Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey

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Air Force Falcons ice hockey
Current season
Air Force Falcons ice hockey athletic logo
UniversityUnited States Air Force Academy
ConferenceAHA
First season1968–69
Head coachFrank Serratore
25th season, 410–378–93 (.518)
Captain(s)Dylan Abood
Alternate captain(s)Phil Boje, Tyler Ledford, and Erik Baskin
ArenaCadet Ice Arena
Capacity: 2,470
Surface: 200' x 85'
LocationColorado Springs, Colorado
ColorsBlue and silver[1]
   
NCAA Tournament appearances
2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018
Conference Tournament championships
2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018
Conference regular season championships
2008–09, 2011–12
Current uniform
AHA-Uniform-USAFA.png

The Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the United States Air Force Academy. The Falcons are a member of Atlantic Hockey. They play at the Cadet Ice Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[2]

History[]

Independent[]

Air Force Academy's Ice hockey program began as a club team in 1966, led by former Michigan head coach and six-time national champion Vic Heyliger. The program grew swiftly and posted a winning record by its third season. In their fourth season, the team posted an impressive 25-6 mark and had the nation's leading scorer on the roster, Dave Skalko. When Heyliger retired in 1974, turning the team over to John Matchefts, the success continued with two more 20+ win seasons in three years. By the time the 1980 rolled around, however, the team's on-ice results began to flag and after a pair of disappointing, single-digit-win seasons Matchefts pushed his team to a .500-record before turning control over to the program's all-time leading scorer. Chuck Delich led the program for the 12 seasons, posting moderate results for most of his tenure, but as the 20th century drew to a close, the Falcons' days as a plucky Independent were numbered.

CHA[]

In 1997, former Denver head coach Frank Serratore was hired to replace Delich and recorded two 15-win seasons before everything changed for the Falcons. In 1999, Air Force became a founding member of the CHA, joining with the other service academy Army and five other newly-minted Division I teams. Despite the other programs having little history of success, Air Force was unable to make much headway in the conference, with the best finish being 4th out of 7 teams in their inaugural year. Army left the conference after only one year, leaving the conference with only six programs, and the Falcons found themselves as one of the worst. Air Force finished in 5th- or 6th-place for four consecutive seasons and threw in a pair of 4th-place marks for good measure. Despite their regular season woes, the Falcons did achieve some success in the CHA tournament, reaching the semifinals three times despite being an underdog. By 2006, however, it became apparent that the CHA was in trouble. The Falcons left the CHA and were accepted into Atlantic Hockey, rejoining Army in the same conference.

Atlantic Hockey[]

The change seemed to suit the Falcons, who posted their first winning season in 7 years. In the conference tournament, Air Force defeated Holy Cross 3-0 before stunning #1 seeded Sacred Heart 5-4 in overtime. In the championship match, the Falcons took on Army and routed the Black Knights 6-1 to win the program's first conference championship and receive their first bid into the NCAA tournament. Though they lost to Minnesota in the opening round, the success would continue for the next two years with two additional Atlantic Hockey tournament titles and culminated with a 28-win season in 2009 where they won their first regular season conference title and NCAA tournament game. After a middling season in 2010, the Falcons posted back-to-back conference championships but failed to escape the first round in either season. Air Force spent the mid-teens rebuilding their program, and it came to a head in 2017 with their sixth Atlantic Hockey crown. The Falcons played so well over the course of the season that there was some talk of them making the NCAA tournament even if they were to lose the Atlantic Hockey championship (an exceedingly rare occurrence for Atlantic Hockey Teams).[3] Their second quarterfinal appearance was followed by another in 2018, where they were outplayed by eventual champion Minnesota–Duluth until the final period.[4]

Season-by-season results[]

Main article: List of Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey seasons

All-time coaching records[]

As of the end of the 2020–21 season

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1997–Present Frank Serratore 24 410–378–93 .518
1985–1997 Chuck Delich 12 154–197–19 .442
1974–1985 John Matchefts 11 154–150–6 .506
1968–1974 Vic Heyliger 6 85–77–3 .524
Totals 4 coaches 53 seasons 803–802–121 .500

[5]

Awards and Honors[]

U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame[]

The following individuals have been inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.[6]

Lowes' Senior CLASS Award[]

NCAA[7]

Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award[]

NCAA
  • Mike Phillipich (2009)
  • Dylan Abood (2018)

Scoring Champion[]

NCAA
  • Dave Skalko (1972)
Atlantic Hockey

Player of the year[]

College Hockey America[8]
  • Marc Kielkucki (2001)
Atlantic Hockey[9]

Rookie of the year[]

College Hockey America[8]
  • Andy Berg (2000)

Student-Athlete of the year[]

