Air Force Travels to Holy Cross
1/3/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 3, 2012
This Week Air Force (10-5-2, 8-2-1 AHA) travels to Worcester, Mass., for a two-game AHA series at Holy Cross (8-9-0, 6-4-0 AHA), Friday-Saturday, Jan. 6-7, at 7:05 p.m. each night.
Radio/Internet/Television All games will be broadcast in Colorado Springs on The Sports Animal AM 1300 and on the internet at www.GoAirForceFalcons.com. Pregame show begins 30 minutes before faceoff each day. Jay Ritchie will call the play-by-play while Dave Toller will be the color analyst. All AHA games and all home games will be video streamed with audio by America One Television. Subscriptions can be purchased at www.americaone.com/college.
Second Best AHA Start Air Force's 8-2-1 start in conference play is the second best ever in conference play. The team's best ever conference start came in 2008-09 when the Falcons started 11-0. The 8-2-1 start is not only the second best AHA start (since 2006-07), but it is the second best since AFA joined a conference (1999-2000 CHA).
The Rankings Air Force is receiving votes in the USCHO.com poll this week. The Falcons have received votes every week in both polls, but have not been ranked this season.
Scouting the Crusaders Holy Cross is 8-9 overall and 6-4 in the AHA. The Crusaders lost two games at the Ledyard National Bank Classic at Dartmouth last week. The Crusaders fell to Dartmouth, 3-2, and lost to seventh-ranked Merrimack, 3-0, in the consolation game. HC has won three straight AHA games with a home sweep of Canisius and a win over Army, Dec. 10. Early in the season, Holy Cross won at Boston University, 5-4. BU is currently ranked 10th in the nation. Holy Cross also has a win over Brown this season. Sophomore Adam Schmidt leads the team with eight goals. Schmidt, along with senior forward Andrew Cox and senior defenseman Mike Daly all have 13 points. Freshman goalie Matt Ginn has seen the most time in the net with 73 percent of the minutes. He has a .886 saves percentage and a 3.02 GAA. Ginn has been in goal for five of the six AHA wins this season. Junior Thomas Tysowsky, who has started 51 career games, has played 25 percent of the team's minutes and has a 3.24 GAA and a .901 saves percentage.
Series vs. Holy Cross Air Force and Holy Cross have played 30 times and the Falcons hold an 18-5-7 lead in the series that began in 1993. The teams have met 16 times as AHA foes and the Falcons hold a 10-1-5 record against the Crusaders. Air Force is 3-0-1 in the last four games vs. the Crusaders, including a come-from-behind, 3-2, victory in the AHA semifinals last season. AFA is 3-0-3 in AHA games at Holy Cross and is 6-2-4 all-time at Holy Cross. Eight of the last nine games in the series have been decided by one goal or ended in a tie. AFA is 6-1-2 in those games. The only game with more than a one-goal deficit was a 6-4 Holy Cross win at the Academy in 2010. In 16 games as AHA rivals, 12 have been decided by one goal or ended in a tie.
