NCAA West Regional
No. 4 seed Air Force (22-14-5) vs. No. 1 seed St. Cloud State ((25-8-6)
Friday, 2 p.m.
TV / Radio: ESPNU / AM 1300 and GoAirForceFalcons.com
Series: Falcons lead 10-9, but the teams have not played since the 1993-94 season.
Air Force update
The Falcons worked their way into the tournament with a dominant weekend in Rochester, N.Y., at the Atlantic Hockey Conference final four. After Billy Christopoulos shut out No. 2 seed Canisius, 3-0, the Falcons rolled No. 7 seed Robert Morris, 5-1, to earn their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, all since 2007. The Falcons have nine players with 15 or more points, led by senior Erik Baskin‘s 27 and a team-high 16 goals. Junior Kyle Haak had a strong tournament weekend, getting three goals in two games, after battling a pair of injuries earlier in the season. Chrisopoulos and Haak were joined by forward Jordan Himley and defensemen Jonathan Kopacka and Zack Mirageas on the all-tournament team.
A look back at the Falcons’ seventh AHC title
St. Cloud State update
The Huskies are the top-scoring team in NCAA hockey. Their loss in the NCHC title game to Denver was their first defeat in regulation since Jan. 26, when they fell to Minnesota Duluth, which is also in this regional along with Minnesota State. St. Cloud has 13 players with 16 points or more, led by a trio of juniors – forward Robby Jackson with 42 points (15 goals), forward (and Colorado native) Mikey Eyssimont with 38 points (17 goals) and defenseman Jimmy Schuldt with 38 points (10 goals). The Huskies, who have been near the top of the rankings all season, have used two goaltenders this season, with freshman David Hrenak playing more down the stretch. However, he was pulled vs. Denver on Saturday and sophomore Jeff Smith played well in relief.
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