College Hockey America[8]
  • Scott Bradley (2001)
  • Brian Gornick (2002)
  • Mike Polidor (2004)

Best Defensive Player[]

Atlantic Hockey
  • Brady Tomlak (2020)

Best Defensive Player[]

College Hockey America[8]
  • Blair Bartlett (2006)

Best Defenseman[]

Atlantic Hockey[10]
  • Greeg Flynn (2009)
  • Tim Kirby (2012)
  • Adam McKenzie (2013)
  • Ben Carey (2016)

Individual Sportsmanship Award[]

Atlantic Hockey
  • Jason Fabian (2014)
  • Ben Carey(2016)

Regular Season Goaltending Award[]

Atlantic Hockey
  • Shane Starett (2016)
  • Billy Christopoulos (2018, 2019)

Coach of the Year[]

Atlantic Hockey

Tournament MVP[]

Atlantic Hockey[11]
  • Mike Phillipich (2007)
  • Brent Olson (2008)
  • Matt Fairchild (2009)
  • Jacques Lamoureux (2011)
  • Jason Torf (2012)
  • Shane Starrett (2017)
  • Billy Christopoulos (2018)

NCAA All-Americans[]

The following Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey players have been chosen as Second Team Division I All-Americans by the American Hockey Coaches Association.[12]

All–CHA Team[]

First Team[]

The following Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey players have been chosen as First Team All-CHA.[13]

  • Marc Kielkucki (2001)
  • Brian Gornick (2001)
  • Derek Olson (2002)

Second Team[]

  • Brian Gornick (2000)
  • Andy Berg (2001, 2003)
  • Brian Gineo (2005)
  • Michael Mayra (2006)
  • Eric Ehn (2006)

Rookie Team[]

  • Andy Berg (2000)
  • Joe Locallo (2001)
  • Zach Sikich (2002)
  • Matt Charbonneau (2005)
  • Eric Ehn (2005)
  • Michael Mayra (2006)

All–Atlantic Hockey Team[]

First Team[]

The following Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey players have been chosen as First Team All-Atlantic Hockey.[14]

  • Eric Ehn (2007)
  • Andrew Volkening (2009)
  • Greg Flynn (2009)
  • Jacques Lamoureux (2009, 2010)
  • Tim Kirby (2010, 2012)
  • Scott Mathis (2011, 2012)
  • Adam McKenzie (2013)
  • Shane Starrett (2016)
  • Phil Boje (2017)
  • Billy Christopoulos (2019)

Second Team[]

  • Andrew Ramsey (2007)
  • Greg Flynn (2008)
  • Andrew Volkening (2010)
  • Jacques Lamoureux (2011)
  • John Kruse (2012)
  • Adam McKenzie (2014)
  • Cole Gunner (2014, 2015)
  • Johnny Hrabovsky (2016)
  • Jordan Himley (2017)
  • Zach LaRocque (2021)

Third Team[]

  • Eric Ehn (2008)
  • Tim Kirby (2011)
  • Shane Starrett (2017)
  • Billy Christopoulos (2018)
  • Brandon Koch (2020)

Rookie Team[]

  • Scott Mathis (2009)
  • Jason Torf (2010)
  • Adam McKenzie (2010)
  • Chris Truehl (2014)
  • Shane Starrett (2016)
  • Matt Serratore (2016)
  • Brandon Koch (2020)

Statistical Leaders[]

[15]

Career Scoring leaders[]

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player Years GP G A Pts PIM
Chuck Delich 1973–1977 109 156 123 279 151
1976–1980 113 107 121 228 54
Dave Skalko 1969–1973 118 75 144 219 208
1968–1972 106 105 92 197 41
1974–1978 104 82 114 196 107
1978–1982 118 78 90 168 54
1976–1980 103 77 89 166 56
1983–1986 109 79 77 156 75
1970–1974 109 82 70 152 118
1975–1979 108 68 84 152 200

Career Goaltending Leaders[]

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Minimum 35 games

Player Years GP Min GA SO SV% GAA
2015–17 70 3918 128 9 .924 1.96
2006–10 127 7370 269 15 .915 2.19
2009–12 36 1792 66 2 .908 2.21
2010–14 115 6561 269 10 .915 2.46
2013–15 50 2745 124 3 .900 2.71

Statistics current through the start of the 2017-18 season.

