Alabama-Huntsville Series Preview

NCAA Division I hockey's only southeastern team, Alabama-Huntsville, will face Clarkson for the first time this weekend with a pair of 7 p.m. games at Cheel Arena, starting tonight.

The Chargers (5-10-1 overall) are a member of the four-team College Hockey America conference, which will end after this season. Alabama-Huntsville is still looking for a conference home and will likely be an independent next season.

Tonight's game starts a six-game homestand for the Golden Knights (4-12-2), who have played only six of their first 18 games at home.

Here are some highlights of Alabama-Huntsville's 4-3 loss at Vermont on Saturday.

Stat of the Night

Clarkson may need to get a jump on the Chargers early in this weekend's games. The Golden Knights are 1-10-2 when they do not have a lead after the first period. Alabama-Huntsville has struggled in the first period this season. The Chargers have been outscored 17-7 and outshot 155-132 in the opening 20 minutes and Alabama-Huntsville has had a lead after the first period just three times in 16 games.

Who to Watch

Clarkson:Matt Beca has been one of Clarkson's hot players of late, with four goals and nine assists in the last 10 games. Scott Freeman has scored one goal with nine assists in the last eight games and Bryan Rufenach has two goals in the last three games.

Alabama-Huntsville:The Chargers top player appears to be goalie Cameron Talbot, who has a .924 save percentage and a 2.64 goals-against average. Cody Campbell leads the team in scoring with four goals and eight assists. Kevin Morrison has five goals and five assists and Andrew Boburn has four goals with six assists. Campbell and Coburn are the top power-play threats with two goals apiece.

Last Meeting:These teams have never met.

Stats and Notes:Clarkson will only play two more regular-season games outside of New York state, when it travels to face Brown and Yale on Feb. 19-20. ... Clarkson is 3-3 at home so far this season. The Golden Knights are 0-4-2 in their last six games and 1-10-2 in their last 13. ... Neither of these teams has excelled in special teams. Clarkson has scored on just 16.8 percent of its power play chances, while the Chargers are 10.8 percent on the power play. Clarkson has killed only 75.2 percent of its penalties. The Chargers have done well on the kill with a 86.2 success rate. ... Alabama-Huntsville plays a lot of low-scoring games. The Chargers average 2.1 goals and allow only 2.8. Despite the challenges of long-distance travel that the Chargers face, they actually are 4-4-1 on the road this season and are 0-6 at home. They are 1-0 in neutral site games.