# 2018–19 Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey season

The 2018–19 Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey season was the 51st season of play for the program and the 13th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Falcons represented the United States Air Force Academy and were coached by Frank Serratore, in his 22nd season.

## Season

Coming off of two consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament, Air Force was attempting to live up to very lofty expectations, particularly for an Atlantic Hockey team. Unfortunately, the team got off to a poor start and began the season 1–4. The Falcons recovered afterwards and righted the ship with a five-game winning streak, placing them near the top of the conference standings. A sweep at the hands of American International in mid-November put them behind the 8-ball at least in terms of a league championship, but a good showing against Bemidji State and in the Ice Vegas Invitational gave the team hope for another NCAA appearance.
The second half of their season began similar to the first half and Air Force went through a stretch of five games without a win. They briefly bounced back against Robert Morris but then hovered around .500 for the remainder of the season. Entering the postseason, Air Force had no mathematic chance to make the 2019 NCAA tournament without winning their conference tournament. That glimmer of hope was quickly snuffed out when they were upset by Niagara in the quarterfinals.
After the season, Billy Christopoulos joined the select few graduates of the Air Force Academy to play professional hockey when he signed with the South Carolina Stingrays.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Dylan Abood | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Erik Baskin | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Phil Boje | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Jordan Himley | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Jonathan Kopacka | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Ben Kucera | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Tyler Ledford | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Kyle Mackey | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Isaac Theisen | Forward | United States | Left program |
| Will Ulrich | Goaltender | United States | Left program |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Kieran Durgan | Forward | United States | 21 | St. Johns, MI |
| Carter Ekberg | Defenseman | United States | 21 | McMurray, PA |
| Tyler Jutting | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Mankato, MN |
| Keegan Mantaro | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Monument, CO |
| Alex Schilling | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Medina, MN |
| Jensen Zerban | Forward | United States | 20 | Elk River, MN |

## Roster

Source:

