Weather conditions in that part of country have been causing travel issues. UAH leaves tonite & gets here tomorrow a.m.
— Minnesota State Hockey (@MinnStMHockey) February 13, 2014
Whenever they get to Mankato, the Chargers will have to be ready for a test this weekend against the Minnesota State Mavericks. Game times are 7:37 p.m. on Friday and 7:07 p.m. on Saturday. Here’s how you can follow the action.
- VIDEO: WCHA TV on America One (subscription)
- LIVE STATS: msumavericks.com
- AUDIO: KTOE
- TWITTER: @weloveuahhockey (us), @uahhockey (official), @uahchargers (official),
@Mav Hockey (official), @msumavericks (official), @puckato (Shane Frederick, Mankato Free Press)
| TEAM COMPARISON | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
2013-14 Stats |  |
| WCHA rank in parentheses | ||
| 1-28-1 | Overall record | 17-13-0 |
| 1-18-1 (10th) | Conference record | 15-7-0 (2nd) |
| 1.07 (10th) | Goals per game | 3.07 (4th) |
| 4.63 (10th) | Goals allowed per game | 2.73 (5th) |
| 13.2 (9th) | Penalty minutes per game | 18.5 (1st) |
| 8.0% (10th) | Power play | 25.0% (1st) |
| 68.8% (10th) | Penalty kill | 87.2% (1st) |
| Matt Salhany (4-7-11) Jack Prince (5-4-9) Chad Brears (5-3-8) Steve Koshey (1-7-8) Frank Misuraca (2-5-7) |
Leading scorers | JP Lafontaine (18-18-36) Matt Leitner (9-24-33) Johnny Mcinnis (16-11-27) Zach Lehrke (7-14-21) Zach Palmquist (3-14-17) |
| Carmine Guerriero (15 GS, 3.95 GAA, .899 SV%) Matt Larose (15 GS, 5.28 GAA, .874 SV%) |
Goaltending | Cole Huggins (19 GS, 2.24 GAA, .913 SV%) Stephon Williams (11 GS, 3.59 GAA, .856 SV%) |
Minnesota State is in the thick of the McNaughton Cup race, just two points behind Ferris State at the top of the standings. The Mavericks have been lethal at home, posting an 11-1 record in Mankato’s Verizon Wireless Center.
Back on Dec. 13-14, the Mavericks swept the Chargers at the Von Braun Center by a couple of 4-1 sc0res. The second game was contentious after back-to-back checking from behind major penalties against UAH’s Frank Misuraca and Ben Reinhardt.
UAH will need a stellar defensive effort to pull off upsets. The Mavericks have the top two scorers in the WCHA in Jean-Paul Lafontaine and Matt Leitner, and Jonny McInnis is tied for fifth.
It would be wise if the Chargers stayed out of the penalty box, as Minnesota State’s power play is one of the best in the country. The Mavericks’ 25 percent efficiency is tied for second in the nation, and Lafontaine leads Division I with 13 power-play goals.
Next weekend, the Chargers return home to play Lake Superior State.