Friday, February 3
USAFA, CO
7:07 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Mercyhurst University
Air Force hosts Mercyhurst, Feb. 3-4
1/31/2023 9:35:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
The Games
Game 1: vs. Mercyhurst, Friday, Feb. 3, 7:05 pm MT, Cadet Ice Arena
Game 2: vs. Mercyhurst, Saturday, Feb. 4, 5:05 pm MT, Cadet Ice Arena
Broadcast Information
Television: Both games on Altitude2
Stream: Both games on FloHockey
Radio: Both games on XtraSports1300 AM
Live Stats Both games StatBroadcast (Link on AF hockey schedule)
The Breakdown
Quick Facts: Air Force Mercyhurst
2022-23 Record: 8-16-2, 4-11-1, 10 pts, 10th 8-15-3, 7-8-3, 28 pts, 4th
Streak: W 1 L 1
Last Game: W 6-4 at Army L 5-3 vs. Bentley (H)
The Coaches
Head Coach: Frank Serratore Rick Gotkin
School Record: 434-411-98 (26th yr) 596-495-103 (35th yr)
Career Record: 483-503-107 (30th yr) 596-495-103 (35th yr)
The Series
Overall: AF leads, 25-19-5
Last Meeting Mercyhurst swept AF, 5-3 and 4-2 in Erie, Nov. 25-26
Streak: MU W 2
One-Timers
* Air Force split a two-game series at Army last week, falling 3-1 in game one and bouncing back for a 6-4 win in game two
* After a nine-game losing streak, Air Force is 2-2 in the last four games, splitting back-to-back conference series with Niagara and Army
* Air Force snapped an 11-game streak of allowing the first goal of the game by getting the first one on Saturday at Army. On the season, Air Force is 3-14-1 when allowing the first goal and 5-2-1 when scoring first.
* Air Force has scored six goals (Niagara and Army) each in last the two wins, tying the season high for goals in a game
* Outside of the two six-goal games, Air Force has scored eight goals in the previous eight games
* Six different Falcons scored goals and 13 different players had at least one point in win Army
* Freshman Holt Oliphant had two points (0-2-2) on Saturday, matching his career high. He has four points in the last four games
* Freshman Chris Hedden had two assists on Saturday and has points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. He has four points (0-4-4) in the last four games
* Senior Blake Bride scored his first of the season on Saturday at West Point.
* Sophomore Clayton Cosentino matched his career high with two assists on Saturday. Cosentino won 14 faceoffs on Friday (14-3) and 17 on Saturday (17-7). He won 76 percent of his faceoffs in the series
* Air Force has had 30+ shots in four straight games and five of the last six
* Junior Maiszon Balboa was named the AHA Goalie of the Week in helping lead the Falcons to a split at Army. He earned his first career win with a career-high 33 saves in game two.
* Air Force is second in the AHA and 12th in the nation in faceoff winning percentage at 53.4.
* Clayton Cosentino is fourth in the league and 15th in the nation with 291 faceoff wins. Cosentino leads the AHA in faceoff winning percentage (.598).
About the Lakers
Mercyhurst opened the season with six straight losses and were 1-9-2 after the first 12 games. However, in November, the Lakers won five straight including a pair of wins over Air Force in Erie. The Lakers are 7-6-1 in their last 14 games and are 8-15-3 overall and 7-8-3 in the league (28 points) and in fourth place. Graduate transfer (New Hampshire) Eric Esposito leads the team with nine goals and 18 points. The Lakers have started three different goalies this season. Owen Say has started 10 games and has a 3.43 GAA and a .901 saves percentage. Tyler Harmon has started the most games (15) and has a 3.00 GAA and a .922 saves percentage. Each started a game against Air Force earlier this season.
Series vs. Mercyhurst
Air Force leads the all-time series with Mercyhurst, 25-19-5. Mercyhurst swept Air Force, 5-3 and 4-2, earlier this season in Erie. The series began in 2007 with the teams both being members of Atlantic Hockey. AF is 6-4-2 against the Lakers in the 12 games. After playing six straight games in Erie, the teams meet for the first time at the Cadet Ice Arena since the 2020 AHA Quarterfinals. Air Force swept that series and advanced before the remainder of the playoffs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Air Force has won three straight over the Lakers at Cadet Ice Arena. At the Academy, the series is tied at 10-10-2.
