The Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey team is a

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) Division I

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

program that represents the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

. The Falcons are a member of

Atlantic Hockey The Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) is an NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference. Unlike several other c ...

. They play at the

Cadet Ice Arena The Cadet Field House is an indoor sports complex in the Western United States, western United States, located at the United States Air Force Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, near Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. The mul ...

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

History

Independent

Air Force Academy's Ice hockey program began as a club team in 1966, led by former

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

head coach and six-time national champion

Vic Heyliger Victor Heyliger (September 26, 1912 – October 4, 2006) was a National Hockey League center and the head coach of the University of Michigan ice hockey team. Career Born in Concord, Massachusetts, he attended the Lawrence Academy in Groton, Ma ...

. The program grew swiftly and posted a winning record by its third season. In their fourth season, the team posted an impressive 25-6 mark and had the nation's leading scorer on the roster,

Dave Skalko David J. Skalko is an American retired ice hockey forward and Air Force Colonel who was the de jure NCAA Scoring Champion in 1971–72. Career Skalko was admitted to the Air Force Academy in the fall of 1969 and joined the ice hockey team i ...

. When Heyliger retired in 1974, turning the team over to

John Matchefts John Peter Matchefts (June 18, 1931 – November 10, 2013) was an American ice hockey player and coach. Matchefts played for Team USA at the 1956 Winter Olympics. Career Player An Eveleth native from birth, Matchefts played for his hometown hig ...

, the success continued with two more 20+ win seasons in three years. By the time the 1980 rolled around, however, the team's on-ice results began to flag and after a pair of disappointing, single-digit-win seasons Matchefts pushed his team to a .500-record before turning control over to the program's all-time leading scorer.

Chuck Delich Major Charles "Chuck" Delich is a retired American ice hockey player and coach. His association with The Air Force Academy also includes being a commissioned officer until his military retirement in 1993. Career Chuck Delich entered the Air Forc ...

led the program for the 12 seasons, posting moderate results for most of his tenure, but as the 20th century drew to a close, the Falcons' days as a plucky Independent were numbered.

CHA

In 1997, former

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

head coach

Frank Serratore Frank Serratore (born August 24, 1957) is an Americans, American ice hockey coach, currently with the Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey team. He formerly coached professional hockey in the International Hockey League (1945-2001), International ...

was hired to replace Delich and recorded two 15-win seasons before everything changed for the Falcons. In 1999, Air Force became a founding member of the CHA, joining with the other service academy

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and five other newly-minted Division I teams. Despite the other programs having little history of success, Air Force was unable to make much headway in the conference, with the best finish being 4th out of 7 teams in their inaugural year. Army left the conference after only one year, leaving the conference with only six programs, and the Falcons found themselves as one of the worst. Air Force finished in 5th- or 6th-place for four consecutive seasons and threw in a pair of 4th-place marks for good measure. Despite their regular season woes, the Falcons did achieve some success in the CHA tournament, reaching the semifinals three times despite being an underdog. By 2006, however, it became apparent that the CHA was in trouble. The Falcons left the CHA and were accepted into

, rejoining Army in the same conference.

Atlantic Hockey

The change seemed to suit the Falcons, who posted their first winning season in 7 years. In the conference tournament, Air Force defeated Holy Cross 3-0 before stunning #1 seeded

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...

5-4 in overtime. In the championship match, the Falcons took on Army and routed the Black Knights 6-1 to win the program's first conference championship and receive their first bid into the NCAA tournament. Though they lost to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in the opening round, the success would continue for the next two years with two additional Atlantic Hockey tournament titles and culminated with a 28-win season in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

where they won their first regular season conference title and NCAA tournament game. After a middling season in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, the Falcons posted back-to-back conference championships but failed to escape the first round in either season. Air Force spent the mid-teens rebuilding their program, and it came to a head in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

with their sixth Atlantic Hockey crown. The Falcons played so well over the course of the season that there was some talk of them making the NCAA tournament even if they were to lose the Atlantic Hockey championship (an exceedingly rare occurrence for Atlantic Hockey Teams). Their second quarterfinal appearance was followed by another in 2018, where they were outplayed by eventual champion Minnesota–Duluth until the final period.

Season-by-season results

All-time coaching records

As of the end of the 2021–22 season

Awards and honors

U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame

The following individuals have been inducted into the

United States Hockey Hall of Fame The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and ...

. *

(1974) *

(1991)

Lowes' Senior CLASS Award

;

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

* Jacques Lamoureux (2011) * Kyle Haak (2019)

Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award

;

* Mike Phillipich (2009) * Dylan Abood (2018)

Scoring Champion

;

* Dave Skalko (1972) ;

* Eric Ehn (2007) * Jacques Lamoureux (2009) *

Tim Kirby Tim Kirby (born June 23, 1988) is an American former ice hockey defenseman who played for the Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey team which competes in NCAA's Division I in the Atlantic Hockey The Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) is an NCAA ...

