No. 15 Air Force hosts Canisius, Jan. 16-17
1/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 13, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
This Week No. 15 Air Force (15-4-1, 12-1-1 AHA) hosts Canisius (7-8-4, 5-6-2) at the Cadet Ice Arena in a two-game Atlantic Hockey series, Friday-Saturday, Jan. 16-17. The faceoff is at 7:05 p.m. MT each night.
Radio/Internet Both games will be broadcast live in Colorado Springs on KCSF AM 1300 and on the internet at www.GoAirForceFalcons.com by clicking on this link http://goairforcefalcons.cstv.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/m-hockey-live-audio.html. The pregame show begins 20 minutes prior to faceoff. Jay Ritchie will call the play-by-play while Dave Toller will provide the analysis. Both games will also be video streamed live 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.
Last Week Air Force has been off since a pair of road games,, Jan. 3-4. The Falcons defeated UConn, 4-3, then fell at Yale, 3-2. Canisius was swept at home by Bentley by scores of 8-3 and 4-3, Jan. 10-11
Rankings Air Force is ranked 15th in both the USCHO/CBS College Sports and the USA Today/USA Hockey magazine polls. AFA is No. 14 in the InsideCollegeHockey.com power rankings. Canisius is not ranked.
The Coaches Frank Serratore (Bemidji State, 1982) is in his 12th season as the head coach of Air Force. He has led the Falcons to back-to-back conference championships and NCAA berths. Serratore is the winningest coach in the history of Air Force hockey with a record of 185-205-31 and a career mark of 234-297-40 in his 16th year. Dave Smith (Ohio State, 1992) is in his fourth year at Canisius with a school and overall record of 37-74-5.
Scouting the Opponents Canisius (Buffalo, N.Y.) is 7-8-4 overall and in sixth place in the AHA with a 5-6-2 record. Canisius was swept at home last weekend by Bentley, 8-3 and 4-3. Canisius is winless in its last four games with the team's last win coming on Dec. 6 vs. Army. Canisius is 4-5-2 on the road. Junior forward Jason Weeks leads the team with 16 assists. Freshman Dave Kostuch leads the team with 12 goals and 19 points. Kostuch is the top scoring freshman in the league. Goaltender Andrew Loewen is fifth in the league with a 2.87 GAA and fourth with a .916 saves percentage. The Golden Griffins are fourth in the league in scoring offense (2.89) and second in scoring defense (2.89).
Series Records Air Force and Canisius have played six times and the Falcons hold a 4-2-2 lead in the series that began in 2006. All games have been played as AHA foes. AFA is 1-1-2 in games played at the Academy and 3-1-0 in games played in Buffalo. Last season, the teams skated to back-to-back 3-3 overtime ties at Cadet Ice Arena.
Scoring Slump Air Force is still the nation's top scoring team. However, the Falcons have struggled to score goals compared to early in the season. After the CC win on Nov. 28, the Falcons were averaging 5.17 goals per game and had scored five or more goals in six of the 13 games. However, in the last seven games, Air Force is averaging 2.14 goals per game. AFA was 13-0 in the first 13 games and is 2-4-1 in the last seven. AFA has scored two goals or less in six of the last seven. The Falcons scored four in the 4-3 win over UConn, Jan. 3.
Three Falcons on Hobey Ballot Falcons Greg Flynn, Andrew Volkening and Jacques Lamoureux are on the ballot for the Hobey Baker Award in the fan-voting phase. Fans can vote for the Heisman Trophy of college hockey at hobeybaker.com. Click on the Vote for Hobey Baker icon and follow the prompts. This first phase of fan balloting will run now through March 8, 2009. Phase two of fan balloting will then begin on March 20 from the list of Top Ten Hobey Baker finalists. The fans' vote accounts for a one percent of the total ballot in each phase in selecting this year's award recipient. In 2007, former Falcon Eric Ehn became the first service academy player ever named as one of 10 finalists for the Hobey. Ehn was then named to the "Hobey Hat Trick" as one of three finalists for the award.
Phillipich Nominated for Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Air Force senior Mike Phillipich is one of 20 collegiate hockey players named a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS award, recognizing student-athletes who have combined excellence in athletics, academics and community service. Phillipich, a right winger from Lansing, Mich., is in his second season as the team's captain. A systems engineering management major, he carries a 3.77 overall grade point average and a 3.87 GPA in his major. His has been on the dean's list every semester and is a three-time academic all-conference selection. The award is presented annually to an NCAA's Division I student-athlete in nine sports based on achievements in the "Four C's" of classroom, character, community and competition. CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. From the list of 20 nominees, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award by early February 2009. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote that will include coaches, media and fans. The award winner will be announced and recognized at the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.
