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.
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.
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.
@weloveuahhockey Carmine is UAH's puck whisperer. The man with the golden gloves. #chargerpride
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.
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.
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 (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.)
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.
While UAH had a fine first two periods, the wheels came off in the third period, as the homestanding Ferris State University Bulldogs (7-6-0 overall, 4-4-0 WCHA) pulled away to win 5-2 and secure a conference split at the Robert L. Ewigleben Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The loss dropped UAH to 3-9-2 on the season and 2-6-0 in WCHA play. No worries, though: Bemidji lost, too, so we’re still tied with the rodents in the league standings.
The Chargers scored early again in this one, as freshman defenseman Richard Buri (Nitra, Slovakia) ripped a shot from the point off of a draw by freshman forward Max McHugh (Seattle, Wash.) to junior forward Chad Brears (Cold Lake, Alta.) just 2:29 into the contest. The visitors then held serve for the next ten minutes or so, going on the power play at 12:10 when Ferris freshman forward Mitch Maloney (Macomb, Mich.) kicked freshman defenseman Brandon Parker (Fairbault, Minn.) behind the Chargers’ net and received a major penalty and match disqualification.
The hopes for an early 2-0 lead were quickly dashed when Ferris junior forward Matt Robertson (Rohnert Park, Calif.) picked up a puck along the wall in the Bulldogs’ defensive zone and saw sophomore teammate Chad McDonald (Battle Creek, Mich.) with time and space. The pass was good for the first of Robertson’s four assists on the night, and McDonald went forehand-backhand before roofing the puck past the outstretched blocker of UAH sophomore netminder Carmine Guerriero (Montréal, Que.) for the first of his two goals just :16 into the major. The SHG was the fourth that the Chargers have allowed this year.
Robertson made his presence known halfway through the second, stick-handling through the defense between the circles before finding Islanders draftee and sophomore forward Kyle Schempp (Saginaw, Mich.) for the go-ahead goal at 10:05. The Chargers struck back a couple of minutes later when freshman forward Brennan Saulnier (Halifax, Nova Scotia) fed junior defenseman Frank Misuraca (Clinton Township, Mich.) the puck at the point. Misuraca’s strong shot bounced right to senior forward Jeff Vanderlugt (Richmond Hills, Ont.), who pounded the puck past Ferris senior netminder C.J. Motte (St. Clair, Mich.) to tie the game at two with 4:22 left in the second period.
And at that point, it was pretty okay for the Chargers. They out-shot the Bulldogs 11-9 in the first and 12-9 in the second — more SOG in 40:00 tonight than they had in a full game last night. But a facemasking penalty on Brears at 19:35 of the 2nd, combined with a cross-checking penalty to Ferris junior defenseman Brandon Anselmini (Guelph, Ont.) sent the teams to the locker room at 4-on-4, an option that isn’t to the Chargers’ strength.
McDonald struck :26 into the period off of a feed from Robertson, and it was on. Ferris State outshot UAH 17-7 in the final frame, including a goal from sophomore forward Jared VanWormer (Traverse City, Mich.) at the tail end of Brears’s major. At that point, it got rough. Saulnier had already taken two cross-checking minors, and then he picked up a major high-sticking penalty. Ferris killed the advantage :48 later, but then McHugh ran into Motte 1:56 into the major and 1:02 into the 4-on-4.
UAH was back to killing the 5-on-4 major penalty when Guerriero interfered with a Bulldog, sending Misuraca to the box, a place Frank has only been to twice this season. 1:01 later, Guerriero committed another infraction, this time sending senior defenseman Graeme Strukoff (Chilliwack, B.C.) to the box to serve his roughing penalty. McDonald also went off for a misconduct penalty at the same time. Mind you, there are still four seconds remaining on Saulnier’s major at this point.
Sophomore forward Matt Salhany (Warwick, R.I.) went off at 17:35 for roughing, and Schempp followed :11 for hooking. In all, eight penalties were called in the third, three involving goalies, two by a goalie, and an extended 4-on-3. The Chargers were at full strength just 10:25 of the second period, and that just won’t cut it.
Saulnier was really in trouble again tonight, and that just can’t keep happening. Brears’s facemasking penalty was pretty borderline to my eye, as both players were making the same motions and it just seems that Chad’s fingertip got caught in a hole in the grid as he pushed the player’s head back in a scrum.
The Chargers came into the game averaging 15.8 PIM/G, but they racked up twice that tonight. In fact, that average has been steadily climbing, with PIM totals of 16, 16, 16, 22, 18, and 36 tonight. This has to be a worrying trend. Yes, the PK was 8-for-9 tonight and has killed 29 of their last 32 penalties, but you just can’t keep doing that and expect positive results all of the time.
