The Chargers got the help they needed to keep alive their hopes of finishing second in the conference race and earning a bye in the first round of the CHA tournament. With Bemidji State and Niagara earning only one point on the weekend, UAH had an opportune chance to gain three points on the two squads and climb back into contention. Things did not work out that way however as Findlay scored five unanswered goals on Saturday night to dash the Charger's hopes after the blue and white were 5-3 winners on Friday night.
Freshman Keith Rowe got things rolling for UAH three minutes into the contest on Friday night scoring his seventh goal of the season. Juniors Jason Hawes and Steve Charlebois followed up with goals of their own to push UAH out to a 3-0 advantage following the first two periods of play.
The Oiler power play stopped junior netminder Mark Byrne's shutout bid at the 8:03 mark of the final frame as Steve Traver got Findlay on the scoreboard. Freshman Craig Bushey then gave UAH a three-goal advantage once again with under ten minutes to play making the score 4-1. Findlay stormed back however scoring two more goals in the period to pull within 4-3 before junior winger Joel Bresciani sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute of play.
Byrne picked up the win in net for the Chargers making 36 saves including 16 in the final period.
Things were shaky from the start on Saturday night for UAH as Findlay took the puck and scored only 19 seconds into the match to put the Chargers down 1-0. The Chargers responded at the 5:35 mark as Jackson Harren netted his second goal of the season to knot the game at one. UAH took the momentum from that goal and quickly added another 35 seconds later as Bresciani scored his second goal of the series to put the Chargers on top.
Unfortunately for the Charger faithful, that is as close as the blue and white would come to a win as UF rattled off five unanswered goals to claim only their second win over the UAH program. The Chargers were outshot by the Oilers 52-39 in the contest. Sophomore Adam MacLean reliever UAH starter Byrne midway through the second period but he was too late to stop the bleeding. The Charger's power-play unit that had seemed to find new life during the Air Force series collapsed once again going 0-for-12 in the series.
UAH is now 14-17-1 overall and 8-9-1 in College Hockey America play and currently stands in fourth place in the conference standings.
