Tag Archives: Jeff Vanderlugt

UAH gets the sweep! Chargers top Seawolves, 2-1

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Sweep!

Oh man, it’s been a while since we could say that. We knew the boys had it in them to defend home ice for a full weekend, and they did it.

UAH took both games of a two-game series against a Division I opponent for the first time in nearly five years, beating Alaska-Anchorage 2-1 on Saturday night at the Von Braun Center. The Chargers won 3-2 on Friday night. It’s UAH’s first-ever sweep of a WCHA series.

The last time the Chargers did that was January 29-30, 2010, in a College Hockey America series against Niagara at the VBC.

The Chargers (5-14-3 overall, 4-10-0 WCHA) moved into sole possession of eighth place in the WCHA standings with eight points, two ahead of UAA (5-9-4, 2-8-2 WCHA) and idle Lake Superior State. UAH is one point behind seventh-place Bemidji State, which will host the Chargers next weekend (Jan. 9-10).

Carmine Guerriero had another big game, stopping 26 of 27 shots. The lone goal allowed came in the first to give UAA the early lead, but UAH scored two nice second-period goals to win a second straight game.

UAH actually had more scoring chances in the first period, but it only took one mistake to get down early. Austin Azurdia stole the puck in the UAA zone and started a two-on-one break. He kept the puck himself and beat Guerriero to give the Seawolves a 1-0 lead 6:28 into the contest on their first shot on goal.

While there was many hits on both sides during the first period, the only two penalties were slashing calls against the Chargers, one on Graeme Strukoff and another on Craig Pierce.

Despite all that, UAH outshot UAA 8-4 in the first period. But the Chargers broke out in the second period.

Near the halfway point, UAA’s Austin Coldwell cross-checked Regan Soquila. On the ensuing power play, Brandon Carlson, from the slot, redirected a Brandon Parker blast past Jared D’Amico to tie the game at 1-1 with 9:10 left. It was Carlson’s fourth goal of the season, with Parker and Max McHugh picking up assists.

Just two minutes later, Cody Marooney gets his third goal of the season to put the Chargers up front at 2-1. Marooney followed up on a big rebound from a shot off the stick of Jeff Vanderlugt, who got his fifth assist. Parker also helped for his team-leading ninth assist.

Parker’s two assists on the night earned him the first star of the game.

The Seawolves tried to get as much rubber on Guerriero as they could early in the third, notching the first five shots on goal — some on the power play after a Frank Misuraca holding penalty. UAA had 16 of their 28 shots on goal in the final frame, and Guerriero had to make key saves during the final minutes.

Anchorage’s last gasp was in the final 1:18, when D’Amico was pulled for the extra attacker and, with 45 seconds remaining, the Chargers were penalized for too many men on the ice. Guerriero came up big with two saves during UAA’s 6-on-4 situation in the waning moments.

After UAH visits Bemidji State next weekend, the Chargers return home to host Northern Michigan on Jan. 16-17.

Notes: Announced attendance was 2,143. … Max McHugh’s seven goals and 15 points lead all WCHA freshmen. … The Chargers have allowed at least one goal in 150 straight games. UAH’s last shutout was a 1-0 win over Robert Morris on March 12, 2010 in the CHA semifinals. The goaltender was current New York Rangers netminder Cam Talbot. … UAH’s last two-game sweep was actually in Dec. 2012, but that was against Division III Finlandia at the VBC. … The Seawolves have yet to win a road game this season (0-7-1).

UAH 3, UAA 2

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UAH (4-14-3, 3-10-0 WCHA) took an early lead on the strength of two first-period goals by freshman forward Max McHugh (Seattle, Wash.), followed by a marker from sophomore forward Cody Marooney (Eden Prairie, Minn.) just 2:03 into the second frame.  From there, the Chargers held on for a 3-2 victory over Alaska-Anchorage (5-8-4, 2-7-2 WCHA), points which moved them out of the basement in the WCHA standings.  (It’s a league game, Smokey.)

McHugh got things started early, taking a drop feed from junior forward Chad Brears (Cold Lake, Alb.) and rifling the puck home past Anchorage freshman goaltender Olivier Mantha (La Tuque, Qué.) just 3:59 into the game.  Freshman defenseman Cody Champagne (Brookfield, Conn.) picked up the secondary assist.

McHugh dented the twine with just :32 left in the first period, when a centering feed from junior forward Jack Prince (Leicester, England) found the freshman with time and space at the top of the circles.  He ripped one through and past Mantha (17 sv) for his seventh goal of the season.  The secondary assist went to Brears.

