# 2022–23 Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey season

The 2022–23 Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey season was the 55th season of play for the program and the 17th in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Falcons represented the United States Air Force Academy and were coached by Frank Serratore, in his 26th season.

## Season

By returning most of the previous season's players, Air Force only had one real unknown about the team and that came in goal. With the graduation of Alex Schilling, coach Serratore turned to sophomore Guy Blessing as the Falcons' new starter. The young netminder played a bit inconsistently through the early part of the season but had the team in a good position by Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, it was at that time that the offense began to dry up. The Falcons went on a nine-game losing streak where they scored more than two goals on just one occasion. To make matters worse, Blessing had come down with a bursitis-related injury in early December. He attempted to play through the pain in the series against Holy Cross but it was too much for him to continue. While the team hoped that he would recover after the winter break, Blessing's condition did not improve enough and he ended up missing the remainder of the season.
In the meantime, a heavy snowfall caused the closure of the Buffalo airport, nessitating that the series with Canisius on December 30–31 be postponed. It was later rescheduled for February 13 and 14.
When the team finally returned to the ice in early January, coach Serratore was forced to alternate between his two upperclassmen goaltenders, Maiszon Balboa and Austin Park. This was caused in part because of the early departure of Aaron Randazzo but also because his replacement, Raymond Picard, had been playing on the Falcons' club team and was only there for emergencies. The two netminders combined to provide a stable situation in goal. Over the second half of the season, the Falcons received a nearly identical quality of goaltending that they had from Blessing. However, the Falcons were not fully able to solve their scoring woes. While the Falcons had a decent amount of depth scoring, they had no top-end players and just two players were able to get into double-digit-goal figures. Aside from a brief respite around early February, the entire team had trouble putting the puck in the net. Over the 18 games that Air Force played in 2023, they scored more than two goals in just seven of those matches, going 5–2 in those contests. In the others, the team went 1–10 and tumbled down the Atlantic Hockey standings, ending up in the conference cellar.
To compound the team's problems, the conference had changed the playoff format before the start of the season, eliminating the first round and starting with the quarterfinals. As a result, the Falcons ended up missing the postseason entirely, marking the first time that Air Force had missed the playoffs since joining the CHA back in 1999.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Billy Duma | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Frederick Paine | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to St. Scholastica |
| Aaron Randazzo | Goaltender | United States | Left program mid-season |
| Alex Schilling | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (retired) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Liam Hansson | Forward/Defenseman | United States | 20 | Ramsey, NJ |
| Chris Hedden | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Kalamazoo, MI |
| Mason McCormick | Forward | United States | 21 | Verona, WI |
| Brett Oberle | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Woodbury, MN |
| Holt Oliphant | Forward | United States | 21 | Northbrook, IL |
| Raymond Picard | Goaltender | United States | 18 | Portland, CT; mid-season addition from the club team |
| Aaron Randazzo | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Annapolis, MD |

