HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Starting its 33rd year, the UAH hockey team will welcome Lake Superior State to the Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center for a weekend series beginning with a 7 p.m. contest on Saturday before concluding with a 3 p.m. showdown Sunday.

Upstairs general admission tickets for the season opener on Saturday night will be free and available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Von Braun Center box office.

The Chargers feature a blend of veterans and new faces as 14 players return from last year's squad, while Head Coach Chris Luongo has sprinkled in nine newcomers.

From the team's top five in scoring last year, three return including Jamie Easton who finished second on the squad with 18 points with six goals and 12 assists. Mac Roy and Justin Cseter recorded 15 points last year with Cseter tying for the team lead with 13 helpers.

Luongo will be looking for increased offensive production as the returners gain more experience as the team averaged just under two goals per game last year while allowing four.

One of the new players that will look to contribute to an offensive resurgence will be freshman Kyle Luysaght. The Marietta, Ga., native played for the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League the past two seasons, notching 35 goals and 23 assists in 46 contests a season ago.

Graeme Strukoff and Ben Reinhardt will be key newcomers on the blue line. Strukoff features a hard-nosed approach that made him a fan favorite at Trail and Victoria of the British Columbia Hockey League, and Reinhardt has a winning pedigree as he helped lead Pembroke of the Central Canada Hockey League to five straight championships and the 2010-11 RBC Cup.

The team's leadership group will feature junior defenseman Curtis deBruyn who will serve as the captain along with seniors Easton and Tom Durnie and junior Sebastian Geoffrion who will all don the A on their sweaters.

UAH is 15-15-2 all-time in season openers, and this marks the first time the Chargers face Lake Super State in an opening series. The two squads have met only once before as they tied 3-3 on Jan. 14, 2004 before the Chargers defeated LSSU by a 5-0 score the next day.

A season ago, the Lakers posted a record of 13-17-9 on the year including a 5-11-2 mark on the road. While the team did lose its leading goal-scorer, Domenic Monardo does return after recording a second-best 12 goals last season. Both the coaches of and the media that cover the CCHA picked this weekend's opponent to finish this season 10th in the conference.

Live video for the contest will be available on America One , and live stats will be available at uahchargers.com. Fans are also encouraged to follow the Chargers on Twitter (@uahchargers).