Game Thread: Alabama-Huntsville vs. Bowling Green

[BGDrew]

Alabama-Huntsville vs. Bowling Green

vs.


Ticket Information:
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Last Weekend
The Chargers (1-3-0) struggled against #15 Wisconsin in Madison.
10/15: 0-7 L
10/17: 2-5 L

The Falcons (0-2-0-0, 1-3-0) had a weekend of firsts with Chris Bergeron picking up his first win as head coach and sophomore goaltender Andrew Hammond picked up his first shutout and win of his collegiate career.
10/15: 0-4 L
10/16: 3-0 W


Weekly Press Conference
Courtesy of Ryan Gasser



The Series
The Falcons and Chargers have only played each other 5 times with the series locked in a 2-2-1 tie.


Game 1
10/22/2010: 7:05pm EST UAH vs. BGSU (BGSU Ice Arena)

Radio: 88.1 WBGU
Play-by-Play: Everett Fitzhugh
Color Commentary: Nick DeSalvo
Pre-game will start 1/2 hour before game time. Webcast available at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/bgsu.portal#

Liveblog: A chat/liveblog will be hosted by your's truly at http://bgsuhockey.wordpress.com/liveblog. The liveblog will start approximately 15 minutes before puck drop.

Webcast: America One
Game will be available live online at http://www.b2tv.com/partner_members.asp ... %20Men%27s.

Game 2
10/23/2010: 7:05pm EST UAH vs. BGSU (BGSU Ice Arena)

Radio: 88.1 WBGU
Play-by-Play: Everett Fitzhugh
Color Commentary: Nick DeSalvo
Pre-game will start 1/2 hour before game time. Webcast available at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/bgsu.portal#

Liveblog: A chat/liveblog will be hosted by your's truly at http://bgsuhockey.wordpress.com/liveblog. The liveblog will start approximately 15 minutes before puck drop.

Webcast: America One
Game will be available live online at http://www.b2tv.com/partner_members.asp ... %20Men%27s.


Media Notes
Bowling Green: http://www.bgsufalcons.com/news/2010/10 ... 03001.aspx
Alabama-Huntsville: n/a
CCHA: http://www.ccha.com/ccha_weekly_release_oct._18.aspx


Around the CCHA
Friday
Alaska-Fairbanks at Michigan State
7:05 p.m. ET

Ohio State at Ferris State
7:05 p.m. ET

Northern Michigan at Miami
7:35 p.m. ET

Western Michigan at St. Lawrence
7:00 p.m. ET

Alabama-Huntsville at Bowling Green
7:05 p.m. ET

Colgate at Lake Superior
7:05 p.m. ET

Nebraska-Omaha at Michigan
7:35 p.m. ET

Saturday
Alaska at Michigan State
5:05 p.m. ET

Ohio State at Ferris State
7:05 p.m. ET

Northern Michigan at Miami
7:35 p.m. ET

Colgate at Lake Superior
5:05 p.m. ET

Western Michigan at St. Lawrence
7:00 p.m. ET

Alabama-Huntsville at Bowling Green
7:05 p.m. ET

Boston College at Notre Dame
7:05 p.m. ET

Nebraska-Omaha at Michigan
7:35 p.m. ET


National Rankings
Courtesy of USCHO.com

[BGDrew]

Geof Morris from UAHHockey.com was gracious enough to answer some questions about the Chargers.

Q: We’ll start with the elephant in the room: in 2009 the CCHA voted to not accept UAH into the conference. Each time your team laces up the skates against a CCHA team is there a bit of a chip on your shoulders?

A: I think that’s true more for the fans than for the players and coaches, really. Ferris State came to Huntsville to open our season, and it wasn’t so much a desire to beat them because they’re a CCHA school [and, if you ask me, was likely one of the schools against our bid], but more that we needed a win early on for confidence. If you look at the early schedule for UAH, it’s not easy: Ferris, at Wisconsin, at Bowling Green, at Michigan State, at Ohio State. If the boys didn’t win here in that first weekend, you could be looking at a VERY ugly record in the first ten games, with a lot of people going, “See, they’re not worth saving.” Instead, you get a win against the #3 CCHA team in 2010, and you can ride that a little bit.

