Make no mistake about it, 2017-18 was going to be a special hockey season at the Air Force Academy.

After all, the Falcons ended the previous season ranked 11th and 12th in the two major hockey polls, high-water marks for a program heading into its 50th season. They reached the NCAA Tournament’s final eight for on the second time. Their 27-10-5 record marked the fewest losses and second-most victories in coach Frank Serratore‘s first 20 seasons at the school.

Air Force returned multiple all-conference performers among a veteran group primed to return 16 upperclassmen – eight seniors and eight juniors.

This was a group poised to soar to new heights.

The first hit

However, the Falcons were hit with a surprise just weeks after the season ended, when sophomore goaltender Shane Starrett, who held Academy career records for save percentage (.924) and goals-against average (1.96) and was a two-time all-conference selection, signed a pro contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

If there was one player thought to be indispensable that would be it. After all, athletic, 6-foot-5 goaltenders don’t fall from trees particularly those on the Academy’s breath-taking campus.

Atlantic Hockey Conference coaches and the media that follows the league were undeterred, voting the Falcons first in preseason polls.

Of course the burning question was how do the Falcons replace Starrett? The answer was right in front of our eyes.

Player after player told me during the preseason that they had full confidence in junior Billy Christopoulos. Several emphasized his impressive work ethic and team-first attitude while backing up Starrett the previous two seasons.

The Falcons’ confidence in Christopoulos proved well founded. While he didn’t always flash the show-stopping saves of his predecessor, he wasted no time establishing a calm consistency in net and he proved more than capable when the team struggled defensively in the first half of the 2017-18 campaign.

Christopoulos started all 43 games for the Falcons and allowed four or more goals just four times. Fifteen times he gave up one or zero goals. The other 24 games he gave up two or three goals. That enviable consistency would be the Falcons’ saving grace.

The injury bug bites

Air Force started its season with a trip to Alaska, and it took all of one period for it to lose another of its most important players for the season. Junior center Evan Feno, who besides being the team’s DJ was one of its best all-around players, suffered a torn ACL in the opening 20 minutes. He completed the game with the injury but an examination afterward revealed the extent of the injury, one that finished his season.

That loss was compounded by one of another every-situation standout junior forward Matt Serratore for four games. Still, the Falcons started 5-1-1.

Then the injuries really hit – senior center Tyler Ledford, junior center Kyle Haak, just about every defenseman at one time or another.

The full effects were felt over the next nine games, when the Falcons went 2-7-2 and ended the first half 7-8-3 and in 10th place in Atlantic Hockey. It could have been worse had not Christopoulos played consistently well.

The Falcons reconvened after Christmas healthier and recommitted to defense and the penalty kill, two of their trademarks.

The first weekend was a mixed bag – they dominated Colorado College to retain the Pikes Peak Trophy but were routed at Denver in a game in which they inexplicably had to kill 11 penalties. That prompted perhaps the most memorable Frank Serratore press conference of the season, something about never having seen Bigfoot, the Easter Bunny and a referee admit to making a bad call.

From then on, the Falcons were money, going 15-6-2 to close the season.

Injuries continued, claiming forwards Matt Pulver, Max Harper, defenseman Kyle Mackey and eventually Marshall Bowery for the season, as well as Ledford, Haak, Matt Koch and Jordan Himley for brief periods, but the Falcons pressed on in part because of the outstanding play of a group of freshmen who weren’t expected to play much, if at all.

The Falcons locked up a weekend off for the first round of the Atlantic Hockey playoffs, then traveled to Army West Point for a rematch with a Black Knights team that swept them at Cadet Arena at the peak of their injury woes in November.

In a series for the ages, the Falcons won in three games with Christopoulos pitching a shutout and Ledford scoring in overtime to clinch it. The next weekend in Rochester, N.Y., Air Force blanked second-seeded Canisius, 3-0, and bounced Robert Morris, 5-1 in the final to earn a return to the NCAA Tournament, something that was almost unthinkable at the Christmas break.

The reward? No. 1 overall seed St. Cloud State. In what has to be the biggest victory in program history, the Falcons neutralized the Huskies’ high-scoring offense, and Ledford scored the first two goals in a 4-1 triumph to set up a West Regional championship game against Minnesota-Duluth.

The Falcons were not only held off the scoresheet but didn’t get a shot on goal in the first period, but they slowly regained momentum and eventually cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 2-1 in the third period. They had chances at the end to tie the score but came up just short.

Think about it. A team that was left for dead midway through the season, one that lost more than 200 man games to injury, was one goal away from the Frozen Four for a second season in a row.

Team MVP

Unquestionably it has to be goaltender Billy Christopoulos. Entering the Frozen Four, he had played the most minutes of any goalie in Division I, tied for third in wins (23) and finished with a 2.06 goals-against average (12th) and a .922 save percentage (T12th).

Senior leaders

The Falcons’ eight seniors is tied for the largest graduating class in the Serratore era. And what a group it is – Dylan Abood, Erik Baskin, Phil Boje, Jordan Himley, Jonathan Kopacka, Ben Kucera, Tyler Ledford and Kyle Mackey. They won 86 games during their four seasons – a program record. They reached the elite eight of the NCAA Tournament twice, something no other senior class has done at the Academy, and they twice won Atlantic Hockey playoff championships.

Career highs

As much as the Falcons struggled on offense at times and on the power play most of the season, there still were a handful of players who set career highs in scoring this season.

Head of that group was senior Erik Baskin. The winger was one of just two Falcons (Billy Christopoulos was the other) to not miss a game. His 16 goals and 28 points were career highs and led the team. Remarkably consistent, he scored between 10 and 16 goals every year at the Academy and had between 19 and 28 points.

Matt Serratore also hit career highs with 14 goals, 22 points and 38 games played.

Other career marks: Evan Giesler (12 goals), Matt Koch (18 points, 15 assists), Trevor Stone (13 points, 9 assists), Erich Jaeger (9 points, 7 assists), Pierce Pluemer (8 points, 3 goals). Also encouraging is that all will return next season.

Well hello there

The common thinking was the Falcons’ large freshman class would essentially enjoy a redshirt season. Injuries and the emergence of a few future stars demanded otherwise. When it was all said and done, freshmen played 132 games.

Defenseman Zack Mirageas played the most games (41) and scored the most points (17). Forward Marshall Bowery led the way with eight goals.

The freshman showed promise at every position, which has to provide optimism in light the large graduating class.

And the letter goes to

The Falcons also graduate all four of their captains – Dylan Abood and assistants Erik Baskin, Phil Boje and Tyler Ledford. That begs the question of who will be the next captain?

If I were a betting man I would say Kyle Haak or Matt Serratore gets the C. The other and Evan Feno and possibly Evan Giesler or Matt Koch could wear A’s.

All are excellent to deal with, just as this season’s captains were superlative in that regard. All bring different strengths.

©First Line Editorial 2017-18