Let’s stop here for a point that Michael made to me in a text: with 7-7—14, McHugh has already eclipsed the season scoring leaders for 2011-12 (Kyle Lysaght with 13), 2012-13 (then-sophomore forward Jeff Vanderlugt [Richmond Hill, Ont.] with 11), and 2013-14 (Prince with 13).  McHugh looks to be the first Charger to record double-digit goals since Matt Sweazey (Toronto) in 2008-09.  Max McCutie, we’re on the way back because guys like you are giving us a shot.

Marooney muscled the puck past Mantha (4-6-3) after junior defenseman Frank Misuraca (Clinton Township, Mich.) fired up a Misurocket™ and into the Seawolf crease.  Marooney’s goal was his second of the year.  Vanderlugt got the secondary assist.

From there, it was just hanging in there.  The Seawolves cut the lead to two on a power-play goal by senior forward Scott Allen (Edmonton, Alb.), who was assisted by freshman forward Tad Kozun (Nipawin, Sask.) and junior defenseman Blake Leask (Edmonton, Alb.).  The marker ended a shutout by UAH sophomore goaltender Carmine Guerriero (Montréal, Qué.), who had 31 saves overall.

Kozun narrowed the margin to one when sophomore forward Brad Duwe (Solodotna, Alaska) fed him the puck after dekeing a Charger out of position.  Kozun’s shot rang the post on the way past Guerriero, who moved to 4-8-2 on the season.

The Chargers would hold on thereafter, as they were outshot 10-5 by the Seawolves in the final frame.  Worse still for the home squad, freshman defenseman Brandon Parker (Faribault, Minn.) was called for tripping at 16:32, and Prince was whistled for slashing at 19:33.  Mantha was out of the net for the final 2:10 of the game, but Guerriero closed all of the doors that his teammates didn’t.

This wasn’t a statement win for UAH — that would’ve been taking a 3-0 or 4-0 lead into the second intermission.  But this was UAH proving to itself that it could open up a big lead, play with fire, and pull it back in.  While last year’s UAH team, bereft of offense, would’ve never opened up a three-goal lead on an opponent, that team also would’ve likely not been able to hold it.  This team did, though — the lessons of Colorado Springs were learned.

The Chargers and Seawolves are back at it at 7:07 p.m. Central Standard Time in Huntsville.  Michael Napier will have coverage, and woe betide if you’re stuck watching the UAH broadcast on WCHA TV.  (More on that next week.)

Series Preview: vs. Alaska-Anchorage, Jan. 2-3

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Happy New Year! The Chargers kick off the second half of the 2014-15 campaign with a WCHA series with the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves on Friday and Saturday. Puck drop is 7:07 p.m. both nights at the Von Braun Center.

The first 500 fans to Friday’s game receive a free set of UAH Hockey trading cards, and the first 500 at Saturday’s game get a free UAH Hockey T-shirt. Kids 12 and under get in free to both games.

CATCHING THE GAMES
Times: 7:07 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Tickets: Ticketmaster: Friday | Saturday
Complete ticket information
Promotions: Kids 12 & under get free admission
Fri.: UAH trading cards to first 500
Sat.: UAH T-shirts to first 500
Online video: WCHA.tv (subscription)
Live stats: UAHChargers.com
Twitter: @weloveuahhockey, @uahhockey, @UAAHockey
More previews: UAHChargers.com
GoSeawolves.com

All-time series: It’s been almost all Seawolves since the series began in 1987: UAA leads 18-2-1. Both Charger wins came in Huntsville, but those happened in 1991 and 1992. Last season saw an end to a 20-year hiatus in the series, with Anchorage going 3-0-1 against the Chargers. UAH tied the first game in Huntsville 1-1 before falling 4-1.

Chargers recap: UAH (3-14-3 overall, 2-10-0 WCHA) lost 2-1 and tied 3-3 in its final non-conference series of the season at No. 12 Omaha two weeks ago. The Chargers are winless in their last seven since beating Ferris State on Nov. 12.

In the opening game on Dec. 2o, Omaha scored goals in the first and third period to win 2-1. Jeff Vanderlugt’s tally with 11 seconds remaining in regulation averted the shutout. Carmine Guerriero made 29 saves.

On Dec. 21, the Chargers had leads of 2-0 and 3-1, but Omaha rallied to tie 3-3 with the equalizer coming with 20 seconds left in regulation. Jack Prince, Max McHugh, and Alex Carpenter.

McHugh and Vanderlugt top the Chargers with five goals apiece. McHugh now leads the team in points with 12, which is tied for the WCHA among freshmen with Minnesota State’s C.J. Franklin. Prince joins McHugh in double-digit points with 10.

Guerriero has a 2.44 goals against average. His .932 save percentage is 4th in the WCHA and tied for 12th in Division I.

