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.
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.