Wikipedia

2018–19 Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey season

The 2018–19 Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey season was the 51st season of play for the program and the 13th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Falcons represented the United States Air Force Academy and were coached by Frank Serratore, in his 22nd season.

2018–19 Air Force Falcons
men's ice hockey season
Conference3rd Atlantic Hockey
Home iceCadet Ice Arena
Rankings
USCHO.comNR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall16–15–5
Conference14–10–4
Home9–7–3
Road6–7–1
Neutral1–1–1
Coaches and captains
Head coachFrank Serratore
Assistant coachesAndy Berg
Joe Doyle
Captain(s)Matt Koch
Evan Giesler
Matt Serratore
Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey seasons
« 2017–18 2019–20 »

Season

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Coming off of two consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, Air Force was attempting to live up to very lofty expectations, particularly for an Atlantic Hockey team. Unfortunately, the team got off to a poor start and began the season 1–4. The Falcons recovered afterwards and righted the ship with a 5-game winning streak, placing them near the top of the conference standings. A sweep at the hands of American International in mid-November put them behind the 8-ball at least in terms of a league championship, but a good showing against Bemidji State and in the Ice Vegas Invitational gave the team hope for another NCAA appearance.

The second half of their season began similar to the first half and Air Force went through a stretch of 5 game without a win. They briefly bounced back against Robert Morris but then hovered around .500 for the remainder of the season. Entering the postseason, Air Force had no mathematic chance to make the 2019 NCAA Tournament without winning their conference tournament. That glimmer of hope was quickly snuffed out when they were upset by Niagara in the quarterfinals.

After the season, Billy Christopoulos joined the select few graduates of the Air Force Academy to play professional hockey when he signed with the South Carolina Stingrays.[1]

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Dylan Abood Defenseman   United States Graduation (retired)
Erik Baskin Forward   United States Graduation (retired)
Phil Boje Defenseman   United States Graduation (retired)
Jordan Himley Forward   United States Graduation (retired)
Jonathan Kopacka Defenseman   United States Graduation (retired)
Ben Kucera Forward   United States Graduation (retired)
Tyler Ledford Forward   United States Graduation (retired)
Kyle Mackey Defenseman   United States Graduation (retired)
Isaac Theisen Forward   United States Left program
Will Ulrich Goaltender   United States Left program

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Kieran Durgan Forward   United States 21 St. Johns, MI
Carter Ekberg Defenseman   United States 21 McMurray, PA
Tyler Jutting Defenseman   United States 21 Mankato, MN
Keegan Mantaro Defenseman   United States 20 Monument, CO
Alex Schilling Goaltender   United States 21 Medina, MN
Jensen Zerban Forward   United States 20 Elk River, MN

Roster

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No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2   Tyler Jutting Freshman D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1997-07-27 Mankato, Minnesota West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL) —
3   Jake Levin Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1997-02-03 Mequon, Wisconsin Odessa Jackalopes (NAHL) —
6   Alex Mehnert Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-06-15 Moorhead, Minnesota Omaha Lancers (USHL) —
7   Matt Koch (C) Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1995-03-22 Hastings, Minnesota Wichita Falls Wildcats (NAHL) —
8   Marshall Bowery Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1996-11-17 Rochester Hills, Michigan Topeka RoadRunners (NAHL) —
9   Trevor Stone Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1996-06-03 Pleasant Plains, Illinois Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL) —
10   Keegan Mantaro Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-12-03 Monument, Colorado Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) —
11   Max Harper Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1996-09-29 Rochester Hills, Michigan Topeka RoadRunners (NAHL) —
12   Matt Serratore (C) Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1994-06-21 Bemidji, Minnesota Penticton Vees (BCHL) —
15   Evan Giesler (C) Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1994-02-19 Naperville, Illinois Bismarck Bobcats (BCHL) —
16   Kyle Haak Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1994-08-06 Okemos, Michigan Aberdeen Wings (NAHL) —
17   Joe Tyran Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996-03-07 Chattaroy, Washington Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL) —
18   Evan Feno Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1995-02-14 Morrison, Colorado Janesville Jets (NAHL) —
20   Dan Bailey Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1996-03-21 St. Cloud, Minnesota Wenatchee Wild (NAHL) —
21   Matt Pulver Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-06-05 Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Aberdeen Wings (NAHL) —
22   Pierce Pluemer Junior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1996-01-07 Phillips, Wisconsin Odessa Jackalopes (NAHL) —
25   Carter Ekberg Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-05-14 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Janesville Jets (NAHL) —
26   Erich Jaeger Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1996-01-02 Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Wichita Falls Wildcats (NAHL) —
27   Jensen Zerban Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-11-13 Elk River, Minnesota Jamestown Rebels (NAHL) —
28   Brady Tomlak Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1996-05-14 Oakland, Michigan Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL) —
29   Shawn Knowlton Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1996-08-14 Slingerlands, New York Aberdeen Wings (NAHL) —
30   Erik Anderson Sophomore G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1996-06-10 Chanhassen, Minnesota Pikes Peak (RMJHL) —
31   Zach LaRocque Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1997-01-26 Arvada, Colorado Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL) —
33   Alex Schilling Freshman G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-12-23 Medina, Minnesota Austin Bruins (NAHL) —
42   Walker Sommer Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1996-04-29 Avon, Ohio New Jersey Hitmen (USPHL) —
44   Billy Christopoulos Senior G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1994-02-01 Raleigh, North Carolina Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL) —
74   Zack Mirageas Sophomore D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-07-15 Newburyport, Massachusetts Bloomington Thunder (USHL) —
88   Kieran Durgan Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-08-20 St. Johns, Michigan Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL) —

