the win.

Jordan Uhelski made 35 saves on Saturday, raising his overall save percentage to .911, the second-best in the WCHA this season.

Kestner leads the WCHA for goals in conference play with 13.

The Chargers are in sixth place in the WCHA standings with 21 points, seven points behind fifth-place Michigan Tech.

This is UAH’s last road series of the regular season. The Chargers will have its last four series at home, starting with Bemidji State coming to the VBC on Jan. 26-27.

Players to watch:
Josh Kestner (Sr., F, 15 goals-4 assists-19 points in 24 games played)
Tyler Poulsen (Jr., F, 5-11-16 in 22 GP)
Brennan Saulnier (Sr., F, 7-5-12 in 22 GP)
Christian Rajic (Fr., F, 8-4-12 in 24 GP)
Kurt Gosselin (Jr., D, 4-5-9 in 24 GP)
Jordan Uhelski (Sr., G, 2.90 goals against average, .911 save percentage in 19 starts)

About the Seawolves: Alaska Anchorage (1-15-4 overall, 1-10-3 WCHA) has lost eight games in a row and is winless in its last 12. The Seawolves’ lone victory came Nov. 4 at Lake Superior State.

Last week, UAA lost 5-2 and 4-1 to WCHA-leader and seventh-ranked Minnesota State at home. The Seawolves are in last place in the WCHA, 10 points out of the eighth and final playoff spot.

Senior goaltender Olivier Mantha has started all 20 games for the Seawolves this season, posting a 3.43 goals against average and .907 save percentage.

Players to watch:
Austin Azurdia (Sr., F, 8-5-13 in 20 GP)
Tad Kozun (Sr., F, 4-7-11 in 20 GP)
Jonah Renouf (Jr., F, 2-8-10 in 15 GP)
Olivier Mantha (Sr., G, 3.43 GAA, .907 SV% in 20 starts)

UAH Tale of the tape
(per game averages)
Alaska Anchorage
7-15-2 Overall record 1-15-4
6-10-2 WCHA record 1-10-3
2.50 (7th) Goals 1.71 (10th)
3.11 (7th) Goals allowed 3.64 (10th)
16.2 (2nd) Penalty minutes 14.4 (4th)
17.6% (5th) Power play 13.2% (9th)
82.6% (6th) Penalty kill 67.2% (10th)
WCHA rank in parentheses, conference games only

 

Series notes: Alaska Anchorage leads the all-time series 20-8-3, but UAH is 6-2-2 in the last 10 meetings. This includes UAH getting a 5-1 win and a 3-3 tie in Huntsville back in November. UAH is 3-14-0 all-time in Anchorage, but those three wins have come in the last four games there.

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

Friday, Jan. 12
* UAH at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
* #14 Bowling Green at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* #8 Minnesota State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
#7 North Dakota at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 13
* UAH at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
* #14 Bowling Green at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* #8 Minnesota State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
Bemidji State at #7 North Dakota, 7:07 p.m.

Recruiting: Trades should boost Allen, Neudecker

By Asher Kitchings

Ben Allen

Ben Allen will be joining the Chargers next season.

Two members of UAH’s 2018-2019 freshmen class were on the move this past week in trades that were likely perpetuated to give both players more ice time in their final seasons of junior hockey.

Ben Allen (Allen, Tex.), a 1997-born forward who had been with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL, returned to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, where he played last season. The Vees had 10 — yes, TEN — forwards committed to NCAA D-I hockey programs alone, so it’s no surprise that ice time was hard to come by.

Allen, who had four goals and seven assists with Penticton, will now be on a playoff-bound Melfort Mustangs squad where he’ll be counted on to play top-six minutes and put up points.

Bauer Neudecker (St. Louis Park, Minn.), the aptly named former Mr. Hockey candidate from hockey-mad Minnesota, was traded from the team that drafted him this past May, the Dubuque Fighting Saints, to the Sioux City Musketeers.

The trade is already paying dividends as Neudecker scored a goal, his first of the season, in his first game as a Musketeer in the U.S.’s top junior circuit, the USHL.

Expect these two future Chargers to see a spike in productivity with increased roles on their new squads.

Chargers snap skid with win at Alaska

Jordan Uhelski made 35 saves as UAH held on for a much-needed 3-1 victory over Alaska in Fairbanks on Saturday night to earn a series split.

