2022–23 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season

The 2022–23 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season was the 75th season of play for the program and 20th in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Yellow Jackets represented American International College, played their home games at MassMutual Center and were coached by Eric Lang, in his 7th season.

2022–23 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season
Conference2nd Atlantic Hockey
Home iceMassMutual Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall18–14–7
Conference14–8–4
Home7–8–4
Road11–6–3
Coaches and captains
Head coachEric Lang
Assistant coachesPatrick Tabb
Matthew Woodward
Brendan Riley
Captain(s)Austen Long
Nico Somerville
Alternate captain(s)Brett Callahan
Nick Cardelli
Luis Lindner
Eric Otto
American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey seasons
« 2021–22 2023–24 »

Season

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Coming into the season as the three-time reigning Atlantic Hockey champion, AIC's biggest hurdle for a title was the monumental turnover with the roster. With more than half of the team leaving, coach Lang brought in a mix of freshman and transfers to try and plug the holes in the lineup. While the brain trust in goal had left, the Yellow Jackets managed to retain Blake Bennett, the team's leading scorer from the previous year. Even with the reshuffling on the defensive side, AIC posted nearly identical number, allowing 2.45 goals per game. Senior Jarrett Fiske ended up with the lion's share of minutes while transfer Alexandros Aslanidis proved to be a capable backup. The retooled offense was nearly as strong, scoring slightly fewer goals per game. Unfortunately, AIC's overall performance wasn't quite up to the championship standards.

The team got off to a decent start, posting winning records both in and outside their conference. November, however, was not kind to the Yellow Jackets and the team lost four conference matches. From that point on, the Yellow Jackets were playing catchup with RIT. AIC played well for the rest of the regular season, not losing consecutive games for the remainder of the regular season, but they could never match the Tigers and ended up 2nd in the league standings.

Because of the team's poor non-conference results, AIC finished well below the cutoff line for an at-large bid and would have to win the conference tournament to return to the NCAA tournament. The Yellow Jackets opened against Holy Cross and won the first game comfortably. After that the team appear to lose all of its momentum and were outplayed by the Crusaders. AIC was outshot 44–91 in the following two games but the disparity in talent allowed the matches to remain close. After a narrow defeat in the second game, AIC got into a dogfight with Holy Cross in the deciding game. The Yellow Jackets fell behind on three separate occasions but were able to tie the game each time and force the game into overtime. While the play was a little more even in the extra session, the team was unable to stop the Crusaders from netting the winning goal and ending the season for the Yellow Jackets.[1]

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Elijiah Barriga Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Dundee Stars)
Alec Calvaruso Goaltender   United States Signed professional contract (Greenville Swamp Rabbits)
Justin Cole Forward   United States Graduation (retired)
Chris Dodero Forward   United States Graduation (signed with HK Olimpija)
Zak Galambos Defenseman   United States Transferred to Western Michigan
Santeri Hartikainen Forward   Finland Transferred to Long Island
Hunter Johannes Forward   United States Transferred to Lindenwood
Jake Kucharski Goaltender   United States Transferred to Omaha
Luka Maver Forward   Slovenia Graduation (signed with Pioneers Vorarlberg)
Ryan McInchak Goaltender   United States Transferred to Cornell
Parker Revering Defenseman   United States Graduation (retired)
Brian Rigali Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Worcester Railers)
Jake Stella Forward   Sweden Transferred to Massachusetts Lowell
Michal Stinil Forward   Czech Republic Signed professional contract (Wichita Thunder)
Chris Theodore Forward   Canada Graduate transfer to Union
Chris Van Os-Shaw Forward   Canada Graduation (signed with Indy Fuel)
Justin Young Forward   Canada Graduation (signed with Allen Americans)