Current roster[]

As of August 23, 2021.[16]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Arizona Guy Blessing Freshman G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-05-08 Chandler, Arizona Lone Star (NAHL) —
2 Minnesota Andrew Kruse Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-12-06 Delano, Minnesota Minnesota Magicians (NAHL) —
4 New Jersey Luke Rowe (C) Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-08-08 Succasunna, New Jersey Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC) —
7 California Brian Adams Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-12-07 San Ramon, California Wenatchee (BCHL) —
8 Colorado Blake Bride (A) Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-04-22 Broomfield, Colorado Sioux Falls (USHL) —
9 Colorado Lucas Coon Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-11-24 Steamboat Springs, Colorado Odessa (NAHL) —
10 Colorado Austin Schwartz Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-06-18 Parker, Colorado Bismarck (NAHL) —
12 Minnesota Billy Duma Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-11-17 Wayzata, Minnesota Amarillo (NAHL) —
14 Colorado Jacob Marti Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-06-10 Highlands Ranch, Colorado Bismarck (NAHL) —
15 Minnesota Bennett Norlin Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-10-26 Farmington, Minnesota West Kelowna (BCHL) —
16 Michigan Sam Brennan Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-01-16 Brighton, Michigan Lone Star (NAHL) —
17 South Carolina Parker Brown Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 1999-09-08 Hanahan, South Carolina Fairbanks (NAHL) —
18 Colorado Ty Pochipinski Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-06-05 Colorado Springs, Colorado Penticton (BCHL) —
19 Minnesota Jackson Sabo Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2000-12-19 Rosemount, Minnesota St. Cloud (NAHL) —
20 Minnesota Brandon Koch Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-01-18 Hastings, Minnesota Wenatchee (BCHL) —
21 Illinois Jack Conroy Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-05-19 Chicago, Illinois Bismarck (NAHL) —
22 California Drake Usher Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-04-29 Upland, California Wichita Falls (NAHL) —
23 Minnesota Willie Reim (A) Junior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1999-01-11 North Oaks, Minnesota West Kelowna (BCHL) —
24 Minnesota Nate Horn Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1999-03-02 Elk River, Minnesota Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) —
25 Virginia Jason Kleinhans Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-10-04 Herndon, Virginia Danbury (NAHL) —
26 California Clayton Cosentino Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-06-18 San Carlos, California Aberdeen (NAHL) —
27 Tennessee Luke Robinson Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-02-16 Nashville, Tennessee Dubuque (USHL) —
28 Michigan Mitchell Digby Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-06-26 Ottawa Lake, Michigan Lone Star (NAHL) —
29 Colorado Jasper Lester Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-07-31 Colorado Springs, Colorado Fairbanks (NAHL) —
33 Minnesota Alex Schilling (C) Senior G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-12-23 Medina, Minnesota Austin (NAHL) —
37 Connecticut Will Gavin Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-10-21 Durham, Connecticut Northern (NCDC) —
41 Colorado Austin Park Junior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-06-05 Highlands Ranch, Colorado Wenatchee (BCHL) —
47 Minnesota Dalton Weigel Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-12-30 Bloomington, Minnesota Aberdeen (NAHL) —
51 Colorado Maiszon Balboa Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-04-18 Colorado Springs, Colorado Shreveport (NAHL) —
77 Minnesota Frederick Paine Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-11-21 Duluth, Minnesota Lone Star (NAHL) —
82 California Andrew DeCarlo Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-07-23 Huntington Beach, California Lone Star (NAHL) —

Falcons in the NHL[]

Goalie Shane Starrett signed an Entry Level Contract with the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL on April 10, 2017. He is currently the only Air Force Falcons Men's Ice Hockey player to be in the NHL or respected affiliates.

References[]

  1. ^ "Color Palette" (PDF). Air Force Athletics Style Cheat Sheet. November 20, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  2. ^ "Air Force Falcons Men's Hockey". U.S. College Hockey Online. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  3. ^ "What I Believe – Monday Edition". USCHO.com. 2017-03-13. Archived from the original on 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  4. ^ "Minnesota Duluth earns second straight Frozen Four berth with victory over Air Force". USCHO.com. 2018-03-24. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  5. ^ "Air Force Hockey 2018-19 Record Book" (PDF). Air Force Falcons. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  6. ^ "The Record Book" (PDF). University of Michigan. September 22, 2009. p. 20. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  7. ^ "Hockey Senior CLASS Award". NCAA.org. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  8. ^ a b c d "CHA Awards". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  9. ^ "AWARDS - NCAA (AHA) PLAYER OF THE YEAR". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  10. ^ "Awards - NCAA (AHA) Best Defenseman". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  11. ^ "Awards - NCAA (AHA) Tournament MVP". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  12. ^ "Men's Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 6. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  13. ^ "All-CHA Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
  14. ^ "All-Atlantic Hockey Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  15. ^ "Air Force Falcons Men's Hockey 2017-2018 Record Book" (PDF). Air Force Falcons. 2018-08-17.
  16. ^ "2021–22 Ice Hockey Roster". U.S. Air Force Academy Athletics. Retrieved October 20, 2012.

External links[]

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