Falcons’ schedule features an early AHC start and a few surprises

Goalie Billy Christopoulos is the penalty kill's last line of defense, and a good one at that. Photo courtesy of Paat Kelly and Air Force Athletics

Posted By: FlightChief July 10, 2018

Air Force’s 2018-19 hockey schedule, released Tuesday, features a handful of departures from a season ago.

First, the Falcons open the season a week later than last year with a home against Denver and a short trip down Interstate 25 the next night to play Colorado College on Oct. 12-13. These matchups came right after Christmas last year.

From there, they jump right into Atlantic Hockey Conference play for the next five weekends. After a week off for Thanksgiving, they play two more AHC series before a three-week Christmas break.

VIEW THE COMPLETE SCHEDULE HERE

The changes include back-to-back weekends of non-conference games to start the second half. First, the Falcons will play host to Bemidji State in a series that will match coach Frank Serratore against his brother Tom, who also happens to be the father of rising Falcons senior Matt Serratore.

Next, the Falcons travel to Las Vegas to play in the second annual Ice Vegas Invitational. They will be one of four teams in a field that includes Connecticut, St. Lawrence and Western Michigan – the team AFA knocked out of the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago.

There also are a couple of different days of the week for Falcons home games – the late October series against Niagara takes place on a Thursday and a Friday, and the Bemidji series is a Saturday-Sunday affair.

The second half of conference play begins with a visit from Army West Point, and two weeks later Robert Morris, whom the Falcons defeated for the AHC playoff championship, comes to the Academy.

The second half also includes a bye week the second weekend of February. Last season, Air Force did not have a bye week until the first round of the AHC playoffs.

Three AHC teams will not visit Cadet Arena this season – AIC, RIT and Sacred Heart. The Falcons won’t travel to three schools – Holy Cross, Niagara and Robert Morris. AFA plays two series against the other six AHC schools.

The first chance to see this season’s edition of the Falcons in person is Oct. 7, when they play host to the University of Alberta in an exhibition.

Air Force reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row this past season after it knocked of tournament top seed St. Cloud State in a first-round game. The Falcons finished with a 23-15-5 record, their school-record third consecutive season north of 20 wins.

©First Line Editorial 2017-18

SHARE TWEET PIN SHARE