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Andrew Amousse Forward   Canada 21 Laval, QC
Alexandros Aslanidis Goaltender   United States 21 Morristown, NJ; transfer from Western Michigan
Joshua Barnes Forward   Canada 20 Cornwall, ON
Jordan Biro Forward   Canada 22 Sherwood Park, AB; transfer from Colorado College
Brennan Boynton Goaltender   United States 22 Champlin, MN; transfer from Minnesota
Grayson Dietrich Forward   Canada 20 Calgary, AB
Oscar Geschwind Forward   Sweden 21 Karlstad, SWE; transfer from Northern Michigan
Timofei Khokhlachev Forward   Russia 20 Moscow, RUS
Troy Kobryn Goaltender   United States 23 Hillsborough, NJ; transfer from Merrimack
John Lundy Forward   United States 21 Brooklyn, NY; joined mid-season
Alexander Malinowski Forward   Sweden 21 Linköping, SWE
Dustin Manz Forward   United States 22 Vanderbilt, MI; transfer from Lake Superior State
Hunter McCurdy Defenseman   United States 21 Mokena, IL
Casey McDonald Forward   Canada 21 Kindersley, SK
Jake Rosenbaum Defenseman   United States 25 Laguna Niguel, CA; graduate transfer from Minnesota Duluth
Brett Rylance Forward   Canada 21 Edmonton, AB
Jake Sacratini Forward   Canada 21 Pincourt, QC
Casper Söderling Defenseman   Sweden 21 Stockholm, SWE

Roster

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As of September 15, 2022.[2]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1   Alexandros Aslanidis Junior G 6' 5" (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2001-01-20 Moorestown, New Jersey Western Michigan (NCHC)
2   Nico Somerville (C) Junior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-04-08 Nanaimo, British Columbia Penticton (BCHL)
3   Jake Rosenbaum Graduate D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-03-28 Trabuco, California Minnesota Duluth (NCHC)
4   Brett Callahan (A) Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-10-16 Westmont, Illinois Jersey (NCDC)
5   Alexander Tertyshny Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-01-03 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Northeast (NAHL)
6   Matt Rickard Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-07-28 Coventry, Rhode Island Lone Star (NAHL)
7   Brian Kramer Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-07-20 Wexford, Pennsylvania Robert Morris (AHA)
8   Luis Lindner (A) Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2001-05-16 Spittal an der Drau, Austria Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC)
9   Blake Bennett Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 1998-07-01 Grand Island, New York Corpus Christi (NAHL)
10   Dustin Manz Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1999-09-21 Vanderbilt, Michigan Lake Superior State (CCHA)
11   Julius Janhonen Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-03-05 Espoo, Finland HIFK U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga)
12   Eric Otto (A) Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1997-07-19 Burnsville, Minnesota Chicago (USHL)
13   Grayson Dietrich Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-12-18 Calgary, Alberta Drumheller (AJHL)
14   Nicholas Cardelli (A) Graduate F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1997-06-06 Oak Brook, Illinois Bemidji State (CCHA)
15   Casper Söderling Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-06-02 Stockholm, Sweden Nacka J20 (J20 Regional)
16   Reggie Millette Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-04-10 Jacksonville, Florida Austin (NAHL)
17   Oscar Geschwind Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-02-24 Hällefors, Sweden Northern Michigan (CCHA)
19   Jordan Biro Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2000-08-10 Sherwood Park, Alberta Colorado College (NCHC)
20   Hunter McCurdy Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2001-08-09 Mokena, Illinois Danbury (NAHL)
21   John Lundy Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 163 lb (74 kg) 2001-04-27 Brooklyn, New York Jamestown (NAHL)
22   Timofei Khokhlachev Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2001-11-06 Moscow, Russia Shreveport (NAHL)
23   Aaron Grounds Junior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-12-24 Jamestown, North Dakota Fargo (USHL)
24   Zach Purcell Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-06-13 Parker, Colorado Lone Star (NAHL)
25   Alexander Malinowski Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-02-07 Linköping, Sweden Fairbanks (NAHL)
26   Jake Sacratini Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2001-05-19 Pincourt, Quebec Notre Dame (SJHL)
27   Josh Barnes Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2002-09-27 Cornwall, Ontario Des Moines (USHL)
28   Andrew Amousse Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2001-07-16 Laval, Quebec Victoria (BCHL)
29   Darwin Lakoduk Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2000-01-28 Edmonton, Alberta Penticton (BCHL)
30   Troy Kobryn Graduate G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-02-14 Hillsborough, New Jersey Merrimack (HEA)
33   Jarrett Fiske Senior G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-05-28 Erie, Pennsylvania Kemptville (CCHL)
34   Brennan Boynton Sophomore G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2000-08-01 Champlin, Minnesota Minnesota (Big Ten)
37   Evan Stella Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-05-11 Karlstad, Sweden Dubuque (USHL)
44   Austen Long (C) Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-02-15 Minneapolis, Minnesota Omaha (USHL)
55   Brett Rylance Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 167 lb (76 kg) 2001-08-03 Edmonton, Alberta Chilliwack (BCHL)
61   Casey McDonald Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2001-05-10 Plenty, Saskatchewan Penticton (BCHL)