## Standings

2018–19 Atlantic Hockey Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #16 American International †* | 28 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 37 | 102 | 77 | 41 | 23 | 17 | 1 | 129 | 119 |
| Bentley | 28 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 34 | 94 | 75 | 37 | 17 | 15 | 5 | 113 | 98 |
| Air Force | 28 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 32 | 65 | 63 | 36 | 16 | 15 | 5 | 90 | 92 |
| Sacred Heart | 28 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 31 | 85 | 73 | 37 | 16 | 17 | 4 | 107 | 106 |
| RIT | 28 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 30 | 81 | 76 | 38 | 17 | 17 | 4 | 113 | 111 |
| Niagara | 28 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 27 | 94 | 96 | 41 | 17 | 19 | 5 | 127 | 140 |
| Mercyhurst | 28 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 26 | 88 | 94 | 38 | 13 | 20 | 5 | 113 | 134 |
| Robert Morris | 28 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 24 | 72 | 78 | 40 | 16 | 22 | 2 | 102 | 127 |
| Holy Cross | 28 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 24 | 81 | 89 | 36 | 10 | 21 | 5 | 91 | 112 |
| Army | 28 | 8 | 13 | 7 | 23 | 71 | 82 | 39 | 12 | 20 | 7 | 94 | 117 |
| Canisius | 28 | 8 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 77 | 107 | 37 | 12 | 20 | 5 | 103 | 133 |
| Championship: March 23, 2019 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll |||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| October 7 | 5:05 p.m. | vs. Alberta* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 1,625 | |
| Regular season ||||||||||
| October 12 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. #10 Denver* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | L 1–4 | 2,386 | 0–1–0 |
| October 13 | 7:07 p.m. | vs. Colorado College* | Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Battle for Pikes Peak) | Christopoulos | L 1–6 | 4,327 | 0–2–0 |
| October 19 | 5:35 p.m. | at Canisius | LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York | Christopoulos | W 7–3 | 1,110 | 1–2–0 (1–0–0) |
| October 20 | 5:35 p.m. | at Canisius | LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York | Christopoulos | L 0–2 | 1,371 | 1–3–0 (1–1–0) |
| October 25 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Niagara | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | L 0–5 | 1,326 | 1–4–0 (1–2–0) |
| October 26 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Niagara | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | W 2–1 | 1,754 | 2–4–0 (2–2–0) |
| November 2 | 5:05 p.m. | at Army | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | Christopoulos | W 4–2 | 2,473 | 3–4–0 (3–2–0) |
| November 3 | 6:05 p.m. | at Army | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | Christopoulos | W 4–2 | 2,317 | 4–4–0 (4–2–0) |
| November 9 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Bentley | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | LaRocque | W 4–2 | 1,833 | 5–4–0 (5–2–0) |
| November 10 | 7:35 p.m. | vs. Bentley | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | LaRocque | W 4–1 | 1,742 | 6–4–0 (6–2–0) |
| November 16 | 12:05 p.m. | vs. American International | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts | LaRocque | L 0–5 | 117 | 6–5–0 (6–3–0) |
| November 17 | 11:05 a.m. | vs. American International | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts | LaRocque | L 0–4 | 378 | 6–6–0 (6–4–0) |
| November 30 | 5:05 p.m. | at RIT | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | Christopoulos | W 3–1 | 2,851 | 7–6–0 (7–4–0) |
| December 1 | 5:05 p.m. | at RIT | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | Christopoulos | W 3–0 | 2,231 | 8–6–0 (8–4–0) |
| December 7 | 7:35 p.m. | vs. Mercyhurst | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | W 2–0 | 1,607 | 9–6–0 (9–4–0) |
| December 8 | 5:05 p.m. | vs. Mercyhurst | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | L 1–4 | 1,848 | 9–7–0 (9–5–0) |
| December 29 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Bemidji State* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 2,231 | 9–7–1 |
| December 30 | 5:05 p.m. | vs. Bemidji State* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | W 6–3 | 2,261 | 10–7–1 |
| Ice Vegas Invitational ||||||||||
| January 4 | 9:35 p.m. | vs. St. Lawrence* | T-Mobile Arena • Paradise, Nevada (Ice Vegas semifinal) | Christopoulos | W 7–1 | 1,727 | 11–7–1 |
| January 5 | 9:35 p.m. | vs. #17 Western Michigan* | T-Mobile Arena • Paradise, Nevada (Ice Vegas championship) | Christopoulos | L 1–4 | 1,807 | 11–8–1 |
| January 11 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Army | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,716 | 11–8–2 (9–5–1) |
| January 12 | 5:05 p.m. | vs. Army | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,528 | 11–8–3 (9–5–2) |
| January 19 | 12:05 p.m. | at Sacred Heart | Webster Bank Arena • Bridgeport, Connecticut | Christopoulos | L 1–3 | 356 | 11–9–3 (9–6–2) |
| January 20 | 2:05 p.m. | vs. Sacred Heart | Ingalls Rink • New Haven, Connecticut | Christopoulos | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 203 | 11–9–4 (9–6–3) |
| January 25 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Robert Morris | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | W 3–1 | 1,902 | 12–9–4 (10–6–3) |
| January 26 | 5:05 p.m. | vs. Robert Morris | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | W 3–1 | 1,942 | 13–9–4 (11–6–3) |
| February 1 | 5:05 p.m. | at Bentley | Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts | Christopoulos | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 1,320 | 13–10–4 (11–7–3) |
| February 2 | 5:05 p.m. | at Bentley | Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts | Christopoulos | L 0–4 | 1,351 | 13–11–4 (11–8–3) |
| February 15 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Canisius | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | W 3–0 | 2,142 | 14–11–4 (12–8–3) |
| February 16 | 5:05 p.m. | vs. Canisius | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | L 0–3 | 2,053 | 14–12–4 (12–9–3) |
| February 22 | 5:05 p.m. | at Mercyhurst | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | Christopoulos | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 1,338 | 14–12–5 (12–9–4) |
| February 23 | 5:05 p.m. | at Mercyhurst | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | Christopoulos | W 4–2 | 1,222 | 15–12–5 (13–9–4) |
| March 1 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Holy Cross | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 1,809 | 15–13–5 (13–10–4) |
| March 2 | 5:05 p.m. | vs. Holy Cross | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Christopoulos | W 4–2 | 1,655 | 16–13–5 (14–10–4) |
| Atlantic Hockey tournament ||||||||||
| March 15 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Niagara* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals game 1) | Christopoulos | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 1,474 | 16–14–5 |
| March 7 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Niagara* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals game 2) | Christopoulos | L 4–5 | 1,621 | 16–15–5 |
| Air Force lost series 0–2 ||||||||||
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Mountain Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Matt Koch | D | 35 | 4 | 21 | 27 | 20 |
| Kyle Haak | F | 35 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 20 |
| Evan Fero | F | 32 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 13 |
| Evan Giesler | F | 36 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 18 |
| Kieran Durgan | F | 36 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 8 |
| Brady Tomlak | C | 34 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 52 |
| Zack Mirageas | D | 35 | 1 | 16 | 17 | 51 |
| Walker Sommer | C | 35 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 12 |
| Jake Levin | D | 36 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 8 |
| Alex Mehnert | D | 36 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 24 |
| Trevor Stone | C/LW | 34 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 20 |
| Matt Pulver | F | 36 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 20 |
| Joe Tyran | D | 26 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| Erich Jaeger | F | 26 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 24 |
| Dan Bailey | D | 36 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 28 |
| Marshall Bowery | F | 30 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Pierce Pluemer | LW | 23 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| Carter Ekberg | D | 27 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| Matt Serratore | F | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Max Harper | F | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Shawn Knowlton | F | 28 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Keegan Mantaro | D | 32 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Zach LaRocque | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jensen Zerban | F | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tyler Jutting | D | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Christopoulos | G | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 12 |
| Total | | | 90 | 147 | 237 | 388 |
Source:

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals against | Saves | Shut-outs | SV % | GAA |
| Billy Christopoulos | 32 | 1926 | 14 | 13 | 5 | 72 | 766 | 3 | .914 | 2.24 |
| Zach LaRocque | 5 | 251 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 78 | 0 | .857 | 3.10 |
| Empty Net | - | 19 | - | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 36 | 2197 | 16 | 15 | 5 | 92 | 844 | 3 | .902 | 2.51 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
USCHO did not release a poll in Week 25.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Kyle Haak | Senior CLASS Award |
| Billy Christopoulos | Atlantic Hockey Regular Season Goaltending Award |
| Billy Christopoulos | Atlantic Hockey First Team |