Friday, October 9
St. Paul, MN
6:05 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
University of St. Thomas
Air Force opens regular season at St. Thomas, Oct. 9-10
10/6/2026 9:27:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
THE GAMES
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 9, at St. Thomas, 7:05 pm CT, Lee & Penny Anderson Arena, St. Paul, Minn.
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 10, at St. Thomas, 6:05 pm CT, Lee & Penny Anderson Arena, St. Paul, Minn.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television: Friday: Fox 9+ / Saturday: None
Stream: NCHC.tv
Radio: XtraSports 1300 AM / xtrasports1300.com
Live Stats SideArm
THE BREAKDOWN
Quick Facts: Air Force St. Thomas
2025-26 Record: 18-15-3 21-12-5
Streak: -- --
Last Series: -- --
Next Series: vs. Lindenwood, Oct. 15-16 vs. Minnesota State, Oct. 16-17
THE COACHES
Head Coach: Frank Serratore Rico Blasi
School Record: 490-472-106 (30th year) 69–101–14 (5th year)
Career Record: 539-564-115 (34th year) 467-412-91 (26th year)
THE SERIES
Overall: Tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: AF 6, STU 2, Oct. 18, 2025, Cadet Ice Arena
Streak: AF W 1
Looking Back at Last Season
* Air Force closed out the 2025-26 season with an 18-15-4 record, the first winning season since 2018-19. The 18 wins tie (2023-24) as the most since 2017-18.
* Air Force went 8-4-2 in the final 14 games of the season
* The Falcons earned 11 road wins, the most since the 2017-18 season.
* In all games, Air Force led the AHA, and was sixth in the nation, in shots per game (34.1). AF had 30 or more shots in 12 of the last 14 games, including a season-high 62 at Robert Morris, March 8
* The Falcons had six players with 20+ points (Hedden 34, Stitz 32, Sajevic 32, Dawson 25, Gibbons 20, Cunningham 20) for the first time since 2008-09 and four return this season.
* Dominik Wasik, from Superior, Colo., earned third-team all-AHA honors last season
* Wasik had four shutouts last season. In Air Force's conference era (since 1999-00), only four Falcon goalies have recorded more than four or more shutouts in a season
* Wasik started the last 32 games and led the Falcons to 17 wins. His 17 wins are the sixth most in the conference era. He finished tied for the league lead in shutouts (4), fourth in saves (790), fifth in GAA (2.47) and was named the AHA Goalie of the Week four times and AHA Goalie of the Month twice.
* Junior defenseman Nolan Cunningham was named third-team all-AHA. Cunningham was third in the league in points (16) and plus-minus (+7) among league defensemen in conference games.
Series vs. the Tommies
Air Force and St. Thomas have only played twice since the Tommies went Division I in 2021 and the teams split a series last season, Oct. 17-18, at the Academy. St. Thomas defeated Air Force, 11-2, in game one last season, but the Falcons rallied for a 6-2 win in game two. The teams played 38 times when St. Thomas competed at the Division II/III levels. AF held a 28-9-1 lead in that series.
Scouting the Tommies
St. Thomas is receiving votes in both national polls (USCHO.com and USA Hockey). Based on the number of votes received, the Tommies are 24th in USA Hockey and 25th the USCHO.com poll. The Tommies are in their first season in the NCHC, after spending five seasons in the CCHA after making the transition to Division I for the 2021-22 season. The Toms are coming off their most successful season in the program's DI era, finishing 21-12-5 overall during the 2025-26 campaign. The 21 victories were a program record and their 15-7-4 conference record was good for second place in the CCHA. Sophomore forward Lucas Van Vliet is the top returning scorer, posting 35 points (14-21-35) in 37 games last season. Junior goalie Carson Musser, a transfer from Colorado College prior to last season, started 21 games for the Tommies in 2025-26 and led the team to an 11-6-3 record with a 2.95 GAA and a .892 saves percentage.
