Happy New Year! The Chargers kick off the second half of the 2014-15 campaign with a WCHA series with the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves on Friday and Saturday. Puck drop is 7:07 p.m. both nights at the Von Braun Center.
The first 500 fans to Friday’s game receive a free set of UAH Hockey trading cards, and the first 500 at Saturday’s game get a free UAH Hockey T-shirt. Kids 12 and under get in free to both games.
| CATCHING THE GAMES | |
| Times: | 7:07 p.m. Friday and Saturday |
| Tickets: | Ticketmaster: Friday | Saturday Complete ticket information |
| Promotions: | Kids 12 & under get free admission Fri.: UAH trading cards to first 500 Sat.: UAH T-shirts to first 500 |
| Online video: | WCHA.tv (subscription) |
| Live stats: | UAHChargers.com |
| Twitter: | @weloveuahhockey, @uahhockey, @UAAHockey |
| More previews: | UAHChargers.com GoSeawolves.com |
All-time series: It’s been almost all Seawolves since the series began in 1987: UAA leads 18-2-1. Both Charger wins came in Huntsville, but those happened in 1991 and 1992. Last season saw an end to a 20-year hiatus in the series, with Anchorage going 3-0-1 against the Chargers. UAH tied the first game in Huntsville 1-1 before falling 4-1.
Chargers recap: UAH (3-14-3 overall, 2-10-0 WCHA) lost 2-1 and tied 3-3 in its final non-conference series of the season at No. 12 Omaha two weeks ago. The Chargers are winless in their last seven since beating Ferris State on Nov. 12.
In the opening game on Dec. 2o, Omaha scored goals in the first and third period to win 2-1. Jeff Vanderlugt’s tally with 11 seconds remaining in regulation averted the shutout. Carmine Guerriero made 29 saves.
On Dec. 21, the Chargers had leads of 2-0 and 3-1, but Omaha rallied to tie 3-3 with the equalizer coming with 20 seconds left in regulation. Jack Prince, Max McHugh, and Alex Carpenter.
McHugh and Vanderlugt top the Chargers with five goals apiece. McHugh now leads the team in points with 12, which is tied for the WCHA among freshmen with Minnesota State’s C.J. Franklin. Prince joins McHugh in double-digit points with 10.
Guerriero has a 2.44 goals against average. His .932 save percentage is 4th in the WCHA and tied for 12th in Division I.
| UAH | Tale of the tape WCHA rank in parentheses |
UAA |
| 3-14-3 2-10-0 WCHA (10th) |
Record | 5-7-4 2-6-2 WCHA (T8th) |
| 1.80 (9th) | Goals/game | 2.31 (7th) |
| 3.15 (8th) | Goals allowed/game | 2.81 (7th) |
| 16.9 (2nd) | Pen. minutes/game | 17.8 (1st) |
| 18.3% (4th) | Power play | 12.8% (8th) |
| 83.5% (6th) | Penalty kill | 80.5% (8th) |
About the Seawolves: Alaska-Anchorage (5-7-4 overall, 2-6-2 WCHA) is ranked 12th in this week’s USCHO.com poll. The Seawolves will be seeing their first action in four weeks: Their last games were Dec. 5-6, where they had back-to-back ties at home against Bemidji State.
Junior Blake Thatchell is the Seawolves’ leading scorer with 12 points on three goals and nine assists. Senior Brett Cameron has five goals to lead UAA. Sophomore defenseman Chase Van Allen also has nine assists.
Freshman goaltender Olivier Mantha matches Guerriero’s goals against average at 2.44, and his .928 save percentage is fifth in the WCHA. He has one shutout, coming at home against Northern Michigan on Nov. 22.
| WCHA Standings | Record | Pts. |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan Tech | 10-2-0 | 20 |
| Minnesota State | 10-2-0 | 20 |
| Bowling Green | 8-1-1 | 17 |
| Ferris State | 6-4-0 | 12 |
| Northern Michigan | 5-5-2 | 12 |
| Alaska* | 5-7-0 | 10 |
| Bemidji State | 3-6-3 | 9 |
| Lake Superior State | 3-11-0 | 6 |
| Alaska-Anchorage | 2-6-2 | 6 |
| Alabama-Huntsville | 2-10-0 | 4 |
| * Ineligible for postseason play | ||
Around the WCHA: Including UAH-UAA, there are three conference series on tap this weekend. Third-ranked Minnesota State, tied with No. 5 Michigan Tech atop the league standings, visits Northern Michigan, while Ferris State starts a two-week odyssey in Alaska with a series in Fairbanks.
Tech, which beat Ferris State in the third-place game in the Great Lakes Invitational, goes to Wisconsin.
On Saturday afternoon, No. 13 Bowling Green plays outdoors for the first time, taking on No. 19 Robert Morris at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio, home of the Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers’ Triple-A minor league affiliate. Both teams meet again in Pittsburgh (back indoors) on Sunday.
Here’s the schedule for league teams the next two weeks. All times are Central. Games involving WCHA teams at home can be seen online on WCHA TV.
Friday, January 2
* Alaska-Anchorage at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* #3 Minnesota State at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
#5 Michigan Tech at Wisconsin, 7 p.m.
Saturday, January 3
* Alaska-Anchorage at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* #3 Minnesota State at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
#19 Robert Morris vs. #13 Bowling Green at Fifth Third Field, Toledo, Ohio, 11 a.m.
#5 Michigan Tech at Wisconsin, 7 p.m.
Sunday, January 4
#13 Bowling Green at #19 Robert Morris, 6:05 p.m.
* WCHA conference game