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OW OL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
RIT 26 18 7 1 1 3 0 57 85 55 39 25 13 1 127 100
American International 26 14 8 4 2 0 3 47 87 62 39 18 14 7 124 98
Sacred Heart 26 14 9 3 2 0 2 45 87 72 37 17 17 3 107 112
Canisius * 26 13 10 3 3 1 1 41 76 71 42 20 19 3 118 119
Army 26 12 12 2 3 3 1 39 72 81 37 14 19 4 98 119
Niagara 26 10 13 3 0 3 2 38 73 86 40 19 18 3 119 129
Holy Cross 26 12 12 2 3 1 1 37 73 71 41 17 21 3 98 119
Mercyhurst 26 9 14 3 1 5 1 35 77 80 36 10 23 3 98 122
Bentley 26 8 16 2 1 1 1 27 61 89 34 11 21 2 81 124
Air Force 26 8 17 1 1 0 0 24 63 87 36 12 22 2 95 128
Championship: March 18, 2023
† indicates conference regular season champion (DeGregorio Trophy)
* 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
Regular Season
October 1 11:07 PM at Alaska* Carlson CenterFairbanks, Alaska FloHockey Fiske T 1–1 OT 1,950 0–0–1
October 2 8:07 PM at Alaska* Carlson CenterFairbanks, Alaska FloHockey Fiske L 1–2  1,410 0–1–1
October 8 7:05 PM #13 Massachusetts* MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske T 2–2 OT 1,144 0–1–2
October 14 7:00 PM at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York FloHockey Fiske W 6–3  903 1–1–2 (1–0–0)
October 15 5:30 PM at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York FloHockey Aslanidis W 5–2  511 2–1–2 (2–0–0)
October 18 7:05 PM Holy Cross MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske L 3–7  254 2–2–2 (2–1–0)
October 22 7:05 PM Lindenwood* MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Aslanidis W 5–0  343 3–2–2
October 23 3:05 PM Lindenwood* MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Aslanidis W 5–3  146 4–2–2
October 28 7:00 PM at Army Tate RinkWest Point, New York FloHockey Aslanidis W 8–2  1,492 5–2–2 (3–1–0)
November 5 1:05 PM RIT MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Aslanidis L 3–4  227 5–3–2 (3–2–0)
November 6 3:05 PM RIT MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Kobryn L 2–3  231 5–4–2 (3–3–0)
November 11 7:00 PM at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York FloHockey Fiske L 2–5  605 5–5–2 (3–4–0)
November 12 3:00 PM at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York FloHockey Kobryn L 2–3  603 5–6–2 (3–5–0)
November 15 7:05 PM Holy Cross MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske W 4–1  193 6–6–2 (4–5–0)
November 19 1:05 PM Air Force MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske T 3–3 SOW 347 6–6–3 (4–5–1)
November 20 7:05 PM Air Force MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske W 3–1  199 7–6–3 (5–5–1)
November 26 2:00 PM at Maine* Alfond ArenaOrono, Maine ESPN+ Fiske L 1–5  2,910 7–7–3
December 1 7:05 PM Bentley MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske W 7–2  181 8–7–3 (6–5–1)
December 2 7:05 PM at Bentley Bentley ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske W 5–1  1,442 9–7–3 (7–5–1)
December 8 5:05 PM Niagara MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske T 0–0 SOL - 9–7–4 (7–5–2)
December 9 1:05 PM Niagara MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske W 4–1  296 10–7–4 (8–5–2)
December 29 7:00 PM at Cornell* Lynah RinkIthaca, New York ESPN+ Fiske L 4–8  2,927 10–8–4
December 30 7:00 PM at Cornell* Lynah RinkIthaca, New York ESPN+ Aslanidis T 3–3 OT 3,024 10–8–5
January 7 1:05 PM #17 Massachusetts Lowell* MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske L 2–4  449 10–9–5
January 14 7:00 PM at Vermont* Gutterson FieldhouseBurlington, Vermont ESPN+ Aslanidis W 4–0  2,301 11–9–5
January 17 7:00 PM at Army Tate RinkWest Point, New York FloHockey Aslanidis W 2–1 OT 977 12–9–5 (9–5–2)
January 20 7:05 PM at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Aslanidis L 1–4  600 12–10–5 (9–6–2)
January 21 3:05 PM at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Aslanidis W 2–1 OT 354 13–10–5 (10–6–2)
February 2 7:05 PM Sacred Heart MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Kobryn L 2–4  363 13–11–5 (10–7–2)
February 4 7:00 PM at Sacred Heart Martire Family ArenaFairfield, Connecticut FloHockey Fiske W 4–1  4,267 14–11–5 (11–7–2)
February 8 7:05 PM Bentley MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske L 3–4  277 14–12–5 (11–8–2)
February 10 7:05 PM at Bentley Bentley ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske T 2–2 SOW 1,620 14–12–6 (11–8–3)
February 17 9:05 PM at Air Force Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado Altitude 2 Fiske W 3–2  1,850 15–12–6 (12–8–3)
February 18 7:05 PM at Air Force Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey Aslanidis W 4–3  2,299 16–12–6 (13–8–3)
February 24 7:05 PM Sacred Heart MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Fiske T 2–2 SOW - 16–12–7 (13–8–4)
February 25 7:00 PM at Sacred Heart Martire Family ArenaFairfield, Connecticut FloHockey Fiske W 5–0  4,225 17–12–7 (14–8–4)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 3 1:05 pm Holy Cross* MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal Game 1) FloHockey Fiske W 3–1  147 18–12–7
March 4 1:05 pm Holy Cross* MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal Game 2) FloHockey Fiske L 3–4  264 18–13–7
March 5 1:05 pm Holy Cross* MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal Game 3) FloHockey Fiske L 3–4  297 18–14–7
*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 Bennett F 38 22 13 35 35
Jordan Biro F 38 11 20 31 2
Dustin Manz F 39 10 14 24 17
Brian Kramer D 35 6 17 23 38
Nicholas Cardelli F 31 11 11 22 12
Julius Janhonen F 38 8 14 22 24
Alexander Malinowski F 34 7 13 20 8
Brett Rylance F 33 8 11 19 8
Brett Callahan D 35 2 16 18 10
Matt Rickard D 33 2 15 17 10
Oscar Geschwind F 35 8 8 16 6
Evan Stella D 39 2 13 15 35
Timofei Khokhlachev F 35 7 5 12 22
Josh Barnes F 21 5 4 9 6
Aaron Grounds F 31 4 5 9 19
Casey McDonald F 18 5 3 8 10
Austen Long F 35 3 5 8 43
Luis Lindner D 35 0 7 7 10
Eric Otto F 18 2 2 4 4
Nico Somerville F 30 0 3 3 18
Jarrett Fiske G 26 0 2 2 0
Andrew Amousse F 6 1 0 1 0
John Lundy F 9 0 1 1 2
Reggie Millette F 13 0 1 1 10
Zach Purcell F 3 0 0 0 2
Brennan Boynton G 3 0 0 0 0
Grayson Dietrich F 4 0 0 0 2
Casper Soderling D 4 0 0 0 2
Troy Kobryn G 9 0 0 0 0
Alexandros Aslanidis G 16 0 0 0 0
Darwin Lakoduk F 25 0 0 0 2
Jake Rosenbaum D 26 0 0 0 2
Total 124 203 327 369

