Air Force hosts Niagara in CHA series
1/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
Jan. 7, 2003
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This Week: Air Force (8-11-1 overall and 2-5-1 CHA) hosts a two-game College Hockey America series against Niagara (5-13-2, 2-2-2 CHA) Friday-Saturday, Jan. 10-11, at the Cadet Ice Arena (2,502). Faceoff is at 7:05 p.m. each night. Niagara is third in the CHA with six points while Air Force is tied for fourth with five.
Radio/Television: Both games vs. Niagara will be broadcast live in Colorado Springs on KBZC AM 1300. The pregame show begins 20 minutes prior to faceoff. Jay Ritchie, in his sixth season of Air Force hockey, will do the play-by-play. Jerry Butenhoff will handle the color commentary. No television.
Follow the Falcons Anywhere: Both games can be heard anywhere in the United States via the telephone. Falcon hockey radio broadcasts can be heard on TeamLine by dialing 1-800-846-4700. The team access code is 0671. This service is free of charge to listeners thanks to the Air Force Academy athletic department. Hockey games can also be listened to on the internet at www.AirForceSports.com. Go to the hockey page and click on Listen to the Falcons on the right side of the screen. The broadcast schedule for the remainder of the season is on page five of this release.
Scouting the Opponents: Niagara (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) is 5-13-2 overall and 2-2-2 in the CHA and in third place with six points. The Purple Eagles are three points behind league-leading Alabama-Huntsville. NU is 1-6-2 in its last nine games since beating Michigan State, 2-1, on Nov. 8. Last week, Niagara was swept by eighth-ranked Ferris State, 7-1 and 8-1, in Niagara. The Purple Eagles are coached by Dave Burkholder who is in his second season at the school with a 22-30-3 record. Junior forward Joe Tallari leads the CHA with 30 points and is second in the league with 16 goals. Sophomore Barret Ehgoetz has 21 points and 10 goals. Rob Bonk and Jeff VanNynatten have split time between the pipes.
Series Records: Air Force and Niagara have played 26 times and the Purple Eagles have a 14-9-3 lead in the series that began in 1996. After losing eight straight to Niagara in 1999-2000, Air Force has gained a slight upper hand in the series. AFA has won three of the last four and is 4-3-2 in the last nine games. The Falcons are 5-4-1 vs. Niagara at the Cadet Ice Arena. The box scores from last season's games are on page five of this release.
Earlier this Season vs. Niagara: Air Force split a two-game series at Niagara (Nov. 1-2), winning the first game, 5-2, and losing the second, 6-2. In the first game, a complete team effort on offense, defense and special teams led to the 5-2 win. Air Force opened the scoring at the 7:32 mark of the first period as Tom Starkey scored a rare 5-on-3 short-handed goal. Five minutes later, Scott Zwiers gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead. Freshmen Carson Strang and Steve Cook scored for the Falcons in the second period. Niagara's Joe Tallari and Andrew Nahirniak scored in the second period and the Falcons held a 4-2 lead after two. Ryan Wiggins' empty-net goal with 42 seconds left put the game away. Niagara out-shot Air Force in every period and 38-28 in the game. The Falcons were 0-for-3 on the power play while Niagara was 0-for-6. In the second game, Joe Tallari and Bernie Sigrist each scored two goals to lead Niagara to a 6-2 win. Niagara was all over Air Force from the beginning, scoring a power-play goal 56 seconds into the first period. Less than five minutes later, Tallari scored his second power-play goal of the game. Nineteen seconds later, Sigrist scored his first goal of the game on a tip-in. Sigrist and Nick Kormanyos scored late in the second period for a 5-0 lead. The Falcons scored twice in the third period on goals by Seth Pelletier and Spanky Leonard. Niagara out-shot Air Force, 37-23, in the game. The Purple Eagles also won the special teams, connecting on 3-of-7 power play chances. Air Force was 1-for-5 on the man-up advantage. Box scores from both games are on page five of this release.
Battle of Top Special Teams Units: This weekend's Air Force-Niagara series pose an interesting match-up of two of the nation's top special teams units. Air Force's power-play unit leads the CHA and ranks 10th in the nation, converting on 25.0 (27-110) of its chances. Niagara's penalty kill leads the CHA and ranks ninth in nation, killing 85.9 percent (79-92).
Six-Game Home Stand: Air Force is in the midst of a six-game home stand. Beginning with the Wayne State series (Jan. 4-5), the Falcons play 10 of 12 at the Cadet Ice Arena from Jan. 4 to Feb. 15. The Falcons are 0-1-1 on the home stand. AFA hosts 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.
First and Last: In the Wayne State series, the Warriors scored four of their seven goals in the first or last minute of the period. WSU's game-tying goal in the first game came with 10 seconds remaining in the third period. The Warriors also scored 14 seconds into the game. On Sunday, the Warriors scored at 19:56 of the first period to tie the game at 2-2 and then scored 38 seconds into the second period to take a 3-2 lead. Of the opponents' 91 goals this season, 16 have been scored in the first or last minute of the period (not including empty-netters). Meanwhile, Air Force has scored just three goals in the first or last minute of a period (not including empty-netters).
National Leaders: Andy Berg is tied for national lead with 11 power-play goals this season. He is tied with Tom Preissing from Colorado College. Berg is also tied for third in the nation with 17 goals and is tied for 13th in the nation with 29 points. Mike Polidor is fifth in the nation with 1,110 minutes played.
Berg on Record Pace: Andy Berg's 11 power-play are just five shy of breaking the school record of 15 set by Mark Manney in 1981-82. They also tie as the most since Justin Kieffer led the nation with 14 in 1997-98. With 17 goals this season, Berg could put himself in some elite company. Just on Air Force player has scored 25 or more since 1980 (Frank Daldine had 28 in 1984-85). Chuck Delich set the school record with 44 in 1975-76. Since joining a Division I conference, the most goals scored by an Air Force player is 21 by Derek Olson last season.
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 131 points (59-72) in 123 games and is tied for 15th on the career scoring list. Zwiers has 111 points (45-66) in 130 games and ranks 30th.
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.
Special Teams Tell Story: Head coach Frank Serratore has often said that special teams and goaltending will determine the outcome of the game. If you win those two areas of the game, you have a great chance to win the game. When it comes to special teams, the numbers tell the story. When Air Force wins the special teams (more combined power-play and short-handed goals) than the opponent, the Falcons are 7-1 this season with the only loss coming against Findlay (6-5) on Nov. 22. When Air Force loses the battle of special teams, the Falcons are 0-8. When the special teams are tied, Air Force is 1-2-1.
Last Week: Wayne State took three of four points in a two-game CHA series, Jan. 4-5, at the Cadet Ice Arena. AFA and WSU skated to a 2-2 overtime tie on Saturday. The Warriors defeated the Falcons, 5-3, on Sunday.
On Deck: Following the Niagara series, Air Force hosts a two-game non-conference series vs. Army, Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 18-19, at 7:05 p.m. MT each night at the Cadet Ice Arena.
