2020–21 Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey season

The 2020–21 Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey season was the 53rd season of play for the program and the 15th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Falcons represented the United States Air Force Academy and were coached by Frank Serratore, in his 24th season.

2020–21 Air Force Falcons
men's ice hockey season
ConferenceAtlantic Hockey
Home iceCadet Ice Arena
Rankings
USCHO.comNR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall3–10–1
Conference3–10–1–2–1–0
Home2–2–0
Road1–7–1
Neutral0–1–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachFrank Serratore
Assistant coachesAndy Berg
Joe Doyle
Captain(s)Jake Levin
Zack Mirageas
Alternate captain(s)Shawn Knowlton
Alex Mehnert
Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey seasons
« 2019–20 2021–22 »

The start of the college hockey season was delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As a result, Air Force's first scheduled game was in late-November as opposed to early-October, which was the norm.

Season

edit

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Air Force's players would lose a season of play.[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[2]

Air Force was consistently ranked as one of the worst teams for most of the season. The Falcon's went winless in their first 10 matches and their offense was particularly weak, averaging less than 2 goals per game in those matches. Near the end of the season Air Force's offense finally was able to cobble together a collection of goals that gave the team a three-game winning streak. They entered the Atlantic Hockey Tournament hoping to continue their run, unfortunately, Bentley ended the Falcons' year with a 3–7 loss.

Luke Rowe sat out the season.

Departures

edit
Player Position Nationality Cause
Kieran Durgan Forward   United States Left program
Carter Ekberg Defenseman   United States Transferred to Long Island
Erich Jaeger Forward   United States Graduation
Keegan Mantaro Forward   United States Left program
Luke Manning Forward   United States Transferred to St. Thomas
Pierce Pluemer Forward   United States Graduation
Matt Pulver Forward   United States Graduation
Trevor Stone Forward   United States Graduation
Brady Tomlak Forward   United States Graduation (Signed with Wheeling Nailers)
Joe Tyran Defenseman   United States Graduation
Jensen Zerban Forward   United States Left program

Recruiting

edit
Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Brian Adams Forward   United States 20 San Ramon, CA
Maiszon Balboa Goaltender   United States 20 Colorado Springs, CO
Sam Brennan Defenseman   United States 20 Brighton, MA
Parker Brown Forward   United States 20 Hanahan, SC
Thomas Daskas Forward   United States 21 Rochester Hills, MN
Billy Duma Forward   United States 22 Plymouth, MN; had already completed two years of classes
Will Gavin Forward   United States 20 Durham, CT
Nate Horn Forward   United States 21 Elk River, MN
Noah Kim Defenseman   United States 20 Fullerton, CA
Jacob Marti Forward   United States 21 Highlands Ranch, CO
Luke Robinson Defenseman   United States 21 Dublin, CA

Roster

edit
As of August 31, 2020.[3]
No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2   Andrew Kruse Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-12-06 Delano, Minnesota Minnesota Magicians (NAHL)
3   Jake Levin (C) Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-02-03 Mequon, Wisconsin Odessa (NAHL)
4   Luke Rowe Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-08-08 Succasunna, New Jersey Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC)
6   Alex Mehnert (A) Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-06-15 Moorhead, Minnesota Omaha (USHL)
7   Brian Adams Freshman F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-12-07 San Ramon, California Wenatchee (BCHL)
8   Marshall Bowery Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1996-11-17 Rochester Hills, Michigan Topeka (NAHL)
10   Billy Duma Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-11-17 Wayzata, Minnesota Amarillo (NAHL)
11   Max Harper Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1996-09-29 Rochester Hills, Michigan Topeka (NAHL)
12   Blake Bride Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-04-22 Broomfield, Colorado Sioux Falls (USHL)
13   Keenan Lund Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-08-03 Sartell, Minnesota Minot (NAHL)
14   Jacob Marti Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-06-10 Highlands Ranch, Colorado Bismarck (NAHL)
15   Bennett Norlin Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-10-26 Farmington, Minnesota West Kelowna (BCHL)
16   Sam Brennan Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-01-16 Brighton, Michigan Lone Star (NAHL)
17   Parker Brown Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 1999-09-08 Hanahan, South Carolina Fairbanks (NAHL)
18   Ty Pochipinski Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-06-05 Colorado Springs, Colorado Penticton (BCHL)
19   Luke Manning Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-04-13 Stillwater, Minnesota Des Moines (USHL)
20   Brandon Koch Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-01-18 Hastings, Minnesota Wenatchee (BCHL)
23   Willie Reim Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1999-01-11 North Oaks, Minnesota West Kelowna (BCHL)
24   Nate Horn Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1999-03-02 Elk River, Minnesota Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)
26   Noah Kim Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-05-09 Fullerton, California Okotoks (AJHL)
27   Luke Robinson Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-02-16 Nashville, Tennessee Dubuque (USHL)
29   Shawn Knowlton (A) Senior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1996-08-14 Slingerlands, New York Aberdeen (NAHL)
30   Erik Anderson Senior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996-06-10 Chanhassen, Minnesota Pikes Peak (RMJHL)
31   Zach LaRocque Senior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1997-01-26 Arvada, Colorado Cedar Rapids (USHL)
33   Alex Schilling Junior G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-12-23 Medina, Minnesota Austin (NAHL)
34   Thomas Daskas Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-09-03 Rochester, Michigan Lone Star (NAHL)
37   Will Gavin Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-10-21 Durham, Connecticut Northern (NCDC)
41   Austin Park Sophomore G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-06-05 Highlands Ranch, Colorado Wenatchee (BCHL)
47   Dalton Weigel Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-12-30 Bloomington, Minnesota Aberdeen (NAHL)
51   Maiszon Balboa Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-04-18 Colorado Springs, Colorado Shreveport (NAHL)
74   Zack Mirageas (C) Senior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-07-15 Newburyport, Massachusetts Bloomington (USHL)

