1995–96 Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey season
The 1995–96 Alabama–Huntsville Chargers ice hockey team represented the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the 1995–96 NCAA Division II men's hockey season, winning the national championship. It was the school's first NCAA national championship, following club national championships in 1981–82, 1982–83, and 1983–84. The team was coached by Doug Ross, who was in his 14th season as head coach, and played their home games at the Von Braun Civic Center.
| 1995–96 Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
NCAA Division II National Champions | |
NCAA Championship Series, W 7–1, 3–0 vs. Bemidji State | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 24–0–3 |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | Von Braun Civic Center |
The Chargers completed the regular season with 22 wins, zero losses, and 3 ties. They were then invited to play the Bemidji State Beavers in a two-game series to determine the Division II National Championship at Huntsville's Von Braun Civic Center. The Chargers would dominate in both a 7–1 victory on March 8, followed by 3–0 shutout to clinch the championship the following day.[1]
In the weeks following the championship, speculation on plans for a new 4,000-seat arena near the Benton H. Wilcoxon Municipal Iceplex for the Chargers were later abandoned. Additionally, whether or not to move back to Division I became an issue, but UAH would refrain from the jump until 1998.[2]
Roster
| No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Cédrick Billequey | Freshman | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | 1975-03-10 | Montreal, Quebec | |
| 3 |  |
Scott Usmail | Junior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1973-11-08 | New Hartford, New York | |
| 4 |  |
Steve Borko | Senior | D | 6' 5" (1.96 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 1971-01-11 | Schaumburg, Illinois | Des Moines (USHL) |
| 5 |  |
Taso Sofikitis | Senior | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1971-03-01 | Vancouver, British Columbia | Bellingham (BCJHL) |
| 6 |  |
Marc Macera | Senior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1971-12-20 | London, Ontario | |
| 7 | |
Brad Dame | Senior | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1972-01-31 | Windsor, Ontario | Windsor (WOHL) |
| 8 |  |
Sheldon Wolitski | Senior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 188 lb (85 kg) | 1972-07-12 | St. Albert, Alberta | |
| 9 |  |
Joe Provenzano | Freshman | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1975-03-29 | Grosse Pointe, Michigan | Des Moines (USHL) |
| 10 | |
Darren Awender | Sophomore | C | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | St. Clair Beach, Ontario | Leamington (WOHL) | |
| 11 | |
John Barrett | Freshman | F | London, Ontario | ||||
| 12 |  |
Ryan Wood | Senior | RW | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 197 lb (89 kg) | 1971-09-28 | Morden, Manitoba | Winkler (MJHL) |
| 13 |  |
Levi Hall | Freshman | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 1975-06-04 | Kenai, Alaska | Wisconsin (USHL) |
| 14 |  |
Matt Parker | Sophomore | LW | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1975-07-28 | Huntsville, Alabama | |
| 15 | |
Paul Schloss | Freshman | LW | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Livonia, Michigan | ||
| 16 | |
Tony Guzzo | Junior | C | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Canton, Michigan | ||
| 17 | |
Wade Tulk | Senior | C | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1971-09-23 | St. Catharines, Ontario | Massena (CJHL) |
| 18 | |
Mario Mazzuca | Senior | LW | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 1971-11-13 | Dearborn, Michigan | |
| 19 | |
Mike Hamlin | Freshman | RW | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Flint, Michigan | ||
| 20 | |
Eric Bilyeu | Junior | LW | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1973-03-22 | St. Joseph, Michigan | |
| 21 |  |
K. C. Schneider | Junior | RW | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Indianapolis, Indiana | ||
| 22 | |
Jamie Baby | Freshman | C | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Parry Sound, Ontario | Muskoka (MetJHL) | |
| 24 | |
Chris Price | Freshman | LW | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Naperville, Illinois | Springfield (NAHL) | |
| 25 | |
John McCabe | Sophomore | LW | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 1974-05-30 | Espanola, Ontario | |
| 27 | |
Ryan Stewart | Sophomore | RW | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Bowmanville, Ontario | Danville (NAHL) | |
| 29 |  |
Ryan Gillespie | Freshman | F | Franklin, Tennessee | ||||
| 30 | |
Derek Puppa | Senior | G | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1972-02-18 | Kirkland Lake, Ontario | |
| 35 | |
Mike Zeller | Sophomore | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Goodrich, Michigan |
Regular season
Schedule
- Green background indicates win.
- Red background indicates loss.
