Air Force hockey hosts RIT, Jan. 31-Feb. 1

THE GAMES
Game 1: Friday, Jan. 31, vs. RIT, 7:05 pm MT, Cadet Ice Arena
Game 2: Saturday, Feb 1, vs. RIT, 5:05 pm MT, Cadet Ice Arena

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television:        None
Stream: Both games on FloHockey
Radio: XtraSports 1300 AM; xtrasports1300.com
Live Stats StatBroadcast; Link is on AF hockey schedule

THE BREAKDOWN
Quick Facts:   Air Force RIT
Record:              11-16-1, 8-10-0 AHA (7th, 25 pts) 5-20-1, 4-13-1 AHA (10th, 12 pts)
Streak:                L 4 L 2
Last Series: Swept by Holy Cross, Jan. 24-25 Swept by Niagara, Jan. 24-25
Next Series: at Canisius, Feb. 7-8 vs. Holy Cross, Feb. 7-8

THE COACHES
Head Coach:                 Frank Serratore                         Wayne Wilson
School Record:             467-452-100 (28th yr)               466-334-81 (26th yr)
Career Record:             516-544-109 (32nd yr)              466-334-81 (26th yr)

THE SERIES
Overall:              AF Leads 37-29-4
Last Meeting: Split last season in Rochester
Streak:                AF W 1

One Timers
* Air Force is coming off a pair of losses at home to Holy Cross, 3-2 and 6-3
* In conference games, Air Force is second in the AHA in scoring defense, allowing just 2.06 goals per game (37 goals in 18 games)
* Air Force has allowed two goals or less in 11 of the last 18 games
* The Falcons have scored two goals or less in 17 of the last 23 games and are 9-13-1 in those games
* AF is averaging just 3.00 penalties per game, the fewest in the league.
* AF is 6-6 in one-goal games this season
* In 17 conference games this season, Guy Blessing has allowed just 31 goals for a 1.85 GAA and a .928 saves percentage as the Falcons are 8-10-0 in league play. He ranks second in the league, in conference games only, in goals-against average and fifth in saves percentage. He is one of eight goalies in the nation with three or more shutouts this season.
* Junior Chris Hedden's nine goals are tied as the second most in the nation among all defensemen. He tied his career high with two goals in the 4-2 in over Niagara, Dec. 7.
* Clayton Cosentino leads the nation with 350 faceoff wins. Cosentino's winning percentage of .550 is sixth in the conference, and the most by any player who has won more than 300 draws.
* Cosentino leads the team with 20 points (5-15-20). He has 93 career points in 138 games
* Austin Schwartz leads the nation in blocked shots by a forward with 42.
* AF leads the all-time series vs. RIT, 37-29-4.
* Last season, the teams split a series in Rochester with RIT winning, 7-3, and Air Force bouncing back for a 3-2 win. In the last eight games, each team has won four
* Seven of the last nine have been decided by two goals or less with two going into overtime.
* In games played at Air Force, the Falcons lead, 20-12-3.

Scouting the Tigers
RIT is 5-20-1 overall and 4-13-1 in the league for 10th place with 12 points. The Tigers were swept at home by Niagara last week, but split with Robert Morris on the road, Jan. 17-18. Tyler Fukakusa leads the team with 19 assists and 26 points. Matthew Wilde, who missed several games due to injury, leads the team with 11 goals and has 20 points. Three different goalies have started games for the Tigers. Freshman Jakub Krbecek has started 15 games, including four of the last seven, and has a 3.84 GAA and a .896 saves percentage. Last season, the Tigers went 27-11-2, won the AHA regular-season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA West Regional.

Series vs. RIT
AF leads the all-time series vs. RIT, 37-29-4. Last season, the teams split a series in Rochester with RIT winning, 7-3, and Air Force bouncing back for a 3-2 win. In the last eight games, each team has won four and in the last 16 games, each team has won eight. Seven of the last nine have been decided by two goals or less with two going into overtime. Air Force leads in AHA games 33-25-3. In the history of the series, 54 of the 70 games (77 percent) have been decided by two goals or less with 17 games going into overtime. RIT and Air Force both joined the AHA at the same time, the 2006-07 season. The two have combined for eight regular-season titles and 11 tournament titles in 18 years. In games played at Air Force, the Falcons lead, 20-12-3.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Guy Blessing

Clayton Cosentino

Chris Hedden

Austin Schwartz

Footer