UAH (7-15-2 overall, 6-10-2 WCHA) snapped a six-game losing streak, and leaped back into sixth place in the WCHA standings.

BOX SCORE

Alaska (8-12-2 overall, 6-9-1 WCHA), coached by UAH alum Lance West, saw its three-game win streak end.

The Chargers will now head to Alaska Anchorage for a series next weekend against the Seawolves and finish off their 12-game road odyssey.

There was no scoring in the first period, although it was the Chargers who had the bulk of opportunities, outshooting the Nanooks 13-5.

However, Alaska goaltender Anton Martinsson continued where he left off at the end of Friday night’s game, making the big saves to keep UAH out of the net.

The second period was Uhelski’s time to shine as the Nanooks started to get the most scoring chances. Uhelski stopped all 19 Alaska shots on goal in the frame.

The closest Alaska came to scoring was after an initial Uhelski save, but the UAH defense was able to clear the puck from the crease after it started to trickle through.

UAH made nine shots of their own in the action-packed second period, and one of them gave the Chargers its first lead in weeks. Josh Kestner got the puck in front, went backhand to forehand to put the puck past Martinsson for this 15th goal of the season with 5:41 left.

John Teets, playing in his hometown Fairbanks, got the primary assist, his sixth of the season. Levi Wunder tallied his fourth helper.

UAH made it 2-0 with 9:18 to go when, right out of the penalty box from a tripping penalty, Austin Beaulieu broke away and deked Martinsson for his second goal of the season.

Alaska cut UAH’s lead to 2-1 just 24 seconds later, as Tayler Munson found Justin Young all alone in the slot, and Young was able to beat Uhelski.

That would be the only goal he would allow, making 11 saves in the third period for a total of 35.

Christian Rajic scored his eighth goal of the season, putting away the empty netter with 43 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Andrew Dodson was not in the lineup after suffering a concussion in Friday night’s game. Tyler Poulsen was also a late scratch for UAH.

Nanooks stun Chargers with last-minute goal

Alaska scored with 55 seconds left in regulation to hand UAH a 3-2 loss on Friday in Fairbanks, Alaska.

UAH (6-15-2 overall, 5-10-2 WCHA) has lost six straight games, falling to eighth place in the WCHA standings. Alaska (8-11-2, 6-8-1) moved up to sixth.

Game two of the series and 10th game in this long road swing is Saturday night at 10:07 p.m. Central Time.

Alaska took the early 1-0 lead at 6:17 of the game. Ross Heidt put in a rebound during a scramble in front of UAH goaltender Mark Sinclair. Heidt was assisted by UAF captain Justin Woods.

The Chargers then put on the pressure, and tied the game on the power play with 1:39 left in the first period. After he was boarded by Steven Jandric, Kurt Gosselin one-timed a Brennan Saulnier pass from near the right point for his fourth goal of the season.

Saulnier and Brandon Salerno each got their fifth assists of the season.

Alaska regained the lead at 5:35 of the second period, as Kyle Marino beat Sinclair on a semi-breakaway.

UAH tied the game again, right after a power play expired. Austin Beaulieu notched his first goal of the season from the right circle dot with 3:57 left in the second. Salerno got another assist, and Brandon Parker also tallied a helper.

In a bit of a scoresheet oddity, Josh Kestner had a hat trick of tripping penalties in the second period.

UAH had chances to take the lead late in the third, including a power play. They peppered Anton Martinsson, who make scrambling saves in the final two minutes.

And then just like that, Zach Frye’s blast found its way past Sinclair with 55 seconds left in regulation. UAH pulled Sinclair for the extra attacker, but to no avail.

Sinclair made 21 saves in his fifth career start, still looking for his first win.

UAH outshot the Nanooks 26-24.

Preview: UAH at Alaska

Where: Carlson Center, Fairbanks, Alaska
When: Friday, 10:07 p.m.; Saturday, 10:07 p.m. (CST)
Watch: WCHA.tv
Team stats: UAH | Alaska

Josh Kestner

Josh Kestner leads the WCHA in goals in league play. Photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCat Photography

Charger update: UAH (6-14-2 overall, 5-9-2 WCHA) saw its losing streak extended to five games at Bemidji State last week, losing 3-1 and 4-1.

The Chargers have struggled to score during the skid with only four goals in the last five games. UAH is now in seventh place in the WCHA standings, one point ahead of this week’s opponent, Alaska.

