It’s been over two years, but here are some news and notes regarding UAH hockey. We call them Hoof Beats.
First, a look at Chargers in the pros.
There may not have been much ice hockey at UAH recently, but there are still several Charger alumni still playing professionally.
It seems hard to believe it’s been nearly 10 years since Cam Talbot (’10) made his NHL debut with the New York Rangers. Now the 36-year-old goaltender is on his seventh NHL club, signing a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings in July.
Last season, Talbot had a 2.93 goals against average and .898 save percentage with a shutout in 36 games with the Ottawa Senators. He’s currently projected to split time with Pheonix Copley to start the season.
AHL
Brennan Saulnier signed a one-year, one-way contract extension with the Belleville Senators on July 1. Saulnier had six goals and 15 points with 79 penalty minutes with the Senators last season, his third in the AHL.
Mark Sinclair also signed a one-year, two-way AHL contract with Belleville a week after Saulnier. The goaltender, who spent two seasons at Michigan Tech following three years at UAH, spent most of last season with Cincinnati of the ECHL with a 2.70 goals against and a .915 save percentage.
ECHL
Kurt Gosselin signed a contract with Kalamazoo last month after being acquired in a trade with Toledo in February. The defenseman and former Charger captain, entering his third pro season in the ECHL, scored four goals and six assists in 27 games after joining the Wings last season.
Tyler Poulsen returns to the Tulsa Oilers, who acquired him from the Allen Americans just before last season’s Kelly Cup playoffs. Poulsen, entering his fifth ECHL season, had seven goals and 11 points in 33 games with Allen.
Jay Powell signed with the Orlando Solar Bears for his seconds season. Powell, who played one year with the club team and two with the varsity team, was acquired by Orlando from Kansas City in March. The defenseman scored a goal with each team last season.
Jake Theut announced his retirement last week. Theut had a .907 save percentage and 2.98 goals against in 34 regular-season games with Adirondack last season.
Around the world
Josh Kestner will be in the Czech Republic for his sixth professional season, playing for HC Sparta Praha in Prague, one of the oldest franchises in Europe. Last season, Kestner scored 10 goals in 48 games with Lukko in Finland’s Liiga.
Matti Järvinen is also in Czechia, playing his 14th pro season with BK Mlada Boleslav. Järvinen, 33, had spent nine of the last 10 seasons in Liiga in his native Finland, scoring 12 goals in 45 games with HPK last season.
Bauer Neudecker is entering his second season with EV Füssen in the Oberliga, the third tier of hockey in Germany. The former Huntsville Havoc scored 33 goals last season.
Matt Salhany is back in Denmark for another season with Aalborg.
Complete list of Chargers in the pros
Puppa to enter UAH Hall of Fame
Derek Puppa, who was the Chargers’ wall for the 1996 NCAA Division II national champions, will be inducted into the UAH Athletics Hall of Fame in a ceremony during Alumni Weekend.
Puppa ranks in the top three of the program’s career records for goals against average (2.73), save percentage (.911), games played (94), minutes played (5291), saves (2480) and shutouts (7). He had a record 66 wins in his UAH career, helping the Chargers win the 1996 title and finish as runner-up in 1994.
Puppa is the second Charger hockey player to be inducted into the hall, which was established in 2020. He joins Taso Sofikitis, another member of the 1996 champions and who was in the hall’s first class of inductees.
Tickets are available for the ceremony, which will take place Saturday, Sept. 23, at 5:30 p.m. at the Student Services Building.
Zirnis joins staff at RPI
Karlis Zirnis, who was associate head coach with the Chargers in the last varsity season of 2020-21, has been named an assistant coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Zirnis played for the Chargers from 1999-2003, helping them win two College Hockey America regular-season titles. His 119 career points is 14th in UAH’s varsity history and second in the school’s modern Division I era. He also ranks third in goals (46) and second in assists (73) in UAH’s modern D-I era.
After his coaching stint at UAH, Zirnis was the head coach of the 18U AAA Nashville Jr. Predators, and director of personnel for the NAHL’s Amarillo Wranglers. Zirnis was also a player development coach at Total Package Hockey Academy.
Volleyball earns win over…Bemidji?
Back on September 1, the UAH volleyball team defeated an old hockey rival. The Chargers took out the Beavers of Bemidji State three sets to one at the Ray Thrasher Classic hosted by Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville.
It was the first time that UAH played Bemidji State in a sport other than hockey.
The Chargers and Beavers battled in hockey 94 times from 1994 through 2021, with BSU holding a 57-32-5 advantage in the series. Each school took two NCAA Division II titles from the other in the 1990s, sparking a fierce North vs. South rivalry.