{"id":53416,"date":"2013-10-11T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2013-10-11T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/?p=53416"},"modified":"2020-08-24T20:48:36","modified_gmt":"2020-08-25T01:48:36","slug":"finally-part-of-a-conference-again-alabama-huntsville-builds-on-excitement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2013\/10\/11\/finally-part-of-a-conference-again-alabama-huntsville-builds-on-excitement\/","title":{"rendered":"Finally part of a conference again, Alabama-Huntsville builds on excitement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Jeff Vanderlugt (left) is Alabama-Huntsville’s top returning forward after an 11-point sophomore season (photo: Jim Rosvold).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do we dare say that there’s finally some stability at Alabama Huntsville? Can we say that without knocking on wood?<\/p>\n

The Chargers have been through a lot over the last 2\u00bd years.<\/p>\n

They had their program taken away and then were given a reprieve. They saw two head coaches come and go and are now on their third in as many years. They struggled through a three-win season, one in which they played just a single home series against a Division I opponent. They barely survived as an independent program and then found a home in the revamped WCHA.<\/p>\n

“This group has seen a lot of things over the last few years, especially our seniors,” first-year coach Mike Corbett said. “Different coaches and a lot of different schedules. A lot of adversity.”<\/p>\n

The senior class includes Brice Geoffrion, Alex Allen, Mat Hagen and CJ Groh.<\/p>\n

“Brice is the player I lean on a lot,” Corbett said. “He’s been through a lot of that adversity. Brice has seen it all. His brother [Sebastian] was here. … He’s been great. I’ll be honest, I lean on him. We talk twice a week, and he gives me a lot of insight as to how things have been run.”<\/p>\n

The Chargers are in a conference for the first time since College Hockey America fizzled after the 2009-10 season, and Corbett said there’s plenty of excitement in Huntsville, with season tickets at an all-time high.<\/p>\n

“The first home weekend [Oct. 25-26 against former CHA rival Bemidji State] is going to be fun, really fun,” Corbett said. “They’re really pushing it around here.”<\/p>\n

Corbett expects to have a competitive team with a strong work ethic, but the Chargers also will be young with 12 freshmen on the roster. Many of those rookies, especially the forwards, will be in the lineup.<\/p>\n

“They’re going to get a great opportunity,” Corbett said.<\/p>\n

The top returning forward is junior Jeff Vanderlugt, who led UAH with seven goals and 11 points last season.<\/p>\n

“He’s a big, strong kid; he’s probably our leader up front,” Corbett said. “But we’re one of those teams that’s going to need to manufacture goals.”<\/p>\n

Corbett said his team’s defense will be the strength. Physical, 6-foot-4 sophomore defenseman Anderson White returns as does junior Graeme Strukoff and sophomores Steven Koshey and Frank Misuraca.<\/p>\n

Groh played in just three games in goal last season and 12 for his career. He’ll be pushed by a pair of freshmen, Matt Larose and Carmine Guerriero.<\/p>\n

“I’ve been learning about my team, and it’s been very fun,” Corbett said.<\/p>\n

About the Chargers<\/h4>\n

2012-13 overall record:<\/b> 3-21-1<\/p>\n

2012-13 conference record:<\/b> N\/A<\/p>\n

2013-14 predicted finish:<\/b> 10th<\/p>\n

Key losses:<\/b> F Sebastian Geoffrion<\/p>\n

Players to watch:<\/b> F Jeff Vanderlugt, F Brice Geoffrion, D Anderson White, G C.J. Groh<\/p>\n

Impact rookies:<\/b> F Brandon Clowes, F Regan Soquila<\/p>\n

Why the Chargers will finish higher than predicted:<\/b> They take advantage of the excitement in Huntsville and make their rink a tough place for opponents.<\/p>\n

Why the Chargers will match their predicted finish:<\/b> They’re still transitioning from several years of upheaval.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Chargers have their third coach in as many seasons in former Air Force assistant Mike Corbett.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":121194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[322],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFinally part of a conference again, Alabama-Huntsville builds on excitement - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Chargers have their third coach in as many seasons in former Air Force assistant Mike Corbett.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53416\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finally part of a conference again, Alabama-Huntsville builds on excitement - 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