UAH (6-6-1 overall, 4-2-0 CHS) at Vanderbilt (7-13-0, 6-2-0)
Where: Ford Ice Center Bellevue, Nashville, Tenn.
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.*
Watch: YouTube
* Friday’s game was postponed due to weather and road conditions forcing the early closing of the Ford Ice Center Bellevue.
The UAH club hockey team returns from a two-month hiatus to start the spring semester and a goal to reach the College Hockey South Division 2 tournament.
The Chargers do not have any regular season home games left, but the conference tournament is in their house at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center. UAH has three road series to take care of in order to secure its spot, starting with this weekend’s trek to Nashville to face Vanderbilt.
“We’re excited for this stretch run,” UAH head coach Tim Flynn said. “To us, all of these games are playoff games and must wins. We’re within striking distance of teams and our first goal (qualifying for the playoffs), but there’s a team or two chasing us down and they’re not too far behind.
STATISTICS: UAH | Vanderbilt
UAH is 6-6-1 overall with a 4-2-0 record in CHS, putting the Chargers in fourth place in Division 2 North. The top four teams qualify for the CHS D2 tournament, and UAH is up two points on fifth-place Middle Tennessee.
“Right now we control our destiny, but one weekend where we come out flat and the situation could flip,” Flynn said. “We’re very aware of that.”
When we last saw the Chargers in November, they had defeated Middle Tennessee 4-3 in the third-place game of the Veteran’s Cup in Huntsville, snapping a four-game losing streak. The Watts brothers, Kolton and Keaton, combined for five points as they continue to lead UAH in scoring. Cameron Crawford has been a stalwart between the pipes, posting a .916 save percentage and 3.68 goals against.
“I think the boys are ready,” Flynn said. “They know there’s a playoff berth on the line, and that’s a goal we set before last season. All in all it’s going to be a fun second half, and hopefully we’ll get a few more home games.”
The Commodores are currently belying their 7-13-0 overall record. Vanderbilt is 6-2-0 in College Hockey South play following a dominating sweep of Clemson in South Carolina to open the spring, surpassing the Tigers for second place in Division 2 North. Vanderbilt is one point behind first-place Tennessee with four league games to go.
Vanderbilt is paced by Julian Yang, who leads the team in goals (9), assists (8), and points (17), but somehow didn’t notch a point against Clemson. The Commodores’ next two leading scorers are defensemen: Reese Popkin and Jay Kourkoulis, who each got two goals in the series against the Tigers.
Andrew Shearson has been Vandy’s go-to in goal, posting a 3.34 goals against and .910 save percentage in 16 starts. Shearson earned College Hockey South Player of the Week by stopping 60 of 61 shots with a shutout against Clemson.
“Vanderbilt is going to be a very tough first test,” Flynn said. “They have a lot of weapons and are coming off a sweep of Clemson on the road. We’re just going to have to go out there and execute for 60 minutes. Starting slow has been an issue through the first semester, and we can’t afford that this time of year.
| Pts | CHS | Overall | |
| Tennessee | 13 | 6-2-0 (1) | 11-7-0 |
| Vanderbilt | 12 | 6-2-0 (0) | 7-13-0 |
| Clemson | 10 | 5-3-0 (0) | 10-6-0 |
| UAH | 8 | 4-2-0 (0) | 6-6-1 |
| MTSU | 6 | 3-5-0 (0) | 8-10-2 |
| Georgia Tech | 4 | 2-6-0 (0) | 3-12-0 |
| Ole Miss | 4 | 2-8-0 (0) | 4-12-0 |