Tag Archives: Minnesota State

Chargers’ 2015-16 schedule released with 18 home games

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It's good to be home. (Photo by Chris Brightwell)

It’s good to be home, where UAH will play 18 times in the 2015-16 season. (Photo by Chris Brightwell)

For the first time in 15 years, UAH is scheduled to play more home games than not.

The WCHA released its 2015-16 composite schedule on Monday, and UAH followed with the official revealing of the Chargers’ slate.

The Chargers will have 18 home games for the first time since the 2000-01 season, when UAH hosted the College Hockey America conference tournament. In terms of regular season, it’s the most home games in UAH’s modern Division I era, and the most home games against Division I teams ever. This is an exciting development given the difficulty UAH has securing home non-conference games (see UAH’s recent independent years).

In addition to the 28-game WCHA schedule, UAH will have three non-conference series, two at home, representing Hockey East and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

UAH opens the season at home for the first time since 2012 with the first of three non-conference series, Oct. 9-10 against Connecticut. UConn last came to Huntsville as a member of Atlantic Hockey to open the Chargers’ 2003-04 season, but now the Huskies represent Hockey East. UConn was expected to struggle transitioning to the East’s premier conference in its first season in 2014-15, but finished in a tie for ninth and look to be a program on the rise.

Homecoming at hockey is back as the Chargers open league play at home against Alaska-Anchorage on Oct. 23-24. UAH won both games against UAA in Huntsville last season as the Seawolves struggled to last place in the WCHA.

The Chargers hit the road for the first time at Lake Superior State, where they earned three critical points last season on the way to a WCHA playoff spot. UAH then hosts their playoff opponent from last season, Michigan Tech, on Nov. 6-7. Tech, one of three opponents who reached the NCAA tournament last season, swept the Chargers in Houghton in two games, the first being the 1-0 triple overtime marathon that saw Carmine Guerriero make 76 saves.

Bemidji State returns to Huntsville for rounds 77 of 78 of the Chargers-Beavers rivalry on Thanksgiving weekend. Rounds 79 and 80 will be in Bemidji on Feb. 26-27.

On Dec. 18-19, Colorado College comes to Huntsville after the Chargers visited Colorado Springs to open the 2014-15 campaign. The Tigers finished last in the powerful NCHC, but managed two one-goal wins over UAH, both on third-period goals.

The Chargers ring in 2016 at one of the storied programs in college hockey. UAH visits North Dakota for the first time since 1989, when the Chargers lost 12-6 and 11-5. UND, owners of seven national championships, won the NCHC regular season title and reached the Frozen Four last month.

All but six of the Chargers’ home games come before the New Year, meaning UAH will see a lot of travel down the stretch. UAH has only one series in January, February, and March. The Charges host Alaska on Jan. 8-9, defending WCHA champion and NCAA tournament participant Minnesota State on Feb. 12-13, and Bowling Green on March 4-5 to finish the regular season.

The Chargers go to the state of Alaska once, a late-January set in Anchorage.

Season ticket and Blue Line Club information will be released over the summer. For more information, call 256-UAH-PUCK.

Here is the 2015-16 UAH Charger hockey schedule. Home games are in bold, all starting at 7:07 p.m.

Oct. 9-10 – Connecticut
Oct. 23-24 – Alaska Anchorage*
Oct. 30-31 – Lake Superior State*
Nov. 6-7 – Michigan Tech*
Nov. 20-21 – Bowling Green*
Nov. 27-28 – Bemidji State*
Dec. 4-5 – Northern Michigan*
Dec. 11-12 – Minnesota State*
Dec. 18-19 – Colorado College
Jan. 1-2 – North Dakota
Jan. 8-9 – Alaska*
Jan. 15-16 – Ferris State*
Jan. 29-30 – Alaska Anchorage*
Feb. 12-13 – Minnesota State*
Feb. 19-20 – Northern Michigan*
Feb. 26-27 – Bemidji State*
March 4-5 – Bowling Green*

March 11-13 – WCHA Quarterfinals (at top four seeds)
March 18-19 – WCHA Final Five (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
March 25-27 – NCAA Tournament Regionals
April 7-9 – NCAA Frozen Four (Tampa, Fla.)

* WCHA game.

 

Hoof Beats: Tourney tidbits, Chargers join the pros

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News and notes from around the WCHA and college hockey. I call them “Hoof Beats.”

  • Remember that the 2013 UAH Hockey Banquet is Friday, April 5! Reservations must be received by next Monday (April 1).
  • The WCHA also unveiled an updated logo to go along with its updated roster of teams.

    The WCHA also unveiled an updated logo to go along with its updated roster of teams.

    The WCHA confirmed its postseason tournament plans starting next year. The top eight teams in the 10-team league will make the playoffs. Higher seeds will host lower seeds (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, etc.) for the quarterfinals in best-of-3 series. The single-elimination semifinals and championship, which will retain the name “WCHA Final Five”, will be held at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2014 and 2016, and the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2015 and 2017.

  • The NCAA Tournament field has been announced. Soon-to-be league foe Minnesota State earned an at-large bid as the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region in Toledo and will face No. 2 seed Miami on Saturday. Minnesota State is one of four teams in the tournament UAH played this season (St. Cloud State, Wisconsin, and Boston College are the others).
  • Chargers join the pros: Sebastian Geoffrion has four goals, an assist, and 25 penalty minutes in eight games with the Arizona Sundogs (CHL). Justin Cseter has a goal and an assist in six games with the Huntsville Havoc (SPHL). John Griggs stopped 31 of 32 shots in his pro debut with the Pensacola Ice Flyers (SPHL) on Sunday.
  • As posted on Twitter this week: If you want some more hope for the UAH future, look at UMass-Lowell: 5-25-4 two years ago, 26-10-2 this year and 2013 Hockey East champions.