Air Force (6-5-1, 2-2 AHA) at AIC (6-6-2, 4-5 AHA)
Saturday, 11 a.m., and Sunday 5 p.m. at Springfield, Mass.
Streaming / Radio: Flohockey.tv / AM 1300
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Talk to any returning Air Force hockey player and they will tell you that last season’s final meeting with four-time defending conference champion AIC left a bad, bad taste in their mouths. And it should, given the Yellowjackets ended the Falcons’ scintillating playoff run with a 7-0 drubbing in the Atlantic Hockey championship game. But it extends deeper than that, AIC has defeated the Falcons in the teams’ past six meetings, including a pair at Springfield, Mass., last season. If Air Force wants to climb the AHA mountain, AIC is one of the boulders on the path.
The Falcons have won four of five and six of nine, but opening games of weekends have problematic at times (they’re 2-4). They’re coming off another Jekyll and Hyde weekend against Bentley, losing 5-1 in the opener before Guy Blessing tossed a 25-save shutout in a 2-0 victory last Saturday. Other than a two-goal hiccup in the first Bentley game, the Falcons’ penalty kill has come on strong in the past month, killing off 22 of its past 24 penalties. … Six players average 0.5 points per game or better, led by defenseman Luke Rowe’s nine points (three goals) in nine games, and forward Will Gavin’s 11 (five goals) in 12 games, and forward Willie Reim’s 10 (four goals) in 12.
AIC snapped a four-game losing streak on Wednesday with a 4-1 victory over Holy Cross. Senior Blake Bennett scored his team-best 10th goal in the win. He has 16 points, one fewer than leadings scorer Jordan Biro, who transferred from Colorado College over the summer. Senior Dustin Manz, who transferred from Lake Superior State, has 12 points. Junior Alexandros Aslinidas, who played two seasons at Western Michigan, has a 4-2 record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.23 goals against average. Senior Jared Fiske is 2-2-2 with .910 and 2.48 numbers after barely playing during his first three seasons on campus.
©First Line Editorial 2022
