Falcons travel to Robert Morris
1/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
This Week
Air Force (13-7-4, 10-4-2 AHC) travels to Pittsburgh, Pa., for a two-game league series with the Robert Morris Colonials (13-6-3, 9-5-2 AHC), Friday-Saturday, Jan. 20-21, at 7:05 pm ET each night.
The Match-up
Air Force is in second place in Atlantic Hockey with 22 points while Robert Morris is just two points back and tied for third place with 20 points. Army is in first place with 23 points.The matchup features the top two Atlantic Hockey teams in the PairWise as RMU is 20th and Air Force is 22nd. Both Robert Morris and Air Force are receiving votes in the USCHO.com national poll. Army is in first place with 23 points.
The Streak Ends
Air Force's six-game winning streak, all in conference play, ended with a 4-1 loss to Canisius, Jan. 13. The streak was tied for the longest in the nation at the time and the longest by the Falcons since they won eight straight late in the 2010-11 season. That streak ended in overtime against Yale in the NCAA East Regional.
Live Stream
Both games will be streamed on AtlanticHockey.tv for a subscription fee.
Radio/Internet
Both games will be broadcast on Xtra Sports 1300. Both games are available online at GoAirForceFalcons.com. Jay Ritchie will call the play-by-play while Dave Toller will provide color analysis. Pregame show begins 30 minutes before faceoff each day.
Trending
Junior Jordan Himley scored two of Air Force's three goals vs. Canisius last weekend and has three goals in his last four games ... He leads the team with 12 goals, including the game-winner vs. Mercyhurst, Jan. 6 ... In his last 16 games, he has 11 goals and 14 points ... Over the last seven games, junior Erik Baskin is on a tear ... After just six points in the first 17 games, he has seven points (4-3-7) in the last seven games ... He tied his career high two goals vs. Mercyhurst, Jan. 7 ... Defenseman Matt Koch had a career high two assists vs. Mercyhurst on Jan. 7 and has eight points in his last 11 games ... Kyle Haak has scored at least one point in nine of the last 11 games ... He leads the team with 21 points (7-14-21) ... Phil Boje is the top scoring defenseman with 15 points (5-10-15) points, but has been held to just one point in the last nine games ... Boje also leads the team, and ranks fifth in the league, with 46 blocked shots ... He had a career high eight blocks vs. Mercyhurst, Jan. 6.
Scouting the Colonials
Robert Morris is 13-6-3 overall and tied for third in the league with 20 points. The Colonials have won four straight and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. RMU was idle last weekend, after sweeping AIC Jan. 6-7. RMU won the Three Rivers Classic by defeating Ferris State, 1-0, and then coming from behind for a 5-2 win over then-No. 13 Quinnipiac.
The Colonials have the top three scorers in Atlantic Hockey as junior Brady Ferguson leads the league with 35 points, senior Daniel Leavens is second with 30 and sophomore Alex Tonge is third with 25. Sophomore Eric Israel is the league's top scoring defenseman with 20 points. Freshman goalie Frances Marotte leads the league with a 1.71 GAA and a .947 saves percentage. He leads the nation in saves percentage and is third in GAA. The RMU power play ranks sixth in the nation at 23.7 percent.
Series vs. Robert Morris
Air Force and Robert Morris have played 30 times and the series is dead even at 14-14-2. Air Force broke a five-game winless skid against RMU with a 4-1 win on senior day last season. Since 2013, RMU has a 6-2-2 advantage. The teams played four times last season and the Colonials took five points with a 2-1-1 record vs. the Falcons. Air Force is 5-4-2 vs. RMU in games played at the 84 Lumber Arena in Neville Township, Pa., just outside of Pittsburgh.
