Does the defense rest? Not at Air Force it doesn’t.

Part 6 of AFAFlightPath.com’s exclusive Air Force hockey player survey takes a closer look at the defensive prowess of the Falcons.

Players were polled anonymously in early December. The survey included 25 questions that covered a range of skills. Nearly 80 percent of the players on the Air Force roster responded.

MORE OF THE SURVEY

Part 1 examined skating

Part 2 dealt with strength, checking and toughness

Part 3 revealed the shooting stars

Part 4 tracked the good hands Falcons

Part 5 focused on the eyes

Now on to part 6 of our exclusive Air Force hockey player survey:

Question 18: Which player excels the most at forcing turnovers?

• Matt Pulver – 6 votes (27 percent)
• Jake Levin – 3 (14 percent)
• Blake Bride, Erich Jaeger, Zach Mirageas, Joe Tyran – 2
• Max Harper, Andrew Kruse, Luke Manning, Trevor Stone, Brady Tomlak– 1

Analysis: Team defense is of paramount importance to the Falcons’ designs on winning, and having 11 players on this list demonstrates that. Once again, every line and D paring are represented, as are three of the four classes. Five the six senior forwards received votes, led by the captain. Levin has developed into a rock on defense. Jaeger and Tyran give opponents fits, especially on the forecheck.

Question 19: Who is the best defensive forward?

• Erich Jaeger – 5 (23 percent)
• Matt Pulver – 4 (18 percent)
• Pierce Pluemer, Brady Tomlak, Joe Tyran – 3
• Blake Bride, Kieran Durgan, Max Harper, Trevor Stone – 1

Analysis: Every senior forward was named, so care to guess an attribute that is worked on and worked on during a player’s four seasons at the Academy? A lot of top-six forwards are in this mix, too.

Question 20: Who is the best defensive defenseman?

• Jake Levin – 11 (50 percent)
• Alex Mehnert – 6 (27 percent)
• Andrew Kruse, Zach Mirageas – 2
• Carter Ekberg – 1

Analysis: Levin and Mehnert accomplish this in different ways. Levin is the bigger and more physical of the two, while Mehnert utilizes his stick and positioning more. Combined, they’re a fantastic top pair for the Falcons. Mirageas has been a rock, and this has been a portion of Ekberg’s game that has improved this season.

Question 21: Which skater is the most positionally sound?

• Zach Mirageas – 6 (27 percent)
• Erich Jaeger, Alex Mehnert – 3 (13 percent)
• Matt Pulver – 2
• Marshall Bowery, Kieran Durgan, Max Harper, Shawn Knowlton, Andrew Kruse, Jake Levin, Brady Tomlak, Joe Tyran – 1

Analysis: When 12 of your 19 regulars are deemed positionally sound what does that tell you about the Falcons’ coaching and these players’ hockey IQ? Mirageas doesn’t lose many races to loose pucks or give up uncontested looks too often.

Question 22: Which goaltender is the most positionally sound?

• Alex Schilling – 11 (50 percent)
• Zach LaRocque – 8 (36 percent)
• Erik Anderson – 2
• Austin Park – 1

Analysis: This is a by-product of Goalie Nation’s relentless practice sessions and overall a huge strength of the group. This and strength gains are Schilling’s biggest areas of improvement and a main reason he’s been so effective. The same could be said for LaRocque, who has looked even more poised when he’s played this season.

Next: Hard work, resilience and leadership

First half: The Flight Path’s midseason report breaks down the highs and lows of the Falcons’ first 16 games.

What changed from previous years? Satisfy your curiosity by reading our 2018-19 season and 2017-18 season surveys.

©First Line Editorial 2019