## Roster

As of August 12, 2022

## Standings

2022–23 Atlantic Hockey Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | 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 | OW | OL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| RIT † | 26 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 57 | 85 | 55 | 39 | 25 | 13 | 1 | 127 | 100 |
| American International | 26 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 47 | 87 | 62 | 39 | 18 | 14 | 7 | 124 | 98 |
| Sacred Heart | 26 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 87 | 72 | 37 | 17 | 17 | 3 | 107 | 112 |
| Canisius * | 26 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 76 | 71 | 42 | 20 | 19 | 3 | 118 | 119 |
| Army | 26 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 39 | 72 | 81 | 37 | 14 | 19 | 4 | 98 | 119 |
| Niagara | 26 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 38 | 73 | 86 | 40 | 19 | 18 | 3 | 119 | 129 |
| Holy Cross | 26 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 73 | 71 | 41 | 17 | 21 | 3 | 98 | 119 |
| Mercyhurst | 26 | 9 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 35 | 77 | 80 | 36 | 10 | 23 | 3 | 98 | 122 |
| Bentley | 26 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 61 | 89 | 34 | 11 | 21 | 2 | 81 | 124 |
| Air Force | 26 | 8 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 63 | 87 | 36 | 12 | 22 | 2 | 95 | 128 |
| Championship: March 18, 2023 † indicates conference regular season champion (DeGregorio Trophy) * indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll |||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| October 1 | 6:05 PM | Colorado College* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Exhibition) | | Blessing | L 1–5 | 1,535 | |
| Ice Breaker Tournament ||||||||||
| October 7 | 7:05 PM | Maine* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Ice Breaker Tournament) | FloHockey | Randazzo | L 1–4 | 1,682 | 0–1–0 |
| October 8 | 7:05 PM | #11 Notre Dame* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Ice Breaker Tournament) | | Randazzo | T 5–5 $^{OT}$ | 2,473 | 0–1–1 |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 14 | 6:10 PM | at Lindenwood* | Centene Community Ice Center • St. Charles, Missouri | | Randazzo | L 6–7 | 2,065 | 0–2–1 |
| October 15 | 1:10 PM | at Lindenwood* | Centene Community Ice Center • St. Charles, Missouri | | Blessing | W 5–3 | 1,073 | 1–2–1 |
| October 20 | 7:05 PM | RIT | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Altitude | Blessing | W 3–2 | 1,385 | 2–2–1 (1–0–0) |
| October 21 | 7:05 PM | RIT | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | FloHockey | Blessing | L 2–4 | 1,591 | 2–3–1 (1–1–0) |
| October 28 | 7:30 PM | at Colorado College* | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) | ATTRM | Blessing | L 0–8 | 3,418 | 2–4–1 |
| October 29 | 7:05 PM | Colorado College* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) | Altitude 2 | Blessing | W 6–3 | 2,050 | 3–4–1 |
| November 4 | 7:05 PM | Alaska Anchorage* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | FloHockey | Blessing | W 5–3 | 1,548 | 4–4–1 |
| November 5 | 5:05 PM | Alaska Anchorage* | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Altitude 2 | Blessing | W 3–1 | 1,774 | 5–4–1 |
| November 11 | 7:05 PM | Bentley | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | FloHockey | Blessing | L 1–5 | 1,507 | 5–5–1 (1–2–0) |
| November 12 | 8:05 PM | Bentley | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Altitude 2 | Blessing | W 2–0 | 1,353 | 6–5–1 (2–2–0) |
| November 19 | 11:05 AM | at American International | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Blessing | T 3–3 $^{SOL}$ | 347 | 6–5–2 (2–2–1) |
| November 20 | 5:05 PM | at American International | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Blessing | L 1–3 | 199 | 6–6–2 (2–3–1) |
| November 25 | 5:05 PM | at Mercyhurst | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Blessing | L 3–5 | 400 | 6–7–2 (2–4–1) |
| November 26 | 2:05 PM | at Mercyhurst | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Blessing | L 2–4 | 300 | 6–8–2 (2–5–1) |
| December 2 | 7:05 PM | Holy Cross | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | FloHockey | Blessing | L 1–4 | 1,427 | 6–9–2 (2–6–1) |
| December 3 | 5:05 PM | Holy Cross | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | FloHockey | Blessing | L 1–2 | 1,493 | 6–10–2 (2–7–1) |
| Desert Hockey Classic ||||||||||
| January 6 | 3:30 PM | vs. #6 Boston University* | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona (Desert Hockey Classic Semifinal) | | Balboa | L 1–5 | - | 6–11–2 |
| January 7 | 7:00 PM | at Arizona State* | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona (Desert Hockey Classic Consolation) | | Balboa | L 0–2 | - | 6–12–2 |
| January 13 | 5:05 PM | at Holy Cross | Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Park | L 2–5 | 462 | 6–13–2 (2–8–1) |
| January 15 | 2:05 PM | at Holy Cross | Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Park | L 1–4 | 321 | 6–14–2 (2–9–1) |
| January 20 | 7:05 PM | Niagara | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | FloHockey | Park | W 6–3 | 1,465 | 7–14–2 (3–9–1) |
| January 21 | 5:05 PM | Niagara | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Altitude | Park | L 1–2 | 1,735 | 7–15–2 (3–10–1) |