[2]

Standings

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2018–19 Atlantic Hockey Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#16 American International †* 28 18 9 1 37 102 77 41 23 17 1 129 119
Bentley 28 15 9 4 34 94 75 37 17 15 5 113 98
Air Force 28 14 10 4 32 65 63 36 16 15 5 90 92
Sacred Heart 28 14 11 3 31 85 73 37 16 17 4 107 106
RIT 28 13 11 4 30 81 76 38 17 17 4 113 111
Niagara 28 11 12 5 27 94 96 41 17 19 5 127 140
Mercyhurst 28 11 13 4 26 88 94 38 13 20 5 113 134
Robert Morris 28 11 15 2 24 72 78 40 16 22 2 102 127
Holy Cross 28 10 14 4 24 81 89 36 10 21 5 91 112
Army 28 8 13 7 23 71 82 39 12 20 7 94 117
Canisius 28 8 16 4 20 77 107 37 12 20 5 103 133
Championship: March 23, 2019
† indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

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Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Exhibition
October 7 5:05 PM vs. Alberta* Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos T 2–2 OT 1,625
Regular Season
October 12 7:05 PM vs. #10 Denver* Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos L 1–4  2,386 0–1–0
October 13 7:07 PM vs. Colorado College* Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Battle for Pikes Peak)   Christopoulos L 1–6  4,327 0–2–0
October 19 5:35 PM at Canisius LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York   Christopoulos W 7–3  1,110 1–2–0 (1–0–0)
October 20 5:35 PM at Canisius LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York   Christopoulos L 0–2  1,371 1–3–0 (1–1–0)
October 25 7:05 PM vs. Niagara Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos L 0–5  1,326 1–4–0 (1–2–0)
October 26 7:05 PM vs. Niagara Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos W 2–1  1,754 2–4–0 (2–2–0)
November 2 5:05 PM at Army Tate Rink • West Point, New York   Christopoulos W 4–2  2,473 3–4–0 (3–2–0)
November 3 6:05 PM at Army Tate Rink • West Point, New York   Christopoulos W 4–2  2,317 4–4–0 (4–2–0)
November 9 7:05 PM vs. Bentley Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   LaRocque W 4–2  1,833 5–4–0 (5–2–0)
November 10 7:35 PM vs. Bentley Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   LaRocque W 4–1  1,742 6–4–0 (6–2–0)
November 16 12:05 PM vs. American International MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts   LaRocque L 0–5  117 6–5–0 (6–3–0)
November 17 11:05 AM vs. American International MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts   LaRocque L 0–4  378 6–6–0 (6–4–0)
November 30 5:05 PM at RIT Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York   Christopoulos W 3–1  2,851 7–6–0 (7–4–0)
December 1 5:05 PM at RIT Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York   Christopoulos W 3–0  2,231 8–6–0 (8–4–0)
December 7 7:35 PM vs. Mercyhurst Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos W 2–0  1,607 9–6–0 (9–4–0)
December 8 5:05 PM vs. Mercyhurst Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos L 1–4  1,848 9–7–0 (9–5–0)
December 29 7:05 PM vs. Bemidji State* Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos T 3–3 OT 2,231 9–7–1
December 30 5:05 PM vs. Bemidji State* Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos W 6–3  2,261 10–7–1
Ice Vegas Invitational
January 4 9:35 PM vs. St. Lawrence* T-Mobile Arena • Paradise, Nevada (Ice Vegas semifinal)   Christopoulos W 7–1  1,727 11–7–1
January 5 9:35 PM vs. #17 Western Michigan* T-Mobile Arena • Paradise, Nevada (Ice Vegas championship)   Christopoulos L 1–4  1,807 11–8–1
January 11 7:05 PM vs. Army Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos T 2–2 OT 2,716 11–8–2 (9–5–1)
January 12 5:05 PM vs. Army Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos T 2–2 OT 2,528 11–8–3 (9–5–2)
January 19 12:05 PM at Sacred Heart Webster Bank Arena • Bridgeport, Connecticut   Christopoulos L 1–3  356 11–9–3 (9–6–2)
January 20 2:05 PM vs. Sacred Heart Ingalls Rink • New Haven, Connecticut   Christopoulos T 2–2 OT 203 11–9–4 (9–6–3)
January 25 7:05 PM vs. Robert Morris Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos W 3–1  1,902 12–9–4 (10–6–3)
January 26 5:05 PM vs. Robert Morris Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos W 3–1  1,942 13–9–4 (11–6–3)
February 1 5:05 PM at Bentley Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts   Christopoulos L 3–4 OT 1,320 13–10–4 (11–7–3)
February 2 5:05 PM at Bentley Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts   Christopoulos L 0–4  1,351 13–11–4 (11–8–3)
February 15 7:05 PM vs. Canisius Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos W 3–0  2,142 14–11–4 (12–8–3)
February 16 5:05 PM vs. Canisius Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos L 0–3  2,053 14–12–4 (12–9–3)
February 22 5:05 PM at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania   Christopoulos T 3–3 OT 1,338 14–12–5 (12–9–4)
February 23 5:05 PM at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania   Christopoulos W 4–2  1,222 15–12–5 (13–9–4)
March 1 7:05 PM vs. Holy Cross Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos L 1–2 OT 1,809 15–13–5 (13–10–4)
March 2 5:05 PM vs. Holy Cross Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Christopoulos W 4–2  1,655 16–13–5 (14–10–4)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 15 7:05 PM vs. Niagara* Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals game 1)   Christopoulos L 2–3 OT 1,474 16–14–5
March 7 7:05 PM vs. Niagara* Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals game 2)   Christopoulos L 4–5  1,621 16–15–5
Air Force lost Series 0–2
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Mountain Time.
Source:[3]

