Tag Archives: Carmine Guerriero

UAH 2, NMU 1

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… and the other two were against the #6 team in the country.  Suffice it to say that the boys are on a bit of a roll at home.  Where you could write off the win over Lake Superior and the sweep of Alaska-Anchorage as doing the job of beating the teams below you in the WCHA standings, beating Northern Michigan — and better, their top-flight goalie — is a whole other kettle of fish.  The Wildcats are the first ranked team — in the sense that the team has been ranked at any point in the season — that the Chargers have defeated in 2014-15, and after playing Omaha to 1-2 and 3-3 scores, you could tell that they were on the edge.

Don’t it make you feel bad
When you’re tryin’ to find your way home,
You don’t know which way to go?
If you’re goin’ down South
They go no work to do,
If you don’t know about Chicago.

You know why there’s no work down South?  Because the Chargers already did it all.

The homestanding Alabama-Huntsville Chargers moved 6-16-3 (5-12-0 WCHA, good enough for 8th place) on the 2014-15 season off the strength of an early 2-0 lead over Northern Michigan (9-7-5, 6-7-4 WCHA) that the boys held on to despite a 14-2 Wildcat shots-on advantage in the third period.  Sophomore goaltender Carmine Guerriero (Montréal, Qué.) moved to 6-9-2 on the season, while Wildcat junior goaltender Mathias Dahlström (Smedjebacken, Sweden) fell to 9-5-3.

There was little significant action in the first period as the teams felt each other out; the score sheet is marked only by three minor penalties (two elbowing minors to UAH, a goalie interference infraction on NMU) and twelve shots on goal, seven for the visitors and five for the home squad.

Things were far, far different in the second.  The Chargers again picked up a pair of minors — another elbowing whistle and one for roughing the goalie — but the key things were two UAH goals.

UAH forward Jack Prince (Leicester, England)

UAH forward Jack Prince (Leicester, England)

Junior forward Jack Prince (Leicester, England) got scoring started for the Chargers, taking a feed from freshman forward Max McHugh (Seattle, Wash.) on a brief rush, winding up from the left-wing faceoff dot to push the puck under Dahlström’s arm (13 sv).  The goal was Prince’s fourth of the season, and McHugh’s assist was his ninth, tying him with freshman defenseman Brandon Parker (Faribault, Minn.) for the team lead while extending his scoring lead.

“That’s the kind of play that we work on in practice,” UAH coach Mike Corbett says.  “Everyone does it: feed a guy on the wing, rip a shot, pounce on the rebound.  This time, the puck went in on the initial shot.”

UAH defenseman Frank Misuraca (Clinton Township, Mich.)

UAH defenseman Frank Misuraca (Clinton Township, Mich.)

Corbett is famous for saying that “there ain’t a lot of one-shot goals“, but both Charger goals on Friday night were twine-seeking missiles.  The game-winner came off the stick of junior defenseman Frank Misuraca (Clinton Township, Mich.), his fifth of the season.  “There was a scrum on the right half-wall,” Misuraca said, “and the puck came to Kestner.  I was calling for it, and he threw a back-hand pass off the boards up to me, and I just put my head down, gathered the puck, and shot it as hard as I could.”  While freshman forward Josh Kestner (Huntsville) was not credited with an assist, it seems likely that he will be in a scorer’s revision.

From that point, it was about holding on to a hard-fought lead.  A goal by sophomore forward Shane Sooth (Canyon Country, Calif.) broke up Guerriero’s shutout bid (32 sv).  The Chargers’ last shutout remains a 1-0 win by Cam Talbot (Caledonia, Ont.) in the 2010 CHA tournament semifinal. You have to go back to October 25, 2003 for the last home UAH shutout, a 6-0 win over Connecticut shared by Adam McLean (Woodstock, Ont.) and Scott Munroe (Moose Jaw, Sask.).

Senior forward and team captain Doug Reid (Innisfil, Ont.) had high praise for Guerriero’s effort.  “He’s been rock solid,” Reid said.  “We knew that it was going to be a goalie battle, too, and he stood out.  When asked about the last goal, both the captain and the coach spoke of a lull in the Charger defense.  “I think that guys were just standing around and watching the puck,” Reid said, “and they took advantage of it and got a luck bounce.”

35-Guerriero

UAH goaltender Carmine Guerriero (Montréal, Qué.)

