It was a wintry night in Huntsville, with many roads closed after a crusting of ice fell atop already snowy lanes. It was great hockey weather, but for the home fans, it wasn’t a great hockey result. The visiting Ferris State Bulldogs (13-18-1, 10-13-0 WCHA) scored two quick first-period goals and held on thereafter, winning 2-1 over the homestanding UAH Chargers (8-19-4, 7-15-1 WCHA).
Both Bulldog goals came on poor defensive zone passes. At 4:33 of the first, senior forward Dominic Panetta (Baldwin, Mich.) picked a puck off and skated in alone on UAH sophomore netminder Carmine Guerriero (Montréal, Qué.), potting a shorthanded goal. Sophomore forward Chad McDonald (Battle Creek, Mich.) took a pass from freshman forward Tyler Andrew (Bethel Park, Pa.), who had just intercepted a puck in front of the UAH bench.
I expect that it’s no surprise that Michael and I have a backchannel during games. Post-game, he commented, “Lost it in the first, didn’t win it in the 2nd and 3rd.” He’s right.
The second period is notable only for its penalties. An early UAH power play was nullified four seconds later by a holding minor. Two penalties :07 apart by sophomore forward Cody Marooney (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and freshman defenseman Richard Buri (Nitra, Slovakia) left UAH killing a long 5×3 situation, which they did fairly easily, allowing just three shots-on-goal on the disadvantage. UAH is still the #1 team in combined special teams.
A carry-over penalty from the 2nd period gave the Chargers 1:55 of a man advantage on clean ice. The home squad would score, as freshman defenseman Cody Champagne (Brookfield, Conn.) took a feed from senior forward Alex Carpenter (Portage, Mich.) for a point shot that appeared to rattle around on bodies in front before going to the roof of the net past Ferris State senior goaltender CJ Motte (St. Clair, Mich.). Sophomore defenseman Brandon Carlson (Huntington, Beach, Calif.) got the secondary assist.
Ferris State stymied UAH for the remainder of regulation time. UAH pulled Guerriero (32 sv, 8-12-3) with 1:37 remaining, but the Bulldogs kept UAH to the outside and blocked shots. Motte (18 sv) moves to 13-18-1 on the season.
The two teams face off again on Saturday night to conclude the season series, which the Bulldogs lead 2-1-0.
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.)
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:
The UNO announcers are bemoaning the fact that the Mavs are letting UAH hang around. You know what? Keep thinking that, fellas.
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.
UAH (3-10-2, 2-7-0 WCHA) was perfect on special teams on tonight, killing all seven Michigan Tech (11-2-0, 9-2-0 WCHA) penalties, scoring on their own power play, and potting a short-handed goal just 1:08 into the game. But sharp-angle shots and relentless forechecking by the #6/5 team in Division I saw the Huskies come away with a narrow 4-2 win (on an empty netter) in front of 1,880 fans — many of whom were clad in Black and Gold — at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala.
Senior forward Craig Pierce (Roswell, Ga.) got the crowd fired up just a minute into the game, breaking out of the Chargers’ end with the puck and slashing through the slot. He whiffed on his first shot, but the puck stayed with him and he slipped one past Husky junior goaltender Jamie Phillips (Caledonia, Ont.) for a 1-0 lead. The goal was Pierce’s third of the season and the Chargers’ third SHG of the 2014-15 campaign. Assists were credited to sophomore forward Brent Fletcher (4th of season, New Westminster, B.C.) and sophomore forward Cody Marooney (3rd, Eden Prairie, Minn.).
Tech freshman forward Dylan Steman (Hanover, Minn.) would knot the game at one with his second collegiate goal, scoring when a delayed penalty call 0n freshman defenseman Cody Champagne (Brookfield, Conn.) let the Huskies use their speed advantage to slice along the boards in front of the Chargers’ bench and let Steman find a pass from junior forward C.J. Eick (Appleton, Wisc.). The assist was Eick’s first of the year.
The Chargers would then kill Champagne’s penalty — we’re told that goals on delayed penalties do not vacate the penalty as they do in most leagues — and one by sophomore defenseman Brandon Carlson (Huntington Beach, Calif.) just 2:35 later. In all, the Chargers killed four penalties in the first period, and it felt like the Chargers were doing well to stay with the pack. Optimism reigned that the penalties would slow.
Indeed, that optimism was met, with the Chargers committing just three penalties for the rest of the game, one coming in the late minute when Fletcher was whistled for charging. Unfortunately for UAH, time at even strength did not lead to many shots on goal, as Tech showed their bona fides as a top-flight team. The Huskies took a 2-1 lead 2:21 into the second period when freshman forward Alex Gillies (Vernon, B.C.) scored on a low-angle shot from the left circle that beat Charger sophomore goaltender Carmine Guerriero (Montréal, Que.) high over the right shoulder.