[4]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Alexandros Aslanidis 16 728:03 8 3 1 26 311 2 .923 2.14
Jarrett Fiske 26 1435:04 10 8 6 57 682 2 .923 2.38
Troy Kobryn 9 193:39 0 3 0 9 78 0 .897 2.79
Brennan Boynton 3 20:00 0 0 0 1 8 0 .889 3.00
Empty Net - 22:38 - - - 5 - - - -
Total 39 2399:24 18 14 7 98 1079 4 .917 2.45

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 26 27 (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 NR NR

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.[5]

Awards and honors

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Player Award Ref
Jarrett Fiske Atlantic Hockey Regular Season Goaltending Award [6]
Blake Bennett Atlantic Hockey First Team [7]
Jarrett Fiske Atlantic Hockey Second Team [7]
Brian Kramer
Jordan Biro Atlantic Hockey Third Team [7]

References

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  1. ^ "SUNDAY, MARCH 5, 2023". College Hockey Inc. March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". American International College Athletics. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  3. ^ "American 2022-23 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". AIC Yellow Jackets. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  4. ^ "American International College 2022-2023 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "Atlantic Hockey Announces 2023-23 Regular Season Awards". Atlantic Hockey. March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Atlantic Hockey Announces 2022-23 All-Conference Teams". Atlantic Hockey. March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.