Falcons idle until Dec. 28-29
12/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
Dec. 9, 2003
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This Week: Air Force is idle until the University of Connecticut Hockey Classic on Dec. 28-29 in Storrs, Conn. The Falcons face Sacred Heart on Sunday, Dec. 28, at 2 p.m. The Falcons will then play either UConn or Bentley on Monday, Dec. 29 at either 2:05 p.m. or 5:15 p.m.
Radio/Television/Internet: Both games at the UConn Tournament can be heard on the radio, internet and telephone. There is no television. The games are broadcast locally in Colorado Springs on KBZC AM 1300. Jay Ritchie, in his seventh season of Air Force hockey, will do the play-by-play. Dave Toller will handle the color commentary. The pregame show begins 20 minutes before faceoff.
Follow the Falcons Anywhere: Falcon hockey can be heard anywhere via the telephone or internet. 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.
Series Records: Air Force and Sacred Heart have played just twice and the Falcons have won both games. Air Force swept a series at the Academy by scores of 6-1 and 7-3, Jan. 7-8, 2000. Air Force and Bentley have played seven times including three meetings this season. The Falcons have a 6-1 lead in the series and have won all three games this season. AFA defeated Bentley, 4-2, in the Quinnipiac Cup, Oct. 10, and then swept the series at Bentley by identical 4-3 scores, Nov. 7-8. Air Force has won six straight in the series. Air Force and UConn have played eight times and the Falcons have won all eight games. All eight games have been played at the Academy. The series began in 1987. The last time the teams met was Jan. 5-6, 2001 and the Falcons won by scores of 3-0 and 2-1.
Scouting the Opponents: Bentley College (Waltham, Mass.) is 1-9-3 overall this season and 0-4-3 in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Falcons are idle until the UConn Tournament. BC is on an 11-game winless skid. Connecticut is 4-7-3 overall this season and 2-4-2 in Atlantic Hockey. UConn has one game prior to the tournament (Vermont on Dec. 20). UConn owns wins over Alabama-Huntsville and Bemidji State and is 1-3-1 in its last five games. Sacred Heart (Fairfield, Conn.) is 4-7-1 overall and 4-4-1 in the AH. The Pioneers have one game prior to the tournament (Colgate on Dec. 12). Sacred Heart swept Army in mid-November and is 4-1-1 in is last six games.
Zacour Player of the Week: Freshman Theo Zacour was named the College Hockey America rookie of the week for his performance in the Findlay series, Dec. 5-6. After being held scoreless in Friday's 1-1 overtime tie, Zacour tallied three points in Air Force's 5-2 win over the Oilers. He recorded his first career multiple-point game as he registered career-bests of two assists and three points. Zacour, a center from Oslo, Norway, has scored a point in four of his last five games and has netted a goal in three of his last five. He is tied as AFA's top scoring freshman with Andrew Ramsey with five goals and four assists for nine points. He is also tied for third in the league in scoring by a freshman.
Earlier This Season vs. Bentley: Air Force and Bentley have played three times this season and AFA won three close games. The Falcons defeated Bentley, 4-2, in the season opener for both teams in the first round of the Quinnipiac Cup, Oct. 10. With the scored tied at 2-2 midway through the third period, Shane Saum and Mike Knaeble scored for a 4-2 win. The teams also played a two-game series in Bentley, Nov. 7-8, and the Falcons won by identical 4-3 scores. In the first game, Josh Priewe and Jay Medenwaldt scored third period goals and Mike Polidor made 25 saves. In the second game, Spanky Leonard scored a hat trick for the Falcons. With the score tied at 2-2 late in the third period, Bentley was called for a five-minute major and Leonard scored power-play goals at 16:13 and 16:58. Last Time vs. Sacred Heart: Air Force and Sacred Heart have not played since the 1999-2000 season when the Falcons won by scores of 6-1 and 7-3 in a two-game series at the Academy.
