Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey

Alabama–Huntsville Chargers
Current season
University University of Alabama in Huntsville
Conference WCHA
Head coach Mike Corbett
6th season, 38–127–16 (.254)
Captain(s) Hans Gorowsky
Kurt Gosselin
Arena Von Braun Center
Capacity: 6,600
Surface: 200' x 85'
Location Huntsville, Alabama
Colors Blue and White[1]
         
NCAA Tournament championships
1996 (D-II), 1998 (D-II)
NCAA Tournament appearances
1994 (D-II), 1996 (D-II), 1997, (D-II), 1998 (D-II), 2007, 2010
National Club championships
1982, 1983, 1984
Conference Tournament championships
CHA: 2007, 2010
Conference regular season championships
CHA: 2000–01, 2002–03

The Alabama–Huntsville Chargers ice hockey (commonly referred to as the UAH Chargers) are an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents the University of Alabama in Huntsville Chargers.

The UAH Chargers are one of only two NCAA Division I ice hockey programs in the Sun Belt, the other being Arizona State.

The Chargers play their home games at Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center. In 1987, Alabama governor George Wallace declared Huntsville to be the "Hockey Capital of the South."[2]

UAH is a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

History

Founding and club championships

The UAH ice hockey program began as a club team in the late 1970s. Joe Ritch organized the inaugural Charger team in 1979, and served as head coach. UAH defeated Emory University 11-4 in its first game on October 26, 1979.[2] UAH dominated opposition in its first three seasons, winning three Southern Collegiate Hockey Association championships. The Chargers won the first of their three National Club Hockey Championships in 1982, defeating Southern Methodist 14-2 in the title game.[2]

For the 1982-83 season, Doug Ross became head coach as the Chargers moved to the Central States Collegiate Hockey League. UAH lost the conference championship game in overtime to Marquette, but the Chargers hosted the U.S. National Collegiate Club Hockey Championships, where they defeated Auburn (16-2), Arizona (7-4), and Penn State (5-4) en route to their second consecutive national championship.[2]

UAH hosted the club national championship tournament again in 1984, and the Chargers claimed a third straight title with wins over Miami University (3-1), Indiana (13-4), and Ohio (12-1). UAH hosted the tournament a third time in 1985, but its bid for a fourth straight championship fell short with a 6-2 loss to North Dakota State.[2]

Varsity and Division II championships

UAH elevated the hockey program to varsity status for the 1985-86 season as a member of the NAIA. The school became a full NCAA Division II member in 1986. With no NCAA sponsorship of hockey at the Division II level, UAH moved its program to Division I as an independent beginning with the 1987-88 season.[2] The Chargers went 63-81-8 in their five seasons in Division I. UAH finished with a winning season twice in that span: 1988-89 (15-10-1) and the last season, 1991-92 (18-10-1).[2]

UAH returned to Division II hockey in 1992 with the NCAA resuming sponsorship of a national championship. In 1994, the Chargers hosted its first Division II national championship series, but lost to Bemidji State in overtime of a mini-game tiebreaker.[2] After narrowly missing a chance at the title in 1995, the 1995-96 UAH team went undefeated (26-0-3) in the 1995-96 season and beat Bemidji State 7-1 and 3-0 at the Von Braun Center to claim its first NCAA championship in any sport.[2] The Chargers traveled to Bemidji State for the 1997 finals, losing 4-2 and 3-2. The 1997-98 UAH team claimed its second Division II championship in 1998, beating Bemidji again 6-2 and 5-2 in Huntsville to finish 24-3-3.[2]

Return to Division I and CHA era

UAH moved ice hockey back to Division I for the 1998-99 season as an independent, and the team became a charter member of College Hockey America starting with the 1999-2000 season. The Chargers won CHA regular season championships in 2001 and 2003.[2]

