Friday, October 11
Las Vegas, NV
8:30 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Minnesota
Air Force travels to Ice Breaker Tournament, Oct. 11-12
10/8/2024 10:13:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
THE GAMES
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 11, 7:30 pm PT, vs. No. 5 Minnesota, The Orleans, Las Vegas, NV
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 12, 4:00 pm PT, vs. TBA, The Orleans, Las Vegas, NV
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television: None
Stream: TBA (Link will be on AF hockey schedule)
Radio: XtraSports 1300 AM (Jay Ritchie, Dave Toller); xtrasports1300.com
Live Stats SideArm Stats (Link is on AF hockey schedule)
THE BREAKDOWN
Quick Facts: Air Force Minnesota
Record: 1-1-0 0-0-0
Streak: W 1 --
Last Game: W 4-3 ot, ASU (H) W 5-1 at St. Cloud St. (exh)
Next Series: Lindenwood (H) Minn.-Duluth (A)
THE COACHES
Head Coach: Frank Serratore Bob Motzko
School Record: 457-437-99 (28th yr) 136–71–17(7th yr)
Career Record: 505-528-108 (32nd yr) 412–263–66 (21st yr)
THE SERIES
Overall: UM leads 2-0-1
Last Meeting: Dec. 29, 2012, at #4 Minnesota, L 0-4
Streak: UM W 1
One Timers
* Air Force opened the season by splitting at home with No. 20 Arizona State
* After an 8-1 loss in game one, the Falcons rallied from two goals down to win game two, 4-3 in overtime.
* Senior Clayton Cosentino tied his career highs of two goals and three points, Oct. 5, including the game-winning, power play goal in overtime
* Freshman Brendan Gibbons had a career-high two goals, including the game-tying goal with 27 seconds left in the third
* Guy Blessing stopped 32 of 35 in the 4-3 overtime win
* Cosentino was named the AHA Forward of the Week; Blessing was the Goalie of the Week
* The win snapped a three-game losing streak to ASU and was the first win over a ranked team since beating No. 20 RIT late last season
* Air Force finished the 2023-24 season 18-19-1 overall and 15-10-1 in Atlantic Hockey
* Air Force's fourth-place finish in Atlantic Hockey was the highest since the Falcons finished third in 2019.
* Air Force's 18 wins were the most since the 2017-18 team went 23-15-5, won the AHA Tournament and reached the NCAA Elite Eight.
* The Falcons hosted an AHA quarterfinal series, but fell to AIC, 3-1 and 3-2 OT, March 8-9.
* The Falcons' 34 power-play goals last season led the AHA and were ninth in the nation.
* Air Force led the AHA and was seventh in the nation with a .542 faceoff winning percentage.
* Air Force's penalty kill (84.8) was third in the AHA and sixth in the nation.
* AF led the nation with nine SHG. Air Force was 6-0 last season when scoring a shortie
* Chris Hedden led the team with 37 points (8-29-37). He is the first defenseman to lead the team in scoring since Brandon Koch had 25 points in 2018-19 and just the fourth in school history.
Series Record
Air Force and Minnesota meet for the fourth time in the history of the programs, and the fourth time in the last 18 years. The Gophers hold a 2-0-1 lead in the series that began in 2007. The first meeting came in the 2007 NCAA West Regional in Denver, Air Force's first trip to the NCAAs. Air Force led 3-1 in the third period, but the No. 2 Gophers rallied for a 4-3 win. In December, 2007, Air Force tied No. 12 Minnesota, 2-2, in the Holiday Classic at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. In December 2012, No. 4 Minnesota defeated Air Force, 4-0, in the Mariucci Classic.
About the Gophers
Minnesota, ranked fifth in the USCHO national poll, opened the season with a 5-1 exhibition win over No. 16 St. Cloud State, in St. Cloud. The Gophers were 23-11-5 last season, placing third in the Big Ten. Minnesota qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season, but fell to No. 2 Boston University in the Sioux Falls regional final. Minnesota was picked to place second in the coaches' preseason poll. The Gophers have more NHL draft picks (16) on their roster than any other NCAA hockey program in 2024-25. This year's roster features four first-round selections in Matthew Wood (15th overall), Oliver Moore (19th overall), Jimmy Snuggerud (23rd overall), and Sam Rinzel (25th overall). Minnesota brings back nearly 60 percent of its goal scoring from a season ago, led by a trio that all reached double digits. Snuggerud paced the Gophers in 2023-24 and has put up 20-plus goals in back-to-back campaigns, while Aaron Huglen and Brody Lamb added 13 and 12 goals, respectively.
The Falcons in the Ice Breaker Tournament
This year marks the fifth time the Falcons will compete in the Ice Breaker Tournament. The Ice Breaker Tournament, which began in 1997 in Madison, Wis., annually brings together four teams, typically from different conferences, to celebrate the start of the college hockey season. College Hockey Inc. administers the Ice Breaker on behalf of the Hockey Commissioners Association. Air Force is 2-4-2 all-time in the Ice Breaker.