Special teams are indeed a strength for the Chargers, who have had positive events in 79 of 128 situations, a 61.7% rate that is second in the nation behind Harvard, but those 128 opportunities are tied for the third-most in the country with Colgate behind Minnesota-Duluth (138) and Miami (131). But until guys like Salhany and fellow sophomore forward Cody Marooney (Eden Prairie, Minn.) have turned themselves into Steve Charlebois (1999-2003, Carbon, Alta.) or Jason Hawes (1999-2003, Perth, Ont.), the Chargers are playing with fire.
Ferris junior forward Kenny Babinski (Midland, Mich.) concluded the scoring with an empty-net goal at 19:01. Guerriero ended up with 30 saves and drops to 3-5-1 on the season. Motte pushes to 7-6-0 on the strength of a 28-save effort.
The Chargers face Michigan Tech at the VBC next weekend. The Huskies came into the weekend as the #1 team in the country, but Minnesota State swept them in two one-goal games in Houghton. Look for the dogs to come a-barking.
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.
U.S. President Barack Obama was 12 days from beginning his third year as President.
Bob Riley had another nine days left as Governor of Alabama.
Osama bin Laden was still alive.
“Twerk” wasn’t a mainstream term, and the Twerk Team wasn’t get together. Also, we all had some respect left for Miley Cyrus.
Gas prices in Huntsville were in the $2.90/gal range for 87 unleaded; as we all know, they’d peak at $3.829/gal 15 months later. (Correlation != causation.)
One Direction hadn’t released an album yet. They now have three.
UAH is 0-28-3 since.
UAH had turned over all of the players from that team. Yes, no UAH Charger hockey player had won a Division I home game before tonight.
So let’s talk about why they won.
“Our PK was 10 for 10, and our power play was 3-for-3,” junior forward Jack Prince (Leicester, England) said. It’s not often that you can say that your special teams are 100%, and tonight it was for us. When your special teams are 100%, that’s usually going to be a good result, and for us, tonight, it was.”
Prince’s power-play goal put the nail in the coffin in a 5-2 defeat of WCHA foe Lake Superior State University. The Lakers fall to 2-10-0 (2-6-0 WCHA) on the season, while the Chargers improve to 2-8-2 (1-5-0).
There were significant changes to the lineup. Senior defenseman Graeme Strukoff (Chiliwack, B.C.) was in and senior defenseman Ben Reinhardt (Arnprior, Ont.) was out. Junior defenseman Anderson White (Caledon, Ont.) was in so that sophomore defenseman Brandon Carlson (Huntington Beach, Calif.) could play forward. Sophomore forward Regan Soquila (Maple Ridge, B.C.) and junior forward Alex Carpenter (Portage, Mich.) left the forward rotation for Carlson and senior forward Jeff Vanderlugt (Richmond Hill, Ont.) respectively.
But the most important lineup move was one that didn’t make a change, as sophomore goaltender Carmine Guerriero (Montréal, Que.) again started in net for the Chargers. His 23-save effort was enough to move him to 2-4-1 on the season.
For UAH coach Mike Corbett, playing Guerriero both nights was an instinct. “He was the best player on the ice. Matt Larose didn’t lose his spot. [Guerriero]’s playing so well that we just had to give him the extra game.” Throughout their tenure as a tandem, neither Guerriero nor Larose had started both nights of a weekend, though each had come to relieve the other for the bulk of a start before playing their full game. The change surprised many, including both Michael and me.
When I spoke with Guerriero late last season, I asked him what he’d be working on over the summer. I hadn’t even finished the question when he responded with one word: “Conditioning.” It always felt to me that Corbett felt uneasy about playing either goaltender both nights regardless of the success from the Friday game. Witness the Air Force weekend: after a solid night on Friday, Carmine gave way to Matt on Saturday, who stopped 36-of-39. Even after stopping 61 shots in a game last season, Guerriero knew that he’d have to come back stronger for his sophomore campaign.
“I worked hard this summer with my goalie coach, and I think that it paid off, honestly,” Guerriero said. He was effusive in his praise for his teammates — despite enduring 10 power plays, UAH allowed just 25 shots on goal. “I was just there in case they needed me.” When asked if he missed the extra work, he said, “That’s okay. I like it. It’s what I’m there for.”
Senior captain Doug Reid (Innisfil, Ont.) was elated after the win. “It feels great, and it’s been a long time coming,” he said of his first Division I home win. “We knew that we had to come in and compete. We really out-worked them, and we got the result that we wanted.”
Reid praised his teammates’ work on the PK. “We play a very disciplined game when killing penalties. We know that we’re a defensive team, so our focus is to just get to the puck and get it out.”
The Chargers got goals from five different skaters. Sophomore forward Cody Marooney (Eden Prairie, Minn.) got the first goal of the night with a shorthanded marker that came most of the way through a bench minor served by Prince for too many men on the ice. Marooney forced a turnover with pressure and sliced right through the Laker defense and past freshman netminder Gordon Defiel (Stillwater, Minn.), who had just 25 saves on the night.