Game 1: vs. Mercyhurst, Friday, Feb. 3, 7:05 pm MT, Cadet Ice Arena
Game 2: vs. Mercyhurst, Saturday, Feb. 4, 5:05 pm MT, Cadet Ice Arena
Broadcast Information
Television: Both games on Altitude2
Stream: Both games on FloHockey
Radio: Both games on XtraSports1300 AM
Live Stats Both games StatBroadcast (Link on AF hockey schedule)
The Breakdown
Quick Facts: Air Force Mercyhurst
2022-23 Record: 8-16-2, 4-11-1, 10 pts, 10th 8-15-3, 7-8-3, 28 pts, 4th
Streak: W 1 L 1
Last Game: W 6-4 at Army L 5-3 vs. Bentley (H)
The Coaches
Head Coach: Frank Serratore Rick Gotkin
School Record: 434-411-98 (26th yr) 596-495-103 (35th yr)
Career Record: 483-503-107 (30th yr) 596-495-103 (35th yr)
The Series
Overall: AF leads, 25-19-5
Last Meeting Mercyhurst swept AF, 5-3 and 4-2 in Erie, Nov. 25-26
Streak: MU W 2
One-Timers
* Air Force split a two-game series at Army last week, falling 3-1 in game one and bouncing back for a 6-4 win in game two
* After a nine-game losing streak, Air Force is 2-2 in the last four games, splitting back-to-back conference series with Niagara and Army
* Air Force snapped an 11-game streak of allowing the first goal of the game by getting the first one on Saturday at Army. On the season, Air Force is 3-14-1 when allowing the first goal and 5-2-1 when scoring first.
* Air Force has scored six goals (Niagara and Army) each in last the two wins, tying the season high for goals in a game
* Outside of the two six-goal games, Air Force has scored eight goals in the previous eight games
* Six different Falcons scored goals and 13 different players had at least one point in win Army
* Freshman Holt Oliphant had two points (0-2-2) on Saturday, matching his career high. He has four points in the last four games
* Freshman Chris Hedden had two assists on Saturday and has points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. He has four points (0-4-4) in the last four games
* Senior Blake Bride scored his first of the season on Saturday at West Point.
* Sophomore Clayton Cosentino matched his career high with two assists on Saturday. Cosentino won 14 faceoffs on Friday (14-3) and 17 on Saturday (17-7). He won 76 percent of his faceoffs in the series
* Air Force has had 30+ shots in four straight games and five of the last six
* Junior Maiszon Balboa was named the AHA Goalie of the Week in helping lead the Falcons to a split at Army. He earned his first career win with a career-high 33 saves in game two.
* Air Force is second in the AHA and 12th in the nation in faceoff winning percentage at 53.4.
* Clayton Cosentino is fourth in the league and 15th in the nation with 291 faceoff wins. Cosentino leads the AHA in faceoff winning percentage (.598).
About the Lakers
Mercyhurst opened the season with six straight losses and were 1-9-2 after the first 12 games. However, in November, the Lakers won five straight including a pair of wins over Air Force in Erie. The Lakers are 7-6-1 in their last 14 games and are 8-15-3 overall and 7-8-3 in the league (28 points) and in fourth place. Graduate transfer (New Hampshire) Eric Esposito leads the team with nine goals and 18 points. The Lakers have started three different goalies this season. Owen Say has started 10 games and has a 3.43 GAA and a .901 saves percentage. Tyler Harmon has started the most games (15) and has a 3.00 GAA and a .922 saves percentage. Each started a game against Air Force earlier this season.
Series vs. Mercyhurst
Air Force leads the all-time series with Mercyhurst, 25-19-5. Mercyhurst swept Air Force, 5-3 and 4-2, earlier this season in Erie. The series began in 2007 with the teams both being members of Atlantic Hockey. AF is 6-4-2 against the Lakers in the 12 games. After playing six straight games in Erie, the teams meet for the first time at the Cadet Ice Arena since the 2020 AHA Quarterfinals. Air Force swept that series and advanced before the remainder of the playoffs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Air Force has won three straight over the Lakers at Cadet Ice Arena. At the Academy, the series is tied at 10-10-2.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Ice HockeyTroy Calhoun and Players POST Wyoming
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