Falcons off until Fairfield series, Dec. 28-29
12/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
Dec. 9, 2002
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This Week: Air Force is off for finals and the holidays until Dec. 28-29. The Falcons travel to Fairfield, Conn., for a two-game series against the Fairfield Stags, Dec. 28-29, at 7:05 p.m. EST each night.
Radio/Television/Internet: No radio, internet or television for the tournament.
Toy Trick: For the third consecutive year, the Air Force hockey team will help brighten the holiday season for area children. At the fifth annual Radisson North Hockey Classic, Dec. 6-7, the Falcons hosted their annual "Toy Trick". Fans were encouraged to bring a new stuffed toy and throw it on the ice when the Falcons scored their first goal in each game of the tournament. The team collected 630 toys, the most in three-year history of the "Toy Trick". The toys will be collected and then distributed to children in local hospitals and clinics during the holiday season. In the three years, the team has collected and distributed over 1,400 toys. The team collected 500 the first year and 300 the second year.
Scouting the Opponents: Fairfield (Fairfield, Conn.) is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Stags are 1-9-1 this season and 1-6-1 in the MAAC. The team has lost six straight, including two home losses Dec. 6-7 to Iona (4-1) and Army (3-1). Fairfield out-shot both teams. Fairfield is now idle until the Air Force series Dec. 28-29. The Stags tied UConn, 2-2, on Nov. 2 and then beat Bentley, 3-2, on Nov. 3.Fairfield is coached by Jim Hunt who is in his third season with a record of 17-46-6. Senior defenseman Steve Calderara leads the team with eight points. Sophomore forward Jack Devaney and senior forward Rae Metz lead the team with four goals and have seven points. Junior Craig Schnappinger and sophomore Michael Wolf have split time between the pipes.
Series Records: Air Force and Fairfield have played five times and the Falcons have won all five meetings. Air Force swept the series at Air Force in 1999, 6-1 and 10-1. The Falcons beat Fairfield in the first round of the Quinnipiac Cup (neutral site), 5-2, in 2000. In 2001, the Falcons swept the Stags, 8-1 and 6-3, at the Academy. The series has never been played at Fairfield.
Home Stand on the Horizon: Following the first of the year, the Falcons will host six straight games at home and will play 10 of 12 at the Cadet Ice Arena from Jan. 4 to Feb. 15. AFA hosts series against Wayne State (Jan. 4-5), Niagara (Jan. 10-11), Army (Jan. 18-19), Alabama-Huntsville (Jan. 31-Feb. 1) and Quinnipiac (Feb. 14-15). In the second half of the season, Air Force will play 12 of 18 at home.
National Leaders: Andy Berg is tied for fourth in the nation with 15 goals and is 17th in the nation with 23 points. He is one goal behind three players who are tied for the national lead with 16 goals. Berg is also second in the nation with nine power-play goals (one shy of the national leader Tom Preissing from Colorado College). Brian Reaney and Scott Zwiers are tied for 16th in the nation with 13 assists. Mike Polidor is fourth in the nation with 869 minutes played.
Who's Hot: Andy Berg has scored at least one point in all but one series this season (C.C./Denver). He has at least one point in 11 of 16 games this season and has scored in nine of the last 12. He has scored a goal in five of the last seven games. In the last 12 games, he has 10 goals and six assists for 16 points. Brian Reaney's four-game point-scoring ended against UAH, Nov. 16. He has scored at least one point in nine of his last 12 games and has 12 points in the last 12 games. Scott Zwiers had the longest scoring streak by a Falcon this season, seven games. The streak ended vs. Colorado College, Nov. 29. In the last 12 games, Zwiers has 13 points on four goals and nine assists. Ryan Wiggins scored three goals in the Radisson North Classic and has five goals in his last six games. Steve Mead had three assists in the Radisson North Classic and now has six points in his last six games.
Berg and Zwiers Climb Up the Charts: Seniors Andy Berg and Scott Zwiers continue to climb up the career scoring list at Air Force. Berg has 125 points (57-68) in 119 games and is tied for 21st on the career scoring list with Doug Leibbrand. Zwiers has 108 points (43-65) in 126 games and is tied for 30th on the list with Steve Mullvain
Reaney Among Top Defensemen in AFA History: With 14 points this season, senior Brian Reaney has 63 career points to rank 13th in scoring among defensemen in Air Force history. He needs five points to move past Steve Asbell and Bill Luukkonen for 10th on the career defenseman scoring list.
Career-bests: With at least 21 games left on the schedule, several Falcons are within reach of, or have already surpassed, their career bests. Andy Berg's 15 goals this season are just one shy of his career-best 16 his sophomore year. Spanky Leonard's four goals are just one shy of his career-high five set last season. Steve Mead's two goals, 11 assists and 13 points are already career bests. Ross Miller's one goal, five assists and six points are career highs. Seth Pelletier's three goals, three assists and six points are career bests. Brian Reaney's 13 assists are tied as his career best. His 14 points are just four shy of his career high 18 set last season. Ryan Wiggins' seven goals, six assists and 13 points are the best of his career.
Last Week: Air Force won the Radisson North Classic for the second straight year and for the third time in the five-year history of the tournament. The Falcons beat Wisconsin-Stout, 6-2, in the first game and then defeated Augsburg, 4-2, in the championship game.
Tournament Notes: Augsburg beat Milwaukee School of Engineering, 4-1, in the tournament's first game. Wisconsin-Stout beat MSOE in the consolation game, 3-1. Air Force was 2-0 in the tournament while Wisconsin-Stout and Augsburg were 1-1 and MSOE was 0-2.
All-Tournament Team: Air Force senior center and team captain Andy Berg was named the tournament's most valuable player. He had two goals and one assist in Friday's win over Wisconsin-Stout and added a goal in the win over Augsburg. The all-tournament team consisted of Air Force forward Scott Zwiers, Augsburg forward Jaro Cesky, Wisconsin-Stout forward Derek Nicholls, Air Force defenseman Brian Reaney, Augsburg defenseman Steve Belde and Air Force goalie Mike Polidor.
On Deck: Following the Fairfield series, the Falcons return home for six straight home games in January. The Falcons host Wayne State, Sat.-Sun., Jan. 4-5, at the Cadet Ice Arena. Faceoff is at 7:05 on Saturday and at 5:05 on Sunday.
