Sophomore Pierce Pluemer is tough to miss in the Air Force lineup, and he’s also tough to pin down. The tallest Falcon at 6-foot-4, the winger earned his wings this past summer by completing the Jump program, which culminated with making five parachute jumps.

He’s also the fifth person in his generation of his extended family to pursue an Air Force career, a group includes his sister and two cousins.

He came to the Falcons after just 60 games of junior hockey but made himself at home in the lineup almost immediately, playing 29 games as a freshman and 18 more so far this season. His five points are one off the total he had a season ago in 11 fewer games.

Get to know Pierce in our latest edition of One-timers.

You had a number of family members in the Air Force. What role did that play in you coming to the Academy?

I had a few cousins come through here; one of them is here now. He’s a sophomore, in my class. It’s my mom’s brother’s son. One’s a pilot right now.  And my sister did the ROTC Air Force program so she’s a first lieutenant right now. I have another cousin who is a civil engineer in the Air Force.

Was that part of the draw for you?

I was pretty familiar with the Academy and the process of it and the Air Force in general. My sister explained some things to me, so I was probably more comfortable with the process. It was comfortable to commit here and really decide I want to come here as opposed to somebody who never had any experience here.

I understand you did some skydiving over the summer. Could you tell us about that experience?

It was an incredible experience. The first three weeks of our summer program here I did the skydiving class. You do 40 hours of training and it’s pretty fun. You fit the harness and go through a bunch of different scenarios. You learn everything that could go wrong and what to do to avoid it. We went up to Denver and did the indoor skydiving deal, and the next day you’re all by yourself, you have your parachute. You’re taking the plane ride up and it seems like the shortest plane ride ever because you’re thinking, “Am I really going to do this?” The door opens up and you fall back on your training. You’re hanging out and just jump. It was incredible. I loved it. I had so much fun. It’s hard to explain because it’s a feeling you’ll never experience again for the first time. It builds some self-confidence you can do anything as a person. … It helps with the hockey mindset – you feel like you can take on any team or any person. It helps with the challenges. We did five jumps by yourself, and then you get a jump wing you can wear on your uniform, so it’s pretty cool.

Do you ever strut around the locker room showing off the jump wing?

Not really. Dylan Abood did the program and Evan Feno did the program.

Back here on Earth, I like to ask what is the breakfast of champions?

Probably three eggs, a peanut butter sandwich and a greek yogurt.

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions?

Not really. If I have something I know I need to do, I just try to implement it right away.

What’s your favorite part of the day at the Academy?

One hundred percent coming down to the locker room for practice. Catching up with all the guys and hearing how their school day went and hearing any goofy stories.

Do you have a favorite road trip so far?

I think the road trip to the NCAA Tournament last year was the most memorable. Just going through that whole experience and practicing there, seeing the boards with the Air Force logo on it, it’s like, “Dang, we’re really here. We can do this.” It was a really cool trip. Providence was cool. We ate at a couple of nice restaurants. Even though it didn’t end up great, we still had a lot of fun.

Is there a team comedian?

I think Evan Giesler is my favorite. He’s very good at impersonations. He’s a big Family Guy person, and he’ll do some of the characters or start singing a goofy song.

Did you have a favorite NHL player growing up?

Probably David Backes. I like his style of play. He’s a bigger player, kind of like me. He’s hard in front of the net and hits and is physical. Those are the types of players I enjoy the most.

Are you particular about any of your pieces of gear?

My skates. If I don’t tie them right I’ll re-tie them a few times to do it right.

I’ve struggled with my shot in adult league hockey, so what is one tip for improving my shot?

Just practice. Do a 100 shots every single day to get better.

What was your reaction when Bigfoot and the Easter Bunny appeared behind the Falcons’ bench before the Friday night game against Mercyhurst a few weeks back?

I definitely had a big laugh at that. It was very clever and creative by the fans. It was fun to see that.

The last question is if coach Serratore was a superhero, which one do you think he would be?

Probably Captain America. (He’s) just an all-around good person.

Enjoy this interview? There are more where that came from. Click here for more one-on-one interviews with more Air Force Falcons.

Follow @AFAFlightPath on Twitter and like us on Facebook for Air Force hockey updates

Copyright First Line Editorial 2017