UAH Tale of the tape
WCHA rank in parentheses		 UAA
3-14-3
2-10-0 WCHA (10th)		 Record 5-7-4
2-6-2 WCHA (T8th)
1.80 (9th) Goals/game 2.31 (7th)
3.15 (8th) Goals allowed/game 2.81 (7th)
16.9 (2nd) Pen. minutes/game 17.8 (1st)
18.3% (4th) Power play 12.8% (8th)
83.5% (6th) Penalty kill 80.5% (8th)

About the Seawolves: Alaska-Anchorage (5-7-4 overall, 2-6-2 WCHA) is ranked 12th in this week’s USCHO.com poll. The Seawolves will be seeing their first action in four weeks: Their last games were Dec. 5-6, where they had back-to-back ties at home against Bemidji State.

Junior Blake Thatchell is the Seawolves’ leading scorer with 12 points on three goals and nine assists. Senior Brett Cameron has five goals to lead UAA. Sophomore defenseman Chase Van Allen also has nine assists.

Freshman goaltender Olivier Mantha matches Guerriero’s goals against average at 2.44, and his .928 save percentage is fifth in the WCHA. He has one shutout, coming at home against Northern Michigan on Nov. 22.

WCHA Standings Record Pts.
Michigan Tech 10-2-0 20
Minnesota State 10-2-0 20
Bowling Green 8-1-1 17
Ferris State 6-4-0 12
Northern Michigan 5-5-2 12
Alaska* 5-7-0 10
Bemidji State 3-6-3 9
Lake Superior State 3-11-0 6
Alaska-Anchorage 2-6-2 6
Alabama-Huntsville 2-10-0 4
* Ineligible for postseason play

Around the WCHA: Including UAH-UAA, there are three conference series on tap this weekend. Third-ranked Minnesota State, tied with No. 5 Michigan Tech atop the league standings, visits Northern Michigan, while Ferris State starts a two-week odyssey in Alaska with a series in Fairbanks.

Tech, which beat Ferris State in the third-place game in the Great Lakes Invitational, goes to Wisconsin.

On Saturday afternoon, No. 13 Bowling Green plays outdoors for the first time, taking on No. 19 Robert Morris at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio, home of the Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers’ Triple-A minor league affiliate. Both teams meet again in Pittsburgh (back indoors) on Sunday.

Here’s the schedule for league teams the next two weeks. All times are Central. Games involving WCHA teams at home can be seen online on WCHA TV.

Friday, January 2

* Alaska-Anchorage at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* #3 Minnesota State at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
#5 Michigan Tech at Wisconsin, 7 p.m.

Saturday, January 3

* Alaska-Anchorage at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
* #3 Minnesota State at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.
#19 Robert Morris vs. #13 Bowling Green at Fifth Third Field, Toledo, Ohio, 11 a.m.
#5 Michigan Tech at Wisconsin, 7 p.m.

Sunday, January 4

#13 Bowling Green at #19 Robert Morris, 6:05 p.m.

* WCHA conference game

No. 12 Omaha rallies in third to tie Chargers, 3-3

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Penalties give, and penalties take away.

The Chargers staked a 2-0 lead in the second period, but Omaha scored two power play goals in the third and an extra attacker goal with 20.8 seconds left to force a 3-3 tie on Saturday.

BOX SCORE

UAH (3-14-3) ended a 24-game losing streak against ranked opponents, but the Chargers had their chances to make it a W against the 12th-ranked Mavericks (11-4-3) of the NCHC to finish the non-conference season and 2014.

Charger goaltender Carmine Guerriero, making his second straight start, made 29 saves, and he had to be strong early to keep the game scoreless after one. He made seven saves in the first period, and was shaken a little bit after Luc Snuggerud, after a drive to the net, was knocked into him by Richard Buri with 4:02 left in the period. He used the media timeout to get focused, and was able to keep the Mavericks at bay.

UAH then struck for two goals in the second period, both on the power play.

Brian Cooper went off for slashing at 3:32 of the frame, and the Charger power play was ugly to start, but so beautiful at the end. Turnovers led to three UNO chances shorthanded. Just as the power play was expiring, Jack Prince received a cross-ice pass from Max McHugh, slamming a one-timer past Crosswaithe to give UAH a 1-0 lead.

It was Prince’s third goal of the season. McHugh’s assist was his seventh, and Brandon Parker notched his team-leading eighth assist.

After James Polk was called for hooking at 11:10, McHugh made it 2-0 UAH on a goal of his own, cutting across the slot to beat Crosswaithe after getting a feed from Chad Brears. McHugh’s fifth goal of the season was assisted by Brears (sixth) and Prince (seventh).

Meanwhile, Guerriero kept squaring off on pucks as UNO desperately tried to cut into the Charger lead. Jake Guentzel knows all too well, as he was denied on point-blank shots in the final minutes of the second period.

Then came a penalty-filled third period for the Chargers, which allowed the Mavericks to come back.