Last Time vs. UConn: Air Force and UConn have not played since the 2000-01 season when the teams played a two-game series at the Academy. Air Force won by scores of 3-1 and 2-0, Jan. 5-6, 2001.
Last Time at UConn Tournament: AFA won the SNET/UConn Tournament in 2001-02. The Falcons claimed their first ever Division I tournament championship and also their first ever road tournament title. AFA beat Bentley, 6-1, in the first round and then defeated Holy Cross, 5-1, in the championship game. AFA forward Brian Rodgers was named the tournament MVP.
Falcons in Tournaments: In the last three years, the Falcons have won three tournaments and played in the championship game of another. Earlier this season, the Falcons placed second in the Quinnipiac Cup, Oct. 10-11, in Northford, Conn. AFA lost to Quinnipiac, 4-3 in overtime. Air Force won its own Radisson North Classic in 2001 and 2002. In 2001, the Falcons won the UConn Tournament in Storrs, Conn., the first ever Division I tournament championship and the first ever road tourney title. In the history of Falcon hockey, Air Force has played in the championship game of five Division I tournaments. Four of those have come under Serratore in the last four seasons. AFA placed second in the UMass-Lowell tournament in 1999-00 and in the Q-Cup Tourney in 2000-01. Air Force is 23-63 all-time in regular-season tournaments. Under Serratore, the Falcons are 15-15 in regular-season tournaments. AFA is 4-7 in post-season tournaments. AFA was 1-1 in the 1992 Independent's Tournament. The Falcons are 3-6 in the four-year history of the CHA Tournament.
The Monkey is Gone: Air Force's 20-game CHA winless skid ended with the team's 5-2 win over Findlay, Dec. 6. The Falcons had not won a CHA game since beating Findlay, 6-2, Nov. 24, 2002. During the streak, the Falcons were 0-16-4 against CHA opponents.
Road Success: Air Force is 5-5-1 on the road this season. The five road wins are already more than the team had all of last season (3-14-1 on the road in 2002-03). Serratore has been a master at getting his teams prepared to play on the road. Prior to Serratore taking over the Falcons in 1997-98, AFA won just eight road games in six years. Under the seventh-year coach, the Falcons have won 32 road games. In the last 106 road games, the Falcons are 32-68-6 (34 percent). The team has won seven road games in a season twice under his tenure (1999-00 and 2001-02). The seven road wins tie as the second most in school history. AFA won 11 road games in 1971-72.
P2K: Senior goaltender Mike Polidor is a three-year starter and is closing in on 2,000 career saves. He entered the season with 1,603 saves and has 335 this season for a total of 1,938. He could become the ninth Falcon goaltender to reach 2,000 saves and the first since Marc Kielkucki in 1998-01. Among players who have played more than 50 games, Polidor ranks third in career saves percentage with .885 and is second in career goals against average with a 3.52.
Rookies Getting it Done: Air Force has seven freshmen that have been regulars in the lineup. Five of the seven have played in all 16 games and two others have played in 13 games. Those seven freshmen have combined for 15 of the team's 49 goals this season (30 percent).
Power Play Needs Power: The Falcon power play which has been among the national leaders in the last few years, has struggled in the last several weeks. AFA is connecting on just 12.6 percent of its chances (12 of 95) for the season. The total ranks last in the CHA. Air Force has not scored on 24 straight power plays dating back to a power-play goal against Niagara, Nov. 22. Early in the season, the power play was clicking. AFA had scored a power-play goal in five straight games and had scored on eight of 27 chances (29.6 percent) in October.
On Deck: Following the UConn Tournament, the Falcons will return to CHA play with a two-game series at Bemidji State, Jan. 2-3, in Minnesota.
Last Week: Air Force took three of four points from Findlay, Dec. 5-6, at Clauss Ice Arena in Findlay, Ohio. The teams tied 1-1 Friday and AFA won 5-2 on Saturday. AFA then lost an exhibition game to the U.S. National Under-18 Team, 4-2, Sunday, Dec. 7, in Ann Arbor
