2023–24 Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey season was the 56th season of play for the program and the 18th in Atlantic Hockey. The Falcons represented the United States Air Force Academy, played their home games at the Cadet Ice Arena and were coached by Frank Serratore in his 27th season.

2023–24 Air Force Falcons
men's ice hockey season
Conference4th Atlantic Hockey
Home iceCadet Ice Arena
Rankings
USCHONR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall18–19–1
Conference15–10–1
Home10–11–0
Road8–8–1
Neutral0–2–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachFrank Serratore
Assistant coachesAndy Berg
Joe Doyle
Steve Jennings
Captain(s)Luke Robinson
Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey seasons
« 2022–23 2024–25 »

Season edit

Just before the start of the season, the NCAA announced:

"The school, enforcement staff, men's ice hockey head coach and two assistant coaches agreed that ... two assistant coaches had approximately 18 impermissible recruiting contacts with a prospective student-athlete and his father before that student-athlete had entered the Transfer Portal"[1]

Though he was not charged with any direct action, head coach Frank Serratore was responsible for the actions of his assistants. As such, a standard Level II penalty was applied to both Serratore and the two assistants who were unnamed in the release.

Once the season got underway, the Falcons very quickly proved to be an inconsistent team. After splitting their opening series against Lindenwood, one of the worst teams in the nation, Air Force followed that up with a split versus Michigan State, one of the best teams. That trend continued throughout the season and can mostly be attributed to the defensive side of the puck. Air Force had a very good season offensively, averaging 3 goals per game for the year. However, they allowed slightly more goals per game on average and were let down by a subpar season from Guy Blessing.

Despite the deficiencies, the team finished 4th in Atlantic Hockey and earned a home stand for the conference quarterfinals. The Falcons outplayed American International in the first game, firing 32 shots to the Yellow Jackets' 18 but they were unable to overcome a strong goaltending performance from the opposing netminder. The second game saw Air Force jump out to a 2–0 lead in the first period but the team was unable to build on that lead for the rest of the match. AIC tied the game with less than two minutes to play and forced overtime. USAF ratcheted up their offense in the extra session, sending 15 shots on goal in just over 12 minutes but none of them could find the back of the net. A simple rush up the ice ended the game in the middle of the first overtime when a perfectly placed shot ricocheted in off of the crossbar and ended the Falcons' season.[2]

Departures edit

Player Position Nationality Cause
Blake Bride Forward   United States Graduation (retired)
Brandon Koch Defenseman   United States Graduate transfer to Minnesota State
Andrew Kruse Defenseman   United States Graduation (retired)
Bennett Norlin Forward   United States Graduation (retired)
Austin Park Goaltender   United States Graduation (retired)
Ray Picard Goaltender   United States Rejoined club team
Ty Pochipinski Forward   United States Graduation (retired)
Aaron Randazzo Goaltender   United States Left program (retired)
Willie Reim Forward   United States Graduation (retired)
Drake Usher Defenseman   United States Left program (retired)
Dalton Weigel Defenseman   United States Graduation (retired)

Recruiting edit

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Owen Baumgartner Defenseman   United States 21 Owatonna, MN
James Callahan Defenseman   United States 20 Minneapolis, MN
Carter Clafton Goaltender   United States 21 Grand Rapids, MN
Nolan Cunningham Defenseman   United States 21 Great Falls, MT
Owen DuBois Forward   United States 21 Madison, WI
Brendan Gibbons Forward   United States 21 South Kingstown, RI
Sam Jacobs Forward   United States 21 Plymouth, MN
Nick Remissong Forward   United States 21 Lake Forest, IL
Will Staring Defenseman   United States 20 Springfield, VA
Ethan Ullrick Forward   United States 20 Lakewood, IL
Dominik Wasik Goaltender   United States 21 Superior, CO

