proud host of the
2012 NCAA Division I
Men's Ice Hockey
National Championship
in Tampa, Fla.
After allowing three power-play goals in Friday night’s 5-4 come-from-behind thriller, the Alabama-Huntsville hockey squad surrendered five power-play goals en route to an 8-4 loss to College Hockey America foe Niagara on Saturday night at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville.
The Chargers wasted little time getting on the scoreboard when senior Chris Martini (Calgary, Alb.) found sophomore Dominik Rozman (Wallaceburg, Ont.), who skated in on Niagara’s Juliano Pagliero and went top shelf with only 1:11 gone from the clock in the opening period. The play was setup as UAH was feverishly trying to get the puck out of their zone as senior netminder Scott Munroe (Moose Jaw, Sask.) had lost his stick behind the Charger net and was using a skater’s stick in net.
The UAH margin jumped to two goals later in the first at the nine-minute mark when a shot from junior Steve Canter (St. Louis, Mo.) bounced off of Pagliero’s left pad and trickled into the net. With the Chargers on the penalty kill for a high sticking penalty by senior Jeff Winchester (Dalhousie, N.B.), the lead increased to 3-0 in UAH’s favor when junior Grant Selinger (Regina, Sask.) swiped the puck from the NU defense in their own end and passed to a streaking Bruce Mulherin (Red Deer, Alb.), who deposited the puck in net for his first tally of the year. The goal ended the night for NU’s Pagliero as coach Dave Burkholder brought Jeff Van Nynnatten in to man the net and the Stratford, Ont., native was solid the rest of the way for the Purple Eagles.
Niagara then responded with their first tally of the night on the same power play when Justin Cross stole a defensive clear from the Chargers and rifled a shot past Munroe to pull with a pair of goals at 3-1 at 15:04 of the period. With UAH’s Scott Kalinchuk (Bowsman, Man.) in the box for hooking, NU pulled with a goal at 3-2 just before the period closed as Ted Cook scored with a mere two seconds remaining in the frame.
The Purple Eagles wasted no time in the second period as NU tied the contest on a Justin Cross goal at 1:02 of the second and then took their first lead of the evening at 5:01 when Jason Williamson put home a power-play tally for the 4-3 advantage. UAH Head Coach Doug Ross opted to call on freshman Jordan Erickson (Port McNeil, B.C.) for his first collegiate action in net.
An unlucky bounce of the puck put the Purple Eagles up two goals. A dump in by Cook rattled around the board and Erickson skated out of net to corral the puck. The puck had a different idea however and caromed off the side board directly to NU’s Marc Norrington, who fired into the gaping net.
A David Nimmo (St. Albert, Alb.) wrister brought the Chargers back within a goal at 5-4 late in the second period with an assist from freshman Matt Sweazey (Toronto). The one-goal margin carried into the second intermission until 4:12 of the third when Niagara’s Les Reaney made UAH pay for a Mulherin tripping penalty with the Purple Eagles’ fourth power-play tally of the night coming against Munroe, who reentered at the start of the third.
The Charger penalty kill scored another melt down in third when Williamson put the Purple Eagles ahead 7-4 with their fifth power-play measure of the night in only seven attempts with the man advantage. NU added another goal with a gaping net in the third when Munroe left the net to play the puck and again the Purple Eagles got a lucky bounce and Williamson made the easy wrister to pick up the hat trick and the 8-4 margin.
With the loss, UAH’s record falls to 3-3-0 overall and 1-1-0 in the CHA while Niagara improves to 5-4-1 overall and 2-1-0 in league play.
The Chargers continue College Hockey America action next weekend at league foe Robert Morris in Moon Township, Pa. Faceoff is slated for 6:35 CST on both nights.
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