UNO started the third replacing Crossthwaite, who was making his first career start, with Ryan Massa, their top netminder, as the Chargers would open the period on the power play. UAH would be stopped, and that was their last power play chance of the night.

At 5:03, Carpenter goes off for hooking. It took only five seconds to end the shutout, and for Ortega to finally get on the scoresheet for the weekend. His 10th goal of the season cut UAH’s lead to 2-1.

Carpenter did make amends just 14 seconds later, scoring his second goal of the season to regain the two-goal lead for the Chargers at 3-1. He was assisted by Jeff Vanderlugt and Matt Salhany.

Vanderlugt went into the box for interference after knocking down Massa at 9:27, and UNO again quickly converted. Ortega notched his second goal of the game just 15 seconds into the power play to make it a one-goal game again, 3-2 UAH.

The Chargers withstood two more power plays on McHugh’s tripping call at 13:54 and Brears’s boarding penalty at 16:37, but not without scares. With five minutes to go, the Mavericks found the post with Guerriero prone. UNO pulled Massa during the last power play to essentially give them a two-man advantage.

In all, UAH had five penalties in the third period, including a 10-minute misconduct on Brears for arguing the boarding call. That was more than the four they had in all of Friday’s game (a 2-1 Omaha win).

UNO pulled Massa again with 30 seconds in regulation, and Guentzel would finally not be denied. Dominic Zombo won the faceoff to Guerriero’s left, and Guentzel fired the puck past Guerriero with 20.8 seconds left to tie the game at 3-3 and force overtime.

Guentzel almost won the game for the Mavericks with under two minutes left in overtime, but Guerriero came up big to keep the game a draw.

After overtime, Omaha won the three-round shootout 1-0. The NCHC has shootouts to settle ties for conference standings, but for nonconference games and NCAA purposes it goes down as a tie for both teams. It was UAH’s first-ever shootout.

After a holiday break next weekend, the Chargers return home to WCHA play against the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves on January 2 and 3. Puck drop at the Von Braun Center both nights is 7:07 p.m.

NOTES: The last time UAH did not lose to a ranked opponent was Jan. 6, 2012, a 3-2 win at No. 11 Denver. … Omaha outshot the Chargers 32-28. … McHugh has his second multi-point game of his career with the assist and goal in second period.

UNO 2, UAH 1

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The announcers on NCHC.tv for #12 Nebraska-Omaha (11-4-2, 6-3-1 NCHC) regularly lamented that the homestanding Mavericks were “letting the Chargers stay in this game”, a remark that kinda irked me on Twitter:

 

But the only way that UAH (3-14-2, 2-10-0 WCHA) are only going to garner national respect when they win these kinds of games.  Unfortunately for the Chargers, keeping an even shots-on-goal differential (31 for UNO, 25 for UAH) didn’t translate into a lot of Grade A chances.  As such, the lone UAH goal came off of the stick of senior forward Jeff Vanderlugt (Richmond Hill, Ont.) with just :11 remaining in regulation, cutting UNO’s final margin to 2-1 and denying sophomore goaltender Kirk Thompson (Surrey, B.C.), who made 24 saves to pull up to move to 2-1-0 on the season.

The Chargers outshot the Mavs 10-9 in the first period, but it was a late power-play goal at 18:56 that put the home squad up 1-0 heading into intermission.  :17 into sophomore forward Matt Salhany‘s (Warwick, R.I.) hooking penalty, Maverick junior defenseman Brian Cooper (Anchorage, Alaska) potted a goal on the nation’s #1 special teams unit.  Cooper’s fourth goal of the season was assisted by freshman forward Tyler Vesel (Rochester, Minn.) and freshman forward Avery Peterson (Grand Rapids, Minn.).

The second period was fairly quiet — as was the whole game, really.  UNO had a speed advantage, but time and again, the recovering UAH defensemen would push the forecheckers wide and deflect shots and passes into the corner.  This is evident in the stats for UAH sophomore goaltender Carmine Guerriero (Montréal, Que.), who made 29 saves in an effort that dropped him to 3-8-1 on the season.

UNO sophomore forward Justin Parizek (Lakeville, Minn.) scored his eighth goal of the season just :13 after freshman defenseman Brandon Parker‘s (Faribault, Minn.) slashing penalty ended, as the Mavs had the Chargers scrambling to return to their standard set.  Vesel notched his second assist of the night on the game-winner.

While UAH kept working to the end, the only reward was Vanderlugt’s goal, which was assisted by freshman defenseman Cody Champagne (Brookfield, Conn.).

