CHARGERTV SEASON PREVIEW
Connecticut (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East) vs. UAH (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA)
Oct. 9-10 | 7:07 p.m. | Stats | Video
Von Braun Center
PROMOTIONS: UAH will be giving away t-shirts to the first 500 fans in attendance to Friday's contest, which will be followed by the first installment of the 2015-16 trading card sets on Saturday night. There will be a giveaway for all nine home weekends this season, click
here for more info.
KIDS IN FREE: Children ages 12 and under receive free admission to all UAH hockey games for the 2015-16 season, courtesy of Huntsville International Airport. Fans can purchase hockey tickets by visiting the VBC Box Office or by calling (256) UAH-PUCK to purchase group tickets. Tickets can also be purchased through Ticketmaster.com.
LOOKING BACK: UAH finished 2014-15 with an 8-26-4 overall record and a 7-20-1 mark within the league, topping 2013-14's record of 2-35-1 (2-25-1 WCHA) in the inaugural season in the conference. The Chargers advanced to the program's first WCHA playoff series last season, while accruing five wins in the home slate.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION:
Carmine Guerriero had one of the most outstanding seasons in goal in UAH hockey history in 2014-15, finishing the season with a .928 save percentage and a 2.56 goals against average which rank fourth and fifth in program history, respectively. His career save percentage jumped to .918 as well, second all-time for the Chargers. The junior earned a nod for
College Hockey News' Preseason All-America Team and was named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List for his work in 2014-15.
POLLING PLACE: The Chargers were voted to finish eighth in the WCHA in both the Mankato Free Press Preseason Coaches' Poll and the Bemidji Pioneer Preseason Media Poll, with Guerriero earning nods for Preseason All-WCHA in both polls and one vote as WCHA Player of the Year in the media vote.
Max McHugh earned one nod for Preseason All-WCHA in the media poll, while
Jetlan Houcher received one vote for Preseason Rookie of the Year.
IMPROVED ON BOTH ENDS: The UAH offense took a step forward in 2014-15, as the squad moved up from 1.1 goals per game in 2013-14 to 1.6 last season. The Chargers accumulated 167 offensive points (62g-105a) as compared to 2013-14's 113 points (41g-72a). Similarly, the Chargers defense averaged 4.35 goals against, which was drastically reduced to 3.08 this season.
OFFENSIVE LEADER: UAH points leader and WCHA All-Rookie honoree
Max McHugh finished his first collegiate season with 23 points (12g-11a), which ranks tied for 25th among NCAA freshmen and third amongst WCHA first-year players. McHugh's 12 goals came in at fourth among WCHA freshmen and are the most by a Charger since Matt Sweazy had 12 in 2008-09. His 23 points since four players met or eclipsed the mark in the 2006-07 season.
NEW FACES: Head coach
Mike Corbett has drawn in 10 newcomers to the program for the upcoming season, which will be the largest class currently playing for the Blue and White. UAH has added three defensemen and seven forwards, including Houcher who scored 82 goals in his three-year career at Fort McMurray (AJHL).
MATCHUP HISTORY: The Chargers have a history of success against the Huskies with UAH holding an 8-2-0 overall record over UConn and a 6-2-0 record playing in Huntsville. The last matchup between the two programs was on Nov. 27, 2010 which ended in a 6-2 victory for the Chargers.
HUSKIES PROFILE: Last season, UConn - who is guided by third-year head coach Mike Cavanaugh - advanced to a Hockey East playoff series as the ninth seed after a 10-19-7 regular season and a 7-11-4 mark within the conference. Shawn Pauly led the offense last year with 20 points (5g-15a), while Rob Nichols logged 35 starts in goal with a 2.73 goals against average and a .918 save percentage.
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