 

Guerriero was sharp in net, but it wasn’t just Huntsville’s favorite French-Canadian keeping pucks out of the net.  “We had a lot of guys sacrificing their body,” Misuraca said.  “I know that we had a couple of guys get hit up high in the chest by pucks on the penalty kill.”  Assistant coach Gavin Morgan added, “You know what?  [Guerriero] looked great, but the guys are playing well in front of him.”

It’s clear that things are different in Huntsville.  The Chargers are on a three-game home winning streak, an occurrence whose last appearance goes back to the 2009-10 season, culminating in the final home win by the Chargers prior to the Lake State win.  “We’re trying to change the culture,” Corbett said.  “We’re still making it hard for ourselves, but at least they’re aggressive penalties.”

A win streak longer than three goes all the way back to 2005-06, when the Chargers ripped off a staggering ten-game home winning streak, sweeping Air Force 1/6-7, Robert Morris 1/13-14, Bemidji State 2/3-4, RIT on 2/10-11, and Wayne State on 2/24-25.  We’ve talked about that last game in the past, as it’s the high-water mark of Charger hockey at 132 games over .500.  The Chargers went 11-1 at home that season.

Home series are where the Chargers will make their hay.  With both Alaska-Anchorage and Lake Superior winning last night, the Chargers’ hold on eighth place — seventh if you pull the Nanooks out of the standings — remains tenuous.  UAH does pull back to within three points of Bemidji in 7th/6th with the win, but they will need help.

The Chargers’ home WCHA slate to finish has Saturday night’s tilt against Northern and then series against Ferris State (whom the Chargers defeated in Big Rapids) and Alaska (whom the Chargers took the Nanooks to OT).  Getting six points out of those five games would get the Chargers to 16.  The road isn’t as kind, with contests against Tech and BG, who handled the Chargers pretty handily in Huntsville earlier this season; the other road series is a trip to the Soo, and both teams will have that marked as a roadblock on the way to the Final 4ive.

7:07 p.m. Central in Huntsville Saturday night: will the streak continue?

Series Preview: vs. Northern Michigan, Jan. 16-17

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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 pucks to first 500
Online video: WCHA.tv (subscription)
Live stats: UAHChargers.com
Twitter: @weloveuahhockey, @uahhockey, @NMUHockey
More previews: UAHChargers.com

The Chargers are back home, searching for some momentum and some goals as they face off with the Northern Michigan Wildcats this weekend.

Despite being shut out in both games at Bemidji State, UAH is still in sole possession of eighth place in the WCHA standings. Northern Michigan is heating up, taking three points from No. 8 Michigan Tech last weekend to move into a tie for fourth.

Puck drop is 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The first 500 fans to Friday’s game get a free set of UAH hockey trading cards, and the first 500 on Saturday get a free UAH hockey puck. All kids 12 and under get free admission.

Max McHugh

Max McHugh leads UAH with 15 points. (Photo by Doug Eagan)

All-time series: Northern Michigan is unbeaten (8-0-2) in 10 meetings with UAH. One of the two ties came earlier this season in Marquette, when the Chargers and Wildcats battled to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 31. The next night, NMU won the second game of the non-conference series 4-1, finishing a contract signed before both programs joined the WCHA. This will be the third series all-time in Huntsville, where NMU is 3-0-1.

Chargers recap: UAH (5-16-3 overall, 4-12-0 WCHA) lost both games at Bemidji State last weekend by 4-0 scores. That’s all there is to say, really.

Goaltender Carmine Guerriero allowed four goals in Friday night’s game and made 29 saves. His .931 save percentage is third in the WCHA and his 2.42 goals against average is eighth. Matt Larose also let in four goals and made 29 saves on Saturday.

Max McHugh leads the Chargers with 15 points. Jeff Vanderlugt, Jack Prince, and Chad Brears each have 10 points. Brandon Parker has nine assists to lead UAH.

UAH Tale of the tape
(WCHA rank)		 NMU
5-16-3
4-12-0 WCHA (8th)		 Record 9-6-5
6-6-4 WCHA (T-4th)
1.71 (9th) Goals/game 2.20 (7th)
3.08 (9th) Goals allowed/game 2.10 (T-4th)
15.6 (2nd) Pen. minutes/game 11.7 (7th)
16.9% (4th) Power play 22.4% (2nd)
83.6% (6th) Penalty kill 85.5% (4th)

About the Wildcats: Northern Michigan (9-6-5 overall, 6-6-4 WCHA) is unbeaten in four of its last five. Last weekend, they took three points from their rivals, Michigan Tech, drawing 3-3 at home in Marquette before winning on the road in overtime at Houghton, 5-4. The Wildcats are tied with Ferris State for fourth place in the WCHA.