There were plenty of things to like tonight:

  • The SOG differential was far more even than I expected, given UNO’s talent level.  That was a very workmanlike effort for the Chargers.
  • Mike Corbett definitely has his shutdown line in senior forward Doug Reid (Innisfil, Ont.), senior forward Craig Pierce (Roswell, Ga.), and sophomore forward Brent Fletcher (New Westminster, British Columbia).  I think that Michigan Tech coach Mel Pearson is still complaining about the Bulldog Line’s harassment of his top line; UNO coach Dean Blais probably feels the same way.  There were a couple of shifts tonight where Pierce was an absolute wild man, seemingly every where at once and using his body to full effect.  Make no mistake: those guys really, really give a crap.
  • Carmine looked very good in net — the game-winner was a slapshot glove/short side that ricocheted in off of the post.  Will he start tomorrow night?  My guess would be that sophomore goaltender Matt Larose (Nanaimo, British Columbia) will get the nod to keep him fresh.  UAH plays all five weekends in January, and since it’s reasonable to think that Carmine starts at least seven of those games, you need to keep Larose in the groove.
  • Penalties!  The boys only committed four penalties for eight PIM!  That’s half of the usual total!  Sadly the blazing hot streak of the PK units seems over, but we’ll take the result.
  • There was just a lot of energy all night long, and let’s be honest — it’s the weekend before Christmas.  The boys went to Alaska right after finals.  They couldn’t really go too far afield before going to Nebraska on Thursday.  They want to see their families just as much as any of the rest of us do.  These pre-Christmas games are really, really hard to play, and you have to respect that the boys came out with jump all night long.

The two teams tangle at 5:07 p.m. Central to finish UAH’s 2014 slate.  Michael will take care of you on Sunday night.  Y’all have a great time with friends and family in the last week-plus of the year, no matter how you choose to celebrate it!  UAH hockey is better for your support and interest.

Series Preview: at Ferris State, Nov. 21-22

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The Chargers head to Big Rapids, Mich., this Friday and Saturday to face the Ferris State Bulldogs.

CATCHING THE GAMES
Times: 6:07 p.m. CT Friday and Saturday
Online video: WCHA.tv (subscription)
Online audio: WDEE-FM
Live stats: Click here
Twitter: @weloveuahhockey, @uahhockey, @FerrisHockey
More previews: UAHChargers.com
FerrisStateBulldogs.com

All-time series: Ferris State leads the series 9-2, including a 6-0 record in Big Rapids dating back to UAH’s first-ever varsity game in 1985. Last season, the two teams met for their WCHA series in Huntsville, where the Bulldogs won 5-0 and 3-2. The last time the Chargers were at Ferris State was in February of 2011, won by the Buldogs 5-2 and 5-1.

Chargers recap: UAH (2-8-2 overall, 1-5-0 WCHA) snapped a 31-game home winless streak against Division I opponents on Saturday and earned a split against Lake Superior State. The Chargers are 2-2-2 in their last six games.

On Friday, Carmine Guerriero stopped 33 of 34 shots, but the Chargers could not find the net as Lake Superior State won 1-0.

On Saturday, Guerriero started back-to-back games for the first time at UAH, and the Chargers responded offensively in a 5-2 victory. Jeff Vanderlugt had three points on the night, and was one of five different scorers (Cody Marooney, Richard Buri, Max McHugh, Vanderlugt, Jack Prince). It was the Chargers largest offensive output against a Division I opponent since 2010. UAH killed all 10 Laker power plays.

The Chargers now have five players with five points to lead the team: Max McHugh, Brandon Carlson, Jack Prince, Matt Salhany, and Brandon Parker. McHugh and Frank Misuraca each have three goals. UAH has 20 points from freshmen this season — a third of the team’s total.

Guerriero now sports a 2.27 goals against average (6th in the WCHA) and a .938 save percentage (4th in the WCHA).

UAH Tale of the tape
WCHA rank in parentheses		 FSU
2-8-2
1-5-0 WCHA		 Record 6-5-0
3-3-0 WCHA
1.83 (9th) Goals/game 2.27 (7th)
3.00 (6th) Goals allowed/game 1.64 (3rd)
15.7 (2nd) Pen. minutes/game 14.4 (4th)
18.4% (4th) Power play 8.2% (9th)
83.6% (7th) Penalty kill 90.5% (4th)

About the Bulldogs: Ferris State (6-5-0 overall, 3-3-0 WCHA) finally exploded offensively in a sweep at home against Alaska-Anchorage. After scoring just 11 goals in their first 10 games this season, the Bulldogs put a 10-spot on the Seawolves last Thursday, then shut out UAA 4-0. FSU has won four of six.

The Bulldogs have been relying heavily on their senior all-star goalie, C.J. Motte. A top-10 Hobey Baker finalist last season, Motte has posted a 1.58 goals against average and a .948 save percentage so far in 2014-15.

