Bulldogs Drop Contest to Chargers

Box Score

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. --  Joe Federoff's third-period power-play goal capped a come-from-behind, 3-2 win for Alabama-Huntsville against Yale in a non-conference clash before 2,705 at the Von Braun Center.

Yale (8-7-3) outshot UAH 32-26, but the home team scored three times on four power-play chances while the Elis went 0-for-6.

The Chargers (3-13-2) erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits and scored the only two goals of the final period to avoid a weekend sweep. Blake MacNicol made 30 saves, including a number of quality stops in the final 20 minutes to earn his second win of the year.

Yale junior Alec Richards, making his second start, had 23 saves but did not get enough support on the UAH power play.

For the second consecutive night the Elis, who outshot the home team 13-8 in the first, notched the first score. This time it was sophomore Sean Backman, who skated in alone from the corner and sent a hard wrister inside the far post at 7:20 for his 10^th tally of the season.

The Chargers missed two golden opportunities in the first. Freshman center Neil Ruffini picked up a bouncing puck near mid ice and raced in alone on a breakaway. Richards held his ground and got his blocker on the high shot that eventually landed on the back of the net. The junior goalie later knocked aside an Andrew Coburn breakaway.

UAH did tie the score on its first power play. Junior captain Scott Kalinchuk (2^nd goal) one-timed a crossing pass from the top of the right circle that eluded Richards' glove at 13:41 to make it 1-1.

The visitors grabbed the lead back 8:03 into the middle period after killing off a penalty. Captain Will Engasser took the puck from behind the net and fed defenseman Jimmy Martin at the top of the point. The freshman's blast was stopped by MacNicol but the puck bounced free in the crease. Sophomore forward Denny Kearney (5^th) was waiting for a rebound around the right post and easily tapped it home.

Kearney's goal was the lone tally of a second period that had Yale outshooting UAH 11-6. The Chargers had three man-advantages in the 20 minutes.

Penalties on Mike Matczak (hooking) and Robert Page (delay) gave Alabama-Huntsville 45 seconds of five-on-three hockey with a little less than eight minutes left. Richards made two great saves before a rebound in the low slot was converted into the equalizer with three ticks left on the two-man advantage. Matt Sweazey (6^th) snapped home an eight-foot shot past a fallen goalie at 12:46.

UAH took full advantage of the remaining advantage and took its first lead of the weekend 39 seconds later. Federoff (5^th) one-timed a pretty feed from Coburn on a play Richards had no chance to stop.

Kalinchuk was called for slashing with 1:08 left and Richards came out of the net for another skater 13 seconds later. MacNicol made a save on Backman and the Bulldogs could not put get anything else on net.