2020–21 Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2020–21 Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey season was the 36th season of play for the program, the 28th at the Division I level and the 8th in the WCHA conference. The Chargers represented the University of Alabama Huntsville and were coached by Lance West , in his 1st season.
The start of the college hockey season was delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic . As a result, Alabama–Huntsville's first scheduled game was in mid-November as opposed to early-October, which was the norm.
Season
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Alabama–Huntsville's players would lose a season of play.[ 1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[ 2]
Due to the program's financial crisis that nearly prevented the Chargers from fielding a team for this season, as well as the departure of former head coach Mike Corbett , many players transferred to other teams in the offseason. The loss of the experience these players possessed hamstrung the Chargers efforts to improve their record and ended with the team predictably near the bottom of the conference. UAH won only 3 of their 22 games all season but were rescued from a last-place finish by Ferris State winning only one of their games. Despite the few wins, there were some positive signs from the hastily assembled team; freshman Tyrone Bronte led the team in scoring, indicating that the team may be able to recover from its recent struggles if the program's financial stability could be assured.
Departures
Recruiting
Player
Position
Nationality
Age
Notes
Ayodele Adeniye
Defenseman
United States
21
Columbus, OH
Jonah Alexander
Forward
Canada
20
Toronto, ON
Tyrone Bronte
Forward
Australia
21
Melbourne, AUS
Joshua Corrow
Defenseman
United States
20
New Port Richey, FL
Noah Finstrom
Forward
United States
21
New Baltimore, MI
Quinn Green
Forward
United States
21
West Chicago, IL
Mick Heneghan
Defenseman
United States
21
Niles, IL
Derek Krall
Goaltender
Canada
21
Crofton, BC
Josh Martin
Defenseman
United States
21
Brownstown, MI
Nick Michel
Forward
United States
21
Waconia, MN
Brian Scoville
Defenseman
United States
21
Agawam, MA
Bennett Stockdale
Forward
Canada
21
Ottawa, ON
Frank Vitucci
Forward
United States
21
Yardley, PA
Conor Witherspoon
Forward
United States
21
Metamora, MI
Roster
As of October 14, 2020.[ 3]
No.
S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
2
Lucas Bahn
Sophomore
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1999-09-11
Hendersonville, Tennessee
West Kelowna (BCHL )
—
3
Drew Lennon
Junior
D
6' 2" (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1998-01-12
Bloomington, Illinois
Lone Star (NAHL )
—
4
Jay Powell
Junior
D
6' 7" (2.01 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1997-10-01
Nashville, Tennessee
Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL )
—
5
Josh Martin
Freshman
D
6' 3" (1.91 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-02-18
Brownstown, Michigan
Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL )
—
6
Ayodele Adeniye
Freshman
D
6' 5" (1.96 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1999-03-24
Columbus, Ohio
Carleton Place (CCHL )
—
7
Bauer Neudecker
Junior
F
5' 8" (1.73 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
1998-06-01
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Sioux City (USHL )
—
9
Quinn Green
Freshman
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1999-01-28
West Chicago, Illinois
Topeka (NAHL )
—
11
Peyton Francis
Sophomore
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1999-04-12
Oakville, Ontario
Carleton Place (CCHL )
—
12
Connor Merkley
Senior
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1996-09-03
Portland, Ontario
Carleton Place (CCHL )
—
13
Ben Allen
Junior
F
5' 9" (1.75 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1997-07-31
Allen, Texas
Melfort (SJHL )
—
14