Offensively, FSU is led by junior Matt Robertson, who has nine points (four goals, five assists). Sophomore Gerald Mayhew — who was the WCHA’s Offensive Player of the Week for his five-point weekend against Alaska-Anchorage — also has four goals, and sophomore Chad McDonald has five. Senior defenseman Jason Binkley has five assists.

Around the WCHA: It’s a marquee matchup in Houghton, as Michigan Tech — the new No. 1 team in Division I — hosts Minnesota State. The Huskies are the only unbeaten and untied team in the nation at 10-0-0 after a sweep at Bemidji State last week. Tech is 8-0-0 in WCHA play, while the ninth-ranked Mavericks are tied with Bowling Green with a 5-1-0 conference record.

This is the first weekend with all 10 teams in conference action. Elsewhere, Bowling Green hosts Bemidji State, Alaska is at Lake Superior State, and Northern Michigan is in Anchorage.

Here’s the schedule for league teams this week. All times are Central. Games involving WCHA teams at home can be seen online on WCHA TV.

Friday, November21

* UAH at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at #18 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Alaska at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
* #9 Minnesota State at #1 Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
* #17 Northern Michigan at Alaska-Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.

Saturday, November 15

* UAH at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
* Bemidji State at #18 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Alaska at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
* #9 Minnesota State at #1 Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
* #17 Northern Michigan at Alaska-Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.

Lake State 1, UAH 0

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See, I’ve been sitting on this idea that I’d start any tweet of a Brennan Saulnier goal with “BETTER CALL SAUL!”  Unfortunately for the Chargers, the freshman forward from Halifax, Nova Scotia took two major penalties, and the best efforts of the Charger penalty killers, led by Carmine Guerriero (33sv, Montréal, Que.), could not keep all Laker shots out of the net.  Lake Superior State University junior forward Bryce Schmitt (Minot, N.D.) bested Guerriero (1-4-1) on Saulnier’s second major, and that’s all she wrote.

The Chargers’ penalty problems worked against them in this contest.  The home squad spent seven of the last eight minutes of the first period with a man in the penalty box.  Even so, the Chargers led the shots on goal race 11-9 after the first 20 minutes.

The second period was not as kind, as the Lakers outshot UAH 16-6 after a minor interference penalty to Richard Buri (Nitra, Slovakia) followed by a major one to Saulnier gave the Lakers plenty of opportunity to turn the west end of the Propst Arena into a shooting gallery.  A late-period power play for UAH didn’t prove fruitful, as freshman goaltender Gordon Defiel (Stillwater, Minn.) stopped all of those shots on his way to a 26-save shutout performance and the win (2-7-0).

The third period was largely uneventful, with no penalties called and the teams each putting nine shots on net.

This was a frustrating game for everyone, to be sure.  After a win and a tie last weekend at Air Force, everyone was feeling it — and we all had high hopes for Saulnier, who was the WCHA Rookie of the Week for his efforts in Colorado Springs.  Lake Superior isn’t setting the world on fire, either, and we all know that there are playoff implications for this series.

Should Saulnier sit out on Saturday night?  I certainly argued for it in the moment earlier tonight.  I think that he might do so if the Chargers had depth, but they don’t, as senior forward Jeff Vanderlugt (Richmond Hill, Ont.) has been absent from the lineup after his auspicious start, which likely means that he is injured.  (I have not discussed his status with any of the coaches.)  Vandy is a key cog in the Chargers system, a big body with good skills who led the team in goals and points his sophomore year and was tied for third in goals last year.  Corbett doesn’t have any depth: UAH has started just 13 forwards all season.  Corbett would have to dig into the guys he brought in to fill out the roster, and I’m fairly sure that he doesn’t want to do that in a league matchup.

I’m focused on the penalty situation so much because it obscured the rest of the game.  Killing 16 minutes of penalties wears a team down, and a team with UAH’s scoring woes — seven goals last weekend notwithstanding — will find it hard to net many goals when they have the luxury of three forwards on the ice.  After those first twelve minutes, UAH had difficulty establishing a lot of flow in the way that we saw last weekend.

It will come.  Let’s hope that it comes tomorrow night and we can get our first league win out of the way in November.

Thoughts As We Gear Up for the BG Series

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[Hi, remember me?  I still write for this site.]

Today was the first of the season’s coaches’ luncheons.  Not only did we get a chance to hear from BG’s Chris Bergeron — always a pleasure — but we heard from new WCHA Commissioner Bill Robertson, who is visiting the Rocket City for the first time.  After we heard from both men about the weather — de rigueur — it was time to get down to business.  Among the commissioner’s comments were these nuggets:

  • “I’m having a lot of fun in my first year as Commissioner.  … I want to be a very good listener.”  Funny, sir, the Internet has a lot to say about WCHA.tv…
  • “The league has a great plan, a great name, and a great history. … We’re looking to build new traditions, and one of those is here tonight with Bowling Green and UAH, both new entrants into the league.”
  • Since we’ve heard his clarion call for two or more teams in the NCAAs, I’ll finish with this one about the league post season.  “Who knows?  [The WCHA Final Five] could be down here someday.”  It sounds to me that the league is thinking about downsizing the tournament after the 2017 visit to the X.