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 11, 7:30 pm PT, vs. No. 5 Minnesota, The Orleans, Las Vegas, NV
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 12, 4:00 pm PT, vs. TBA, The Orleans, Las Vegas, NV
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television: None
Stream: TBA (Link will be on AF hockey schedule)
Radio: XtraSports 1300 AM (Jay Ritchie, Dave Toller); xtrasports1300.com
Live Stats SideArm Stats (Link is on AF hockey schedule)
THE BREAKDOWN
Quick Facts: Air Force Minnesota
Record: 1-1-0 0-0-0
Streak: W 1 --
Last Game: W 4-3 ot, ASU (H) W 5-1 at St. Cloud St. (exh)
Next Series: Lindenwood (H) Minn.-Duluth (A)
THE COACHES
Head Coach: Frank Serratore Bob Motzko
School Record: 457-437-99 (28th yr) 136–71–17(7th yr)
Career Record: 505-528-108 (32nd yr) 412–263–66 (21st yr)
THE SERIES
Overall: UM leads 2-0-1
Last Meeting: Dec. 29, 2012, at #4 Minnesota, L 0-4
Streak: UM W 1
One Timers
* Air Force opened the season by splitting at home with No. 20 Arizona State
* After an 8-1 loss in game one, the Falcons rallied from two goals down to win game two, 4-3 in overtime.
* Senior Clayton Cosentino tied his career highs of two goals and three points, Oct. 5, including the game-winning, power play goal in overtime
* Freshman Brendan Gibbons had a career-high two goals, including the game-tying goal with 27 seconds left in the third
* Guy Blessing stopped 32 of 35 in the 4-3 overtime win
* Cosentino was named the AHA Forward of the Week; Blessing was the Goalie of the Week
* The win snapped a three-game losing streak to ASU and was the first win over a ranked team since beating No. 20 RIT late last season
* Air Force finished the 2023-24 season 18-19-1 overall and 15-10-1 in Atlantic Hockey
* Air Force's fourth-place finish in Atlantic Hockey was the highest since the Falcons finished third in 2019.
* Air Force's 18 wins were the most since the 2017-18 team went 23-15-5, won the AHA Tournament and reached the NCAA Elite Eight.
* The Falcons hosted an AHA quarterfinal series, but fell to AIC, 3-1 and 3-2 OT, March 8-9.
* The Falcons' 34 power-play goals last season led the AHA and were ninth in the nation.
* Air Force led the AHA and was seventh in the nation with a .542 faceoff winning percentage.
* Air Force's penalty kill (84.8) was third in the AHA and sixth in the nation.
* AF led the nation with nine SHG. Air Force was 6-0 last season when scoring a shortie
* Chris Hedden led the team with 37 points (8-29-37). He is the first defenseman to lead the team in scoring since Brandon Koch had 25 points in 2018-19 and just the fourth in school history.
Series Record
Air Force and Minnesota meet for the fourth time in the history of the programs, and the fourth time in the last 18 years. The Gophers hold a 2-0-1 lead in the series that began in 2007. The first meeting came in the 2007 NCAA West Regional in Denver, Air Force's first trip to the NCAAs. Air Force led 3-1 in the third period, but the No. 2 Gophers rallied for a 4-3 win. In December, 2007, Air Force tied No. 12 Minnesota, 2-2, in the Holiday Classic at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. In December 2012, No. 4 Minnesota defeated Air Force, 4-0, in the Mariucci Classic.
About the Gophers
Minnesota, ranked fifth in the USCHO national poll, opened the season with a 5-1 exhibition win over No. 16 St. Cloud State, in St. Cloud. The Gophers were 23-11-5 last season, placing third in the Big Ten. Minnesota qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season, but fell to No. 2 Boston University in the Sioux Falls regional final. Minnesota was picked to place second in the coaches' preseason poll. The Gophers have more NHL draft picks (16) on their roster than any other NCAA hockey program in 2024-25. This year's roster features four first-round selections in Matthew Wood (15th overall), Oliver Moore (19th overall), Jimmy Snuggerud (23rd overall), and Sam Rinzel (25th overall). Minnesota brings back nearly 60 percent of its goal scoring from a season ago, led by a trio that all reached double digits. Snuggerud paced the Gophers in 2023-24 and has put up 20-plus goals in back-to-back campaigns, while Aaron Huglen and Brody Lamb added 13 and 12 goals, respectively.
The Falcons in the Ice Breaker Tournament
This year marks the fifth time the Falcons will compete in the Ice Breaker Tournament. The Ice Breaker Tournament, which began in 1997 in Madison, Wis., annually brings together four teams, typically from different conferences, to celebrate the start of the college hockey season. College Hockey Inc. administers the Ice Breaker on behalf of the Hockey Commissioners Association. Air Force is 2-4-2 all-time in the Ice Breaker.
Players Mentioned
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