2016–17 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season

The 2016–17 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season was the 69th season of play for the program, the 21st at the Division I level, and the 14th in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Yellow Jackets represented American International College and were coached by Eric Lang, in his 1st season.

2016–17 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season
Conference10th Atlantic Hockey
Home iceMassMutual Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall8–20–8
Conference7–14–7
Home4–9–4
Road4–11–4
Coaches and captains
Head coachEric Lang
Assistant coachesMike Towns
Steve Wiedler
Matt Voity
Captain(s)Austin Orszulak
Alternate captain(s)Bryant Christian
Dominic Racobaldo
American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey seasons
« 2015–16 2017–18 »

Season

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AIC began the season with a new coach for the first time in 32 years. Eric Lang, an alumnus, replaced Gary Wright behind the bench.[1] The chance in leadership presaged a tone for the program and led to nice players leaving the team early. While all the roster spots were filled, the sizable roster turnover did no favors for the Yellow Jackets in terms of wins. In the first half of the season, American International won just 3 out of 18 games and were stuck in a familiar position; the bottom of the Atlantic Hockey standings.

While the team failed to win many games, they did fight hard and pushed several opponents into overtime. By the end of November the Yellow Jackets had more ties than losses and a great deal of credit could be attributed to the surprising defensive effort from the squad. The goaltending tandem of Alex Murray and Zackarias Skog combined to keep AIC in many games where they were otherwise outplayed and gave some hope that the team might be able to climb out of the conference cellar.

In the second half of the year the Yellow Jackets saw a moderate increase to their win total but the defense slipped. Murray struggled mightily as the season wore on and won just 1 of his 7 decisions. Since the revamped offense was little help, the bulk of the team's victories came on the shoulders of Skog, who posted a winning record after new year's. AIC finished 10th in the conference and, though their first round opponent was hardly formidable, the Yellow Jackets were unable to overcome Mercyhurst and were swept out of the postseason.

A disappointing finish was hardly a new state of affairs for the program, however, AIC had seen some signs of life during the season. Importantly, many of the new additions had played significant rolls in the team's limitded success. Not only had Skog established himself as the starting goaltender, but the top four scorers on the team were all freshmen.

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Lucas Bombardier Forward   United States Transferred to Trine
Giovanni Bombini Forward   Canada Left program (retired)
Jacob Caffrey Goaltender   United States Transferred to Stevenson
Trevor Cope Forward   United States Transferred to Michigan–Flint
Travis Douglas Forward   Canada Transferred to Carleton
David Gandara Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Louisiana IceGators)
Derek Henderson Defenseman   United States Graduation (signed with Macon Mayhem)
Hunter Leisner Goaltender   United States Left program (retired)
Brandon Lubin Defenseman   United States Graduation (signed with Pensacola Ice Flyers)
Bailey More Forward   United States Left program (retired)
Mitchell Mueller Forward/Defenseman   United States Signed professional contract (Peoria Rivermen)
Chris Porter Forward   Canada Graduation (signed with Fayetteville FireAntz)
Luke Rodgers Forward   United States Transferred to Endicott
Wade Schools Defenseman   United States Left program (retired)

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Blake Christensen Forward   United States 21 Coral Springs, FL
Patrik Demel Defenseman   Czech Republic 20 Ostrava, CZE
Dominik Florián Forward   Czech Republic 21 Vlašim, CZE
Jānis Jaks Defenseman   Latvia 21 Riga, LAT
Justin Ketola Goaltender   United States 21 Esko, MN
Nicolas Luka Defenseman   United States 21 Bartlett, IL
Martin Mellberg Forward   Sweden 21 Stockholm, SWE
Jared Pike Forward   United States 20 Sandy, UT
Hugo Reinhardt Forward   Sweden 20 Kungsbacka, SWE
Zackarias Skog Goaltender   Sweden 21 Göteborg, SWE
Kyle Stephan Forward   Canada 21 Barrie, ON
Billy Vizzo Forward   United States 20 Shelton, CT