| January 27 | 5:00 PM | at Army | Tate Rink • West Point, New York (Rivalry) | FloHockey | Balboa | L 1–3 | 2,600 | 7–16–2 (3–11–1) |
| January 28 | 2:00 PM | at Army | Tate Rink • West Point, New York (Rivalry) | FloHockey | Balboa | W 6–4 | 2,681 | 8–16–2 (4–11–1) |
| February 3 | 7:05 PM | Mercyhurst | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Altitude 2 | Balboa | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 1,854 | 9–16–2 (5–11–1) |
| February 4 | 5:05 PM | Mercyhurst | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Altitude 2 | Balboa | W 4–2 | 2,290 | 10–16–2 (6–11–1) |
| February 10 | 5:05 PM | at Sacred Heart | Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut | FloHockey, SNY | Balboa | W 5–4 | 4,087 | 11–16–2 (7–11–1) |
| February 11 | 5:05 PM | at Sacred Heart | Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut | FloHockey | Balboa | L 3–5 | 4,152 | 11–17–2 (7–12–1) |
| February 13 | 7:05 PM | Canisius | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Altitude 2 | Park | W 2–1 | 1,067 | 12–17–2 (8–12–1) |
| February 14 | 7:05 PM | Canisius | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Altitude 2 | Park | L 1–4 | 962 | 12–18–2 (8–13–1) |
| February 17 | 7:05 PM | American International | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Altitude 2 | Park | L 2–3 | 1,850 | 12–19–2 (8–14–1) |
| February 18 | 5:05 PM | American International | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | FloHockey | Park | L 3–4 | 2,299 | 12–20–2 (8–15–1) |
| February 24 | 5:05 PM | at RIT | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | Balboa | L 1–3 | 2,835 | 12–21–2 (8–16–1) |
| February 25 | 3:05 PM | at RIT | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | Balboa | L 2–5 | 2,890 | 12–22–2 (8–17–1) |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Mountain Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Willie Reim | F | 36 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 34 |
| Brandon Koch | D | 36 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 36 |
| Luke Rowe | D | 33 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 37 |
| Will Gavin | F | 35 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 27 |
| Clayton Cosentino | F | 36 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 10 |
| Nate Horn | F | 33 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 8 |
| Parker Brown | F | 36 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 21 |
| Andrew DeCarlo | F | 33 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 34 |
| Austin Schwartz | F | 34 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 2 |
| Sam Brennan | D | 22 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 45 |
| Chris Hedden | D | 35 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 12 |
| Holt Oliphant | F | 27 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Bennett Norlin | F | 36 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Mason McCormick | LW | 34 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 49 |
| Mitchell Digby | D | 35 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 28 |
| Jacob Marti | F | 25 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 22 |
| Brian Adams | F | 27 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Ty Pochipinski | F | 14 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Luke Robinson | D | 32 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 30 |
| Blake Bride | RW | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Jasper Lester | D | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Lucas Coon | D | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Brett Oberle | D | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Andrew Kruse | D | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Guy Blessing | G | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Raymond Picard | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Drake Usher | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Liam Hansson | F | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Aaron Randazzo | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Austin Park | G | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Maiszon Balboa | G | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 95 | 160 | 255 | 453 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals against | Saves | Shut-outs | SV % | GAA |
| Maiszon Balboa | 13 | 664 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 34 | 286 | 0 | .894 | 3.07 |
| Austin Park | 10 | 484 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 25 | 189 | 0 | .883 | 3.10 |
| Guy Blessing | 15 | 800 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 43 | 343 | 1 | .889 | 3.23 |
| Aaron Randazzo | 3 | 184 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 75 | 0 | .824 | 5.23 |
| Empty Net | - | 39 | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 36 | 2,171 | 12 | 22 | 2 | 128 | 893 | 1 | .875 | 3.53 |

## 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 | 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 | 27 (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 |
| 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 | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award | Ref |
| Luke Rowe | Atlantic Hockey Second Team | |
| Chris Hedden | Atlantic Hockey Rookie Team | |