Air Force opens season at Omaha (rv)

THE GAME
Game 1: at Omaha (exh.), Friday, Oct.3, 7:05 pm CT, Baxter Arena, Omaha, Neb.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television:         None
Stream:               NCHC.tv
Radio:                 XtraSports 1300 AM / xtrasports1300.com;
Live Stats         SideArm Sports

THE BREAKDOWN
Quick Facts:              Air Force                                   Omaha
2024-25 Record:     16-21-3                                       18-17-1
Streak:                    --                                                 --
Last Series:             --                                                 --
Next Series:           H vs #4 DU/CC, Oct. 10-11           H vs. Minn. State, Oct. 10-11

THE COACHES
Head Coach:                     Frank Serratore                 Mike Gabinet
School Record:                  472-457-102 (29th yr)        135-131-17 (9th yr.)
Career Record:                  521-549-111 (33rd yr)        Same

THE SERIES
Overall:         Omaha leads, 5-1
Last Meeting: Omaha swept Air Force, 4-2 and 4-1, Oct. 23-24, 2015, at Baxter Arena
Streak:          Omaha - W 5

Looking Back at Last Season
* Air Force finished the 2024-25 season 16-21-3 overall. The Falcons were the seventh seed in the AHA playoffs after an 11-13-2 record.
* Air Force finished the season going 5-3-2 in the last 10 games.
* Seventh-seeded Air Force defeated Robert Morris, 4-3 in double overtime, to advance to the AHA Quarterfinals at Sacred Heart. The Falcons won game two, 3-2 in double overtime, but fell in game three to end the season
* Air Force posted a winning record at home at 10-9-1 in 2024-25
* Air Force's 560 blocked shots last season are a new school record. The previous record of 539 was set in 2017-18.
* Air Force's 12 overtime games last season tied the school record (2021-22). The five overtime wins tied as the second most.
* Over the last 10 games of the season, six freshmen combined for 11 goals and 30 points.
* Air Force was third in the AHA and 11th in the nation in faceoff winning percentage at .533.
* AF was 9-9 in one-goal games ... 21 of the team's 40 games were decided by one goal or tied.
* Defenseman Chris Hedden was second on the team with 11 goals and 26 points. His 11 goals were tied as the fifth-most in the nation by a defenseman. His 11 goals are the seventh most by a defenseman in school history and the most since Tim Kirby had 12 in 2011-12.
* Hedden's 74 blocked shots led the team and ranked eighth in the nation
* Hedden was named to the AHA preseason all-conference team
* Air Force was picked to finish sixth in the preseason coaches' poll

About the Mavericks
Omaha was 18-17-1 overall last season and 14-9-1 in the NCHC. The Mavericks' season ended by getting swept by North Dakota in NCHC quarterfinals. Senior goaltender Simon Latkoczy and senior defenseman Griffin Ludtke were named captains. Latkoczy was named the 2024-25 NCHC Goaltender of the Year, the first in Omaha history. The Slovakia native recorded a 2.71 goals against average, a .922 save percentage and 952 saves (second-most in the NCHC). He enters the 2025-26 season with 44 wins, the fourth-most in program history. Omaha lost their top four scorers from last season. Cameron Mitchell is the top returning scorer with eight goals and 12 assists last season. Omaha has 15 newcomers on the team and three NHL draft picks: Brett Hyland (7th, Washington), Jeremy Loranger (7th, Columbus), Sean Tschigerl, 5th Anaheim)

Series vs. Omaha
Air Force and Omaha have played six times and the Mavericks hold a 5-1 lead in the series. Omaha has won five straight. This will be the first exhibition meeting between the two schools. The teams first played at the Academy in 1997-98 in Omaha's first season at the Division I level. That series was also Frank Serratore's first at Air Force. Air Force won the first game, 4-2, while Omaha won the second game, 6-1. The second game of the series was delayed until Sunday afternoon due to a snowstorm that dropped three feet of snow in northern Colorado Springs. The teams also met for a two-game series in Omaha, Jan. 15-16, 1999. The Mavericks swept the series, 6-2 and 4-0. Omaha , ranked No. 1 in the nation, swept Air Force, 4-2 and 4-1, in the first games at Baxter Arena, Oct. 23-24, 2015.

Opening Gauntlet
After the exhibition game against Omaha, receiving votes in the USCHO.com national poll, the Falcons open the regular-season with a pair of home games against Denver (ranked fourth in USCHO.com poll) and Colorado College (receiving votes). Air Force then hosts St. Thomas, ranked 19th and picked to finish second in the CCHA, Oct. 17-18, at Cadet Ice Arena.

Who's Back
The Falcons return nine of the team's top 11 scorers and six of the top seven defensemen. Senior defenseman Chris Hedden was second on the team with 11 goals and 26 points last season. Junior forward Brendan Gibbons had nine goals and nine assists last season while junior defenseman Nolan Cunningham had 13 assists and 18 points.

Omaha Connections
Air Force head coach Frank Serratore was the coach and general manager of the Omaha Lancers of the United States Junior Hockey League in 1990. In one season, he took over a last-place team and led them to the USHL regular season and playoff championship. The worst-to-first Cinderella season earned Serratore the USHL General Manager of the Year and the Omaha Sportscasters Sportsman of the Year awards in 1990.
Air Force senior defenseman Chris Hedden played for the Omaha Lancers (USHL) in the 2021-22 season. Hedden had nine goals and nine assists in 35 games as the Lancers went 30-26-6 that season.

Team Captains
Seniors Chris Hedden, Mason McCormick and Holt Oliphant have all been selected, by vote of the team, to wear the "C" this season. Junior forward Brendan Gibbons and junior defenseman Will Staring will each wear an "A". McCormick and Oliphant each wore an "A" for the Falcons last season. Hedden, Gibbons and Staring will be wearing a letter at Air Force for the first time.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nolan Cunningham

Brendan Gibbons

Chris Hedden

Mason McCormick

Holt Oliphant

Will Staring

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