Roster

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[2]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1   Zackarias Skog Freshman G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1995-06-27 Gothenburg, Sweden Omaha Lancers (USHL)
2   Nicolas Luka Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1995-08-18 Bartlett, Illinois Coulee Region Chill (NAHL)
3   Patrik Demel Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1995-11-28 Ostrava, Czech Republic Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL)
4   Dominic Racobaldo (A) Junior (RS) D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1992-06-03 Pennsauken, New Jersey Omaha Lancers (USHL)
5   Ryan Polin Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1994-12-05 Fairbanks, Alaska Topeka Roadrunners (NAHL)
7   Daniel Mele Sophomore (RS) F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1993-10-12 Buffalo, New York Connecticut (HEA)
9   Billy Vizzo Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1995-11-17 Shelton, Connecticut P.A.L. Junior Islanders (USPHL)
10   Martin Mellberg Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 1995-09-17 Stockholm, Sweden Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL)
11   Bryant Christian (A) Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 1993-06-10 Moorhead, Minnesota Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL)
12   Johno May Junior F 6' 5" (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1993-10-16 Mahtomedi, Minnesota Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)
13   Hugo Reinhardt Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1996-04-06 Kungsbacka, Sweden Fargo Force (USHL)
14   Jared Pike Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1995-12-31 Sandy, Utah Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL)
15   Jackson Dudley Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 1993-12-17 Edmonton, Alberta Bonnyville Pontiacs (AJHL)
17   Austin Orszulak (C) Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1992-05-08 Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield Jr. Pics (EJHL)
18   Blake Christensen Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1995-09-15 Coral Springs, Florida Wenatchee Wild (BCHL)
19   Kyle Stephan Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1995-02-20 Banff, Alberta Wenatchee Wild (BCHL)
21   Marc Dubeau Sophomore F 6' 5" (1.96 m) 216 lb (98 kg) 1994-06-29 St. Lina, Alberta Kindersley Klippers (SJHL)
22   Dominik Florián Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1995-05-12 Vlašim, Czech Republic Coulee Region Chill (NAHL)
23   Andrew DeBrincat Junior D 5' 7" (1.7 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 1993-07-21 Farmington Hills, Michigan New Jersey Hitmen (USPHL)
24   Joel Kocur Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1995-09-18 Edson, Alberta Flin Flon (SJHL)
25   Carson Grolla Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1992-04-15 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)
26   Johnny Mueller Sophomore D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1994-05-13 St. Peters, Missouri Fairbanks Ice Dogs (NAHL)
27   Jānis Jaks Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1995-08-22 Iecava, Latvia Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)
29   Shawn McBride Sophomore F/D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1995-08-23 Victoria, British Columbia Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)
30   Justin Ketola Freshman G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1995-08-25 Esko, Minnesota P.A.L. Junior Islanders (USPHL)
33   Alex Murray Junior G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1993-06-29 Burlington, Ontario Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL)

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Canisius 28 18 4 6 42 90 53 39 21 11 7 107 85
#12 Air Force* 28 19 6 3 41 91 56 42 27 10 5 133 93
Army 28 15 10 3 33 77 56 37 18 14 5 100 78
Robert Morris 28 15 10 3 33 86 73 38 22 12 4 123 95
Holy Cross 28 11 10 7 29 78 78 36 14 15 7 99 106
RIT 28 13 15 0 26 90 79 37 14 22 1 108 111
Mercyhurst 28 11 13 4 26 82 83 39 15 20 4 106 123
Bentley 28 10 12 6 26 78 82 39 13 19 7 101 120
Sacred Heart 28 10 15 3 23 67 87 37 13 19 5 88 116
American International 28 7 14 7 21 63 91 36 8 20 8 82 122
Niagara 28 3 23 2 8 55 119 39 5 31 3 76 168
Championship: March 18, 2017
† indicates conference regular season champion; * indicates conference tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated March 6, 2017