Talk about NMU starts with goaltender Mathias Dahlstrom. The junior had an incredible start to the season, posting four shutouts. He allowed only two goals to the Chargers in the two games in Marquette. Dahlstrom missed a month due to injury before returning last weekend against Michigan Tech, allowing three and four goals in the two games against the 8th-ranked Huskies.

Brock Maschmeyer, a defenseman, leads NMU this season in goal scoring with seven. Two of those goals game against the Chargers in the 4-1 win on November 1. Forwards Dominik Shine lead all point scorers with 15 points, followed by Darren Nowick’s 14 (both have five goals).

WCHA Standings Record Pts.
Minnesota State 13-2-1 27
Michigan Tech 10-3-1 21
Bowling Green 9-1-2 20
Ferris State 8-6-0 16
Northern Michigan 6-6-4 16
Alaska* 7-8-1 15
Bemidji State 5-6-3 13
Alabama-Huntsville 4-12-0 8
Lake Superior State 3-13-0 6
Alaska-Anchorage 2-10-2 6
* Ineligible for postseason play

Around the WCHA: Another full league schedule this week with some very intriguing matchups.

Bowling Green is surging, unbeaten in its last nine and moving up to No. 7 in this week’s USCHO.com poll. They’ll be in Houghton to face 11th-ranked Michigan Tech.

Minnesota State is No. 1 in all the land for the first time, and the Mavericks look to pad their six-point lead in the WCHA standings against C.J. Motte and Ferris State in Big Rapids, Mich. Last season, the series between the two teams got contentious as they battled for the MacNaughton Cup.

Bemidji State visits Lake Superior State, and Alaska-Anchorage goes to Fairbanks to battle their hated rivals, the Alaska Nanooks.

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 16

Northern Michigan at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
#1 Minnesota State at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
#7 Bowling Green at #11 Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
Bemidji State at Lake Superior State, 6:37 p.m.
Alaska-Anchorage at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.

Saturday, January 17

Northern Michigan at UAH, 7:07 p.m.
#7 Bowling Green at #11 Michigan Tech, 4:07 p.m.
#1 Minnesota State at Ferris State, 6:07 p.m.
Bemidji State at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.
Alaska-Anchorage at Alaska, 10:07 p.m.

Bemidji State 4, UAH 0

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The homestanding Bemidji State Beavers (6-10-3 overall, 4-6-3 WCHA) had the jump from the get-go, and the visiting UAH Chargers (5-15-3, 4-11-0) never countered the punches, losing 4-0 for their fourth shutout of the season, the second to Bemidji in the last two seasons, and their 38th time since the Chargers’ last shutout.

This one hurt, especially after the raging success of last weekend.  The win pushes the Beavers to 3-0-3 in their last six contests, their best such streak since the beginning of their 2009-10 season.  (Hey, does anyone remember what two College Hockey America teams made the NCAAs that year?)  Lastly, it pulled the Beavers three points clear of the Chargers in the WCHA table, ensuring that the hated intruders from the South wouldn’t leapfrog them in the standings.

Senior co-captain Matt Prapavessis (Oakville, Ont.) got the scoring started for Bemidji, taking a puck high near the top of the right-wing circle, ripping one past UAH sophomore goaltender Carmine Guerriero (Montréal, Qué) for a power-play goal at 6:39 of the 1st, :25 into senior defenseman Graeme Strukoff‘s (Chilliwack, B.C.) holding penalty.  The goal was Prapavessis’s fifth marker of the season, and was assisted by junior forward Cory Ward (Las Vegas, Nev.) and freshman forward Kyle Bauman (Apopka, Fla.).

Sophomore forward Charlie O’Connor (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) pushed Bemidji’s advantage to 2-0 at 10:07 of the 1st, collecting a pass from senior defenseman Sam Windle (Maple Grove, Minn.) to fire one past a screened Guerriero (29 sv, 5-9-2).  O’Connor’s seventh goal ties him for the team lead and also came courtesy of Ward’s secondary assist.

UAH was out-shot in all three periods: 15-8, 10-6, and 8-4 for a game total of 33-18.  Freshman goaltender Michael Bitzer (Moorhead, Minn.) made all 18 saves for his first collegiate shutout, moving his record to 4-5-1 on the season.

