The constituents have spoken, and what a statement the Air Force hockey team has made about about its leadership group for the upcoming season.
The Falcons, who determine their captains entirely by player vote, went off the board slightly in selecting a goaltender as one captain for the first time in the 25-year era of coach Frank Serratore and pairing him with a player who did not suit up last season.
Joining senior goal guardian Alex Schilling and sophomore defenseman Luke Rowe, who will wear the “C’s” are junior forwards Blake Bride and Willie Reim, who will serve as assistant captains.
The selection process provided an extra dose of pride for those picked, said Schilling, one of just two seniors on the AFA roster this season.
“It’s really cool to have it purely a team vote,” he said. “It makes the process more fair and you get a sense of what the team truly thinks. It makes this honor all the more special.”
Added Rowe, “It’s a great honor to be voted by your peers, especially at an institution like this. We have so many good leaders in our (locker room) … I can’t say how honored I am enough.”
Long road back
Rowe’s journey to captain came after a few detours, making his selection all the more impressive.
He went from barely playing in the 2019 half of his freshman season to becoming a blue line mainstay in the 2020 portion. His teammates noticed his trajectory and voted him the Falcons’ most improved player, somewhat of a rarity for a freshman.
Last season, he and four other teammates sat out the fall semester due to an disclosed Academy ruling. He then opted for a turnback during the spring semester.
“It was such a weird year with Covid, then my best friend from junior – a guy who billeted at our house – passed away in a ski accident,” Rowe recalled. “At that point I thought it would be good to take some time off and be with my family and friends, sort of decompress.
“It was the best decision I ever made. I came back with a refreshed mindset.”
Rowe, an imposing at 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, spent much of his time away from the Academy on the ice coaching players 12 and under and in the weight room.
“The time away reminded me of all the reasons I wanted to come here in the first place,” he said. “I missed the guys so much that returning was never in question.”
So the re-energized Rowe returned over the summer and went to work.
“He impacts each guy on the team,” Schilling said. “A lot of it is he’s just there for guys. He has an extremely strong work ethic and exemplifies what a captain should be.
“It’s a testament to him that his peers voted him captain after a relatively short time here.”
It won’t be Rowe’s first time wearing a “C”. He captained the Boston Jr. Bruins to the NCDC title during his final season of junior.
Senior Alex Schilling is the first goaltender to be named captain at Air Force in Frank Serratore’s 25 seasons as coach. Photo courtesy of Trevor Cokley and Air Force Athletics
Keeper of the crease
Like Rowe, Schilling brings a winning pedigree.
He helped Wayzata High School capture a Minnesota State High School tournament title with current Falcons teammate Billy Duma Just push play: Duma going full circle at Air Forcein 2016. He then backstopped the Austin Bruins on a deep run in the NAHL playoffs two seasons later.
After what amounted to a redshirt season as a freshman, Schilling grabbed the starting job in 2019 and was selected the team’s MVP after posting a save percentage of .903 and a 2.39 goals-against average for a team that was set to play in the Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals before Covid crashed the party and ended the season in March 2020. After an uneven junior season, he’s in the pole position to start again.
Don’t think for a minute that the extra letter on the front of his sweater will weigh on the even-keeled Schilling.
“It’s a busy time right now between lifts, video and ice sessions, so it’s important we get the right balance,” he said. “Being a senior, I recognize where we might need to give more and where we might need to tone it down. A lot of this will be just being there for the younger guys, being a good teammate. That’s what helped me out.”
Schilling is the first goaltender to be picked for the Falcons’ captaincy since Mark Liebich was 30 years ago, and only the fourth ever.
Rounding out the group
Junior forward Blake Bride is one of the Falcons’ two assistant captains this season. Photo courtesy of Air Force Athletics
Bride and Reim headline an eight-man group of juniors that will form the backbone of the Falcons this season. Each brings past leadership experience to accompany their other hockey credentials.
Bride rose one level each of his three seasons of junior hockey, and he capped the chapter of his career by captaining Sioux Falls to the USHL’s Clark Cup championship in 2019. He’s been a Swiss Army Knife in the Falcons’ forward group in his first two seasons.
Reim was Air Force’s MVP last season when he became a top-line force in leading the team in points and goals. He also served as an assistant captain for his high school team.
With 18 freshman and sophomores on the roster, Schilling, Rowe, Bride and Reim will have plenty of mentoring to do.
Junior forward Willie Reim will be an assistant captain for the Falcons this season. Photo courtesy of Trevor Cokley and Air Force Athletics
“Our leadership group checks all the boxes,” Rowe said. “All of them come in every day and work their hardest. As Schills says, ‘Did you give it your all?’ He epitomizes that.
“Words only mean so much, it’s all about actions.”
But it’s not a heavy burden.
“It’s not just us four,” Rowe concluded. “Our junior class has a big amount of experience. If there is a question, there are any number of guys who can answer it. Anyone can keep anyone else accountable.”
©First Line Editorial 2021