The 2006-07 UAH team earned the school's first CHA tournament title and NCAA Division I tournament bid. The Chargers spotted Robert Morris a 4-0 first-period lead, but rallied to beat the Colonials 5-4 in overtime. At the Midwest Regional in Grand Rapids, Mich., UAH took No. 1 seed Notre Dame to double overtime before losing 3-2 in Doug Ross's final game as head coach before retiring.[2]

Danton Cole became UAH's third head coach in 2007.[2]

In 2009, with the CHA's demise imminent following the announced departures of Niagara, Robert Morris, and Bemidji State, UAH applied for membership to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The CCHA denied UAH's application on August 11.[3]

UAH won the final CHA tournament in 2010, beating Niagara 3-2 in overtime for its second berth in the Division I tournament. The Chargers lost to top-ranked Miami 2-1 at the Midwest Regional in Fort Wayne, Ind.[2]

Independence and survival

Cole left UAH in 2010 to become the head coach of the U.S. National Development Team.[4] Assistant Chris Luongo was promoted to head coach as the Chargers became the lone independent program in Division I.[2] The program struggled as an independent as scheduling and recruiting hurt without a championship to play for. UAH was a combined 6-54-3 in its first two independent seasons from 2010-2012.

Early into the 2011-12 season, interim UAH President Malcolm Portera announced that the 2011–12 season would be the school's final season competing at the NCAA Division I level, citing financial reasons. The program would be "realigned" as a club team, and the coaches' jobs would be eliminated.[5] New UAH president Dr. Robert Altenkirch reversed the decision after he and school administrators met with local supporters on December 6, 2011.[6] The school set up a campaign to raise funds for the program and have it join a conference.[7]

Despite the questions about its hockey future, UAH was the host institution for the 2012 Frozen Four in Tampa, Florida.[8]

A week before the start of the 2012-13 season, UAH replaced Luongo and hired Kurt Kleinendorst to become the program's fifth head coach.[9]

On January 17, 2013, after months of discussions with conference officials and league member representatives, UAH formally applied to and was accepted to join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The Chargers began conference play in the 2013-14 season.[10]

Kleinendorst resigned on May 29, 2013.[11] UAH named Mike Corbett as its sixth head hockey coach on July 8, 2013.[12]

Season-by-season results

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties

NCAA D-I Champions (1968–present) NCAA Frozen Four (1968–present) Conference Regular Season Champions Conference Playoff Champions
Season Conference Overall Record[13] National Tournament Results Awards[14]
Regular
Season
Finish		 W L T
Doug Ross (1985–2007)
Division II
1985–86 Independent – 14 13 1
1986–87 Independent – 20 10 0
Division I
1987–88 Independent – 11 18 1
1988–89 Independent – 10 15 1
1989–90 Independent – 10 22 3
1990–91 Independent – 9 21 2
1991–92 Independent – 16 10 1
Division II
1992–93 Independent – 15 12 1
1993–94 Independent – 20 5 1
1994–95 Independent – 20 5 2
1995–96 Independent – 26 0 3 Won D-II National Championship
1996–97 Independent – 20 8 0
1997–98 Independent – 24 3 3 Won D-II National Championship
Division I
1998–99 Independent – 21 5 1
1999–00 CHA 2nd 17 10 4 Jay Woodcroft (CHA SAY)
2000–01 CHA 1st 21 12 1
2001–02 CHA 3rd 18 18 1 Brian Gornick (CHA SAY)
2002–03 CHA 1st 18 14 3 Scott Munroe (CHA ROY)
Doug Ross (CHA COY)
2003–04 CHA 3rd 11 16 4 Jared Ross (CHA POY)
2004–05 CHA 2nd 18 10 4 Bruce Mulherin (CHA 3SP)
2005–06 CHA T-2nd 19 13 2 Scott Munroe (CHA POY)
Bruce Mulherin (CHA 3SP)
2006–07 CHA 5th 13 20 3 Lost in NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinals, 2–3 2OT (Notre Dame) Shaun Arvai (CHA SAY)
David Nimmo (CHA MVP)
Danton Cole (2007–2010)
2007–08 CHA 5th 6 21 4
2008–09 CHA 4th 5 20 5
2009–10 CHA 3rd 12 18 3 Lost in NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinals, 1–2 (Miami) Cam Talbot (CHA MVP)
Chris Luongo (2010–2012)
2010–11 Independent – 4 26 2
2011–12 Independent – 2 28 1
Kurt Kleinendorst (2012–2013)
2012–13 Independent – 3 21 1
Mike Corbett (2013–Present)
2013–14 WCHA 10th 2 35 1
2014–15 WCHA T–8th 8 26 4
2015–16 WCHA 10th 7 21 6
2016–17 WCHA 9th 9 22 3
2017–18 WCHA 7th 12 23 2