Bauman scored unassisted at 7:21 of the second for the Beavers’ third goal of the game and his first collegiate marker.  Senior forward John Parker (Green Brook, N.J.) got the Beavers’ final marker of the night at 16:21 of the final frame, circling around UAH freshman defenseman Richard Buri (Nitra, Slovakia), into the slot, dekeing Guerriero into committing, skating past him, and pushing the puck backhanded into the open net in a highlight-reel goal.

Blargle.

See you tomorrow night.

Series Preview: at Bemidji State, Jan. 9-10

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CATCHING THE GAMES
Times: 7:37 p.m. Fri, 7:07 p.m. Sat
Online video: WCHA.tv (subscription)
Online audio: Beaver Radio Network
Live stats: Friday | Saturday
Twitter: @weloveuahhockey, @uahhockey, @BSUBeavers

Back at it. UAH vs. Bemidji State.

The Chargers begin the second half of the WCHA league schedule with a trip to their old rivals, the Bemidji State Beavers. Both teams are riding unbeaten streaks and look to use this series as a springboard up the conference standings.

Both games from the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minnesota, can be seen on WCHA.tv. Friday’s game begins at 7:37 p.m. Saturday’s game starts at 7:07 p.m.

All-time series: UAH and Bemidji State have played each other 74 times, the most of any opponent in Charger history, starting with the 1994 NCAA Division II championship. BSU leads the series 41-29-4 overall and 23-9-1 in Bemidji. Last season, the Beavers won both games in Huntsville in UAH’s first-ever WCHA series, but UAH stunned BSU in Bemidji 2-1 before losing 4-1 in the second game.

Chargers recap: UAH (5-14-3 overall, 4-10-0 WCHA) swept a two-game series with a Division I opponent for the first time since Jan. 29-30, 2010 with a pair of one-goal victories over Alaska-Anchorage at the Von Braun Center. The Chargers moved into eighth place in the WCHA standings with 8 points, one point behind Bemidji State.

On Friday, Max McHugh scored twice and Cody Marooney added another as UAH built a 3-0 lead. The Chargers held on to win 3-2.

On Saturday, Marooney got his second game-winning goal, breaking a 1-1 tie in the second period for a 2-1 UAH victory. Brandon Carlson scored the first goal for the Chargers.

Carmine Guerriero stopped 58 of 61 shots for the series, raising his save percentage to .934, which is 3rd in the WCHA and 9th in Division I. His goals against average dropped to 2.31.

McHugh has taken over the rookie lead in the WCHA with 15 points. Jeff Vanderlugt, Jack Prince, and Chad Brears each have 10 points. Brandon Parker added a couple of assists in the series to raise his team-leading total to nine.

UAH Tale of the tape
(WCHA rank)		 BSU
5-14-3
4-10-0 WCHA (8th)		 Record 5-10-3
3-6-3 WCHA (7th)
1.86 (9th) Goals/game 2.89 (5th)
3.00 (8th) Goals allowed/game 3.17 (9th)
16.5 (2nd) Pen. minutes/game 10.7 (8th)
18.8% (2nd) Power play 16.2% (7th)
83.9% (6th) Penalty kill 79.7% (9th)

About the Beavers: Bemidji State (5-10-3 overall, 3-6-3 WCHA) will see its first action in four weeks after a lengthy holiday break. The Beavers are unbeaten in five games (2-0-3), most recently winning and tying Northern Michigan at home on Dec. 12-13. BSU’s schedule has been tough, with the first seven series coming against ranked opponents.

The Beavers’ top scoring threat, Brendan Harms, was expected to be out 4-6 weeks after an injury caused by a hit against Alaska-Anchorage on Dec. 6. Sophomore center Nate Arentz has moved to the top of BSU’s scoring list with seven goals and 14 points. All-conference defenseman Matt Prapavessis leads the Beavers in assists with eight.

Then there are the Baby Geniuses/Super Babies: Gerry, Leo, and Myles Fitzgerald. The freshman triplet, Gerry (center), Myles (right wing), and Leo (left wing) have combined for eight goals and 23 points this season.

The Beavers have split goaltending duties with senior Andrew Walsh (2.85 goals against, .900 save percentage) and freshman Michael Bitzer (2.66, .897).