Schedule and results

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Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular Season
October 14 7:05 PM vs. Union* MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Murray L 4–5  1,204 0–1–0
October 21 7:05 PM at Connecticut* XL CenterHartford, Connecticut   Skog T 2–2 OT 3.529 0–1–1
October 23 3:05 PM vs. Sacred Heart MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Skog L 3–6  227 0–2–1 (0–1–0)
October 28 7:05 PM at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   Murray W 5–3  1,127 1–2–1 (1–1–0)
October 29 7:05 PM at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   Skog L 3–6  1,386 1–3–1 (1–2–0)
November 3 7:05 PM vs. Holy Cross MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Skog W 4–2  362 2–3–1 (2–2–0)
November 4 7:05 PM at Holy Cross Hart CenterWorcester, Massachusetts   Murray T 4–4 OT 698 2–3–2 (2–2–1)
November 8 7:05 PM vs. Bentley MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Skog T 2–2 OT 152 2–3–3 (2–2–2)
November 10 7:05 PM vs. Bentley MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Skog T 1–1 OT 452 2–3–4 (2–2–3)
November 18 7:05 PM at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York   Skog L 0–4  933 2–4–4 (2–3–3)
November 19 4:05 PM at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York   Skog T 1–1 OT 417 2–4–5 (2–3–4)
November 22 7:05 PM vs. Sacred Heart MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Skog L 3–7  208 2–5–5 (2–4–4)
November 25 2:05 PM vs. Niagara MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Murray T 0–0 OT 523 2–5–6 (2–4–5)
November 26 5:05 PM vs. Niagara MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Murray W 3–1  423 3–5–6 (3–4–5)
December 2 7:05 PM at Army Tate RinkWest Point, New York   Murray L 0–1  1,516 3–6–6 (3–5–5)
December 9 7:07 PM at Maine* Alfond ArenaOrono, Maine   Murray L 3–5  3,578 3–7–6
December 10 5:35 PM at Maine* Alfond ArenaOrono, Maine   Skog L 2–7  3,365 3–8–6
December 13 7:05 PM vs. Arizona State* MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Murray L 2–3  548 3–9–6
January 3 7:00 PM at Massachusetts* Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts   Skog W 3–0  1,024 4–9–6
January 6 7:05 PM at Robert Morris Colonials ArenaNeville Township, Pennsylvania   Skog L 0–3  525 4–10–6 (3–6–5)
January 7 7:05 PM at Robert Morris Colonials ArenaNeville Township, Pennsylvania   Murray L 3–4  763 4–11–6 (3–7–5)
January 13 7:05 PM vs. RIT MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Murray L 0–5  350 4–12–6 (3–8–5)
January 14 2:05 PM vs. RIT MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Skog W 5–3  350 5–12–6 (4–8–5)
January 17 7:05 PM vs. Army MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Skog L 0–2  370 5–13–6 (4–9–5)
January 20 7:07 PM at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York   Skog W 7–3  680 6–13–6 (5–9–5)
January 21 7:05 PM at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York   Murray W 7–2  784 7–13–6 (6–9–5)
January 27 2:05 PM vs. Canisius MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Murray L 2–4  103 7–14–6 (6–10–5)
January 28 2:05 PM vs. Canisius MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Murray L 1–6  351 7–15–6 (6–11–5)
February 2 7:05 PM vs. Holy Cross MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Murray L 1–3  402 7–16–6 (6–12–5)
February 3 7:05 PM at Holy Cross Hart CenterWorcester, Massachusetts   Murray L 2–8  1,224 7–17–6 (6–13–5)
February 10 8:37 PM at #20 Air Force Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado   Skog L 0–5  2,264 7–18–6 (6–14–5)
February 11 7:05 PM at #20 Air Force Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado   Skog T 3–3 OT 1,906 7–18–7 (6–14–6)
February 23 7:05 PM vs. Army MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Skog T 1–1 OT 764 7–18–8 (6–14–7)
February 25 7:05 PM vs. Army MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Skog W 2–1 OT 2,418 8–18–8 (7–14–7)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 3 7:05 PM at Mercyhurst* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania (Atlantic Hockey First Round game 1)   Skog L 3–4  1,042 8–19–8
March 4 7:05 PM at Mercyhurst* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania (Atlantic Hockey First Round game 2)   Skog L 0–5  1,001 8–20–8
American International Lost Series 0–2
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[3]

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Blake Christensen LW 33 8 13 21 37
Dominik Florián {{{last}}} F 35 10 10 20 32
Martin Mellberg RW 35 7 12 19 32
Hugo Reinhardt C 35 6 13 19 18
Austin Orszulak LW 36 9 5 14 24
Johnny Mueller D 35 4 10 14 32
Shawn McBride C/D 35 4 10 14 6
Andrew DeBrincat D 34 1 13 14 22
Jānis Jaks D 27 5 6 11 10
Jackson Dudley LW 25 2 8 10 8
Patrik Demel D 14 4 5 9 2
Nicolas Luka D 34 3 6 9 24
Kyle Stephan RW 24 3 5 8 26
Johno May C/RW 33 3 5 8 20
Jared Pike F 36 5 2 7 30
Bryant Christian F 35 1 5 6 24
Joel Kocur C/LW 28 3 2 5 10
Marc Dubeau D 31 2 3 5 6
Ryan Polin D 31 1 4 5 10
Billy Vizzo F 8 1 0 1 2
Carson Grolla D 14 0 1 1 6
Zacharias Skog G 24 0 1 1 6
Dominic Racobaldo D 25 0 0 0 6
Daniel Mele F 3 0 0 0 0
Justin Ketola G 4 0 0 0 0
Alex Murray G 15 0 0 0 0
Bench - - - - - 6
Total 82 140 222 399

[4]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Zacharias Skog 24 1356 5 12 6 69 652 1 .904 3.05
Alex Murray 15 753 3 8 2 45 340 1 .883 3.58
Justin Ketola 4 64 0 0 0 6 24 0 .800 5.60
Empty Net - 26 - - - 2 - - - -
Total 36 2201 8 20 8 122 1016 2 .893 3.32

Rankings

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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 (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

USCHO did not release a poll in Week 24.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Chimelis, Ron (March 12, 2019). "After decades of losing, AIC hockey is savoring its success". MassLive. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  2. ^ "American International College". Elite Prospects. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  3. ^ "American International Yellow Jackets (Men) 2016-2017 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  4. ^ "American International College 2017-2018 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved December 6, 2019.