UAH 10, UAT 0

It was more than a little bit “same song, second verse” on Sunday afternoon at the VBC. After a 12-1 rout on Saturday night, the Chargers came out and shut out the Frozen Tide, 10-0.

It took the boys a little while to get started on the goal column, even though they were working Coach K2‘s system pretty hard. Jack Prince (London, England) kicked the scoring off with an unassisted goal, leading a barrage of five goals in 3:13. Following Prince were Doug Reid (Innisfill, Ont.) from Craig Pierce (Roswell, Ga.) and Stephen Hickey (Ancaster, Ont.), Pierce from Reid and Mat Hagen (Ottawa, Ont.), Prince unassisted, and Tyler Kotlarz (Hudsonville, Mich.) unassisted. Reid and Pierce’s goals came in such quick succession that PA announcer Taylor Flatt was unable to get Reid announced before Pierce scored.

The second period was another slow start for goal scoring before Hickey scored at 12:47 on an assist from Pierce. Prince picked up his hat trick at 14:55 on assists from Kotlarz and Michael Webley (Stittsville, Ont.). The Frozen Tide held the Chargers to just nine shots on goal while making five of their own count. Junior netminder CJ Groh (Cincinnati, Ohio), having not seen a shot in the first frame, stopped all five.

Scoring in the third was a little more spread out. Hickey scored at 7:14 on assists from Chad Brears (Cold Lake, Alta.) and Reid. The final Charger goals came 18 seconds apart: Kotlarz from Prince at 12:45, then Webley from Hagen at 13:03. Freshman goaltender Gregg Gruehl (Dublin, Ohio) saw just one shot in the final frame. On the weekend, the Chargers outshot the Frozen Tide 108-11.

Coach Ken Kleinendorst was happy after the game. “We tried to work on some things that will help us move forward.” When asked how the team is progressing, Kleinendorst, said, “I think so. I think that we definitely have the bodies to put together to put a pretty solid lineup on Friday night [against Mankato]. I’m getting a good feel for the guys, but I still need a better feel.”

When asked about the start to his career, Prince said, “It’s been a long wait. It’s hard to watch junior teams get ready to play and have to wait longer.” He was happy to have the opportunity to get to know his teammates’ tendencies on the ice, saying, “It was nice for us freshman. We got to see what everyone else was going to be doing. It helped us play along. We sorta know where to be based on watching video, but when you get into a game situation, it’s different. It was nice to have two games where to figure out where to be at the right time.” Asked about the speed of the college game, he said, “It’s a big step up from juniors. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

The Chargers have four days of rest and practice before facing Minnesota State University, Mankato on Friday night at Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center. Tickets at all levels of the arena are FREE, so please come out and support your Chargers and bring all of your friends (and some of your enemies).

Quick Hits

Have a great rest of the week, and be sure to come out to the game on Friday night! It’s free, you know.

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Chargers Participate in “Get Your Beer Goggles On”

Today, several members of the 2011-12 Charger hockey team participated in the “Get Your Beer Goggles On” event on campus, which highlights the risks of alcohol consumption followed by attempts to operate a motor vehicle. The beer goggles device provided simulates the limitations of visual acuity caused by blood alcohol levels above the legal limit without endangering students. The event is coordinated and run by campus police.

On to the photos!

Both senior forward Jamie Easton and junior forward Sebastian Geoffrion participated in a field sobriety test with their goggles on.

Jamie Easton participates in the 2011 "Get Your Beer Goggles On" event on the UAH campus. Sebastian Geoffrion participates in the 2011 "Get Your Beer Goggles On" event on the UAH campus.

There is no truth to the rumor that Jamie was better at this because he’s lower to the ground.

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Incoming Interview: Craig Pierce

Craig Pierce is one of two incoming UAH Chargers who hail from Roswell, Ga., an Atlanta suburb that is also the hometown of Neil Ruffini (2007-11). Pierce played for the Rochester Jr. A Stars of the Eastern Junior Hockey League during the 2010-11 season, going 11-18–29 in 45GP. Prior to his time in Rochester, he logged two years for Compuware AAA in Michigan.

I asked Craig a series of questions and gave him license to respond as he saw fit. My questions will be marked in bold-face type.

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