DEC. 11, 2003

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - [stats] Bemidji State’s men’s ice hockey program stormed out to a 3-1 lead at Alabama-Huntsville just 1:45 into the second period, but the Chargers would score six of the game’s next eight goals and rally for a 7-5 College Hockey America victory over the Beavers tonight in Huntsville. BSU has now dropped eight consecutive games at the Von Braun Center, and has not won at Huntsville since a 5-4 overtime win on Feb. 4, 2000.

The Chargers scored seven goals, season-high by a BSU opponent and the most goals allowed by the Beavers since a 12-0 loss to Minn.-Duluth on Dec. 12, 2002. It is the second-most goals scored by the Chargers in the Division I-era series between the programs, topped only by a 10-4 Huntsville win on March 11, 2000 in the first round of the CHA Tournament.

Bemidji State used special-teams play to grab its early lead. The Beavers grabbed a quick 2-0 lead just 6:55 into the contest, scoring at 3:09 of the first on an even-strength marker by sophomore Ryan Huddy, who would go on to have a career night. Just 3:46 later, Huddy helped Wade Chiodo score his seventh goal of the season on the power-play, taking advantage of a tripping call to UAH’s Shaun Arvai.

It took the Chargers a little over four minutes to respond, when Brett McConnachie pulled the Chargers within a goal at 11:07 of the first. BSU took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. It would be the first time this season BSU would lose a game it led at the first intermission.

Things looked good for the Beavers early in the second, as it took Chiodo just 1:45 to score his second goal of the contest, again on a power-play following a tripping penalty to Jared Ross. Chiodo’s second marker staked BSU to a 3-1 lead, but from there the game would be all Chargers. UAH needed until the 8:16 mark of the second to get its second goal of the game, an even-strength lamp-lighter from Craig Bushey to draw the Chargers within a goal. But Todd Bentley would need just 1:09 to even the score at three goals apiece.

From there, the teams traded the game’s next three goals. Myles Kuharski scored his second goal of the season, unassisted, to stake BSU to a 4-3 lead at 13:54 of the second, but Ryan Brown scored on a power-play at 16:54 of the period for the Chargers to again draw the game even at 4-4. Travis Barnes gave BSU a 5-4 lead at 7:21 of the third period, scoring even-strength, and that lead would stand until the 15:14 mark of the third. There, Bruce Mulherin scored on a power-play after a cross-checking penalty on John Haider to again even the game, this time at five goals each.

Mulherin’s goal provided the Chargers with the momentum they needed down the stretch. Brett McConnachie scored his second goal of the night just 1:13 later to give Huntsville its first lead of the game, and forced BSU to pull goaltender Grady Hunt with 1:12 to play for an extra skater. BSU was unable to force overtime, and Craig Bushey’s unassisted empty-net goal gave Huntsville the 7-5 win.

Hunt saw his three-game winning streak in goal come to an end, allowing a season-high six goals on 33 shots. His six goals allowed his most since Feb. 8, 2003 when Wayne State also got six pucks across the goal line in an 8-6 Warrior victory in Detroit. Hunt falls to 3-9 all-time against the Chargers.

Adam MacLean earned the win for the Chargers; he saved 45 of 50 shots faced, including 18 of 19 shots in the pivotal third period.

Bemidji State racked up 50 shots on net in the contest, its third consecutive game with 50 or more shots. However, the Chargers managed 37 shots on Hunt, the most shots allowed by BSU this season; the Beavers had allowed 36 shots on two previous occasions. The UAH performance snapped a streak of six consecutive games in which BSU had failed to allow more than 20 shots on goal.

BSU did go 2-for-5 on the power play, using goals with the man advantage in the first and second periods to build its early 3-1 lead. The Beavers have now scored multiple power-play goals in four consecutive games, a Division I era record, and have at least one power-play goal in 11 consecutive games - extending another Division I-era record. BSU has gone 16 for 63 (.242) with the man advantage in its last 11 games.

Bemidji State and Alabama-Huntsville take Friday off, and will wrap up their two-game CHA series on Saturday, Dec. 13. Opening face-off is set for 5:35 p.m. Central time at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville.

NOTES: The start of tonight’s game was delayed after Alabama-Huntsville’s zamboni ran over a puck while preparing the ice in pregame; it took an hour to repair the zamboni before the game could get underway... Bemidji State scored two first-period goals on UAH for just the fourth time in 28 Division I-era games between the programs, and for just the second time in Huntsville... Wade Chiodo extended his scoring streak to five (tying BSU’s season high) with 2-1=3 points; Chiodo’s third career multi-goal game, ninth career multi-point game... Ryan Huddy had a career-high 1-2=3 points for BSU... Myles Kuharski’s goal was his 25th career point... Riley Riddell extended his scoring streak to three and has a point in eight of BSU’s last nine games... Travis Barnes scored his first goal since March 8, 2003 at Air Force (19 games)...