Unfortunately, only people like me will remember that former coach Doug Ross is a BGSU alum and will want to beat them because of that.

Q: Just before the season you lost Danton Cole to the US National Development Program. Do you think Cole left on good terms and how has the team responded to your new coach Chris Luongo?

A: Danton left on great terms. He and Chris Luongo were teammates in college at Michigan State, and so they’ve kept in touch. Danton also keeps in touch with a number of folks in the Huntsville community. Every game, he texts me for score updates, and when I was in the hospital recently, he called to check in on me. I think most anyone who cares about the program recognizes that DC would’ve been stupid to not take the US job.

The players seem to have taken to Lou pretty well. As he’d been here a couple of years previous to his ascension to the head position, the bulk of the players were familiar with him. Also, Chris had recruited many of the incoming freshmen out on the road along with John McCabe, so there was a lot of familiarity there. There hasn’t been a huge shift in the systems used by the team, so there was a fairly seamless transition. Chris is a different personality than Danton, and time will tell if it makes a big difference.

The only concern that any of us had with the change was the timing. As you know from experience with Chris Bergeron coming to BG, most college hockey coaching changes happen in April or very early May. Once Bergeron was in place at BG and Mark Osiecki was in at Ohio State, I and a number of other Charger fans relaxed, thinking we’d gone another offseason without Danton leaving and figuring that we were set for another year. I don’t think Danton was ever interested in any of the open jobs this year, save for the one he ended up taking.

Q: With UAH being the southern most school have you seen an influx of talent coming from some of the southeastern states?

A: Being local does give us an advantage. We have three kids from within a few hours’ drive: senior Neil Ruffini and the Geoffrion brothers, sophomore Sebastian and freshman Blake. In a world without UAH hockey, the Geoffrions probably go to a bigger program, likely a CCHA one, because of their pedigree. I think all three players saw UAH as a legitimate D-I school and wanted to stay here.

The elephant in the room is, of course, Jared Ross, who is the first Alabamian to score a goal in the NHL. Jared had other college offers, including one from Michigan State, where his uncle, Tom, is still the all-time leading scorer. Everyone wanted Jared to play a year or two in juniors, which he probably should have done looking back on things. Jared was ready to play in the USHL for Cedar Rapids, but then decided to come play for his dad. I know that we were certainly happy to have him play for us, but I don’t think we get him without the family ties. Also, I don’t think that he’s that good of a player without being Doug Ross’s kid, either: not in genes, but in exposure to high levels of hockey. Jared got a much better hockey education in a couple years at Detroit Catholic Central than he would have ever gotten staying in Huntsville all the time.

We’re still not to the point here in the South where we’re churning out lots and lots of D-I talent. The youth programs are developing, and we might see an explosion in five years. The great thing about the American system right now is that the NAHL and USHL cast a nationwide net for talent, and kids from the South can go play for-real hockey. It’s a different system than other collegiate sports, but kids out of the non-hockey hotbeds are coming to understand what’s available to them.

Q: You had a very good goalie in Cam Talbot who decided to forego his senior season and is now playing in the AHL. How have your freshman goaltenders looked so far this season?

A: Cam leaves a big hole. The guy is undoubtedly talented, as he pitched a shutout in his first professional game and started every game for the team last year. Clarke Saunders has gotten all four starts so far and has looked solid, but I do want to see all the guys get a chance. John Griggs and CJ Groh appear to have their work cut out for them in terms of supplanting him in net, but I expect that they’re going to keep working hard in practice so they can make the most of any opportunity that Lou gives them.

Q: If there was one player on your team that Falcon fans should look out for this weekend, who would it be?

A: That would have to be #21, Keenan Desmet. He’s a sophomore RW out of Alberta, and does the cowboy thing when he’s at home. He’s a bit of a cowboy on the ice, too, but he’s rounded into a fine, fine player for UAH over the last third of last season and early this season. He and linemate Justin Cseter played together in juniors and have been together the entire time at UAH. This is telling, though: the players and coaches used to call it Cseter’s line. Now it’s Desmet’s line.

