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

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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 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.

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 Minnesota Andrew Kruse Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-12-06 Delano, Minnesota Minnesota Magicians (NAHL) —
3 Wisconsin Jake Levin (C) Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-02-03 Mequon, Wisconsin Odessa (NAHL) —
4 New Jersey Luke Rowe Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-08-08 Succasunna, New Jersey Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC) —
6 Minnesota Alex Mehnert (A) Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-06-15 Moorhead, Minnesota Omaha (USHL) —
7 California Brian Adams Freshman F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-12-07 San Ramon, California Wenatchee (BCHL) —
8 Michigan Marshall Bowery Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1996-11-17 Rochester Hills, Michigan Topeka (NAHL) —
10 Minnesota Billy Duma Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-11-17 Wayzata, Minnesota Amarillo (NAHL) —
11 Michigan Max Harper Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1996-09-29 Rochester Hills, Michigan Topeka (NAHL) —
12 Colorado Blake Bride Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-04-22 Broomfield, Colorado Sioux Falls (USHL) —
13 Minnesota Keenan Lund Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-08-03 Sartell, Minnesota Minot (NAHL) —
14 Colorado Jacob Marti Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-06-10 Highlands Ranch, Colorado Bismarck (NAHL) —
15 Minnesota Bennett Norlin Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-10-26 Farmington, Minnesota West Kelowna (BCHL) —
16 Michigan Sam Brennan Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-01-16 Brighton, Michigan Lone Star (NAHL) —
17 South Carolina Parker Brown Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 1999-09-08 Hanahan, South Carolina Fairbanks (NAHL) —
18 Colorado Ty Pochipinski Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-06-05 Colorado Springs, Colorado Penticton (BCHL) —
19 Minnesota Luke Manning Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-04-13 Stillwater, Minnesota Des Moines (USHL) —
20 Minnesota Brandon Koch Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-01-18 Hastings, Minnesota Wenatchee (BCHL) —
23 Minnesota Willie Reim Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1999-01-11 North Oaks, Minnesota West Kelowna (BCHL) —
24 Minnesota Nate Horn Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1999-03-02 Elk River, Minnesota Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) —
26 California Noah Kim Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-05-09 Fullerton, California Okotoks (AJHL) —
27 Tennessee Luke Robinson Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-02-16 Nashville, Tennessee Dubuque (USHL) —
29 New York (state) Shawn Knowlton (A) Senior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1996-08-14 Slingerlands, New York Aberdeen (NAHL) —
30 Minnesota Erik Anderson Senior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1996-06-10 Chanhassen, Minnesota Pikes Peak (RMJHL) —
31 Colorado Zach LaRocque Senior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1997-01-26 Arvada, Colorado Cedar Rapids (USHL) —
33 Minnesota Alex Schilling Junior G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-12-23 Medina, Minnesota Austin (NAHL) —
34 Michigan Thomas Daskas Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-09-03 Rochester, Michigan Lone Star (NAHL) —
37 Connecticut Will Gavin Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-10-21 Durham, Connecticut Northern (NCDC) —
41 Colorado Austin Park Sophomore G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-06-05 Highlands Ranch, Colorado Wenatchee (BCHL) —
47 Minnesota Dalton Weigel Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-12-30 Bloomington, Minnesota Aberdeen (NAHL) —
51 Colorado Maiszon Balboa Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-04-18 Colorado Springs, Colorado Shreveport (NAHL) —
74 Massachusetts Zack Mirageas (C) Senior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-07-15 Newburyport, Massachusetts Bloomington (USHL) —

Standings[edit]

2020–21 Atlantic Hockey Standings
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 Center • Springfield, Massachusetts   Schilling L 1–3  0 0–1–0 (0–1–0)
November 28 1:00 PM at American International MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts   Schilling L 1–2  0 0–2–0 (0–2–0)
December 4 7:05 PM vs. Robert Morris Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Schilling L 1–4  0 0–3–0 (0–3–0)
December 5 4:05 PM vs. Robert Morris Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Schilling L 2–4  0 0–4–0 (0–4–0)
December 12 5:05 PM vs. USNTDP* Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Exhibition)   LaRocque T 4–4 SOL 0
December 13 5:05 PM vs. USNTDP* Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Exhibition)   Schilling L 1–3  0
January 3 3:00 PM at Niagara Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York   Schilling L 2–7  0 0–5–0 (0–5–0)
January 4 3:05 PM at Niagara Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York   LaRocque T 1–1 SOL 0 0–5–1 (0–5–1)
January 4 3:05 PM vs. Sacred Heart Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York   LaRocque L 3–4 OT 0 0–6–1 (0–6–1)
January 8 3:00 PM at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania   LaRocque L 2–5  0 0–7–1 (0–7–1)
January 9 1:00 PM at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania   Schilling L 3–6  0 0–8–1 (0–8–1)
January 31 3:05 PM at Bentley Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts   Schilling L 3–6  0 0–9–1 (0–9–1)
February 1 1:05 PM at Bentley Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts   Schilling W 4–3 OT 0 1–9–1 (1–9–1)
February 19 7:05 PM vs. Canisius Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   Schilling W 4–3 OT 100 2–9–1 (2–9–1)
February 20 5:00 PM vs. Canisius Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado   LaRocque W 5–1  100 3–9–1 (3–9–1)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 9 3:05 PM at Bentley* Bentley Arena • Waltham, 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]

Main article: 2020–21 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 (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.
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