Roster edit

As of September 14, 2023[3]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1   Guy Blessing Junior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-05-08 Chandler, Arizona Lone Star (NAHL)
4   Luke Rowe Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 1998-08-08 Succasunna, New Jersey Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC)
6   Owen Baumgartner Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-07-01 Owatonna, Minnesota Oklahoma (NAHL)
7   Brian Adams Senior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-12-07 San Ramon, California Wenatchee (BCHL)
8   Ethan Ulrick Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2003-04-25 Lakewood, Illinois Salmon Arm (BCHL)
9   Lucas Coon Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-11-24 Steamboat Springs, Colorado Odessa (NAHL)
10   Austin Schwartz Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-06-18 Parker, Colorado Bismarck (NAHL)
11   Sam Jacobs Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2003-04-25 Plymouth, Minnesota Wisconsin (NAHL)
12   James Callahan Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2002-12-18 Minneapolis, Minnesota Springfield (NAHL)
13   Mason McCormick Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2001-05-25 Verona, Wisconsin Waterloo (USHL)
14   Jacob Marti Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-08-13 Highlands Ranch, Colorado Bismarck (NAHL)
15   Owen Dubois Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2002-07-06 Madison, Wisconsin Aberdeen (NAHL)
16   Sam Brennan Senior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-01-16 Brighton, Michigan Lone Star (NAHL)
17   Parker Brown Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1999-09-08 Hanahan, South Carolina Fairbanks (NAHL)
18   Holt Oliphant Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-05-17 Northbrook, Illinois Johnstown (NAHL)
19   Nick Remissong Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-05-19 Lake Forest, Illinois Trail (BCHL)
20   Nolan Cunningham Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-12-17 Helena, Montana Fairbanks (NAHL)
21   Liam Hansson Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-12-16 Ramsey, New Jersey Cranbrook (BCHL)
22   Chris Hedden Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-09-20 Kalamazoo, Michigan Omaha (USHL)
24   Nate Horn Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1999-03-02 Elk River, Minnesota Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)
26   Clayton Cosentino Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 2000-06-18 San Carlos, California Aberdeen (NAHL)
27   Luke Robinson (C) Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 2000-02-16 Nashville, Tennessee Dubuque (USHL)
28   Mitchell Digby Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-06-26 Ottawa Lake, Michigan Lone Star (NAHL)
29   Jasper Lester Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-07-31 Colorado Springs, Colorado Fairbanks (NAHL)
30   Dominik Wasik Freshman G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2002-07-02 Superior, Wisconsin Steinbach (MJHL)
35   Carter Clafton Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2002-03-13 Grand Rapids, Minnesota Amarillo (NAHL)
37   Will Gavin Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-10-21 Durham, Connecticut Northern (NCDC)
44   Will Staring Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2003-02-28 Springfield, Virginia Dubuque (USHL)
51   Maiszon Balboa Senior G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-04-18 Colorado Springs, Colorado Shreveport (NAHL)
55   Brett Oberle Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-09-27 Woodbury, Minnesota Wenatchee (BCHL)
64   Brendan Gibbons Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2002-06-15 South Kingstown, Rhode Island Maine (NAHL)
82   Andrew DeCarlo Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-07-23 Huntington Beach, California Lone Star (NAHL)

Standings edit

Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OW OL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#17 RIT †* 26 18 7 1 3 2 0 54 102 64 40 27 11 2 156 96
Holy Cross 26 13 10 3 0 3 1 46 78 62 39 21 14 4 116 93
Sacred Heart 26 14 10 2 2 2 1 45 75 70 36 14 19 3 91 113
Air Force 26 15 10 1 3 0 1 44 88 75 38 18 19 1 115 119
American International 26 12 10 4 1 1 2 42 79 68 40 20 16 4 119 111
Bentley 26 12 12 2 1 2 2 41 69 58 35 16 17 2 95 82
Niagara 26 13 10 3 3 1 1 41 78 79 39 18 18 3 111 122
Canisius 26 10 12 4 2 1 0 33 73 87 37 12 21 4 103 126
Mercyhurst 26 7 15 4 0 1 4 30 77 91 35 9 22 4 98 126
Army 26 8 16 2 0 1 1 28 66 96 35 10 23 2 93 139
Robert Morris 26 7 17 2 0 1 1 25 60 95 39 11 25 3 94 142
Championship: March 23, 2024
† indicates conference regular season champion (DeGregorio Trophy)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results edit

