BSU gets much needed win over Chargers

Considering the hoopla concerning proposed budget cuts, questions about the long term viability of the men's hockey program and being swept at Robert Morris last weekend, the Beavers' 4-3 win over long-time rival Alabama-Huntsville Friday could very well be considered the biggest of the season for BSU.

"We needed a win," said BSU head coach Tom Serratore. "We've been a little down lately. This was a great bounce back win."

The Beavers trailed 1-0 after a "vanilla" first period and tied things up with a lone goal in the second. The third period was wild with the Beavers taking the lead, only to have the Chargers respond to tie on two occasions.

But it was the Beavers who responded last to get back in the win column.

The win also marked the home-ice return of senior Luke Erickson, who sat out 15 games with a broken leg. Erickson returned in style, scoring the team's first goal of the game and adding an assist on the game winner. The two points were also historic in that they tied Erickson with Brendan Cook for the BSU DI era lead in power-play goals (22) and Andrew Murray in DI era career assists (69).

Considering the intense and long standing rivalry between the two teams it was a pretty ho-hum first period. Need proof? No penalties were called in the period; that's tight ... zero. That has to be some kind of record.

Huntsville scored the only goal of the period and did it quickly. Keith Morrison tipped a shot from the point by Scott Kalinchuk top shelf past BSU goalie Matt Climie at the 1:09 mark.

That's what about all of the excitement in the opening 60 minutes.

"That first period was pure vanilla," said Serratore. "Did you see the shot chart? It was awful. The Chargers held an 8-6 shot advantage in the period"

Complete domination. That describes the Beavers in a wide open second period. There was more action in the first 30 seconds of the period than the entire first frame.

The Beavers spent long stretches controlling the puck in the UAH zone, building a 19-5 shot advantage. However, in the area that counts the most the Beavers scored but once to tie the game 1-1.

Erickson celebrated by recording his record-tying power-play goal at 7:41. Tyler Scofield started the play by keeping the puck in the Beaver offensive zone with two slick moves at the blue line. He pushed the puck over to defenseman Cody Bostock who got off a hard shot from the top of the far circle. UAH goalie Marc Narduzzi made the save, but the puck bounced off his chest into the air. Erickson was camped on the door step, picked the puck out of mid air and buried it.

Erickson also narrowly missed just 30 seconds into the period, ringing a patented hard wrist shot off the pipe. Blaine Jarvis took a pass from Rob Sirianni at the 1:30 and went in a lone but couldn't connect. Sirianni then missed the net on a shot from in close. Those were just a few of the eight or nine golden opportunities the Beavers had to score in the period.

Climie made a huge save to keep UAH from taking the lead at the midway point of the period. After losing his stick Climie made a huge sliding leg save off a shot from Grant Selinger at the 10:49 to keep the game tied.

The Beavers struggled to score in the period, holding a 5 on 3 advantage for 1:33 and a man advantage for 3:37 after the Chargers' John Murray was given a no doubt five minute major for a kneeing penalty on the Beavers Travis Winter.

BSU held a 19-5 shot advantage in the period.

Sirianni put the Beavers ahead 2-1 at 4:27 of the third, burying a rebound after fighting through a Charger defender to get to the puck. Miller got off the initial shot.

UAH came back to tie about two minutes later when Steve Canter scored off a rebound.

Once again the Beavers responded, taking a 3-23 lead at the 12:11 mark. This one was a beauty as freshman Joey Moggach took a pass from Scofield just across the blue line and then put on the moves, ripping a wrist shot over Narduzzi's shoulder.

UAH wouldn't cash it in, however, and tied the game at 3-3 with just about five minutes left as Tom Train scored off a scrum in front.

BSU got the game winner while skating 4 on 4. Beaver defender Riley We4selowki jumped into the play and got a nice pass from Scofield in front. Narduzzi came up huge with the save, but Weselowski stuck with the play and connected off his own rebound at 17:41.

The Beavers a huge shot advantage in this period as well at 13-4 and ending with a 38-17 shot edge for the game.

"We definitely played with a lot more energy in the second and third periods," Serratore reported. "The third period was a bit frustrating because we'd get a lead and they'd respond. But we got the last one and that's what counts."

The win upped the Beavers record to 14-11-4 and 9-4-4 in the CHA. It win was also big because Wayne State topped Niagara 6-1 to keep the Beavers in first place in the league standings. Huntsville fell to 8-19-2, 5-11-1 CHA.

The teams wrap up the series tonight in a 7:05 p.m. start.

UAH 1 0 2 - 3

BSU 0 1 3 - 4

First Period - 1, UAH, Kevin Morrison (Scott Kalinchuk, Steve Canter), 1:09. Penalties - none.

Second Period - 2, BSU, Luke Erickson (Cody Bostock, Tyler Scofield). 7:41 (pp). Penalties - Brett McConnachie, UAH (hooking), 6:06, Mike Salekin, UAH (interference), 13:02, Josh Murray, UAH (five minute major-kneeing), 13:30

Third Period - 3, BSU, Rob Sirianni (Ryan Miller, Dave Deterding), 4:32. 4, UAH, Steve Canter (Kalinchuk, Brandon Roshko), 6:53. 5, BSU, Joey Moggach (Tyler Scofield), 12:11. 6, UAH, Tom Train (Matt Sweazey), 14:57. 7, BSU, Riley Weselowski (Scofield, Erickson), 17:41. Penalties - Deterding, BSU (hooking), 4:51, Kevin Gallerno, UAH (hooking), 8:00, Moggach, BSU, boarding), 16:00. David Nimmo, UAH (charging), 16:51, Murray, UAH (hooking), 19:38

Shots - UAH 8-5-4 17, BSU 5-19-12 36. Saves - UAH-Marc Narduzzi (36 shots-32 saves), BSU-Matt Climie (17 shots-14 saves). Power Play - UAH 0 of 2, BSU 1 of 6. Referee - Brad Albers, assistant referees - Jared Moen, Brad Shepard. A--1397