Next up was BG boss Chris Bergeron, who noted that “this is the first team of guys who wait to me and my staff, ‘I want to be a Falcon, Coach.’ ”  This is what every coach wants, to be sure.  Make no mistake: this is Bergeron’s program, and after an 18-win season last year, they look to be on the way up.

In talking about recruiting, Bergeron says that they often have to answer the question, “What does 1984 (the year BG won their national title) have to do with 2014?”  This is a common refrain from all coaches whose programs’ past success is in their rear view mirror.  We know about that ourselves: the D-II days are long set in stone, and Jared Ross, Scott Munroe, and Cam Talbot are not walking through that door.  Lastly, in discussing the scuffle for recruits, Bergeron said, “Well, I wouldn’t want to get into a (physical) fight with Gavin Morgan, that’s for sure.”

 

Lastly, we heard from Coach Corbett, the man who is inspiring confidence all through the Tennessee Valley. The team lost a couple of close games last weekend at CC, 3-2 and 4-3, and of the weekend, Corbs said, “Last weekend was a culmination of everything that we started last spring.”  He mentioned the turnover in the locker room between graduation and the release of a handful of players.  Returning players were pushed through a grinding physical regimen combined with team-building exercises.  When the players returned, “everybody passed the eye test, and we picked up where we left off.  They held each other accountable, and we threw eight freshmen right there with them.”

It isn’t just that new blood that is sparking the team.  “There’s a little swagger and a glint in some guys’ eyes,” Corbett said, “especially with Vandy (Jeff Vanderlugt) and Doug Reid.”  Of the big man, Corbett said, “Jeff Vanderlugt had the best weekend that he’s had since I’ve been here,” a sentiment echoed to me later in the hallway by UAH assistant Matt Thomas.

But that new blood is important.  “The five freshmen saw the ice, and they just need more experience.”  Cody Champagne, Max McHugh, Brandon Parker, Brennan Saulnier, and Josh Kestner generally stayed out of the box (a slashing minor to McHugh on Friday followed by hooking minors to Saulnier and Kestner on Saturday), took some shots (six on Friday, five on Saturday), and were a combined -2 on Friday and -5 on Saturday.

When it comes to goaltending, Corbett is still really thrilled with what he has in Matt Larose and Carmine Guerriero.  “They’re both going to play this weekend because they’re both pretty damn good.”  Corbett mentioned that Rick Ice has been coming in as a volunteer goaltending assistant coach, which has made an impact on their development, “especially because Gavin doesn’t have to speak to Carmine in half-French, half-English on the side.”  Corbett also praised Jordan Uhelski as “more than just a third goalie”, saying that “he’ll make it very hard for us to recruit another goalie for next season, because he’s that good.”

 

Some thoughts:

  • BG is a solid program on the rise.  They lost a lot this offseason, but they will be looking to prove themselves early in the season.  They have to view coming into Huntsville as a chance for a road sweep, since two close games against a team that won just seven games last year doesn’t mean instant respect (unless you’re a USCHO poll voter).  Also, BG is one of the two teams that the Chargers defeated last season, and you know that losing in OT on home ice still smarts for those guys.  Corbett likened this game to “two freight trains heading down the same track,” and I think that’s what you’ll see.
  • Graeme Strukoff is apparently out with a lower body injury.  Get well, Struky.  His injury opens the ice for appearances by Anderson White and Richard Buri.  I would expect Ben Reinhardt to get top-four minutes alongside one of the freshmen, and my guess would be Champagne.  I’m probably wrong.  I wouldn’t be surprised for White to see the ice one night while Buri gets it on the other one.  Hopefully they’re both willing to make their physical presence felt on the ice, as that’s definitely how they’ll continue to get ice.
  • Corbett noted that the team has increases in both speed and puck possession, to which I can only say, “Hallelujah.”  I’m really excited to see McHugh, Saulnier, and Kestner in the flesh.
  • The native-son cheers won’t be for Kestner only, as Bryan Siersma is on the roster to provide needed depth after a couple of committed players were unable to be on this year’s squad.  Welcome home, Bryan.  Hopefully you’ll get some ice time at home soon.
  • Seriously, we need a home win, and it would be amazing if that came off of a Josh Kestner goal.  No pressure, Kesty.  None at all.  (Top shelf, stick side, please.)
  • Lastly, I can’t confirm this, but I have heard that one of Michael’s colorful suggestions for this season has come true.

