UAH (8-22-4, 7-18-1 WCHA) vs. Bowling Green (19-10-5, 15-8-3 WCHA)March 6-7, 2015 - Bowling Green, Ohio - 6:07 p.m. CT
BGSU Ice ArenaLive Stats | Live Video | Live Audio | Game NotesAbout the Chargers...
RECENT ACTION: UAH wrapped up its 2014-15 home schedule with a WCHA series against visiting Alaska Fairbanks this past weekend, falling in the opener 4-2 and then dropping the finale in overtime by a score of 4-3. UAH is currently tied for eighth in the conference standings with 15 league points, which would translate to a seven seed in the WCHA playoffs due to Alaska's ineligibility and a tie-breaker win over Lake Superior State who is tied for eighth with 15 points as well.
ROOKIE PACES OFFENSE: UAH points leader
Max McHugh (Seattle, Wash.) ended his scoring drought with a pair of goals in Saturday's overtime loss for the second multi-goal performance of his career. McHugh now has 21 points (10g-11a) and is the first Charger to accumulate double-digit assists and goals since Matt Sweazy (12g-10a) did it in the 2008-09 campaign. The freshman ranks 22nd in the nation among first year players and third amongst WCHA rookies.
BETWEEN THE PIPES: Sophomore
Carmine Guerriero (Montreal, Quebec) registered 64 saves over the weekend, posting 37 saves apiece in each game despite seeing his record fall to 8-15-3. Guerriero was recently named a Mike Richter award nominee, as the UAH netminder has accumulated a .926 save percentage and a 2.57 goals against average. His save percentage ranks fourth in the WCHA and 18th in the nation.
BLOCKS: Sophomore
Brandon Carlson (Huntington Beach, Calif.) slipped to second in the nation with 80 blocks this season, despite stepping in front of six shots this weekend. Carlson tied a single-game high with five blocks in the series finale, while chipping in his fifth assist of the season on Friday night. He has nine (4g-5a) points this season, good for third among UAH defensemen.
OFFENSE UP IN 2014-15: The Chargers scored five goals over the weekend to give the squad a total of 59 goals and an average of 1.7 goals per game on the season. McHugh leads the pack with 10 goals, followed by senior
Jeff Vanderlugt and junior
Frank Misuraca with six goals each. In all of last season, UAH had 41 goals and averaged 1.1 goals per game, with
Jack Prince leading the way with eight goals.
DEFENSE GROWING: The UAH defense has vastly improved upon last year's average of 4.35 goals against, as the Chargers have dipped to a 3.14 goals against average. The improved defense can be thanked in part to the growth of Guerriero, Carlson and Misuraca, with the addition of talented freshmen
Brandon Parker,
Cody Champagne and
Richard Buri. The UAH defense was in 59th last season, which has since been improved to 47th in the nation while ranking first in the country with 594 blocks.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: All but one goal this past weekend was scored by a UAH freshman as McHugh and Kestner combined for four goals during the conference series. The Chargers' rookies have been outstanding in the 2014-15 season, compiling a class-high 56 points on the season led by McHugh with 21. UAH has benefitted from defenseman
Brandon Parker with a team-high assists, while receiving additional help from Kestner (4g-2a),
Brennan Saulnier (1g-7a),
Cody Champagne (2g-2a) and
Richard Buri (3g-2a). The UAH rookies rank tied for 24th in the country in points scored.
About the Falcons...
MATCHUP HISTORY: The Chargers own a 3-14-1 all-time series record against the Falcons, with the last matchup occurring on Oct. 17-18 in which BGSU won both matchups. UAH has a 1-5-1 when visiting Bowling Green.
RECENT ACTION: BGSU had a trip to Alaska Anchorage this past weekend, where the Falcons split the conference series with the Seawolves. Bowling Green won the opener 4-3, but fell in the finale by a score of 6-1. The Falcons are 3-3 in the last six contests.
FALCONS PROFILE: The Bowling Green offense is led by four players who have 20 points or more this season in Brandon Hawkins (12-12—24), Matt Pohlkamp (8-15—23), Luc-Pierre Mercier (7-15—21), and Ben Murphy (11-10—21). Tommy Burke started both games this past weekend and has the most minutes logged in goal (1057:41), while accumulating a 2.27 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.
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