1996–97 Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey season

1996–97 Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey
1996–97 Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey
Western Mass. Men's Ice Hockey Classic Champions
NCAA Championship Series, L 2–3, 2–4 vs. Bemidji State
Conference	Independent
Record	20–8–0
Head coach	Doug Ross (15th season);
Assistant coaches	Mike Quenneville; Lance West;
Home stadium	Von Braun Civic Center
	Seasons ← 1995–96 1997–98 →

The 1996–97 Alabama–Huntsville Chargers ice hockey team represented the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the 1996–97 NCAA Division II men's hockey season. The team was coached by Doug Ross, who was in his 15th season as head coach, and played their home games at the Von Braun Civic Center.

The Chargers entered the season as the defending Division II National Champions, having defeated Bemidji State in the national championship series. UAH finished the regular season with 20 wins and 6 losses, including wins over Division I teams Air Force and Mankato State. At the end of the season, UAH played in the Division II National Championship in a rematch with Bemidji State. The Chargers lost the two games in Bemidji, Minnesota, by scores of 2–3 and 2–4.

Roster[edit]

^[1]^[2]

No.	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team
1	Cédrick Billequey	Sophomore	G	6' 0" (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1975-03-10	Montreal, Quebec
2	Shane Stewart	Freshman	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1975-06-17	New Liskeard, Ontario	Stratford (MWJHL)
5	Jim Alauria	Sophomore	D	6' 2" (1.88 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1975-05-04	Phoenix, Arizona	Illinois–Chicago (NCAA)
7	Marc Lalonde	Freshman	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	168 lb (76 kg)		Cambridge, Ontario
9	Joe Provenzano	Sophomore	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1975-03-29	Grosse Pointe, Michigan	Des Moines (USHL)
10	Darren Awender	Junior	C	5' 8" (1.73 m)	185 lb (84 kg)		St. Clair Beach, Ontario	Leamington (WOHL)
11	Nathan Bowen	Freshman	LW	6' 0" (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1975-09-03	London, Ontario	Petrolia (WOHL)
12	Tom Williams	Freshman	RW	5' 9" (1.75 m)	175 lb (79 kg)		Windsor, Ontario	Leamington (WOHL)
14	Matt Parker	Junior	LW	5' 10" (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1975-07-28	Huntsville, Alabama
15	Paul Schloss	Sophomore	RW	5' 10" (1.78 m)	180 lb (82 kg)		Livonia, Michigan
16	Tony Guzzo	Senior	C	5' 10" (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)		Canton, Michigan
17	Jay Woodcroft	Freshman	C	6' 1" (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1976-08-11	Toronto, Ontario	Markham (MetJHL)
18	Mark Motowski	Sophomore	D	6' 3" (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1974-10-13	Dearborn, Michigan	Illinois–Chicago (NCAA)
19	Mike Hamiln	Sophomore	RW	6' 0" (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)		Flint, Michigan
20	Eric Bilyeu	Senior	LW	5' 9" (1.75 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1973-03-22	St. Joseph, Michigan
21	K. C. Schneider	Senior	RW	5' 11" (1.8 m)	190 lb (86 kg)		Indianapolis, Indiana
22	Jamie Baby	Sophomore	C	6' 1" (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)		Parry Sound, Ontario	Muskoka (MetJHL)
23	Jason Mucciarone	Junior	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	1974-10-11	Milford, Massachusetts
25	John McCabe	Junior	LW	6' 4" (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 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	Sophomore					Franklin, Tennessee
35	Mike Zeller	Junior	G	6' 0" (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)		Goodrich, Michigan
	Rob Blakley	Freshman	D				North York, Ontario	North York (MetJHL)
	Ty Hartigan	Sophomore	RW	6' 2" (1.88 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	1974-09-18	St. Louis, Missouri	Illinois–Chicago (NCAA)
	Andy Weeks	Freshman	G	5' 11" (1.8 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	1976-04-30	Glenview, Illinois	Springfield (NAHL)
	Derek Young	Freshman	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	204 lb (93 kg)	1976-04-09	Whitby, Ontario	Markham (MetJHL)

Schedule and results[edit]

Green background indicates win.
Red background indicates loss.
Yellow background indicates tie.