Standings

edit
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OW OL SW PTS PT% GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#15 American International †* 12 11 1 0 1 0 0 32 .889 47 18 19 15 4 0 67 40
Army 15 10 4 1 3 1 1 30 .667 42 33 22 15 6 1 71 48
Robert Morris 15 10 5 0 2 1 0 29 .644 58 48 24 15 9 0 85 69
Canisius 13 8 5 0 1 1 0 24 .615 42 34 17 11 6 0 59 46
RIT 13 7 5 1 0 0 1 23 .590 43 40 20 9 9 2 68 70
Sacred Heart 13 6 6 1 1 2 0 20 .513 35 38 18 6 10 2 43 59
Mercyhurst 16 7 8 1 1 1 1 23 .479 54 50 21 8 12 1 64 67
Bentley 15 4 11 0 1 5 0 16 .356 35 48 16 5 11 0 42 51
Niagara 15 3 9 3 0 2 1 15 .333 39 53 22 7 12 3 57 70
Air Force 13 3 9 1 2 1 0 9 .231 32 49 14 3 10 1 35 56
Holy Cross 12 3 9 0 2 0 0 7 .194 22 38 16 4 12 0 30 52
Championship: March 20, 2021
† indicates conference regular season champion
* 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
November 27 1:00 PM at American International MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Schilling L 1–3  0 0–1–0 (0–1–0)
November 28 1:00 PM at American International MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Schilling L 1–2  0 0–2–0 (0–2–0)
December 4 7:05 PM vs. Robert Morris Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado   Schilling L 1–4  0 0–3–0 (0–3–0)
December 5 4:05 PM vs. Robert Morris Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado   Schilling L 2–4  0 0–4–0 (0–4–0)
December 12 5:05 PM vs. USNTDP* Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado (Exhibition)   LaRocque T 4–4 SOL 0
December 13 5:05 PM vs. USNTDP* Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado (Exhibition)   Schilling L 1–3  0
January 3 3:00 PM at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York   Schilling L 2–7  0 0–5–0 (0–5–0)
January 4 3:05 PM at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York   LaRocque T 1–1 SOL 0 0–5–1 (0–5–1)
January 4 3:05 PM vs. Sacred Heart Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York   LaRocque L 3–4 OT 0 0–6–1 (0–6–1)
January 8 3:00 PM at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   LaRocque L 2–5  0 0–7–1 (0–7–1)
January 9 1:00 PM at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   Schilling L 3–6  0 0–8–1 (0–8–1)
January 31 3:05 PM at Bentley Bentley ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts   Schilling L 3–6  0 0–9–1 (0–9–1)
February 1 1:05 PM at Bentley Bentley ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts   Schilling W 4–3 OT 0 1–9–1 (1–9–1)
February 19 7:05 PM vs. Canisius Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado   Schilling W 4–3 OT 100 2–9–1 (2–9–1)
February 20 5:00 PM vs. Canisius Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado   LaRocque W 5–1  100 3–9–1 (3–9–1)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 9 3:05 PM at Bentley* Bentley ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts (First Round)   LaRocque L 3–7  0 3–10–1
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Mountain Time.

[4]

Scoring statistics

edit
Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Willie Reim F 14 6 6 12 10
Brandon Koch D 14 3 6 9 6
Will Gavin F 14 3 5 8 2
Shawn Knowlton F 10 4 3 7 19
Max Harper F 14 4 3 7 0
Nate Horn F 14 3 4 7 2
Thomas Daskas F 14 3 4 7 12
Jacob Levin D 12 2 5 7 6
Blake Bride RW 14 2 3 5 12
Bennett Norlin F 13 0 5 5 0
Brian Adams F 12 1 3 4 8
Ty Pochipinski F 14 2 1 3 6
Luke Robinson D 14 0 3 3 8
Zack Mirageas D 13 1 1 2 38
Keenan Lund F 4 0 2 2 0
Marshall Bowery F 14 0 2 2 12
Jake Marti F 11 1 0 1 18
Alex Mehnert D 14 0 1 1 4
Dalton Weigel D 14 0 1 1 0
Erik Anderson G 1 0 0 0 0
Noah Kim D 2 0 0 0 0
Billy Duma F 2 0 0 0 2
Andrew Kruse D 5 0 0 0 0
Zack LaRocque G 8 0 0 0 0
Alex Schilling G 10 0 0 0 2
Sam Brennan D 13 0 0 0 2
Bench D 14 0 0 0 2
Total 35 58 93 171

[5]

Goaltending statistics

edit
Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Erik Anderson 1 2:47 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.000 0.00
Zach LaRocque 8 380 1 3 1 18 153 0 .895 2.84
Alex Schilling 10 458 2 7 0 33 183 0 .847 4.32
Empty Net - 13 - - - 5 - - - -
Total 14 855 3 10 1 56 337 0 .858 3.93

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 (Final)
USCHO.com 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

USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.[6]

Awards and honors

edit
Player Award Ref
Zach LaRocque Atlantic Hockey Second Team [7]

References

edit
  1. ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "2020–21 Ice Hockey Roster". U.S. Air Force Academy Athletics. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  4. ^ "Air Force Falcons (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  5. ^ "Air Force Academy 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  6. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  7. ^ "Atlantic Hockey Announces All-Conference and All-Rookie Winners". Atlantic Hockey. March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.