Players

2018–19 team

As of September 5, 2018.[15]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Michigan Jake Theut Senior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1993-10-01 Washington, Michigan Northeastern (HEA) —
2 Massachusetts Cam Knight Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1995-01-10 North Reading, Massachusetts Wichita Falls (NAHL) —
3 Illinois Drew Lennon Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-01-12 Bloomington, Illinois Lone Star (NAHL) —
4 Alberta Connor James Junior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1996-10-11 Wainwright, Alberta Spruce Grove (AJHL) —
5 China Simon Chen Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-06-26 Beijing, China Cowichan Valley (BCHL) —
6 New Jersey Sean Rappleyea Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1995-02-03 Sayreville, New Jersey Ottawa (CCHL) —
7 Minnesota Bauer Neudecker Freshman F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1998-06-01 St. Louis Park, Minnesota Sioux City (USHL) —
8 Alaska John Teets (A) Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1994-08-10 Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks (NAHL) —
9 Ontario Christian Rajic Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1997-02-06 Oakville, Ontario Oakville (OJHL) —
10 Ontario Andrew Dodson Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996-10-24 Milton, Ontario Carleton Place (CCHL) —
11 Sweden Jesper Öhrvall Senior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1994-11-19 Halmstad, Sweden RPI (ECAC) —
12 Ontario Connor Merkley Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1996-09-03 Portland, Ontario Carleton Place (CCHL) —
13 Texas Ben Allen Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1997-07-31 Allen, Texas Melfort (SJHL) —
14 Alberta Madison Dunn (A) Senior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1995-10-04 Calgary, Alberta Brooks (AJHL) —
15 Minnesota Hans Gorowsky (C) Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1994-12-20 Lino Lakes, Minnesota Fairbanks (NAHL) —
16 Georgia (U.S. state) Connor Wood Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996-08-09 Buford, Georgia Odessa (NAHL) —
18 Florida Austin Beaulieu Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1996-10-21 Coral Springs, Florida Wichita Falls (CCHL) —
19 Ontario Brandon Salerno Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 1995-07-31 Toronto, Ontario Pickering (OJHL) —
20 Ontario Bailey Newton Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-05-14 Oakville, Ontario Oakville (OJHL) —
21 Michigan Levi Wunder Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1996-10-11 Escanaba, Michigan Odessa (NAHL) —
22 Manitoba Dayne Finnson Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1997-10-01 Arborg, Manitoba Victoria (BCHL) —
24 Alberta Tyr Thompson Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-09-26 Whitecourt, Alberta Whitecourt (AJHL) —
25 Georgia (U.S. state) Adam Wilcox Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1994-04-25 Alpharetta, Georgia Fairbanks (NAHL) —
26 Ontario Jack Jeffers Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1997-09-21 Oakville, Ontario Markham (OJHL) —
27 Alabama Teddy Rotenberger Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996-01-01 Huntsville, Alabama Shreveport (NAHL) —
28 Michigan Kurt Gosselin (C) Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1994-11-30 Brighton, Michigan Alberni Valley (BCHL) —
30 Ontario Mark Sinclair Sophomore G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1996-03-08 Dundas, Ontario Chilliwack (BCHL) —
35 Ontario Josh Astorino Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 1996-12-09 Niagara Falls, Ontario Georgetown (OJHL) —

Alumni who have played in the NHL

  • Jared Ross (2001–05) — Center who played for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League in the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons. Ross, the son of longtime UAH coach Doug Ross, is the first player born and trained in the state of Alabama to play in the NHL.[16]
  • Cam Talbot (2007–10) — Goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers. Talbot spent two seasons as the backup goaltender for the New York Rangers from 2013-15 before being traded to Edmonton during the 2015 offseason. Talbot holds the Oilers' franchise regular season record for wins by a goaltender with 42 in the 2016-17 season.