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular Season
October 7 5:05 pm Lindenwood* Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Blessing W 4–1  1,659 1–0–0
October 8 5:05 pm Lindenwood* Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Blessing L 3–4  1,333 1–1–0
October 12 7:05 pm #8 Michigan State* Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Blessing W 6–5  2,589 2–1–0
October 13 7:05 pm #8 Michigan State* Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Blessing L 3–5  2,708 2–2–0
October 20 9:07 pm at Alaska Anchorage* Avis Alaska Sports ComplexAnchorage, Alaska   Blessing L 1–3  874 2–3–0
October 21 9:07 pm at Alaska Anchorage* Avis Alaska Sports ComplexAnchorage, Alaska   Blessing W 4–3  715 3–3–0
October 27 7:05 pm Colorado College* Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) FloHockey Blessing L 2–6  2,701 3–4–0
October 28 6:05 pm at #2 Denver* Magness ArenaDenver, Colorado   Blessing L 0–4  6,278 3–5–0
November 3 5:05 pm at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York FloHockey Blessing W 3–2 OT 637 4–5–0 (1–0–0)
November 4 5:05 pm at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York FloHockey Blessing L 3–4  755 4–6–0 (1–1–0)
November 10 7:05 pm Army Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) FloHockey Blessing W 4–3 OT 2,629 5–6–0 (2–1–0)
November 11 7:05 pm Army Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) FloHockey Blessing W 4–0  2,250 6–6–0 (3–1–0)
November 18 5:05 pm at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Blessing W 5–2  734 7–6–0 (4–1–0)
November 19 5:05 pm at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Blessing L 1–5  783 7–7–0 (4–2–0)
November 24 11:00 am at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York FloHockey Blessing L 1–3  731 7–8–0 (4–3–0)
November 25 11:00 am at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York FloHockey Blessing T 2–2 SOW 621 7–8–1 (4–3–1)
December 1 7:05 pm Bentley Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Blessing W 3–2 OT 2,213 8–8–1 (5–3–1)
December 2 5:05 pm Bentley Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Blessing L 0–3  2,190 8–9–1 (5–4–1)
Holiday Face–Off
December 28 6:30 pm at #6 Wisconsin* Fiserv ForumMilwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off semifinal) BSW Blessing L 0–3  8,652 8–10–1
December 29 3:00 pm vs. Minnesota Duluth* Fiserv ForumMilwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off consolation game) BSW Blessing L 1–4  8,689 8–11–1
January 5 5:05 pm at Bentley Bentley ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts FloHockey Blessing W 3–1  1,389 9–11–1 (6–4–1)
January 6 5:05 pm at Bentley Bentley ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts FloHockey Blessing W 7–3  1,555 10–11–1 (7–4–1)
January 12 7:05 pm American International Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey, Altitude2 Blessing W 6–2  2,318 11–11–1 (8–4–1)
January 13 5:05 pm American International Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Blessing L 1–4  2,464 11–12–1 (8–5–1)
January 19 5:05 pm at Army Tate RinkWest Point, New York (Rivalry) FloHockey Blessing W 8–1  2,528 12–12–1 (9–5–1)
January 20 2:05 pm at Army Tate RinkWest Point, New York (Rivalry) FloHockey Blessing W 7–6  2,548 13–12–1 (10–5–1)
January 26 7:05 pm Canisius Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Blessing W 5–1  2,318 14–12–1 (11–5–1)
January 27 5:05 pm Canisius Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey, Altitude Blessing L 3–5  2,424 14–13–1 (11–6–1)
February 2 5:05 pm at Holy Cross Hart CenterWorcester, Massachusetts FloHockey Blessing L 3–6  1,906 14–14–1 (11–7–1)
February 3 5:05 pm at Holy Cross Hart CenterWorcester, Massachusetts FloHockey Blessing L 2–5  1,812 14–15–1 (11–8–1)
February 9 7:05 pm Sacred Heart Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Blessing L 2–3  2,436 14–16–1 (11–9–1)
February 10 5:05 pm Sacred Heart Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey, Altitude2 Blessing W 2–0  2,422 15–16–1 (12–9–1)
February 16 5:05 pm at #20 RIT Gene Polisseni CenterHenrietta, New York FloHockey Balboa L 3–7  2,954 15–17–1 (12–10–1)
February 17 3:05 pm at #20 RIT Gene Polisseni CenterHenrietta, New York FloHockey, Altitude2 Blessing W 3–2  4,300 16–17–1 (13–10–1)
February 23 7:05 pm Robert Morris Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Blessing W 5–2  2,670 17–17–1 (14–10–1)
February 24 5:05 pm Robert Morris Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Blessing W 2–1  2,698 18–17–1 (15–10–1)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 8 7:05 pm American International* Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado (Quarterfinal game 1) FloHockey Blessing L 1–3  1,818 18–18–1
March 9 7:05 pm American International* Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado (Quarterfinal game 2) FloHockey Blessing L 2–3 OT 1,688 18–19–1
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Mountain Time.
Source:[4]

