Having posted a 0-10-1 record the past two seasons in the month of December, the boys in blue were looking to keep on a roll after knocking off Niagara on Dec. 1. When the smoke cleared, UAH had come away with a 3-3 tie and a 6-2 on the road against Sacred Heart.
Friday night's contest brought out what seems to be a trend in the series opener as the Chargers have blown two-goal leads in each of the past three first games of the set. UAH jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind goals from Craig Bushey and Joel Bresciani but the Pioneers scored on the power play at the 12:13 mark of the second period to take the shutout away from Mark Byrne.
Sophomore Jared Ross reclaimed the two-goal lead for UAH at the 10:37 mark of the third on the power play with assists from Mike Funk and Jeremy Schreiber. The Pioneers would respond less than two minutes later scoring two goals in just over a minute's time to earn the tie.
The Chargers were just glad to "Get out of Dodge" after Saturday night's penalty-marred match was over. With the two squads combining for 169 minutes in penalties, it made for a rough night both on the ice and in the scorer's booth.
A four-goal second period and a two-goal night from senior captain Mike Funk led UAH to the 6-2 over SHU in Millford, Conn.
The CHA Offensive Player of the Week, Funk opened up the scoring for the Chargers in the first period's lone tally. The Newton, Manitoba native later scored in the second period and added an assist in the third for a three-point night.
The Pioneers drew first blood in the second frame to make it a 1-1 contest but the Chargers roared back. Senior Gerald Overton put the Chargers back out in front with his first goal of the season with an assist from sophomore Keith Rowe before senior Tyler Butler scored the eventual game winner at the 4:42 mark with help from Rowe and fellow senior Jason Hawes.
After Funk picked up his second of the night with help from Jared Ross and Karlis Zirnis on the power play, Hawes made it 5-1 UAH with assists from Butler and junior Steve Milosevski.
On the power play for most of the third period, the Chargers only slipped one shot past SHU netminder Eddie Ferhi, who made 20 saves in the final stanza and 37 on the night. Freshman Scott Munroe picked up his fourth-straight win in net for UAH stopping 14 Pioneer shots and improving to 4-2 on the season.
The Chargers take a couple of weeks off before a date in the UConn Holiday Tournament against ninth-ranked Ferris State on Dec. 29th.
Series: UCONN Holiday Tournament, Dec. 29th & 30
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.
