No. 17 Air Force at Alaska
Friday and Saturday: 9 p.m. MDT in two-game non-conference hockey series
Radio: Jay Ritchie and Dave Toller have the call on 1300 AM, goairforcefalcons.com and on TuneIn
Series
Alaska has dominated the series, 19-5-2, and is 8-0-1 vs. Air Force since the Falcons’ 4-3 overtime win in 1995 at Cadet Arena. The Nanooks won the most recent meeting, 4-3, in 2014.
Overview
The Falcons begin their regular season with their longest trip (3,100 miles) in a season full of long ones. They will try to build on one of the most successful seasons in program history (27 wins, NCAA final eight and Atlantic Hockey playoff title). They’re the preseason pick to win Atlantic Hockey by both coaches and media. Interestingly enough, they’ve never won in Fairbanks (0-9).
Air Force update
Pierce Pluemer
The Falcons blanked University of Lethbridge (Alberta, Canada) on Monday night, 3-0, at Cadet Arena. The line of sophomores Brady Tomlak and Pierce Pluemer and senior Ben Kucera accounted for all three goals, and Pluemer had three points. Junior Billy Christopoulos made 11 saves to pick up the shutout, and the AFA offense generated 46 shots on goal. … AFA returns 119 goals from last season, tied with Bemidji State for most in the nation, and their 322 returning points from a season ago lead the nation, 36 more than defending national champion Denver. The Falcons led the nation in penalty killing last season (89.7 percent) and picked right up where they left off Monday night. Air Force’s power play clicked at 18.1 percent last season, far better than Alaska’s 12.8 rate.
Alaska update
The Nanooks defeated Simon Fraser (British Columbia) 6-0 in an exhibition game in which they fired 53 shots on goal. Six different players scored and a trio of Alaska netminders combined to stop 20 shots. … WCHA preseason media and coaches polls both have Alaska tabbed to finish eighth in the conference. … The Nanooks return 22 players from last season, when they went 12-20-4. The group includes leading scorer Chad Staley, a junior center who had 21 points and eight goals, and big defensemen Zach Frey (6-foot-1, 218 pounds) and Justin Woods (6-2, 214). Woods (12 points) is the Nanooks’ captain, while Frey (20 points) is an alternate. Both are seniors. Two of their three goaltenders are sophomores who did not appear in a game last season, and the third is a freshman.
How it could play out
Both teams feature a lot of veterans and both teams will be breaking in goalies without a lot of Division I experience. However, the Falcons are statistically superior across the board, not only in special teams but in goals per game (3.17 to 2.21) and goals-against per game (2.21 to 3.14). It’s a quick turnaround and a long journey for the Falcons, but they were relentless on Monday night and looked ready for the real games to start. Anything less than a sweep would be surprising.
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