Here's an astounding statistic: UAA has surrendered at least one power-play goal -- and more often than not, two or more -- in each of its 18 Western Collegiate Hockey Association games this season.

The corresponding stat isn't much more encouraging: UAA has managed a power-play marker in just seven of those matches, and only once has it generated two power-play goals in a league game.

In all, the Seawolves' WCHA opponents have scored 23 more goal power-play goals than they have -- 31 to UAA's eight. And in 11 of 18 league games, UAA's opponent has bagged two or more man-advantage goals.

As the Seawolves open a road series tonight against No. 7 Denver, they clearly need to shore up their special teams to emerge from a nine-game funk in which they've gone 1-6-2.

UAA's special teams both rank last in league play, and also fall far down the list among the nation's 58 Division I teams -- UAA's overall power-play efficiency ranks 47th nationally and its penalty killing slinks in at 57th.

Last week's pair of 3-3 ties against visiting Michigan Tech illustrated UAA's skid on special teams. The Huskies scored four power-play goals and one short-handed goal among their six strikes in the series. The Seawolves' goals all came at even strength.

Still, that marks one encouraging sign for the Seawolves -- they have been very good at even strength. In league games, their even-strength goal differential is plus-7, the third-best mark in the WCHA behind Denver's plus-12 and North Dakota's plus-10.

Problem is, with penalty enforcement so stringent these days, special teams eat up a significant portion game -- in UAA's league games, 72 percent of the time has been spent at even strength and 28 percent on special teams.

And with more than a quarter of the average UAA league game devoted to special teams, shortcomings in that area become glaring.