The Chargers registered just four shots on goal in the second frame against 12 for the Huskies. Lest you be worried that the overall shot differential of 34-14 was influenced by killing seven penalties, the Huskies landed just seven shots on goal in those opportunities.
One Charger shot did find twine, as senior forward Jeff Vanderlugt (Richmond Hill, Ont.) pounded a puck home off of a feed from junior forward Jack Prince (Leicester, England). The goal was Vanderlugt’s team-leading fourth of the season, with Prince recording his fifth assist (and team-lead-tying seventh point). Freshman defenseman Brandon Parker (Fairbault, Minn.) notched his team-leading seventh assist of the year.
The Chargers didn’t keep the game level for long, as sophomore defenseman Shane Hanna (Salmon Arm, B.C.) winged a puck at the net from an even steeper angle than Gillies, beating Guerriero (3-6-1, 30 sv) to put the Huskies up again. The Chargers would kill two more penalties in the remaining minutes of the second, but the visitors carried a one-goal lead into the locker room for the second intermission.
UAH came out stronger in the third, bringing more pressure and getting deeper into the Husky defense. But Phillips (11-2-0, 12 sv) stopped all six Charger shots on goal, keeping his teammates clean on the defensive end. Assistant captain and sophomore defenseman Cliff Watson (Appleton, Wisc.) ended the Chargers’ attempts at a comeback, lofting a puck that rolled past a Charger lunging to swipe it into the corner. Fletcher’s final penalty with :37.5 left ended any chance that the Chargers had in coming back.
Mike Corbett tells me all the time that there are no moral victories, and he’s right. But I heard a number of people — my old broadcast partner Mike Anderson being one of them — tell me that they were proud to see the strides that this team had made. This wasn’t last year’s blowout against top team St. Cloud State. This was a solid effort from a team in the bottom half of the WCHA against a team at the top of the league. You’re not going to win a lot of those games, but it’s not unreasonable to think that the Chargers couldn’t come out and win this one tomorrow night. We’ll see if that happens, even though there will be few paying attention given that we’re up against the Iron Bowl. Oh well.
Special teams notes
UAH is now 7th in the nation in PIM/G at 17.1, less than a minor a game out of 2nd and just a major behind Cornell in 1st (22.4), who have played just eight contests. The Chargers’ combined special teams are still #2 in the country, with a 64.0% rate that comes in just 1.0% behind #1 Harvard.
The Alabama-Huntsville Chargers (3-8-2 overall, 2-5-0 WCHA) never trailed in this hockey game, scoring in the first two minutes and holding the lead for the next 31:08. The homestanding Ferris State Bulldogs (6-6-0 overall, 3-4-0 WCHA) pulled even midway through the second, but two third-period goals pushed the home fans to the brink, and the Chargers held on for a 3-2 win at the Robert L. Ewigleben Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.
The Chargers are now 3-1-1 in their last five games. Their last two-game win streak against Division I opponents came when that Cam Talbot guy was in net, backstopping the Herd to the 2010 CHA Championship. The last stretch of at least 3-1-1 was also in 2010, when UAH won the replacement game from the Amy Bishop shooting at Niagara, lost by one goal and tied Bemidji at the VBC next weekend, and then beat Robert Morris and the Purple Eagles for that NCAA berth.
If you want to look at the last three-game winning streak, it also comes that season: two wins at home against Niagara, a road win there before being called home, then a home win against the Colonials. Oh, and last night, Talbot shut out the Flyers and Bemidji alumnus Matt Read. #CHAForever
There are three major stories to the evening’s proceedings. They are: junior forward Chad Brears (Cold Lake, Alta.), an overtaxed but strong penalty kill, and sophomore netminder Carmine Guerriero (Montréal, Que.), who made his fourth start in five games.
Brears
Brears hadn’t lit the lamp all season, but he did it twice tonight on five shots-on-goal. His first goal came at 1:48 of the first, when a splendid feed across the goal mouth from freshman forward Max McHugh (Seattle, Wash.) and an entry pass from senior defenseman Graeme Strukoff (Chilliwack, B.C.) gave him the time, space, and angle that he needed to rip the puck hard past Ferris senior goaltender CJ Motte (St. Claire, Mich., 6-6-0, 15 sv). The primary assist put McHugh temporarily atop the team’s scoring chart.
Brears would score the game-winning goal on the power play in the third, when a point shot rattled from freshman defenseman Brandon Parker (Faribault, Minn.) around and found his stick after touching that of junior forward Jack Prince (Leicester, England). The assists for Parker and Prince pushed them to six points, alongside McHugh. It was a fine night for Chad. Cheers, buddy.
