| CATCHING THE GAMES | |
| Times: | 6:37 p.m. CT Friday 6:07 p.m. CT Saturday |
| Watch it: | WCHA.tv (subscription) UAH Charger Union |
| Hear it: | 99.5 Yes FM |
| Stats: | CollegeHockeyStats.net |
| Twitter: | @weloveuahhockey, @uahhockey, @LakeStateHockey, @HockeyLSSU, |
A couple of wins would go a long way toward securing UAH’s first WCHA playoff spot this weekend.
The Chargers will be in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to take on the Lake Superior State Lakers. The two teams are tied for eighth in the WCHA standings, just two ahead of last-place (and first spot out) Alaska-Anchorage.
Puck drop is 6:37 p.m. on Friday night and 6:07 p.m. on Saturday night. The games can be seen on WCHA.tv. If you don’t have a WCHA.tv subscription, you can watch the game from Charger Union’s World of Wings on the UAH campus.
All-time series: Lake Superior State leads the all-time series 6-3-1, but UAH holds a 2-1-1 record in Sault Ste. Marie. The last series up north occurred in November 2012, where UAH won 2-1 (the Chargers’ lone win versus a Division I opponent in 2012-13) and LSSU won 4-0. Back in November of this season, the two teams split in Huntsville, with the Lakers winning 1-0 and the Chargers winning 5-2 to defeat a Division I team at home for the first time since 2011.
Brandon Carlson has 70 blocked shots this season, tied for the most in Division I.
Chargers recap: UAH (7-18-3 overall, 6-14-0 WCHA) has been idle since being swept by Michigan Tech in Houghton two weeks ago. The scores were 5-0 and 11-1, so we’ll just leave it at that. The Chargers have lost four straight on the road, and have only one road conference win on the season.
Max McHugh leads UAH with 17 points and seven goals. Brandon Parker heads the Chargers in assists with 11.
Other top forwards are Jack Prince (5-7-12), Jeff Vanderlugt (5-6-11), and Chad Brears (3-8-11). Frank Misuraca leads the defensemen with six goals and 10 points, and rounds out the list of Chargers with double-digit points.
Carmine Guerriero is third in the WCHA with a .926 save percentage to go along with his 2.61 goals against average.
| UAH | Tale of the tape (WCHA rank) |
LSSU |
| 7-18-3 6-14-0 WCHA (T-8th) |
Record | 7-22-3 6-16-0 WCHA (T-8th) |
| 1.68 (9th) | Goals/game | 1.67 (10th) |
| 3.32 (9th) | Goals allowed/game | 3.40 (10th) |
| 15.6 (2nd) | Pen. minutes/game | 10.1 (10th) |
| 15.7% (5th) | Power play | 8.4% (10th) |
| 80.9% (8th) | Penalty kill | 74.5% (10th) |
About the Lakers: Lake Superior State (7-22-3 overall, 6-16-0 WCHA) is tied with the Chargers for eigth place in the WCHA with 12 points. The Lakers have lost three straight, getting swept last weekend at Alaska, following a three-game win streak. Lake Superior is 3-7-0 this season at home.
In a situation somewhat reminiscent of UAH last season, Lake Superior State is at the bottom of just about every major category in the league as they continue to work on rebuilding under first-year head coach Damon Whitten.
Freshman Gordon Defiel has a 3.11 goals against average and a .915 save percentage this season. He has three shutouts, one of which was against the Chargers in Huntsville on November 14.
Senior forward Stephen Perfetto leads the Lakers with eight goals, and has a five-game point scoring streak coming into this series. Junior Bryce Schmitt has seven goals and seven assists to lead LSSU with 14 points.
Freshman defenseman James Roll is the only other Laker with double-digit points with 10. His nine assists leads the team.
| WCHA Standings | Record | Pts. |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota State** | 19-2-1 | 39 |
| Michigan Tech** | 17-4-1 | 35 |
| Bowling Green* | 13-4-3 | 29 |
| Northern Michigan | 8-8-4 | 20 |
| Alaska^ | 9-12-1 | 19 |
| Ferris State | 8-12-0 | 16 |
| Bemidji State | 6-10-4 | 16 |
| Alabama-Huntsville | 6-14-0 | 12 |
| Lake Superior State | 6-16-0 | 12 |
| Alaska-Anchorage | 4-14-2 | 10 |
| ** Clinched home ice in first round * Clinched playoff berth ^ Ineligible for postseason play |
||
Around the WCHA: No more non-conference action — it’s all league play the final four weekends to determine who wins the MacNaughton Cup and clinches home ice and playoff berths. All 10 teams are in action this week.
For the second straight weekend, Bowling Green and Ferris State meet up, this time in Big Rapids, Michigan. BG took both games in Bowling Green last week as it clinched a playoff spot and edge closer to home ice in the first playoff round.
The race for the MacNaughton heats up in Alaska, where both No. 1 Minnesota State and No. 5 Michigan Tech, separated by just four points, visit Fairbanks and Anchorage, respectively.
Bemidji State visits Northern Michigan looking to move up into home ice territory in the standings.
Here’s the schedule for league teams this week. All times are Central. All games can be seen online on WCHA TV.
Friday, February 13
UAH at Lake Superior State, 6:37 p.m.
#8 Bowling Green at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
Bemidji State at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
#5 Michigan Tech at Alaska-Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.
#1 Minnesota State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
Saturday, February 14
UAH at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
#8 Bowling Green at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
Bemidji State at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
#5 Michigan Tech at Alaska-Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.
#1 Minnesota State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.