Freshman defenseman Richard Buri (Nitra, Slovakia) scored fifteen seconds after serving a minor tripping penalty to push the Chargers to 2-0 5:22 into the second period. Laker goals off of the sticks of senior forward and assistant captain Chris Ciotti (Oxford, Mich.) and sophomore forward Garret Clemment (Wausau, Wisc.) knotted the game up at two apiece with just 3:23 left in the second.
But a tripping penalty by sophomore forward Gus Correale (Prince George, B.C.) set up the Chargers’ power play with their first opportunity of the night after killing seven Laker power plays. Freshman forward Max McHugh (Seattle, Wash.) made the Lakers pay for their sin a minute into the advantage, and the Chargers would retain a one-goal lead into the third.
The UAH offense would turn into overdrive in the final frame, peppering Defiel with ten shots, including a power-play marker by Vanderlugt in his first action in two weeks. Prince would roof the puck to finish the Lakers off, laughing off an early miscue. “I had a wide open net early and hit the post, and I knew then that it would be a long night.”
The Chargers travel to Ferris State next weekend for a tilt against the tough Bulldogs, who nearly doubled their season scoring output with fourteen goals this weekend against Alaska-Anchorage. “I’m super excited,” Guerriero said. “It’s a nice rink and very rowdy. We just want to keep up this momentum that the boys have and pick up two W’s on the road.”
And then there’s Michigan Tech in two weeks, who are the likely #1 when the next round of polls come out, as they defeated Bemidji State tonight to move to 10-0-0 (thanks, boys) while the other unbeaten all lost this weekend. “I’m excited for that as well,” Guerriero said. “It’s a challenge, and we want the opportunity to show everyone what we’re capable of.” The Huskies go to Mankato next weekend to face the Mavericks, and the Verizon Wireless Center is a tough place to play. That said, the Huskies are rolling right now, and we could have the #1 team in town the day after Thanksgiving.
Wow. What a game. That would be an exhilarating game even if it wasn’t that first win all of our young men have been working and working and working to get. But to have all of the frustration of this season to be decided on a last-second overtime goal? COME ON.
So how did we get here? I mean, it was tied at three after regulation time expired. So there was some fun, yeah?
Yeah.
After 20:00, it’s 1-1 between UAH and BG. Both goals came on the power play.
Sean Walker started off the scoring in the first for the Falcons, flinging a puck through traffic that I’m not sure Carmine Guerriero ever saw. But after a few minutes, it was a Charger power play and …
Pass off the half-boards to Marooney high slot, one-time, GOAL. 1-1.
… tic-tac-GOAL for Cody Marooney, his first collegiate marker.
The Chargers couldn’t pull ahead even with 1:06 of 5×3 late in the first when Brett Mohler (hooking) and Connor Kucera (boarding) took minor penalties. Guerriero was still sharp after not a lot of pressure, and he stopped a couple of chances to end the frame.
Unfortunately for partisans in blue and white, the Falcons struck early in the 2nd, with Brent Tate slipping the defense to find a Cam Wojtala pass in the slot for a goal.
A couple of penalties on Marooney left the Chargers scrambling to cover Falcons, but the Chargers were crashing the point pretty hard. BG countered by taking the puck wide to the boards while looking for cross-ice passes to the bottoms of the circle. But they took their eyes off the puck for a second, and …
MAAAAAAAATTTTTYYYYYYYYYY SALHANY! Picked up the pass, chipped it up, chased it down, got the goalie to commit, beat him glove high! 2-2!
Who cares that the Falcons scored 52 seconds later? Okay, we should all care, but the key thing is that the home side didn’t go up 3-1 late in the 2nd. Instead, the margin was just one, and the boys knew that they had a very good chance at winning this one.
I will let these two tweets stand to vent my frustration with a broadcaster that was … sub-par but has a career that should have him be better.
The BCSN PBP guy spent his entire recruiting bit of the interview with Coach Corbett talking about the weather. Come on.
After that point, the boys were flying all over the ice. There was a puck that ended up in the net before being taken back out and flipped in the air, but no amount of Prince arguments got the referees to change their mind, even with a review. Presumably Jack tried a Cockney accent while he was at it.
A late tripping penalty on Brent Fletcher led to a BG power play with just 2:49. Did the boys quit? Hell no they didn’t. Have you seen these guys quit? Every WCHA coach praises their intensity. Intensity is what made the PK happen. The boys were again pressuring the D and looking for breakaways, and Joakim Broberg was tripped up. 4×4 for :31, and the penalty carried into overtime.
Overtime is a bit of a haze for me, but that’s mainly because it was just wide-open, end-to-end hockey, great goaltending at both ends, solid back-checking, strong passes through neutral ice, and good shots. In other words:
That “charge the hashes” stuff was pure Tim Thomas. Steve Koshey helped out just enough to make sure that the puck was fluttering and rolling past BG sticks. That the puck didn’t go in told you that this just might be the night.
The best part of it was that Frank was right in front of the bench when it went in. #InstantPileon