Varsity records

Since the 1985-86 season through the 2015-16 season.[17]

Career

  • Most goals: 96 by Mario Mazzuca (1992–96)
  • Most assists: 118 by Tony Guzzo (1993–97)
  • Most points: 179 by Tony Guzzo (1993–97)
  • Most penalty minutes: 467 by Shane Stewart (1996–2000)
  • Most goaltending wins: 66 by Derek Puppa (1992–96)
  • Lowest goals against average: 2.36 by Cedrick Billequey (1995–98)
  • Highest save percentage: .918 by Scott Munroe (2002–06)
  • Most shutouts: 8 by Mark Byrne (1999–2003)

Season

Game

All-time coaching records

Tenure Coach Years Record
Club
1979–1982Joe Ritch379–4–1 (.946)
1982–1985Doug Ross375–17–3 (.805)
Totals 2 coaches 6 seasons 154–21–4 (.872)
Varsity (NAIA/NCAA)
1985–2007Doug Ross22376–255–42 (.590)
2007–2010Danton Cole323–59–12 (.309)
2010–2012Chris Luongo26–54–3 (.119)
2012–2013Kurt Kleinendorst13–21–1 (.140)
2013–presentMike Corbett538–127–16 (.254)
Totals 5 coaches 33 seasons 446–516–74 (.466)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "UAH Logo & Brand Guidelines". Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 UAH Sports Information. "Hockey History". Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  3. ↑ McLaughlin, Bud (August 11, 2009). "UAH denied admission to Central Collegiate Hockey Association". The Huntsville Times.
  4. ↑ Olsen, Becky. "Cole steps in to lead NTDP's U-17 team". USAHockey.com.
  5. ↑ "Chargers athletic program to see changes following budget analysis". University of Alabama-Huntsville. October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  6. ↑ Gattis, Paul (December 6, 2011). "UAH announces plan to bring back Division I hockey program". The Huntsville Times.
  7. ↑ Turner, John (2011-12-21). "Charging on: UAH launches official fundraising campaign for hockey program". The Huntsville Times.
  8. ↑ Pupello, Peter (April 4, 2012). "Tampa Bay's role as Frozen Four host proved years in the making". Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  9. ↑ McCarter, Mark (2012-09-25). "Ex-NHL coach Kurt Kleinendorst named new hockey coach at UAH". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
  10. ↑ "WCHA Grants Full-Time Membership to University of Alabama in Huntsville". Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  11. ↑ UAH Sports Information. "Kleinendorst Steps Down as Head Hockey Coach". Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  12. ↑ "UAH Tabs Mike Corbett to Lead Charger Hockey". UAHChargers.com. UAH Sports Information. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  13. ↑ Code explanation; W—Wins, L—Losses, T—Tied games
  14. ↑ Code explanation; All-American—First Team All-American, COY—Coach of the Year, ROY—Rookie of the Year, MVP—Tournament Most Valuable Player, ISA—Individual Sportsmanship Award RSG—Regular Season Goaltending Award, POY—Player of the Year, SC—Scoring Champion, BDP—Best Defensive Player, BD—Best Defensman, SAY—Student-Athlete of the Year, 3SP—Easton Three Stars Player of the Year
  15. ↑ "2018–19 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Ross goes from deep south to NHL". The American Hockey League. October 13, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  17. ↑ UAH Sports Information. Hockey History & Records. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
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