(2012)

Player of the year

;

College Hockey America College Hockey America (CHA) is a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is made up of five women’s teams, with two in Pennsylvania; two in New Y ...

* Marc Kielkucki (2001) ;

* Eric Ehn (2007) * Jacques Lamoureux (2009)

Rookie of the year

;

* Andy Berg (2000)

Student-Athlete of the year

;

* Scott Bradley (2001) * Brian Gornick (2002) * Mike Polidor (2004)

Best Defensive Player

;

* Brady Tomlak (2020)

Best Defensive Player

;

* Blair Bartlett (2006)

Best Defenseman

;

* Greeg Flynn (2009) *

(2012) * Adam McKenzie (2013) * Ben Carey (2016)

Individual Sportsmanship Award

;

* Jason Fabian (2014) * Ben Carey(2016)

Regular Season Goaltending Award

;

* Shane Starett (2016) * Billy Christopoulos (2018, 2019)

Coach of the Year

;

(2016)

Tournament MVP

;

* Mike Phillipich (2007) * Brent Olson (2008) * Matt Fairchild (2009) * Jacques Lamoureux (2011) * Jason Torf (2012) * Shane Starrett (2017) * Billy Christopoulos (2018)

NCAA All-Americans

The following Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey players have been chosen as Second Team Division I All-Americans by the

American Hockey Coaches Association The American Hockey Coaches Association was formed in 1947 in Boston. The founding members coached college ice hockey but membership has grown to include coaches at every level of the sport from youth hockey to professional ice hockey, although ...

. * Eric Ehn (2007) * Jacques Lamoureux (2009) *

(2012)

All–CHA Team

First Team

The following Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey players have been chosen as First Team All- CHA. * Marc Kielkucki (2001) * Brian Gornick (2001) * Derek Olson (2002)

Second Team

* Brian Gornick (2000) * Andy Berg (2001, 2003) * Brian Gineo (2005) * Michael Mayra (2006) * Eric Ehn (2006)

Rookie Team

* Andy Berg (2000) * Joe Locallo (2001) * Zach Sikich (2002) * Matt Charbonneau (2005) * Eric Ehn (2005) * Michael Mayra (2006)

All–Atlantic Hockey Team

First Team

The following Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey players have been chosen as First Team All-

. * 2006–07: Eric Ehn, F * 2008–09: Andrew Volkening, G;

Greg Flynn Greg Flynn is an Australian novelist whose debut book ''The Berlin Cross'' (published by Random House Australia & NZ) received positive reviews nationally when released in December 2005. Background Flynn was born in Perth, Western Australia, a ...

, D; Jacques Lamoureux, F * 2009–10:

, D; Jacques Lamoureux, F * 2010–11:

Scott Mathis Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sask ...

, F * 2011–12:

, D;

, F; Kyle De Laurell, F * 2012–13:

Adam McKenzie Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

, D; Kyle De Laurell, F * 2015–16: Shane Starrett, G * 2016–17: Phil Boje, D * 2018–19: Billy Christopoulos, G

Second Team

* 2006–07: Andrew Ramsey, F * 2007–08:

, D * 2009–10: Andrew Volkening, G * 2010–11: Jacques Lamoureux, F * 2011–12:

John Kruse John Kruse (1921–2004) was an English film and television screenwriter, director and novelist. He is mostly remembered for his work on ITC classic TV series '' The Saint'', as well as several films of the franchise, and as the author of th ...

, F * 2013–14:

, D; Cole Gunner, F * 2014–15: Cole Gunner, F * 2015–16: Johnny Hrabovsky, D * 2016–17: Jordan Himley, F

Third Team

* 2007–08: Eric Ehn, F * 2010–11:

, D * 2016–17: Shane Starrett, G * 2019–20: Brandon Koch, D * 2021–22: Brandon Koch, D

Rookie Team

* 2008–09:

, D * 2010–11:

Jason Torf Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He wa ...

, G;

, D * 2013–14: Chris Truehl, G * 2015–16: Shane Starrett, G; Matt Serratore, F * 2019–20: Brandon Koch, D * 2021–22:

Mitchell Digby Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) * Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territor ...

, D; Clayton Cosentino, F

Statistical Leaders

Career Scoring leaders

''GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes''

Career Goaltending Leaders

''GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% =

Save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various goal-scoring sports that track saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse, it is a statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal ...

; GAA =

Goals against average Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on s ...

'' Minimum 35 games Statistics current through the start of the 2017-18 season.

Current roster

As of August 12, 2022.

Falcons in the NHL

Goalie Shane Starrett signed an Entry Level Contract with the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

of the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

on April 10, 2017. He is currently the only Air Force Falcons Men's Ice Hockey player to be in the

or respected affiliates.

References

External links

Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey
{{Atlantic Hockey Ice hockey teams in Colorado