WCHA Standings Record Pts.
Minnesota State 11-2-1 23
Michigan Tech 10-2-0 20
Bowling Green 8-1-1 17
Alaska* 7-7-0 14
Northern Michigan 5-6-3 13
Ferris State 6-6-0 12
Bemidji State 3-6-3 9
Alabama-Huntsville 4-10-0 8
Lake Superior State 3-11-0 6
Alaska-Anchorage 2-6-2 6
* Ineligible for postseason play

Around the WCHA: All 10 teams are seeing conference action this week.

While UAH and Bemidji State are bringing unbeaten streaks into their series, the hottest teams in the WCHA are meeting in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Alaska Nanooks have won four straight, while the 11th-ranked Falcons are unbeaten in their last seven.

And UAH-Bemidji isn’t the only rivalry series this week. No. 8 Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan have a home-and-home, playing in Marquette on Friday and Houghton on Saturday.

Tech will be looking to gain ground on league-leader and 4th-ranked Minnesota State, which hosts Lake Superior State. Ferris State, looking to stop a four-game slide, finishes their two-week odyssey in Alaska with a Thursday-Friday series in Anchorage.

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.

Thursday, January 8

* Ferris State at Alaska-Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.

Friday, January 9

* UAH at Bemidji State, 7:37 p.m.
* Alaska at #11 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* #8 Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
* Lake Superior State at #4 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.
* Ferris State at Alaska-Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.

Saturday, January 10

* UAH at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
* Alaska at #11 Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
* Northern Michigan at #8 Michigan Tech, 6:37 p.m.
* Lake Superior State at #4 Minnesota State, 7:07 p.m.

* WCHA conference game

Hoof Beats: Marooney, McHugh earn WCHA weekly honors

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Cody Marooney

Cody Marooney (Photo by Chris Brightwell)

Two Chargers earned WCHA weekly awards Monday for their contributions to UAH’s sweep of Alaska-Anchorage over the weekend.

Cody Marooney was named UAH’s first WCHA Offensive Player of the Week after scoring both game-winning goals. His goal on Friday gave UAH a 3-0 lead early in the second period, and the Chargers held on to win 3-2. On Saturday, his goal at 12:50 of the second period broke a 1-1 tie en route to a 2-1 Charger victory.

The two goals raised Marooney’s season total to three. The sophomore from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, has played in all 60 UAH games the past two seasons.

The WCHA Rookie of the Week is Max McHugh, who had a three-point weekend. The freshman from Seattle scored the Chargers’ first two goals in the first period in Friday’s win, and pitched in an assist in UAH’s first goal on Saturday. He is the third Charger to win the award, following Matt Larose last season and Brennan Saulnier back in November.

McHugh has 15 points on the season, already the highest single-season total in the past four years. He leads all WCHA rookies in points is tied for 11th overall.

CG35 stays strong: Goaltender Carmine Guerriero just missed on the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week (again — he’s been nominated SEVEN times this season), but he had another good week between the pipes. Guerriero stopped 58 of 61 shots combined as his record rose to 5-8-2 on the season.

Guerriero’s goals against average dropped to 2.31, and his save percentage rose to .934. His save percentage is now third best in the WCHA and tied for ninth in all of Division I.

Maybe it’ll stick.

Around the WCHA: No. 13 Bowling Green got to play outside on Saturday, hosting No. 19 Robert Morris at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, home of the Mud Hens and the Detroit Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate. There was concern that the rainy weather would delay or cancel the game, but the teams played to a 2-2 tie. Bowling Green won the second game at Robert Morris on Sunday, and moved up to No. 11 Monday in this week’s USCHO.com poll.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1ZKc4QPuS4

No. 5 Michigan Tech went to Madison to play a struggling Wisconsin team, and blew out the one-win Badgers on Friday, 8-1. But the Badgers got that second win on Saturday, stunning the Huskies 2-o despite being outshot 47-19. Tech dropped three spots to No. 8.

While Tech was playing a non-conference series, Minnesota State moved into sole possession of first place in the WCHA with a three-point weekend at Northern Michigan. The Mavericks cruised to a 4-1 win on Friday, but just managed a 2-2 tie on Saturday. Minnesota State is now ranked fourth in the poll.

Ferris State struggled in its first weekend in Alaska, getting swept by the Nanooks. Alaska got the game-winner Friday with 5:32 to win 2-1, and rolled FSU goaltender C.J. Motte and the Bulldogs on Saturday, 6-0. Alaska goalie Davis Jones notched his fourth shutout.

Shake it off: We end this edition of Hoof Beats with some silliness, courtesy of the UAH Blue Crew and all Charger athletes. You’re welcome.

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.