Josh Kestner was UAH’s only goal scorer at Bemidji, getting the lone tally in both games. That boosted his season total to 14, the most in a season by any Charger since Grant Selinger scored 17 in the 2006-07 season. Kestner is second in the WCHA in overall goals, and his 12 goals in WCHA play tops the league.

With 35 career goals, Kestner is tied for ninth in UAH’s modern Division I era. It’s been 11 years since anyone has entered the top 10.

UAH will have Brennan Saulnier, who is tied for second on the team in goals with seven, back in the lineup after his two-game suspension.

Jordan Uhelski was very busy between the pipes, stopping 67 of 73 BSU shots on goal.

UAH goes to Fairbanks directly from Bemidji, and will head directly to Anchorage for next week’s series against the Seawolves. This is the fifth of sixth straight series on the road.

Players to watch:
Josh Kestner (Sr., F, 14 goals-4 assists-18 points in 22 games played)
Tyler Poulsen (Jr., F, 5-11-16 in 21 GP)
Brennan Saulnier (Sr., F, 7-4-11 in 20 GP)
Christian Rajic (Fr., F, 7-4-11 in 22 GP)
Kurt Gosselin (Jr., D, 3-5-8 in 22 GP)
Jordan Uhelski (Sr., G, 3.00 goals against average, .907 save percentage in 18 starts)

Lance West

Lance West, who had 113 points as a Charger, fires a shot against the Nanooks in a 1991 game in Huntsville.

About the Nanooks: Alaska (7-11-2 overall, 5-8-1 WCHA) has had the last three weeks off for the holidays. The Nanooks’ last action was Dec. 8-9, sweeping their arch-rival Alaska Anchorage. They have won three of their last four, all on the road.

This weekend will be the first time UAH will face a Division I opponent whose head coach is a Charger alum. Lance West, who was promoted to head coach at Alaska over the summer, played for UAH from 1991-95. West was an assistant at UAF for nine seasons under departing coach Dallas Ferguson.

Justin Woods is tied for fourth among WCHA defensemen in points with 15.

Players to watch:
Kylar Hope (So., F, 8-8-16 in 20 GP)
Justin Woods (Sr., D, 8-7-15 in 20 GP)
Colton Leiter (So., C, 7-8-15 in 19 GP)
Nikolas Koberstein (Jr., D, 1-8-9 in 20 GP, 5th-round pick by Montreal in 2014)
Anton Martinsson (So., G, 3.11 GAA, .893 SV% in 18 starts)

UAH Tale of the tape
(per game averages)
Alaska
6-14-2 Overall record 7-11-2
5-9-2 WCHA record 5-8-1
2.50 (8th) Goals 2.93 (3rd)
3.25 (8th) Goals allowed 3.21 (7th)
16.2 (2nd) Penalty minutes 13.8 (7th)
18.7% (3rd) Power play 9.7% (10th)
81.2% (6th) Penalty kill 80.9% (7th)
WCHA rank in parentheses, conference games only

 

Series notes: Alaska leads the all-time series 21-8-2, including a 12-4-0 mark in Fairbanks. The teams played four times last season, with an Alaska win (3-1) and tie (3-3) in Huntsville and a split (UAF 3-0, UAH 4-1) in Fairbanks.

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

Friday, Jan. 5
* UAH at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
* #7 Minnesota State at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.
#13 Boston College vs. Michigan Tech, 7 p.m. (Ice Vegas Invitational, Las Vegas)
Arizona State vs. Northern Michigan, 10:30 p.m. (Ice Vegas Invitational, Las Vegas)

Saturday, Jan. 6
* UAH at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
* #19 Bowling Green at Ferris State, 4:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
* #7 Minnesota State at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.
Arizona State/Northern Michigan vs. Michigan Tech, 7 or 10:30 p.m. (Ice Vegas Invitational, Las Vegas)
#13 Boston College/Michigan Tech vs. Northern Michigan, 7 or 10:30 p.m. (Ice Vegas Invitational, Las Vegas)

Sunday, Jan. 7
* #19 Bowling Green at Ferris State, 2:07 p.m.

Bemidji State takes down UAH again, 4-1

Bemidji State defeated UAH 4-1 on Saturday, completing a series sweep as both teams are moving in opposite directions fast.

