Earlier this month The Flight Path surveyed the Air Force hockey team about various player characteristics.

Twenty-five of the 30 players on the roster responded (83 percent) through an online survey. All results were anonymous. I’d like to thank the AFA players for taking the time to take the survey.

I’d also like to thank the following sponsors for helping make this possible:

Kostoff and Co. at Nova Home Loans – The Right Loan, The Right Lender

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What follows is first of five parts of the survey, along some accompanying analysis.

Part 1: Skating and Strength

1 – Which player has the best top-end skating speed?

Jordan Himley – 12 (48 percent)

Marshall Bowery, Matt Pulver and Joe Tyran – 3 (12 percent)

Walker Sommer – 2 (8 percent)

Tyler Ledford and Kyle Mackey received one vote each.

Behind the numbers: This is part of the reason Himley can create scoring opportunities for himself and others. He was one vote from having a majority. What’s interesting is the presence of three players who didn’t play for the Falcons last season – Bowery and Sommer are freshmen and Tyran had a season-ending injury. This suggest the Falcons’ team speed has upgraded a bit.

2- Which player is the most agile skater?

Tyler Ledford – 13 (52 percent)

Jordan Himley – 4 (16 percent)

Joe Tyran – 3 (12 percent)

Dylan Abood and Matt Pulver – 2 (8 percent)

Trevor Stone also received a vote.

Behind the numbers: Watch Ledford move through traffic with the puck or find openings in a crowded offensive zone, and you’ll realize why he captured more than half of the votes.

3 – Which player has the most explosive stride?

Jordan Himley – 10 (40 percent)

Joe Tyran – 6 (24 percent)

Marhall Bowery, Matt Serratore – 3 (18 percent)

Matt Pulver – 2 (8 percent)

Kyle Haak also received a vote.

Behind the numbers: This measures get-up-and-go ability. What’s interesting is Himley, Tryan, and Pulver appear in all three skating categories.

4 – Which player displays the best overall functional strength?

Evan Giesler – 12 (48 percent)

Phil Boje – 3 (12 percent)

Dylan Abood and Matt Pulver – 2 (8 percent)

Jordan Himley, Jonathan Kopacka, Pierce Pluemer, Trevor Stone, Brady Tomlak and Joe Tyran each received one vote.

Behind the numbers: It’s a military academy, so of course there will be a bevy of players who score well in this category, but the man nicknamed Goose is a beast along the boards and in front of the net. Boje also doesn’t appear to be a fun guy to tangle with.

5 – Who is the toughest overall player on the team?

Dylan Abood – 17 (71 percent)

Phil Boje – 3 (13 percent)

Dan Bailey, Evan Feno, Jonathan Kopacka and Kyle Mackey each received a vote.

One voter abstained.

Behind the numbers: The Falcons’ captain is a warrior, and his teammates will be the first ones to tell you that; and they do in this category.

 

Coming up:

Part 2: Shooting and stick handling

Part 3: Passing, vision, hockey sense and face-offs

Part 4: Defense, positioning, leadership

Part 5: Breaking down the numbers

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Copyright First Line Editorial 2017