- Yellow background indicates tie.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| October 27 | St. Norbert* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 5–4 | 1,908 | 1–0–0 | ||||||
| October 28 | St. Norbert* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 4–2 | 811 | 2–0–0 | ||||||
| November 3 | Windsor* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama (Exhibition) | Puppa | W 7–1 | n/a | 2–0–0 | |||||
| November 4 | Windsor* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama (Exhibition) | Puppa | W 6–5 OT | n/a | 2–0–0 | |||||
| November 17 | New Hampshire College* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 13–2 | 3,259 | 3–0–0 | ||||||
| November 18 | New Hampshire College* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 7–0 | 923 | 4–0–0 | ||||||
| November 25 | RIT* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 7–3 | 1,138 | 5–0–0 | ||||||
| November 26 | RIT* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | Puppa | W 3–0 | 753 | 6–0–0 | |||||
| December 1 | Augsburg* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 12–1 | 2,113 | 7–0–0 | ||||||
| December 2 | Augsburg* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 13–2 | 1,001 | 8–0–0 | ||||||
| December 15 | St. Scholastica* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | Puppa | W 6–0 | 1,427 | 9–0–0 | |||||
| December 16 | St. Scholastica* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 10–0 | 916 | 10–0–0 | ||||||
| December 29 | St. John's (MN)* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 6–3 | 1,698 | 11–0–0 | ||||||
| December 30 | St. John's (MN)* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 5–3 | 1,332 | 12–0–0 | ||||||
| January 5 | Salem State* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 3–2 | 2,331 | 13–0–0 | ||||||
| January 6 | Salem State* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | Puppa | T 3–3 OT | 1,307 | 13–0–1 | |||||
| January 12 | Curry* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 16–0 | 3,595 | 14–0–1 | ||||||
| January 13 | Curry* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 20–1 | 850 | 15–0–1 | ||||||
| January 26 | at Mercyhurst* | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | Puppa | T 2–2 OT | 950 | 15–0–2 | |||||
| January 27 | at Mercyhurst* | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | W 3–2 | 1,200 | 16–0–2 | ||||||
| January 28 | at Elmira* | Murray Athletic Center • Elmira, New York | W 4–2 | 347 | 17–0–2 | ||||||
| February 10 | Minnesota–Crookston* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 4–2 | 1,500 | 18–0–2 | ||||||
| February 11 | Minnesota–Crookston* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 2–1 | 1,403 | 19–0–2 | ||||||
| February 16 | Mankato State* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 4–2 | 3,756 | 20–0–2 | ||||||
| February 17 | Mankato State* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | W 3–1 | 2,196 | 21–0–2 | ||||||
| March 1 | at Mankato State* | Mankato Civic Center • Mankato, Minnesota | Puppa | T 3–3 OT | 2,310 | 21–0–3 | |||||
| March 2 | at Mankato State* | Mankato Civic Center • Mankato, Minnesota | W 4–3 | 2,674 | 22–0–3 | ||||||
| NCAA Division II Championship Series | |||||||||||
| March 8 | Bemidji State* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | Puppa | W 7–1 | 6,126 | 23–0–3 | |||||
| March 9 | Bemidji State* | Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama | Puppa | W 3–0 | 6,291 | 24–0–3 | |||||
| *Non-conference game. Sources:[6][5] | |||||||||||
Player stats
Skaters
| Player | Pos | Yr | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Mazzuca | LW | Sr | 27 | 30 | 22 | 52 | 60 | 12 | 2 | 3 |
| Tony Guzzo | C | Jr | 27 | 13 | 34 | 47 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Ryan Wood | RW | Sr | 26 | 20 | 25 | 45 | 62 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| Shledon Wolitski | D | Sr | 27 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 42 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Taso Sofikitis | D | Sr | 27 | 10 | 26 | 36 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Wade Tulk | C | Sr | 26 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 46 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| K. C. Schneider | RW | Jr | 27 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Jamie Baby | C | Fr | 27 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eric Bilyeu | LW | Jr | 27 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Matt Parker | LW | So | 26 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Hamlin | RW | Fr | 27 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| John McCabe | LW | So | 23 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Darren Awender | C | So | 25 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brad Dame | D | Sr | 27 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Macera | D | Sr | 26 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 65 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Usmail | D | Sr | 26 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Schloss | LW | Fr | 24 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chris Price | LW | Fr | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Stewart | RW | So | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Provenzano | D | Fr | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | 27 | 172 | 261 | 433 | 548 | 46 | 8 | 24 |
Goaltenders
| Player | Yr | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Puppa | Sr | 25 | 1316:10 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 1.69 | .936 | 3 |
| Mike Zeller | So | 6 | 229:44 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1.83 | .929 | 0 |
| Cédrick Billequey | Fr | 4 | 89:06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.67 | .964 | 0 |
References
- Times Editorial Staff (March 11, 1996). "Guess who's No. 1?". The Huntsville Times. pp. B4.
- Marshall, Mike (March 11, 1996). "New arena, Division I may be in cards for national champs". The Huntsville Times. pp. B4.
- "1995-96 U. of Alabama-Huntsville (NCAA) roster and player statistics". HockeyDB.com. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- "Univ. of Alabama-Huntsville 1995 - 1996 Team Roster". Elite Prospects. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- Napier, Michael A. "Final 1996 Men's Ice Hockey Statistics Report" (PDF). University of Alabama in Huntsville. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- "Hockey All-Time Results". University of Alabama in Huntsville. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
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