Date	Opponent	Site	Decision	Result	Attendance	Record
Exhibition
October 25	Penn State*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama (Exhibition)	Zeller	W 15–0	n/a	—
October 26	Penn State*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama (Exhibition)	Billequey	W 3–1	n/a	—
Regular Season
November 1	at Maine*	Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine		L 2–7	4,925	0–1–0
November 2	at Maine*	Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine		L 1–5	5,017	0–2–0
November 15	St. Mary's (MN)*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 7–3	2,286	1–2–0
November 16	St. Mary's (MN)*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 7–1	1,899	2–2–0
November 22	Potsdam*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 11–6	2,306	3–2–0
November 23	Potsdam*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 6–4	1,252	4–2–0
November 29	Connecticut*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 6–3	2,296	5–2–0
November 30	Connecticut*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 5–4	2,016	6–2–0
December 13	Salem State*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		L 2–4	2,066	6–3–0
December 14	Salem State*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 8–4	1,300	7–3–0
December 29	New England College*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 3–2	1,558	8–3–0
December 30	New England College*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 13–2	1,764	9–3–0
January 4	vs. American International*	Lansing Chapman Rink • Williamstown, Massachusetts (Western Mass. Men's Ice Hockey Classic)		W 6–1	100	10–3–0
January 5	at Williams*	Lansing Chapman Rink • Williamstown, Massachusetts (Western Mass. Men's Ice Hockey Classic)		W 9–4	100	11–3–0
January 10	Bentley*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama	Billequey	W 9–0	574	12–3–0
January 11	Bentley*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 7–3	1,007	13–3–0
January 24	at Air Force*	Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado		W 5–4	1,579	14–3–0
January 25	at Air Force*	Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado		W 4–2	2,256	15–3–0
January 31	Villanova*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama	Billequey	W 9–0	4,892	16–3–0
February 1	Villanova*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 14–1	1,288	17–3–0
February 7	Minnesota–Crookston*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 5–1	3,280	18–3–0
February 8	Minnesota–Crookston*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 11–1	3,013	19–3–0
February 14	Mankato State*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		L 1–3	2,765	19–4–0
February 15	Mankato State*	Von Braun Civic Center • Huntsville, Alabama		W 6–3	2,043	20–4–0
February 28	at Mankato State*	Mankato Civic Center • Mankato, Minnesota		L 2–5	2,542	20–5–0
March 1	at Mankato State*	Mankato Civic Center • Mankato, Minnesota		L 2–8	2,806	20–6–0
NCAA Division II Championship Series
March 14	at Bemidji State*	John S. Glas Field House • Bemidji, Minnesota		L 2–3	2,950	20–7–0
March 15	at Bemidji State*	John S. Glas Field House • Bemidji, Minnesota		L 2–4	3,150	20–8–0
*Non-conference game. Sources:^[3]^[4]^[2]

Player stats[edit]

^[2]

Skaters[edit]

Player	Pos	Yr	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG
K. C. Schneider	RW	Sr	28	19	30	49	30	11	0	1
Tony Guzzo	C	Sr	28	16	32	48	2	4	3	3
Matt Parker	LW	Jr	28	18	26	44	79	7	2	2
Mike Hamiln	RW	So	28	15	17	32	22	3	0	2
Jim Alauria	D	So	28	9	21	30	85	7	0	0
Shane Stewart	D	Fr	28	9	18	27	70	5	0	3
John McCabe	LW	Jr	28	11	15	26	22	1	3	3
Jay Woodcroft	C	Fr	27	9	14	23	22	0	1	0
Eric Bilyeu	LW	Sr	28	10	11	21	34	5	1	1
Nathan Bowen	LW	Fr	25	9	12	21	28	1	0	0
Tom Williams	RW	Fr	24	9	10	19	46	1	2	0
Jamie Baby	C	So	20	8	10	18	17	3	1	2
Paul Schloss	RW	So	25	8	9	17	10	1	1	1
Mark Motowski	D	So	28	6	6	12	16	2	0	1
Marc Lalonde	D	Fr	27	3	8	11	27	0	0	0
Joe Provenzano	D	So	27	3	6	9	37	0	0	0
Darren Awender	C	Jr	28	1	7	8	35	0	0	1
Derek Young	D	Fr	10	2	4	6	6	0	0	0
Jason Mucciarone	D	Jr	19	0	3	3	16	0	0	0
Ryan Stewart	RW	So	11	0	0	0	4	0	0	0
Team			28	165	263	428	670	51	14	20

Goaltenders[edit]

Player	Yr	GP	TOI	W	L	GA	GAA	SV%	SO
Cédrick Billequey	So	22	1166:23	13	7	55	2.83	.892	2
Mike Zeller	Jr	10	418:48	5	1	26	3.72	.841	0
Andrew Weeks	Fr	3	92:07	2	0	5	3.26	.865	0

References[edit]

^ "Univ. of Alabama-Huntsville 1996 - 1997 Team Roster". Elite Prospects. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Napier, Michael A. "Final 1997 Men's Ice Hockey Statistics Report" (PDF). University of Alabama in Huntsville. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
^ Palm, Michael (October 28, 1996). "Icers get beating from Div. II national champs". The Daily Collegian. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
^ "Hockey All-Time Results". University of Alabama in Huntsville. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.

[EliteProspectsRoster-1] "Univ. of Alabama-Huntsville 1996 - 1997 Team Roster". Elite Prospects. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.

[Final_stats-2] Napier, Michael A. "Final 1997 Men's Ice Hockey Statistics Report" (PDF). University of Alabama in Huntsville. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.

[3] Palm, Michael (October 28, 1996). "Icers get beating from Div. II national champs". The Daily Collegian. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2014.

[schedule-4] "Hockey All-Time Results". University of Alabama in Huntsville. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey
Home ice	Von Braun Center (1979–2021)
Head coaches	Joe Ritch (1979–1982) Doug Ross (1982–2007) Danton Cole (2007–2010) Chris Luongo (2010–2012) Kurt Kleinendorst (2012–2013) Mike Corbett (2013–2020) Lance West (2020–2021)
Seasons	1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21
Conference affiliations	Independent (1985–1999, 2010–2013) College Hockey America (1999–2010) WCHA (2013–2021)
All-time leaders	Tony Guzzo (179 Points) Mario Mazzuca (96 Goals) Derek Puppa (66 Wins)
National championships	1995–96 (DII) 1997–98 (DII)
NCAA Tournament appearances	2007 2010
Conference Tournament titles	College Hockey America: 2007 2010
Players	Alumni
University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL