Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey

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]

Air Force Falcons ice hockey
Current season
UniversityUnited States Air Force Academy
ConferenceAHA
First season1968–69
Head coachFrank Serratore
24th season, 407–368–92 (.522)
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

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 June 15, 2020

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1997–PresentFrank Serratore23407–368–92.522
1985–1997Chuck Delich12154–197–19.442
1974–1985John Matchefts11154–150–6.506
1968–1974Vic Heyliger685–77–3.524
Totals 4 coaches 52 seasons 800-792-120 .502

[5]

Players

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
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]

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)

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)

Third Team
  • Eric Ehn (2008)
  • Tim Kirby (2011)
  • Shane Starrett (2017)
  • Billy Christopoulos (2018)

Rookie Team
  • Scott Mathis (2009)
  • Jason Torf (2010)
  • Adam McKenzie (2010)
  • Chris Truehl (2014)
  • Shane Starrett (2016)
  • Matt Serratore (2016)

Current Players 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.

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 Delich1973–1977109156123279151
Bob Sajevic1976–198011310712122854
Dave Skalko1969–197311875144219208
Bob Ross1968–19721061059219741
Gary Batinich1974–197810482114196107
Tom Richards1978–1982118789016854
Mike Smellie1976–1980103778916656
Frank Daldine1983–1986109797715675
Dave Bunker1970–19741098270152118
Robin Robideaux1975–19791086884152200

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
Shane Starrett2015–177039181289.9241.96
Andrew Volkening2006–10127737026915.9152.19
Stephen Caple2009–12361792662.9082.21
Jason Torf2010–14115656126910.9152.46
Chris Truehl2013–155027451243.9002.71

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

Current roster
As of August 31, 2020.[16]
No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2 Andrew Kruse Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-12-06 Delano, Minnesota Minnesota Magicians (NAHL) —
3 Jake Levin (C) Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-02-03 Mequon, Wisconsin Odessa (NAHL) —
4 Luke Rowe Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-08-08 Succasunna, New Jersey Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC) —
6 Alex Mehnert (A) Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-06-15 Moorhead, Minnesota Omaha (USHL) —
7 Brian Adams Freshman F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-12-07 San Ramon, California Wenatchee (BCHL) —
8 Marshall Bowery Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1996-11-17 Rochester Hills, Michigan Topeka (NAHL) —
11 Max Harper Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1996-09-29 Rochester Hills, Michigan Topeka (NAHL) —
12 Blake Bride Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-04-22 Broomfield, Colorado Sioux Falls (USHL) —
13 Keenan Lund Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-08-03 Sartell, Minnesota Minot (NAHL) —
14 Jacob Marti Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-06-10 Highlands Ranch, Colorado Bismarck (NAHL) —
15 Bennett Norlin Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-10-26 Farmington, Minnesota West Kelowna (BCHL) —
16 Sam Brennan Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-01-16 Brighton, Michigan Lone Star (NAHL) —
17 Parker Brown Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 1999-09-08 Hanahan, South Carolina Fairbanks (NAHL) —
18 Ty Pochipinski Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-06-05 Colorado Springs, Colorado Penticton (BCHL) —
19 Luke Manning Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-04-13 Stillwater, Minnesota Des Moines (USHL) —
20 Brandon Koch Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-01-18 Hastings, Minnesota Wenatchee (BCHL) —
23 Willie Reim Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1999-01-11 North Oaks, Minnesota West Kelowna (BCHL) —
24 Nate Horn Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1999-03-02 Elk River, Minnesota Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) —
26 Noah Kim Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-05-09 Fullerton, California Okotoks (AJHL) —
27 Luke Robinson Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-02-16 Nashville, Tennessee Dubuque (USHL) —
29 Shawn Knowlton (A) Senior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1996-08-14 Slingerlands, New York Aberdeen (NAHL) —
30 Erik Anderson Senior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996-06-10 Chanhassen, Minnesota Pikes Peak (RMJHL) —
31 Zach LaRocque Senior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1997-01-26 Arvada, Colorado Cedar Rapids (USHL) —
33 Alex Schilling Junior G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-12-23 Medina, Minnesota Austin (NAHL) —
34 Thomas Daskas Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-09-03 Rochester, Michigan Lone Star (NAHL) —
37 Will Gavin Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-10-21 Durham, Connecticut Northern (NCDC) —
41 Austin Park Sophomore G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-06-05 Highlands Ranch, Colorado Wenatchee (BCHL) —
47 Dalton Weigel Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-12-30 Bloomington, Minnesota Aberdeen (NAHL) —
51 Maiszon Balboa Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-04-18 Colorado Springs, Colorado Shreveport (NAHL) —
74 Zack Mirageas (C) Senior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-07-15 Newburyport, Massachusetts Bloomington (USHL) —

References
  1. "AF Branding & Trademark Licensing > About Us > The Air Force Symbol > Display Guidelines". Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  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. "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. "2020–21 Ice Hockey Roster". U.S. Air Force Academy Athletics. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.