Pretty crazy for a seventh-place game. Pretty crazy for any game, including the Chargers’ final home contest of the season.
Kolton Watts scored the game-winner in overtime — the only time UAH had the lead — as the Chargers stunned Vanderbilt 9-8 in the seventh-place game of the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs at the Huntsville Ice Sports Center on Saturday.
Keaton Watts scored four goals and assisted on Kolton’s winner as the Chargers came back from deficits of 3-0, 4-3, 6-4, 7-6, and 8-7 to tie the game. Every time UAH answered the Commodores in regulation, Vanderbilt answered right back.
UAH improved to 10-10-1 overall, while Vanderbilt dropped to 9-17-0.
The Chargers were able to bust out the offense that they wanted in Friday’s quarterfinal loss to Tennessee, who had dominated in a 6-1 decision. And early on, it seemed Vanderbilt wanted to do the same thing.
Vanderbilt held the Chargers back for a good portion of the first period and staked a 3-0 lead. Braden Pichel and Matthew McPhail scored within a minute of each other, and captain Julian Yang netted the Commodores’ third goal with 7:33 remaining.
The Chargers finally battled back and gained some significant offensive zone time, and it paid off on the power play. Keaton Watts sniped his 17th goal of the season from the slot to get UAH on the board with under three minutes to go in the first.
With 9.3 seconds left in the period, Tyler Trombly cut Vanderbilt’s lead to 3-2, assisted by Kolton Watts and Roland Mann. And what was a 15-5 shots on goal advantage for Vanderbilt at one point turned into just 17-13 at the first intermission.
About halfway through the second, UAH tied the game at 3-3 when Josh Corrow, on a drop pass from Henry Hoff, blasted the puck from the left circle to beat Luke Cassidy glove side.
But 21 seconds later, the Commodores regained the lead on a Will McGoughran goal.
UAH would tie the game again at 4-4 with 4:06 left in the second. Keaton Watts scored his second goal of the game, putting in a rebound on his initial shot following nice passing from Kolton Watts and Bradly McDonald.
That started a scoring barrage by both teams. Vanderbilt bolted to a 6-4 lead on two quick goals 24 seconds part by Andrew Harder and Andrew Fietz.
Then 26 seconds after that, with 2:30 left in the period, Keaton Watts completed a hat trick with a shot behind the goal line that deflected off Cassidy. After two periods, Vanderbilt led 6-5.
UAH tied the game a third time, this time at 6-6, when Nathan Litton got his second goal of the season with 15:43 left in the third.
Vanderbilt answered yet again when Emmett Kappesserr scored with 11:04 to go.
UAH knotted up yet again with 3:48 remaining. Josh Corrow’s second goal off the post far side from the right circle tied the game at 7-7.
It’s like a broken record at this point. Yang scored his second goal with 2:01 left to give Vanderbilt the lead yet again, 8-7.
That could have been the killer. And yet, UAH tied the game a fifth time. Keaton Watts netted his fourth goal of the game, finishing off a 3-on-1 break with a centering pass from Bradly McDonald, with a blast from the slot with 30 seconds left in regulation.
In overtime, Kolton Watts finally gave UAH it’s first lead with the game winner. Assisted by Keaton Watts and Tyler Trombly with 2:22 left, he went top shelf on Cassidy for the Charger victory.
UAH ended up with the shots advantage at game’s end, 47-43.
Andrew Sledge was the goaltender for the Chargers, making 35 saves. Cassidy finished with 39 saves.
Next, the Chargers will see if they can qualify for the AAU College Hockey Division 2 tournament.