Penalty Kill
After giving up three, third-period power play goals against Air Force, the Chargers limited Lake Superior to one on Friday and none in ten on Saturday. Tonight, the Chargers again had problems staying out of the box, committing nine minor penalties resulting in eight power play chances for the homesteading Bulldogs. The Chargers nearly killed them all, but the Bulldogs struck gold on their seventh when sophomore forward and New York Islanders draftee Kyle Schempp (Saginaw, Mich.) scored to make it a 3-2 game.
A late-period interference penalty by Strukoff led to the Bulldogs pulling Motte for an extra attacker with around :50 left. While you hate to see them get all the opportunities, the fact is that the Chargers have killed 21 of their last 23 penalties, a 91.3% clip that’s well above their season rate of 84%.
One concern that I (and I’m sure that many of you as well) have with all the penalties is that you take Prince off of the ice. Anyone who’s watched UAH play even-strength hockey for any length of time has come away with good impressions of Prince and his freshman linemates Brennan Saulnier (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and Josh Kestner (Rocket City, U.S.A.). Prince leads the team in shots on goal (30) despite losing ice time every time that his team is down by a man or more. Saluter is second with 24 and Kestner fifth with 19. With UAH mired at 1.92 goals per game, you want your volume shooters out there as often as you can.
Guerriero
What is there to say about Guerriero? Last year’s squad struggled with puck possession, and when they did finally get it across the center line, they were often there just to dump, change, and chase. What we’re seeing right now is a lot better than that, but it still starts between the pipes for the Chargers. CG35 made 36 saves as the Bulldogs outshot UAH 38-18. If he wasn’t the best player in blue out on the ice tonight — you could argue that Brears was — he was in the top two or three.
The confidence that exudes from Guerriero radiates out through his teammates, and it’s really clear to me that Parker and fellow freshman defensemen Cody Champagne (Brookfield, Conn.) and Richard Buri (Nitra, Slovakia) know what to do with the puck when they get just a little room to move it out of the zone. Combine their work with that of Strukoff, senior Ben Reinhardt (Arnprior, Ont.), junior Frank Misuraca (Clinton Township, Mich.) ,and sophomore Brandon Carlson (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and the Chargers have a solid D core that feels like it improves every weekend.
But it’s always going to stop and start with the fantastic Québécois, who pushed his GAA down to 2.23 and his SV% up to .939. The WCHA is clearly a goalies’ league, what with Motte (8th), Northern Michigan’s Mathias Dahlström (Smedjebacken, Sweden, 1st), and Michigan Tech’s Jamie Phillips (Caledonia, Ont., 2nd) all in the top ten of Division I net minders in terms of goals-allowed average. Guerriero currently stands at 31st, but more outstanding efforts from him that are coincident with his teammates limiting shot opportunities and strongly possessing the puck could see him pick up his first collegiate shutout. (I’m sure that folks in Bemidji might start in here by saying something about small sample sizes, but the only people that take that course at Bemidji are math majors, and …)
Random thoughts
The go-ahead goal from junior forward Alex Carpenter (Portage, Mich.) was a fantastic workmanlike goal. He and Saulnier worked to corral a bouncing puck low. Carpenter hasn’t gotten to play competitive hockey since 2010-11, his final year in the USHL. After not getting ice at Western Michigan, he came to Huntsville and seems to have found a place to play after sitting out a transfer year. Alex, we’re excited for you.
Sophomore forward Cody Marooney (Eden Prairie, Minn.) just kept popping off of my TV screen tonight. He had two shots on goal, stick-checked a number of pucks, and was really active on the PK. The Shattuck St. Mary’s product should be joined next season by his brother Joey.
Carlson (3), Brears, and Marooney were the only Chargers with more than one SOG. I’d do something with ±, but they don’t have that for our players.
So the hopes for tomorrow:
Six or fewer minor penalties, no majors.
Fewer than 30 SOG.
At least 28 SOG.
A road sweep.
Keep up with the game tomorrow night, and we’ll be back then.
Oh, one last thing: while the Chargers are 3-1-1 in their last five matches, the hated Bemidji State Beavers are 0-5-0. The teams are tied for sixth in the WCHA standings with four points apiece.
It had been a year since the Chargers had taken a lead into an intermission and won the game — last year’s win over Bemidji. And yet the Chargers went into the second intermission having taken a strong hold on their game against the United States Air Force Academy at the Cadet Ice Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo, on Friday night.
After the Falcons opened scoring with a fluky goal where sophomore netminder Carmine Guerriero‘s (Montréal, Que.) clearing attempt bounced off a Charger defenseman and onto the stick of junior forward Max Hartner (Greenwood Village, Colo.), UAH knotted the game five minutes later when freshman defenseman Cody Champagne (Brookfield, Conn.) picked up a puck on the left point and fired it past Falcon sophomore netminder Chris Truehl (Stoughton, Wisc.).