Scoring statistics edit

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Chris Hedden D 38 8 29 37 37
Will Gavin F 38 19 17 36 24
Luke Rowe D 35 6 23 29 70
Clayton Cosentino F 38 10 18 28 6
Parker Brown F 37 8 13 21 27
Austin Schwartz F 38 10 9 19 10
Mason McCormick LW 38 6 9 15 44
Holt Oliphant F 38 10 4 14 10
Andrew DeCarlo F 32 5 9 14 12
Brendan Gibbons F 34 7 5 12 14
Owen Baumgartner D 24 4 6 10 12
Will Staring D 33 1 8 9 20
Luke Robinson D 38 2 7 9 32
Brian Adams F 30 2 6 8 4
Nate Horn F 33 3 4 7 12
Sam Brennan D 36 3 4 7 16
Owen Dubois F 30 4 2 6 6
Nick Remissong F 34 1 5 6 19
Nolan Cunningham D 26 0 5 5 2
Lucas Coon F 11 3 2 5 2
Mitchell Digby D 27 2 1 3 11
Jacob Marti F 15 1 1 2 21
Ethan Ullrick F 7 0 0 0 15
Jasper Lester D 2 0 0 0 0
Maiszon Balboa G 4 0 0 0 0
Carter Clafton G 1 0 0 0 0
Guy Blessing G 38 0 0 0 0
Sam Jacobs F 1 0 0 0 0
James Callahan D 2 0 0 0 0
Total 115 187 302 424

Goaltending statistics edit

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals against Saves Shutouts SV % GAA
Carter Clafton 9 10:46 0 0 0 0 3 0 1.000 0.00
Guy Blessing 38 2159:38 18 18 1 101 895 2 .899 2.81
Maiszon Balboa 11 99:29 0 1 0 5 39 0 .886 3.02
Empty Net - 40:10 - - - 13 - - - -
Total 38 2310:03 18 19 1 119 937 2 .889 3.09

Rankings edit

Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 (Final)
USCHO.com NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
USA Today NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25.
Note: USA Today did not release a poll in week 12.

References edit

  1. ^ "NCAA announces recruiting violations for Air Force men's hockey team, team accepts responsibility for infractions". USCHO. September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  2. ^ "AIC ends Falcons season in overtime". YouTube. March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  3. ^ "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Air Force Falcons. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  4. ^ "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". Air Force Falcons. Retrieved August 21, 2023.