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Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey

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Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey
Current season
Air Force Falcons athletic logo
UniversityUnited States Air Force Academy
ConferenceAHA
First season1968–69
Head coachFrank Serratore
28th season, 456–436–99 (.510)
Assistant coaches
  • Andy Berg
  • Joe Doyle
  • Steve Jennings
  • Josh Holmstrom
ArenaCadet Ice Arena
USAF Academy, 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

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 America. They play at the Cadet Ice Arena in El Paso County, Colorado, north of Colorado Springs.[2]

History

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Independent

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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

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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 men's side of CHA (which had added a women's division in 2002) was in trouble. The Falcons left the CHA and were accepted into the Atlantic Hockey Association, rejoining Army in the same conference.

Atlantic Hockey Association

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The Falcons bench celebrates a goal during a game in 2018

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]

Atlantic Hockey America

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After the 2023–24 season, the Atlantic Hockey Association merged with CHA, which had become a women-only league after the 2009–10 season. The two conferences had shared a commissioner and office staff since 2010. The new league was unveiled on April 30, 2024 as Atlantic Hockey America, maintaining the Association's AHA initialism. All members of both predecessor leagues were brought into the new conference.[5]

Season-by-season results

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

All-time coaching records

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As of the end of the 2023–24 season

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1997–Present Frank Serratore 27 456–436–99 .510
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 55 seasons 849–860–127 .497

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Awards and honors

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U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame

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The following individuals have been inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.[7]

NCAA

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All-Americans

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AHCA Second Team All-Americans


College Hockey America

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Individual awards

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All-Conference teams

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First Team All-CHA

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

Second Team All-CHA

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

All-CHA Rookie Team

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


Atlantic Hockey Association

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Individual awards

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All-Conference teams

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First Team All-Atlantic Hockey

Second Team All-Atlantic Hockey

Third Team All-Atlantic Hockey

All-Atlantic Hockey Rookie Team

Statistical Leaders

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Career Scoring leaders

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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
Bob Sajevic 1976–1980 113 107 121 228 54
Dave Skalko 1969–1973 118 75 144 219 208
Bob Ross 1968–1972 106 105 92 197 41
Gary Batinich 1974–1978 104 82 114 196 107
Tom Richards 1978–1982 118 78 90 168 54
Mike Smellie 1976–1980 103 77 89 166 56
Frank Daldine 1983–1986 109 79 77 156 75
Dave Bunker 1970–1974 109 82 70 152 118
Robin Robideaux 1975–1979 108 68 84 152 200

Career Goaltending Leaders

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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 Starrett 2015–17 70 3918 128 9 .924 1.96
Andrew Volkening 2006–10 127 7370 269 15 .915 2.19
Stephen Caple 2009–12 36 1792 66 2 .908 2.21
Jason Torf 2010–14 115 6561 269 10 .915 2.46
Chris Truehl 2013–15 50 2745 124 3 .900 2.71

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

Current roster

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As of August 13, 2024.[9]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Arizona Guy Blessing Senior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-05-08 Chandler, Arizona Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL) —
2 Minnesota Beau Janzig Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 2003-11-17 Hermantown, Minnesota Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) —
3 Minnesota Beau Janzig Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-11-12 Grand Rapids, Minnesota Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) —
4 Tennessee Will Jones Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2004-03-09 Brentwood, Tennessee Powell River Kings (BCHL) —
6 California Anthony Yu Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2004-07-10 Baldwin Park, California Powell River Kings (BCHL) —
7 Minnesota Jake Peterson Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-10-02 Rosemount, Minnesota Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL) —
8 Illinois Ethan Ulrick Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2003-04-25 Lakewood, Illinois Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL) —
9 Colorado Lucas Coon Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-11-24 Steamboat Springs, Colorado Odessa Jackalopes (NAHL) —
10 Colorado Austin Schwartz Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-06-18 Parker, Colorado Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL) —
11 Minnesota Sam Jacobs Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2003-04-25 Plymouth, Minnesota Wisconsin Windigo (NAHL) —
12 Minnesota James Callahan Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2002-12-18 Minneapolis, Minnesota Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL) —
13 Wisconsin Mason McCormick Junior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2001-05-25 Verona, Wisconsin Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) —
14 Michigan Will Dawson Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2003-10-03 Traverse City, Michigan Minot Minotauros (NAHL) —
15 Wisconsin Owen Dubois Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2002-07-06 Madison, Wisconsin Aberdeen Wings (NAHL) —
16 Vermont Cooper Boulanger Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2003-07-08 Barre, Vermont Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL) —
17 New York (state) Michael Kadlecik Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2004-04-14 Lansing, New York Odessa Jackalopes (NAHL) —
18 Illinois Holt Oliphant Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-05-17 Northbrook, Illinois Johnstown Tomahawks (NAHL) —
19 Illinois Nick Remissong Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-05-19 Lake Forest, Illinois Trail Smoke Eaters (BCHL) —
20 Montana Nolan Cunningham Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-12-17 Helena, Montana Fairbanks Ice Dogs (NAHL) —
21 New Jersey Liam Hansson Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-12-16 Ramsey, New Jersey Cranbrook Bucks (BCHL) —
22 Michigan Chris Hedden Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-09-20 Kalamazoo, Michigan Omaha Lancers (USHL) —
23 Minnesota Nick Sajevic Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2003-01-15 Shoreview, Minnesota Janesville Jets (NAHL) —
24 Colorado Joseph Cesario Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2003-03-17 Westminster, Colorado Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) —
26 California Clayton Cosentino Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 2000-06-18 San Carlos, California Aberdeen Wings (NAHL) —
27 Maryland Samuel Stitz Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2003-06-18 Perry Hall, Maryland Maryland Black Bears (NAHL) —
28 Michigan Mitchell Digby Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-06-26 Ottawa Lake, Michigan Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL) —
29 Colorado Jasper Lester Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-07-31 Colorado Springs, Colorado Fairbanks Ice Dogs (NAHL) —
30 Wisconsin Dominik Wasik Sophomore G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2002-07-02 Superior, Wisconsin Steinbach Pistons (MJHL) —
35 Minnesota Carter Clafton Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2002-03-13 Grand Rapids, Minnesota Amarillo Wranglers (NAHL) —
37 Minnesota Toby Hopp Freshman G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2004-06-27 Maple Grove, Minnesota Northeast Generals (NAHL) —
44 Virginia Will Staring Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2003-02-28 Springfield, Virginia Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) —
64 Rhode Island Brendan Gibbons Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2002-06-15 South Kingstown, Rhode Island Maine Nordiques (NAHL) —
82 California Andrew DeCarlo Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-07-23 Huntington Beach, California Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL) —

Falcons in the NHL

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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

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  1. ^ "Air Force Athletics Style Sheet" (PDF). March 12, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  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. ^ "Atlantic Hockey and College Hockey America Join to Form Atlantic Hockey America" (Press release). Atlantic Hockey America. April 30, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  6. ^ "Air Force Hockey 2018-19 Record Book" (PDF). Air Force Falcons. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  7. ^ "The Record Book" (PDF). University of Michigan. September 22, 2009. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 7, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  8. ^ "Air Force Falcons Men's Hockey 2017-2018 Record Book" (PDF). Air Force Falcons. 2018-08-17.
  9. ^ "2024-25 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Air Force Falcons. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
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