The 2002-03 Charger season will be one like none other in UAH history. For the first time the Chargers will have a chance to win their way into the NCAA Tournament and a shot at the Frozen Four in Buffalo, N.Y. with an automatic bid on the line in the College Hockey America tournament. The past three seasons the Chargers have been to the finals of the CHA tournament and have come up short each time. That experience should play huge for the UAH squad that returns nine seniors who have played in those three contests.
The first place one has to look in 2002-03 is the schedule. An enormous feat lies ahead for the Chargers opening the season with a six-game road swing. After opening the season at Wisconsin, UAH travels to face the top-two ranked preseason teams in the nation, Denver and Minnesota. Besides the rigorous CHA slate which opens for UAH with Air Force coming to the Von Braun Center in November, the Chargers also have non-conference contests at Northern Michigan and Sacred Heart along with an appearance in the UCONN Tournament.
Having battled through a string of injuries in the 2001-02 season, UAH returns healthy and ready to claim their first CHA Tournament title. Leading the way for the Chargers are four of the league's top six returning scorers from a year ago. Seniors Tyler Butler, Karlis Zirnis, Jason Hawes, and Steve Charlebois each amassed 33 points or more last season.
Finishing the season ranked fourth in the nation in defenseman scoring, an All-America candidate, Butler headlines the Charger veterans. Averaging a point per game, Butler netted 11 goals and 26 assists en route to earning first-team All-CHA and All-Tournament honors. The Kanata, Ontario native teams with fellow senior Ryan Leasa to form a lethal one-two punch on the Chargers' top defensive pairing.
The Charger defense also returns the school's winningest goaltender at the Division I level in senior Mark Byrne. Having completely recovered from his pair of broken wrists suffered in the summer of 2001, Byrne looks to lead the Chargers between the pipes this season and return to the form of his sophomore season when he led all CHA goaltenders in wins and goals against average. Junior Adam MacLean returns with a wealth of experience after filling in for Byrne during his rehab last season. Added to the mix is newcomer Scott Munroe and his 6'2" frame, who set numerous records last season in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
Junior defender Ian Fletcher returns after a medical redshirt season for UAH along with CHA All-Rookie team member Doug Watkins for the Charger defense. Also returning are veterans David Halliwill, John Bradley and Ryan Brown. UAH also welcomes 6'3" freshman Jeff Winchester to the mix along with fellow rookie Jeremy Schreiber.
The Charger offense returns nine of the ten top scorers from last season led by Charlebois who led all Charger scorers last season with 17 goals. The UAH lineup also welcomes the return of junior captain Mike Funk, who missed the majority of last season with a broken pelvis and received a medical redshirt. One of the top lines in the entire conference returns in the threesome of Zirnis, the CHA's assist leader, Craig Bushey and Jared Ross. The Chargers will rely heavily upon that trio to pick up their play from the end of last season. The Chargers also return a wealth of experience in seniors Joel Bresciani, Gerald Overton, juniors Jason Tinwick, Jackson Harren, Steve Milosevski and sophomore Keith Rowe. A trio of freshmen, Bruce Mulherin, Luke Flaig and Todd Bentley, will each push the veterans for playing time in 2002-03.
Thus the 2002-03 season will be a historical one for the Chargers with a chance to make it one that will be remembered for years to come.
First Series: at the University of Wisconsin, Friday, Oct. 18th, 7:35 and Saturday, Oct. 19th, 8:05 p.m.
HUNTSVILLE - Charger Radio is proud to announce its partnership with SportsJuice.com to provide online broadcasts of UAH Men's Ice Hockey for the 2002-2003 season.
Fans will be able to log in to the Charger Radio website at http://www.sportsjuice.com/providers/uah/ or click on the logo and follow the Chargers as they embark on their most difficult schedule in the 23 year history of the team.
Mike Anderson and Geof Morris will anchor the first broadcast team to cover all Charger hockey contests, home and away. "This is a great opportunity for fans both in Huntsville and around the world to follow Charger hockey like never before," said Anderson. "We've assembled a dedicated team who will work hard to present all of the action on the ice."
Anderson and Morris will be assisted by George Olden on location and Jim Chaloupka in the studio for all 34 regular-season contests and post-season contests.
During the 2001-2002 season, Charger Radio was able to provide internet broadcasts of some UAH games, including the College Hockey America tournament. Due to technical difficulties, fans had problems listening in to games last season. "SportsJuice.com is going to enable us to overcome the technical hurdles that limited our broadcasts last year," said Morris of the partnership. "That will make for a much more enjoyable experience, not only for our fans, but for Mike and I, since we know that we'll be getting our broadcast out to as many listeners as we can."
The Charger hockey season begins October 18 when the Chargers travel to Madison, Wisconsin to face the Wisconsin Badgers. Fans can tune in to the pre-game show 30 minutes prior to face off.
Charger Radio is a student-run radio station at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The station is funded by student activities fees and outside underwriting. Charger Radio plans to begin its full broadcast schedule in January 2003.