[BGDrew]

Here's your lines for the night:
BG
F1: McIntosh - Wojtala - JST
F2: Sumsion - Rodriguez - Solway
F3: Fink - Wallace - Viselli
F4: Vargas - Freismuth - Finegan

D1: Krelove - Sloat
D2: Shea - Peltoma
D3: Ruel - Grover

G: Eno - Hammond - Zacharias

UAH
F1: Easton - Ruffini - Fairbanks
F2: S. Geoffrion - Cester - Desmet
F3: B. Geoffrion - Bruni - Way
F4: Roy - Dion - Koudys

D1: Baxter - Durnie
D2: Hagen - Conrad
D3: Gatt - Debruyn

G: Saunders - Groh - Griggs

Liveblog/chat is getting fired up as you read at http://bgsuhockey.wordpress.com
Mobile users can go here for a "lite" version: http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/o ... 966397c3ff

[BGDrew]

3-1 good guys after the first. Goals by Finegan, Wallace (1st career), and Solway. Chargers got a late PP goal.

[Falcon Fanatic]

Great first period...not so great second...a little better third, but when you have a 4-1 lead...and go into OT...UGH!

Thank goodness for that awesome shot by Peltoma!!!
Great to see the guys hang in there and keep fighting!!!

GO ICERS!!!
SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP THE CHARGERS!!!!

[BGDrew]

I think you summed it up pretty well. It wasn't the best game we've played but it says a lot we still picked up a W. I posted a basic recap over at http://bgsuhockey.wordpress.com. Just a few of my random thoughts:

- I thought JST played a much more complete game tonight. He had a few good backchecks and some good passes.
- Really liked the play of Viselli and Fink tonight. Pretty impressive showings in your first collegiate career games.
- Nick wasn't "on" tonight but made some big saves down the stretch. Hammond will be getting the start tomorrow.
- This is the first time since November 2008 we've won two games back-to-back.

Postgame Presser:


Around the CCHA:
Western Michigan 3
at St. Lawrence 1

Alaska-Fairbanks 1 (SO W)
at Michigan State 1 OT

Alab-Huntsville 4
at Bowling Green 5 Final (OT)

Colgate 1
at LSSU 2

Ohio State 1
at Ferris State 2

Northern Michigan 0
at Miami 4

Nebraska-Omaha 4
at Michigan 2

[sum1udontknow]

im not going to say it was of the caliber but watching Peltoma laser that snipe home from the sideboards tonight brought back amazing memories of the cepis GW in the playoffs a couple years ago......I felt like Peltomas tonight had it hit you wouldve left a two foot hole coming out.....that was a bomb

[BGDrew]

im not going to say it was of the caliber but watching Peltoma laser that snipe home from the sideboards tonight brought back amazing memories of the cepis GW in the playoffs a couple years ago......I felt like Peltomas tonight had it hit you wouldve left a two foot hole coming out.....that was a bomb

Funny you'd say that. In his postgame interview he said he thought it was too high. From my view he couldn't have pointed at a better spot.

[Altoid_storm]

I will (finally) be able to make a game tonight Got off work an hour ago, about to head down and have some traditional BG dinner (ice cream at DQ and maybe a pita from Pita Pit) before getting there absurdly early to steal back my seat in the student section. Shh. Don't tell

[BGDrew]

Here's your lines for tonight:
BG
F1: McIntosh - Wojtala - Mohler
F2: Fink - Wallace - Viselli
F3: Sumsion - Rodriguez - Williamson
F4: JST - Solway - Finegan

D1: Ruel - Montrose
D2: Krelove - Rushing
D3: Sloat - Peltoma

G: Hammond - Eno - Zacharias

UAH
F1: Easton - Ruffini -Fairbanks
F2: S. Geoffrion - Cseter - Desmet
F3: B. Geofrion - Bruni - Koudys
F4: Roy - Dion - Way

D1: Baxter - Durnie
D2: Gatt - deBruyn
D3: Hagen - Allan

G: Groh - Saunders - Griggs
*=Starters

Liveblog/Chat is up and going at http://bgsuhockey.wordpress.com/liveblog.
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