Miami hosts reeling Alabama-Huntsville

WHO: Alabama-Huntsville Chargers (2-26-1) at Miami RedHawks (15-13-2).

WHERE: Cady Arena, Oxford, Ohio.

WHEN: Friday—7:35 p.m.; Saturday—7:05 p.m.

TV: ONN both nights.

MIAMI RADIO: Friday—WKBV-AM (1490), Richmond, Ind.; Saturday—WKBV-AM (1490), WMOH-AM (1450), Hamilton, Ohio.

NOTES: Two years ago, Alabama-Huntsville gave Miami a scare in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, netting a third-period goal in a 2-1 loss to the RedHawks that allowed Miami to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals against Michigan.

And we all know how that marathon turned out.

UAH was a solid program when Doug Ross coached the team, winning 15 or more games in six of his eight seasons, but the Chargers went 23-59-12 under Danton Cole.

It got worst for UAH, as the CHA dissolved following the 2009-10 season.

Being an independent has decimated the program, and with the team’s future now uncertain the Chargers’ recruiting has been significantly affected. Following UAH’s loss to the RedHawks in the NCAAs that season, they are 6-52-3.

As small as the field of Division I teams is in college hockey, the NCAA can ill afford to lose a team like UAH, which boasts the beautiful Propst Arena which former Alabama governor George Wallace declared in the 1980s “the hockey capital of the south”.

Through 29 games, just three Chargers have notched more than 10 points. Freshman forward Kyle Lysaght leads the team in goals (7) and points (13), and sophomore Mac Roy has six goals and six assists.

Junior Justin Cseter also has 12 points with four goals and eight assists, and freshman Craig Pierce has been the Chargers’ only other offensive threat with three goals.

Four Chargers are tied for fourth in points with five.

Three members of UAH’s defense corps have equaled that mark – freshman Graeme Strukoff, sophomore Lasse Uusivirta and junior Curtis deBruyn.

Sophomore Clarke Saunder has logged the overwhelming majority of minutes in net for Alabama-Huntsville. He has a 2-21-1 record but a respectable .906 save percentage. His goals-against average is 3.73.

This is the worst type of opponent for Miami – one the RedHawks are expected to beat. If Miami win, it was expected, and if it doesn’t, the PairWise will suffer catastrophically.

And the RedHawks have struggled against similar teams in recent years. Miami was beaten by Clarkson and Army, who were a combined 6-23-5, in the Ohio Hockey Classic in 2008-09, and Miami was swept by a 3-12-2 Robert Morris team in early 2010.

UAH has one local player on its roster – backup goalie C.J. Groh. Groh is the first goalie to grow up in Kentucky and play Division I hockey. The sophomore has faced 45 shots and allowed nine goals (.800).

Miami senior defenseman Will Weber is suspended for the first game of the series, and it sounds like freshman Jimmy Mullin will not be available for either game after suffering a minor knee injury in Ann Arbor.

Freshman Ben Paulides and junior Garrett Kennedy should both be in the lineup on defense, and there is a good chance sophomore Max Cook will get the nod up front for at least one game this weekend after sitting out 10 straight.

Conventional wisdom once against says senior Connor Knapp will start both games in net, but coach Enrico Blasi has run out senior Cody Reichard three of Miami’s last seven games despite having been outplayed by Knapp.

-- Contact John Lachmann at Kypostsports@yahoo.com