UAH (6-14-2 overall, 5-9-2 WCHA) has lost five straight games and is winless in their last six. Bemidji State (9-6-5 overall, 6-4-4 WCHA) has won four in a row and is unbeaten in its last seven.

BOX SCORE

The Chargers, sitting seventh in the WCHA standings, will head directly from Bemidji to Fairbanks, Alaska, where they will take on the Alaska Nanooks next weekend and continue their stretch of 12 straight road games.

UAH was able to get more scoring chances to start this game, a carryover from the third period Friday night, but still had trouble finding the net. The Chargers have only scored four goals in the last five games.

However, it was Bemidji State that got the first goal again with 7:08 left in the period. Myles Fitzgerald had a shot from the slot in front of Uhelski, who made the save. The rebound was short and right to Jay Dickman, who slid the puck between Uhelski’s legs before Uhelski got a chance to cover.

BSU asserted more puck possession the rest of the period, finishing with 15 shots on goal to UAH’s nine.

Bemidji pounced early in the second period, with Zach Whitecloud scoring just 18 seconds in for a 2-0 Beavers lead.

UAH got on the board at the 5:13 mark, when Josh Kestner tipped in a bouncing puck over BSU goaltender Michael Bitzer to cut BSU’s lead to 2-1. It was Kestner’s 14th goal of the season and second of the series (scoring UAH’s lone goal on Friday). Levi Wunder and Richard Buri got the assists.

The first power play of the game didn’t come until 4:22 left in the second, and Bemidji State didn’t waste time converting. Adam Brady, who scored twice on Friday, found the net just 19 seconds into the man advantage.

UAH got its first power play with 2:48 left in the second. The Chargers couldn’t score, and with Gerry Fitzgerald coming out of the penalty box, Bemidji State had a 3-on-1. Fitzgerald’s centering pass deflected off a UAH defender and past Uhelski for a 4-1 BSU lead.

The Chargers outshot the Beavers 9-7 in the third period, but no scoring occurred. BSU had the shots advantage for the game, 32-23.

Uhelski finished with 28 saves.

Chargers’ struggles continue in 3-1 loss at Bemidji

UAH’s offense has gotten as cold as the Bemidji, Minnesota air, which had a temperature of 15 below zero at game time.

The Chargers lost 3-1 at Bemidji State on Friday night, their fourth loss in a row. UAH has only scored three goals in the skid.

UAH (6-13-2 overall, 5-8-2 WCHA) was outshot 42-19 for the contest. In the losing streak, the Chargers have been outshot 157-62.

BOX SCORE

The Chargers played their best period in the third, outshooting the Beavers 8-6 but failing to find the equalizer down 2-1. They can take this into the series finale Saturday night.

Despite dominating most of the game, Bemidji State (8-6-5 overall, 5-4-4 WCHA) needed an empty-net goal with 24 seconds left to extended its unbeaten streak to six games. BSU moved into fifth place in the WCHA standings, keeping the Chargers in sixth.

Jordan Uhelski was the prime reason UAH stayed in the game. The senior goaltender made 39 saves, 20 of them in the second period alone.

If the Christmas break put some rust on the Chargers, it showed. UAH was not sharp in the first period, turning the puck over and giving the Beavers the bulk of scoring chances and the first goal of the game.

Adam Brady took a T.J. Roo pass, then beat Uhelski from the right side at the 6:04 mark. The Beavers outshot the Chargers 16-6 in the first period, and most of those UAH shots came late.

It didn’t get better during the second period, although the Chargers were able to tie the game on the power play.

Josh Kestner ripped a one-timer from the left circle at 5:45 of the period, his 13th of the season. With 13 games left in the regular season, Kestner has the most goals in a season by a Charger since Grant Selinger’s 17 in 2006-07.

Kestner was assisted by Tyler Poulsen with his team-leading 11th of the year, and Cam Knight, his ninth helper.

But UAH hardly sniffed the offensive zone the rest of the period, and Bemidji State reclaimed the lead with 4:03 left in the second. Zach Whitecloud beat Uhelski high from the slot as the Beavers relentlessly put 20 more pucks on net in the period while UAH only had five.

Hands down, the third period was the best for the Chargers, who finally applied some stretches of sustained pressure. That kept the Beavers from getting a shot on goal in the first eight minutes.

But UAH couldn’t tie the game against all-American goaltender Michael Bitzer, who had 18 saves.