Jonah Alexander
Freshman
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-11-12
Toronto, Ontario
St. Michael's (OJHL )
—
15
Joshua Corrow
Freshman
D
6' 0" (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2000-09-21
New Port Richey, Florida
Whitecourt (AJHL )
—
16
Connor Wood
Senior
F
5' 8" (1.73 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1996-08-09
Buford, Georgia
Odessa (NAHL )
—
18
Tyrone Bronte
Freshman
F
5' 10" (1.78 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
1999-05-07
Melbourne, Australia
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (NAHL )
—
19
Conor Witherspoon
Freshman
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1999-08-02
Metamora, Michigan
Shreveport (NAHL )
—
20
Mick Heneghan
Freshman
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1999-03-02
Niles, Illinois
Northeast (NAHL )
—
21
Frank Vitucci
Freshman
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1999-08-04
Yardley, Pennsylvania
Wellington (OJHL )
—
22
Dayne Finnson
Junior
D
5' 10" (1.78 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1997-10-01
Arborg, Manitoba
Victoria (BCHL )
—
23
Nick Michel
Freshman
F
5' 10" (1.78 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1999-03-16
Waconia, Minnesota
Janesville (NAHL )
—
24
Tyr Thompson
Junior
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1998-09-26
Sherwood Park, Alberta
Whitecourt (AJHL )
—
26
Bennett Stockdale
Freshman
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-06-02
Ottawa, Ontario
Johnstown (NAHL )
—
27
Brian Scoville
Freshman
D
6' 3" (1.91 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1999-03-28
Agawam, Massachusetts
Langley (BCHL )
—
28
Noah Finstrom
Freshman
D
5' 10" (1.78 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1999-09-17
New Baltimore, Michigan
Jamestown (NAHL )
—
30
Derek Krall
Freshman
G
6' 0" (1.83 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1999-03-04
Crofton, British Columbia
Powell River (BCHL )
—
33
Adrian Danchenko
Sophomore
F
6' 2" (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-03-29
Palm City, Florida
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (NAHL )
—
35
George McBey
Sophomore
G
6' 2" (1.88 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1998-04-20
Dallas, Texas
Brookings (NAHL )
—
41
David Fessenden
Sophomore
G
6' 6" (1.98 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
1998-04-30
Parker, Colorado
Northeast (NAHL )
—
Standings
Schedule and Results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Regular Season
November 21
6:05 PM
at Robert Morris *
Colonials Arena • Neville Township , Pennsylvania
McBey
L 2–5
0
0–1–0
November 22
3:05 PM
at Robert Morris *
Colonials Arena • Neville Township , Pennsylvania
Krall
L 3–4
0
0–2–0
December 5
4:07 PM
at Lake Superior State *
Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie , Michigan
Fessenden
T 2–2 SOL
0
0–2–1
December 6
2:07 PM
at Lake Superior State *
Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie , Michigan
Krall
L 2–3
0
0–3–1
January 2
3:07 PM
at Michigan Tech
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton , Michigan
FloHockey.tv
Fessenden
L 0–4
200
0–4–1 (0–1–0)
January 3
1:07 PM
at Michigan Tech
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton , Michigan
FloHockey.tv
Fessenden
L 1–2
200
0–5–1 (0–2–0)
January 8
7:00 PM
vs. Ferris State
Von Braun Center • Huntsville , Alabama
FloHockey.tv
Fessenden
W 5–4 OT
1,124
1–5–1 (1–2–0)
January 9
7:00 PM
vs. Ferris State
Von Braun Center • Huntsville , Alabama
FloHockey.tv
Fessenden
W 2–0
1,228
2–5–1 (2–2–0)
February 5
7:00 PM
vs. Michigan Tech *
Von Braun Center • Huntsville , Alabama
Fessenden
L 1–3
1,433
2–6–1
February 6
5:00 PM
vs. Michigan Tech *
Von Braun Center • Huntsville , Alabama
Krall
L 1–4
1,373
2–7–1
February 11
7:07 PM
vs. #3 Minnesota State
Von Braun Center • Huntsville , Alabama
FloHockey.tv
Fessenden
L 1–4
888
2–8–1 (2–3–0)
February 12
7:07 PM
