Falcons host Canisius, Dec. 7-8
12/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 3, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Radio/Internet Both games will be broadcast on the radio on KKML AM 1300 The Sports Animal and on the internet at GoAirForceFalcons.com. Jay Ritchie will do the play-by-play while Dave Toller will do the color. The pregame show begins at 6:45 p.m. each night. Live stats will be available at GoAirForceFalcons.com and clicking on the hockey page and then the schedule.
Video Streaming/Television Both games will be video streamed with audio by the B2 Network on a subscription basis. For more information, please go to the Atlantic Hockey Association web-site at AtlanticHockeyOnline.com. No television.
Toy Trick For the eighth consecutive year, the Air Force hockey team will help brighten the holiday season for area children. At the Canisius series, Dec 7-8 (7:05 p.m. each night), fans can bring a new stuffed toy, wrapped in plastic, and when the Falcons score their first goal in each game, fans can throw the stuffed toy on the ice. All fans with a toy donation will receive admission for just $1. The toys need to be new and wrapped in plastic to protect them when they are thrown on the ice. The toy trick will be offered both nights. The toys will be collected and then distributed to children in local hospitals and clinics during the holiday season. In the first seven years of the Toy Trick, the team collected and distributed more than 3,800 toys.
Last Week AFA swept a two-game league series at AIC, 6-3 and 4-2 Canisius split a two-game AHA series with Mercyhurst, winning at home, 4-0, and losing on the road, 5-2
The Coaches Air Force coach Frank Serratore (Bemidji State, 1982) is in his 11th season with the Falcons and his 15th as a collegiate head coach. He has an Air Force record of 158-193-25. His overall mark is 207-285-34. Canisius coach Dave Smith (Ohio State, 1992) is in his fourth season at Canisius with a school and overall record of 12-56-7. Rankings Air Force is receiving votes in both major national polls. Based on the number of votes, Air Force is 22nd in the USCHO/CSTV poll and 18th in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. Canisius is unranked.
Scouting The Opponents Canisius split with Mercyhurst last week, winning the first game at home, 4-0, and then losing on the road, 5-2. Canisius has lost five of the last six games. However, two of those losses were to No. 1-ranked Miami (Ohio) on the road. The Golden Griffins' other two league wins were a 6-2 victory over preseason AHA favorite, RIT, and a 4-2 win at Holy Cross. Sophomore Josh Heidinger leads the team with seven goals and 14 points. Freshman Vincent Scarsella has four goals and 10 points. Sophomore Andrew Loewen is the team's top goaltender with a 3.47 GAA and a .891 saves percentage. Loewen stopped 34 shots in the shutout win over Mercyhurst last week.
Series vs. Canisius Air Force and Canisius have played four times, all last season, and each team has won twice. AFA won the first game, 5-3, in Buffalo. Canisius bounced back to split the series with a 4-1 win the next night. The teams again met in mid-February at the Academy and again split the two-game series. Canisius won the first game, 4-2, while AFA earned the split with a 5-0 win the next night. After the 4-2 loss on Feb. 16, AFA did not lose again until the NCAA West Regional. The Falcons rolled up six consecutive wins before falling to top-seeded Minnesota, 4-3, in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Most Wins Before the Break Air Force's nine wins before the holiday break ties the most in school history. Air Force still has two games left before the break this season. Last year, Air Force was 9-8-3 at the break. AFA is currently 9-4-1. The 1974-75, 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2004-05 teams also won nine games.
Power Play Finds Power The Air Force power play was powerless in the first 10 games of the season. Entering the Holy Cross series, AFA was last in the league and 55th (of 59 teams) in the nation on the power-play, connecting on just 7.8 percent of its chances (5-for-64). In the first Holy Cross game, AFA was 0-for-5, but had eight shots and the unit showed improvement. The second night vs. the Crusaders, AFA netted a then season-high three power play goals on six chances and had nine shots on net. Against AIC, Air Force's power play connected on 41.6 percent of its chances (5-for-12). The Falcons scored a season-high four power-play goals on Nov. 30 vs. AIC. In the last three games, the power play is operating at a 44.4 percentage (8-for-18). On the season, the power play improved to 14.8 percent and ranks 29th in the nation and fifth in the league. In the last four games, the Falcon power play has jumped ahead of 26 teams in the nation.