The Chargers were strong with puck possession in the second frame, edging the Falcons 10-9 in shots on goal while giving up three power play opportunities to the home squad. Junior defenseman Frank Misuraca (Clinton Township, Mich.) received an outlet pass from freshman forward Brennan Saulnier (Halifax, Nova Scotia), charging down the right side and ripping a shot from just inside the top of the right circle to push UAH ahead 2-1 with a little over half of the game gone.
The Falcons zoomed out to begin the third, forechecking hard and pressuring the puck deep into the Chargers’ end. The Chargers met that intensity, but Air Force knotted the game at two when senior forward Cole Gunner (Richfield, Minn.) took a fine feed from senior forward Chad Demers (Grafton, N.D.) along the blue line to the top of the right circle. Gunner skated into the slot and ripped a puck just under the crossbar and past Guerriero (24 sv, 1-3-1) with 9:51 remaining in regulation.
There was no apparent nervousness on Mike Corbett’s bench, and UAH played with purpose and pressure. And then …
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL CHARGERS! Just as the penalty expires, UAH gets the Falcons chasing the puck and @jwkhockey6 fires it home! 1:53 left 3rd.
Freshman forward Josh Kestner‘s (Huntsville) second goal of the season came at just the right time, spurring the Chargers to push even harder while grounding the Falcons and Truehl (2-6-0, 20 sv). Frank Serratore called his timeout and no doubt looked at his protégé a couple dozen feet to his left. “Is he really going to beat me the first time he faces me?”
Corbett is now 2-3-0 against Serratores.
Junior forward Jack Prince (London) scored the empty-net goal on what was perhaps an ill-advised clearing of the puck 190 feet down the ice. But they don’t ask how — they ask how many, and it’s Prince’s first goal of the year.
So let’s look at this. There are positives here, and not just the first win of the year (although Lord knows that’s awesome). But here’s what happened:
Puck pressure was really strong all game, and even if the Herd didn’t keep possession of the puck at all times and spent most of its time with the puck around the boards, the fact is that UAH was in the offensive ice for far more time than we’ve seen all season.
Guerriero and his teammates shrugged off a gaffe that led to a fluke goal. Let’s be honest: last year’s team might have crumpled under that weight. Instead, they tightened things back up, played with purpose and confidence, and took the game back to the Falcons.
The movement of the puck on the power play was really good, especially at the points. Champagne’s shot was just the kind of thing that we’ve been seeing from UAH defensemen all year. In fact, six of UAH’s fourteen goals come from blueliners: Misuraca with three, Brandon Carlson (Huntingon Beach, Calif.) with two, and Champagne’s goal tonight. With the forwards struggling to score — only Kestner has multiple goals — the goalies need support from somewhere, and they’re getting it from the guys closest to them.
Misuraca’s goal came on a nice breakout. Rather than forcing the rush up ice the way some of his compatriots do, he saw that he had space and took a feed from Saulnier. Misuraca was looking to pass to the center of the ice after crossing into the offensive zone, but when there weren’t any good lanes available, he took the shot. That’s the kind of play that we haven’t seen much of from the Chargers for the last two years. Last year, we would’ve been indecisive and lost our speed advantage while either taking a poor shot or making an ill-advised pass into someone’s feet.
Kestner notching his second goal is big. Two goals in nine games puts him close to double-digit pace; no Charger has potted 10+ goals since Matt Sweazey (Toronto, Ont., 12 goals) in 2008-09. Kestner scored goals in bunches last year, but the question was there: would statistics in the GOJHL transfer well to NCAA Division I? It may not be a jump, but his performance so far is a step up. No pressure, Kesty. (Get a goal at home next weekend, okay?)
Guerriero was sharp despite not seeing 40+ shots. 26 shots on goal was the second-fewest that he’s faced in his career, bested only by his first home start in a 1-0 loss to Bemidji State. The coaching staff really likes to argue that they have two equal goalies, but it’s starting to look like the little guy may be pulling ahead. His .934 SV% is well ahead of sophomore goaltender Matt Larose (Nanaimo, B.C., .909), and his GAA of 2.57 is a good bit better than his counterpart’s 4.00. I certainly expect that the rotation will stay in place, and there’s no doubt that Larose is one heck of a goalie. (In fact, my bet in the long run is that he’ll be the better college goaltender.)
Not only did the team get to carry a lead into intermission, but they held it for half a period — and then didn’t back down after going back level. I can tell you nothing else about the game than that, and you’d be happy.
But I’ll only really be happy with a sweep, and I’m betting that’s true for everyone inside that locker room.
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:
“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.)
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.