vs. Minnesota State
Von Braun Center • Huntsville , Alabama
FloHockey.tv
Krall
L 0–5
1,281
2–9–1 (2–4–0)
February 16
3:37 PM
at Northern Michigan
Berry Events Center • Marquette , Michigan
FloHockey.tv
Fessenden
W 3–1
0
3–9–1 (3–4–0)
February 17
6:07 PM
at Northern Michigan
Berry Events Center • Marquette , Michigan
FloHockey.tv
Krall
L 2–8
0
3–10–1 (3–5–0)
February 19
6:00 PM
at #20 Lake Superior State
Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie , Michigan
FloHockey.tv
Fessenden
L 1–2
0
3–11–1 (3–6–0)
February 20
4:00 PM
at #20 Lake Superior State
Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie , Michigan
FloHockey.tv
Fessenden
L 1–4
0
3–12–1 (3–7–0)
February 24
6:07 PM
at #13 Bowling Green
Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green , Ohio
FloHockey.tv
Fessenden
L 0–5
300
3–13–1 (3–8–0)
February 28
3:07 PM
vs. #13 Bowling Green
Von Braun Center • Huntsville , Alabama
FloHockey.tv
Fessenden
L 2–4
1,313
3–14–1 (3–9–0)
March 6
4:07 PM
at #17 Bemidji State
Sanford Center • Bemidji , Minnesota
FloHockey.tv
Fessenden
L 0–2
250
3–15–1 (3–10–0)
March 7
2:07 PM
at #17 Bemidji State
Sanford Center • Bemidji , Minnesota
FloHockey.tv
Fessenden
L 0–4
250
3–16–1 (3–11–0)
WCHA Tournament
March 12
6:07 PM
at #18 Lake Superior State *
Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie , Michigan (WCHA Quarterfinals game 1)
Fessenden
L 1–6
0
3–17–1
March 13
4:07 PM
at #18 Lake Superior State *
Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie , Michigan (WCHA Quarterfinals game 2)
Fessenden
L 1–4
0
3–18–1
Alabama–Huntsville Lost Series 0–2
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Central Time .
[ 4]
Scoring Statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Tyrone Bronte
C
22
4
9
13
8
Bauer Neudecker
F
22
5
7
12
0
Quinn Green
F
19
3
3
6
12
Tyr Thompson
F
22
3
3
6
4
Dayne Finnson
D
18
2
4
6
8
Lucas Bahn
D
22
2
4
6
4
Drew Lennon
D
22
2
3
5
8
Adrian Danchenko
F
20
2
2
4
37
Mick Henegan
D
13
1
3
4
8
Ben Allen
LW
20
1
3
4
2
Connor Merkley
C
14
1
2
3
25
Brian Scoville
D
22
1
2
3
22
Conor Witherspoon
F
21
0
3
3
10
Bennett Stockdale
RW
15
2
0
2
6
Connor Wood
RW
22
0
2
2
60
Noah Finstrom
F
18
1
0
1
2
Frank Vitucci
F
19
1
0
1
6
Josh Martin
D
10
0
1
1
4
Peyton Francis
C
18
0
1
1
2
Joshua Corrow
D
18
0
1
1
8
George McBey
G
1
0
0
0
0
Jay Powell
D
2
0
0
0
2
Nick Michel
F
4
0
0
0
2
Derek Krall
G
9
0
0
0
0
Jonah Alexander
C
10
0
0
0
4
David Fessenden
G
16
0
0
0
2
Ayodele Adeniye
D
21
0
0
0
22
Bench
-
22
0
0
0
16
Total
31
53
84
284
[ 5]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut Outs
SV %
GAA
David Fessenden
16
897
3
11
1
44
445
1
.910
2.94
Derek Krall
9
401
0
6
0
30
176
0
.854
4.49
George McBey
1
20
0
1
0
5
18
0
.783
15.00
Empty Net
-
9
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
Total
22
1327
3
18
1
80
639
1
.889
3.62
Rankings
Poll
Week
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21 (Final)
USCHO.com
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
-
NR
USA Today
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20. [ 6]
Awards and honors
References
^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility" . CBS Sports . August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021 .
^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately" . NCAA . December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021 .
^ "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster" . The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Retrieved August 21, 2017 .
^ "Alabama Huntsville Chargers (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results" . College Hockey Stats . Retrieved December 5, 2019 .
^ "Univ. of Alabama-Huntsville 2020-2021 Skater Stats" . Elite Prospects . Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll" . USCHO.com . Retrieved November 26, 2019 .
^ "WCHA Announces 2020-21 All-League Teams" . WCHA.com . March 10, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021 .