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 9, at St. Thomas, 7:05 pm CT, Lee & Penny Anderson Arena, St. Paul, Minn.
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 10, at St. Thomas, 6:05 pm CT, Lee & Penny Anderson Arena, St. Paul, Minn.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television: Friday: Fox 9+ / Saturday: None
Stream: NCHC.tv
Radio: XtraSports 1300 AM / xtrasports1300.com
Live Stats SideArm
THE BREAKDOWN
Quick Facts: Air Force St. Thomas
2025-26 Record: 18-15-3 21-12-5
Streak: -- --
Last Series: -- --
Next Series: vs. Lindenwood, Oct. 15-16 vs. Minnesota State, Oct. 16-17
THE COACHES
Head Coach: Frank Serratore Rico Blasi
School Record: 490-472-106 (30th year) 69–101–14 (5th year)
Career Record: 539-564-115 (34th year) 467-412-91 (26th year)
THE SERIES
Overall: Tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: AF 6, STU 2, Oct. 18, 2025, Cadet Ice Arena
Streak: AF W 1
Looking Back at Last Season
* Air Force closed out the 2025-26 season with an 18-15-4 record, the first winning season since 2018-19. The 18 wins tie (2023-24) as the most since 2017-18.
* Air Force went 8-4-2 in the final 14 games of the season
* The Falcons earned 11 road wins, the most since the 2017-18 season.
* In all games, Air Force led the AHA, and was sixth in the nation, in shots per game (34.1). AF had 30 or more shots in 12 of the last 14 games, including a season-high 62 at Robert Morris, March 8
* The Falcons had six players with 20+ points (Hedden 34, Stitz 32, Sajevic 32, Dawson 25, Gibbons 20, Cunningham 20) for the first time since 2008-09 and four return this season.
* Dominik Wasik, from Superior, Colo., earned third-team all-AHA honors last season
* Wasik had four shutouts last season. In Air Force's conference era (since 1999-00), only four Falcon goalies have recorded more than four or more shutouts in a season
* Wasik started the last 32 games and led the Falcons to 17 wins. His 17 wins are the sixth most in the conference era. He finished tied for the league lead in shutouts (4), fourth in saves (790), fifth in GAA (2.47) and was named the AHA Goalie of the Week four times and AHA Goalie of the Month twice.
* Junior defenseman Nolan Cunningham was named third-team all-AHA. Cunningham was third in the league in points (16) and plus-minus (+7) among league defensemen in conference games.
Series vs. the Tommies
Air Force and St. Thomas have only played twice since the Tommies went Division I in 2021 and the teams split a series last season, Oct. 17-18, at the Academy. St. Thomas defeated Air Force, 11-2, in game one last season, but the Falcons rallied for a 6-2 win in game two. The teams played 38 times when St. Thomas competed at the Division II/III levels. AF held a 28-9-1 lead in that series.
Scouting the Tommies
St. Thomas is receiving votes in both national polls (USCHO.com and USA Hockey). Based on the number of votes received, the Tommies are 24th in USA Hockey and 25th the USCHO.com poll. The Tommies are in their first season in the NCHC, after spending five seasons in the CCHA after making the transition to Division I for the 2021-22 season. The Toms are coming off their most successful season in the program's DI era, finishing 21-12-5 overall during the 2025-26 campaign. The 21 victories were a program record and their 15-7-4 conference record was good for second place in the CCHA. Sophomore forward Lucas Van Vliet is the top returning scorer, posting 35 points (14-21-35) in 37 games last season. Junior goalie Carson Musser, a transfer from Colorado College prior to last season, started 21 games for the Tommies in 2025-26 and led the team to an 11-6-3 record with a 2.95 GAA and a .892 saves percentage.
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's Ice Hockey
G
/ Men's Ice HockeySunday, October 11
Sunday, October 11
Sunday, October 11
Sunday, October 11
