Expect Air Force to have a little extra push in the skates this weekend.

Yes, the Falcons are playing a highly ranked opponent. And yes, the Falcons will play in front of a packed house at Cadet Arena on Friday for the first time in 19 months.

That the highly ranked opponent is No. 11 Denver makes it all the more compelling for the eight Colorado natives on the Air Force roster.

“I would say 100 precent there will be more jump in my step,” said AFA sophomore forward Jacob Marti, a Denver area native. “I grew up playing youth hockey at DU so I know that rink pretty well.

“I always dreamed of playing for DU. They were my team going up. My dad had season tickets and we went all the time.

“I strived to be like those guys. Watching that level of hockey really pushed me to be the player I am. To be in the position to play against them at Air Force and then at DU’s barn is really exciting.”

Junior assistant captain Blake Bride is another Denver area product, and he, too, is looking forward to the weekend series. Bride, who had offseason surgery and has not played yet this season, held out hope earlier this week he could lace ’em up against the one college team he followed as a youth.

“I wasn’t the biggest college hockey fan growing up; I really only knew about DU,” Bride said. “They were the closest team to me. I always loved their rink. … It’s just cool to be back (in Colorado) and play this team.”

The duo is joined by fellow Coloradoans Maiszon Balboa, Lucas Coon, Jasper Lester, Austin Park, Ty Pochipinski and Austin Schwartz. Additionally, freshman Clayton Cosentino played part of his youth hockey in the state for the Colorado Rampage.

Lopsided series

The Pioneers have pretty much had their way with the Falcons over the years, owning a 38-4-1 edge in the series.

Coach Frank Serratore put it succinctly, “They’ve been a thorn in our side.”

This will be the teams’ first home-and-home series since 2015 and their first meeting since 2019. Still, the Falcons defeated the Pioneers in the home half of the 2015 series, their only victory in the past five meetings.

Bride and Marti, however, are unfazed by the history.

“We have to have a chip,” Marti said. “We’re Air Force. We’ve made a name for ourselves. In (the) 2018 (NCAA Tournament), we knocked off the No. 1 seed (St. Cloud State). We know we can do it. We have to have the confidence.”

Bride said the Falcons’ pressure style gives them a chance against any team. Case in point, an Air Force team with roughly 350 games of NCAA experience went into East Lansing, Mich., last weekend and split a series with a Michigan State squad with more than three times the NCAA man games played.

“It’s not the craziest thing,” he said. “If we play our style, we have the ability to control the puck. We block shots, we’re heavy. We shouldn’t be shocked by them. We have a good foundation.

“We can’t try to do too much. We’re know we’re not at that skill level. By keeping it simple we don’t have to do fancy stuff. We just focus on our systems and what we do best.”

The Falcons are facing a Denver team that has 11 NHL draft picks and another high-round prospect for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The Pioneers hung 12 goals on Arizona State last weekend.

Slowing down that offensive juggernaut won’t be easy. Bride and Marti said the Falcons must build on their all-for-one, one-for-all mindset.

“It’s family first. Make this team a family,” Bride said. “The biggest thing is how you connect. If you make the guys family, you do anything for them. You’ll have fight. Having that fight is what pushes you through good times and bad times. Do you have that trust in each other?”

Marti said that project is well underway for the youthful Falcons, who have 18 underclassmen on their 28-man roster.

“When a team has a good foundation, no drama on the team, it translates on the ice,” he said. “Everyone took all the freshmen under their wings and guided them into what college hockey is like. When we went to MSU, it was a big help with bonding with all the boys. … We all love each other at the end of the day.”

Notes

Another key for the Falcons will be their special teams play. One night after winning that battle against Michigan State, they allowed three power-play goals in a 5-1 loss.

“We took a progressive step from our game against Colorado College (an exhibition win),” Serratore said. “We tidied up a lot of things, but we took took many penalties on Saturday.

“We played with a lot of energy and spirit, which is how we have to play.” …

The Falcons averaged 34.5 shots per game, and senior goaltender and co-captain Alex Schilling made 63 saves in the two games for a save percentage of .913. …

Sophomore co-captain Luke Rowe scored a goal in each game, while junior winger Willie Reim had four points – an overtime game-winning goal on Friday and assists on Air Force’s other three goals. Both were honored by Atlantic Hockey – Reim as the player of the week and Rowe as the defenseman of the week.

©First Line Editorial 2021