Brady put the game away with his second goal of the game, an empty-netter with 24 seconds left after Uhelski was pulled for the extra attacker.

Preview: UAH at Bemidji State

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

Madison Dunn

Madison Dunn, who has three goals and five assists, leads UAH with a +8 rating. (Photo by Todd Thompson/RiverCatPhotography)

Charger update: UAH (6-12-2 overall, 5-7-2 WCHA) was swept at seventh-ranked Minnesota State two weeks ago, falling 5-1 and 3-0. Tyler Poulsen had the lone goal for the series, his fifth of the season.

The Chargers are tied with this week’s opponent, Bemidji State, for sixth in the WCHA standings, with 18 points.

This is the fourth series of six straight on the road. The Chargers will be on the road continuously for the next three weeks, going from Bemidji to Fairbanks to Anchorage.

UAH will be without Brennan Saulnier for this series at Bemidji. Saulnier, who has seven goals this season, was suspended by the WCHA for two games for a contact to the head penalty in the final minute of the second game at Minnesota State.

Players to watch:
Josh Kestner (Sr., F, 12 goals-4 assists-16 points in 20 games played)
Tyler Poulsen (Jr., F, 5-10-15 in 19 GP)
Christian Rajic (Fr., F, 7-4-11 in 20 GP)
Kurt Gosselin (Jr., D, 3-5-8 in 20 GP)
Jordan Uhelski (Sr., G, 3.00 goals against average, .906 save percentage in 16 starts)

UAH Tale of the tape Bemidji State
6-12-2 Overall record 7-6-5
5-7-2 WCHA record 4-4-4
2.71 (T-6th) Goals/game 3.08 (2nd)
3.21 (T-7th) Goals allowed/game 2.75 (5th)
17.3 (1st) Pen. minutes/game 8.2 (10th)
18.6% (4th) Power play 25.0% (2nd)
81.1% (6th) Penalty kill 92.3% (1st)
WCHA rank in parentheses, conference games only

About the Beavers: Bemidji State (7-6-5 overall, 4-4-4 WCHA) is undefeated in its last five games. The Beavers swept Alaska Anchorage at home two weeks ago by scores for 5-1 and 4-0.

It’s been a tougher start than expected for the defending MacNaughton Cup champions. The Beavers, picked to finish second in the media and coaches preseason polls, is tied with UAH for sixth in the WCHA standings.

BSU is led by their senior goaltender, Michael Bitzer. While not posting the All-American numbers from last year, Bitzer still has three shutouts, including his 19th career blank slate against UAA. He was the latest WCHA goaltender of the week.

Senior forward Kyle Bauman leads the Beavers with 19 points, tied for sixth in the WCHA. Junior forward Jay Dickman is tied for fourth in the league with 10 goals after getting his second hat trick of the season against Anchorage.

Players to watch:
Kyle Bauman (Sr., F, 6-13-19)
Gerry Fitzgerald (Sr., F, 4-12-16)
Jay Dickman (Jr., F, 10-4-14)
Myles Fitzgerald (Sr., F, 7-3-10)
Michael Bitzer (Sr. G, 2.41 GAA, .906 SV% in 17 starts)

Series notes: UAH has played Bemidji State 82 times, the most of any opponent. BSU holds the series lead at 47-30-5, with a 26-9-2 record in Bemidji. Last season, the teams split a series in Huntsville, with the Beavers winning 3-2 and the Chargers winning 5-2.

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

Thursday, Dec. 28
#12 Western Michigan at Bowling Green, 6:37 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 29
UAH at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
Northern Michigan at #7 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State vs. Robert Morris, 6:30 p.m. (Three Rivers Classic, Pittsburgh)

Saturday, Dec. 30
UAH at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
Northern Michigan at #7 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State vs. Arizona State or #11 Providence, 3:30 or 6:30 p.m. (Three Rivers Classic, Pittsburgh)

Monday, Jan. 1
Michigan State vs. Michigan Tech, 1:30 p.m. (Great Lakes Invitational, Detroit)
Bowling Green vs. Michigan, 5 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 2
Michigan State or Michigan Tech vs. Bowling Green, 1:30 or 5 p..m. (Great Lakes Invitational, Detroit)
Bowling Green or Michigan vs. Michigan Tech, 1:30 or 5 p.m. (Great Lakes Invitational, Detroit)
Ferris State at USA Under-18 Team, 6:05 p.m.