See everyone at the rink!  I’m not broadcasting this year, so you can find me in my game-worn Cam Talbot black third jersey upstairs by the pep band.  Michael and I will figure out tweeting as the games go by.

CHARGER PRIDE!

UAH 2, Bemidji State 1

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Coming into tonight, it wasn’t so much about the first 38 tilts between UAH and our hated rival, the dirty Beavers of Bemidji State University.  It was about the last 34 of them, where the rivalry was more like the old joke about Yankees-Red Sox before 2004: hammer and nail.  Yes, Bemidji State was 28-3-3 in the stretch of games from 2006 (where we already know that things started falling apart) through the beginning of the 2013-14 UAH home schedule.  Even worse, the Beavers were nearly unstoppable in the first city on the Mississippi.  It didn’t look good for the Blue and White.

In fact, I had started running a Monte Carlo simulation-based model of this week’s games.  UAH’s chances of winning a game tonight?  1.6%.  In fact, the Beavers were predicted to sweep around 94% of the time.  The remainder of the spread goes to the Chargers picking up a tie.  (You’ll see that there’s some variation in the model — what’s linked from last night doesn’t have as many runs (1,000) as it does now (10,000).  Also, I’ve been tweaking it a bit.)

Well, 1.6% it was.  How’d it happen?

Matt Larose was really good.  The freshman from Nanaimo, British Columbia (1-16-1) made 40 saves, many of them difficult.

He also had a big pinwheel save on a 3-on-1, pad-stacking to his left before rolling onto his back.  The Bemidji announcers raved about him all night, especially with the number of stick saves.  This was Larose’s sixth 40-save effort of the season, and his last three starts have been 42, 42, and 40.  After a great night last Friday, it was wonderful to see 30 get the win.  His teammates have really wanted this for him.

Jeff Vanderlugt picked a corner.

The goal was the junior’s fifth of the season, and it left the fine folks of Richmond Hill, Ont. happy.  It’s also Vandy’s 13th career goal, which leads the roster.  It’s great to see him back healthy.

The Beavers tied it up in the third when John Parker dumped the puck into the UAH zone, but instead of going into the boards, it bounced off of an official and back to him.  He picked the puck up in the left wing circle, had time and space, forced Larose to commit, and roofed it.

But back came Jack.

Photo Credit: Timothy Burns

Photo Credit: Timothy Burns

We’re going to hashtag tweets about Jack Prince (Leicester, England) with #UnionJack going forward.  The big forward had a little time, a little space, and a closing defenseman.  Seeing that his window was closing, he decided to rip it, and when it went off of Matt Prapavessis’s stick, it redirected past Wilkins for the winning marker.

The numbers say that the Beavers will come back tomorrow night and get the split.  The numbers are generally on the Beavers’ side, but tonight, they weren’t.

I bet the Beavers’ fans really hate Huntsville now that their team has lost to them.  After all, they hadn’t seen the home team lose to the Chargers in seven years.  I bet it smarts.  I bet it smarts a lot.

Hoof Beats: Dressing up for the party

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Photo by Gemini Athletic Wear

Photo by Gemini Athletic Wear

Two days until the boys face Northeastern in Boston. When you watch the games this weekend, this is what they’ll be wearing. Gemini Athletic, which designs many uniforms in Division I, unveiled the away blues on Tuesday.

There are some differences from the away jerseys worn during the second half of last season. The shoulders are no longer black, and the interlocking UAH has been replaced with a horseshoe. The font on the front has changed and the player number is on the front for the first time. And, of course, we have the WCHA logo.

Coaches show: TONIGHT at Drake’s (4800 Whitesburg Drive, Suite 14), UAH hockey will be hosting a live call-in show on 97.7 The Zone from 7-8 p.m. Coaches Mike Corbett and Gavin Morgan will be there to take your questions and talk about the upcoming season. Free handouts will be available, as well as chances to win FlexTix packages. If you can’t make it, tune to 97.7 FM or listen online.

Conversations: Corbett and Jeff Vanderlugt discuss preparations for the new season:

Corbett and Ben Reinhardt also went on WAAY Channel 31 to talk Charger hockey (about one minute in after the Huntsville Stars story):

Commitment: Max McHugh, a forward for Dubuque of the United States Hockey League, announced his verbal commitment to UAH on Tuesday. McHugh will join the Chargers in 2014. “It’s an up-and-coming team that has a potential to make history and become something big,” McHugh told Mike McMahon in an interview for College Hockey News.

Community: C.J. Groh, Craig Pierce, Matt Salhany, and Stephen McKenna visited Huntsville Hospital on Tuesday for their Chargers Crew program. The kids were recognized as part of the team off the ice.