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Matt Koch D 35 4 21 27 20
Kyle Haak F 35 12 11 23 20
Evan Fero F 32 11 11 22 13
Evan Giesler F 36 7 13 20 18
Kieran Durgan F 36 12 6 18 8
Brady Tomlak C 34 8 10 18 52
Zack Mirageas D 35 1 16 17 51
Walker Sommer C 35 9 5 14 12
Jake Levin D 36 1 12 13 8
Alex Mehnert D 36 1 11 12 24
Trevor Stone C/LW 34 9 2 11 20
Matt Pulver F 36 5 4 9 20
Joe Tyran D 26 3 4 7 8
Erich Jaeger F 26 1 5 6 24
Dan Bailey D 36 2 3 5 28
Marshall Bowery F 30 2 2 4 8
Pierce Pluemer LW 23 1 2 3 10
Carter Ekberg D 27 0 3 3 8
Matt Serratore F 3 1 1 2 4
Max Harper F 14 0 2 2 0
Shawn Knowlton F 28 0 2 2 8
Keegan Mantaro D 32 0 1 1 10
Zach LaRocque G 5 0 0 0 0
Jensen Zerban F 7 0 0 0 2
Tyler Jutting D 10 0 0 0 0
Billy Christopoulos G 32 0 0 0 0
Bench - - - - - 12
Total 90 147 237 388

[4]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Billy Christopoulos 32 1926 14 13 5 72 766 3 .914 2.24
Zach LaRocque 5 251 2 2 0 13 78 0 .857 3.10
Empty Net - 19 - - - 7 - - - -
Total 36 2197 16 15 5 92 844 3 .902 2.51

Rankings

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Main article: 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings
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 - 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 NR

USCHO did not release a poll in Week 25.[5]

Awards and honors

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Player Award Ref
Kyle Haak Senior CLASS Award [6]
Billy Christopoulos Atlantic Hockey Regular Season Goaltending Award [7]
Billy Christopoulos Atlantic Hockey First Team [8]

References

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  1. ^ "Bailey Signs PTO With AHL's Charlotte Checkers". South Carolina Stingrays. November 12, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  2. ^ "2018–19 Ice Hockey Roster". U.S. Air Force Academy Athletics. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  3. ^ "Air Force Falcons (Men) 2018-2019 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  4. ^ "Air Force Academy 2018-2019 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  5. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  6. ^ "Air Force's Kyle Haak Wins 2018-19 Senior CLASS Award® for Men's Hockey | Senior CLASS Award".
  7. ^ "Regular Season Awards Handed Out at End-of-Year Reception". atlantichockeyonline.com. March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  8. ^ "All-Conference Teams Announced". atlantichockeyonline.com. March 14, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
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