Soaring High: The Dynamic World of Air Force Academy Sports

THE MATCHUPS
Game 1: Friday, Jan. 17, at Army, 7:05 pm ET, Tate Rink, West Point, NY
Game 2: Saturday, Jan. 18, at Army, 4:05 pm ET, Tate Rink, West Point, NY

BROADCAST DETAILS
Television:        None
Stream:            Both matches on FloHockey
Radio:              Fri.: XtraSports 1300 AM; xtrasports1300.com / Sat.: AM 740 KVOR; kvor.com
Live Stats        Link available on AF hockey schedule

THE ANALYSIS
Key Information:  Air Force                                           Army
Record:              11-12-1, 8-6-0 AHA (5th, 24 pts)         7-15-0, 7-8-0 AHA (7th, 21 pts)
Streak:                W 1                                             W 2
Last Series:       Split (H), Bentley                                 Swept Mercyhurst (H)
Next Series:      vs. Holy Cross (H), Jan. 24-25             at Robert Morris, Jan. 24-25

THE COACHING STAFF
Head Coach:                 Frank Serratore                        Brian Riley
School Record:             467-448-100 (28th yr)               249-374-92 (21st yr)
Career Record:             516-540-109 (32nd yr)              249-374-92 (21st yr)

THE HISTORY
Overall:              AF  Leads 53-27-9
Last Encounter:    AF swept the series in West Point, Jan. 19-20 (8-1 and  7-6)
Streak:              AF W 5

Additional Insights
* Air Force comes off a split against second-ranked Bentley, Jan. 10-11.
* In conference play, Air Force tops the AHA in scoring defense, conceding only 1.50 goals per match (21 goals in 14 matches)
* Air Force has permitted two goals or fewer in 11 of the last 14 matches
* The Falcons have netted two goals or fewer in 15 of their last 19 matches and hold a 9-9-1 record in those games
* In AF’s 14 AHA matches, the average quantity of combined goals scored has been 3.35 (47 total goals)
* AF averages a mere 2.71 penalties per match, the lowest in the league. In terms of penalty minutes per game, AF ranks as the 13th least penalized team in the country with 7.8 PIM/Game
* AF has successfully killed a total of 16 consecutive opponent power plays starting from the Niagara match, Dec. 6 (5 games). AF has neutralized 40 of 47 (85.1 percent) opponent power plays over the last 16 games.
* AF is 6-3 in one-goal matches this season
* In this season’s 13 conference games, senior goalie Guy Blessing holds the league lead with a 1.25 GAA and a .953 save percentage, boasting a 7-6-0 record. He has allowed only 16 goals in 13 games.
* Junior Chris Hedden’s nine goals are tied for the top spot in the nation among all defensemen (Sam Rinzel, Minnesota). He matched his career high with two goals in the 4-2 victory over Niagara, Dec. 7.
* Senior Clayton Cosentino leads the country with 307 faceoff victories. He won 19 faceoffs in the first game at SHU, which was his second most of the season and in his career.
* Cosentino leads the squad with 17 points (5-12-17). He netted the game-winning goal against Mercyhurst (Nov. 16), marking his second GWG of the season and seventh of his career. He equaled his career-high three points on two occasions this season.
* Air Force and Army have faced each other 89 times, with AF leading the all-time series, 53-27-9.
* Last season, Air Force swept Army in four encounters, acquiring five points in Colorado and winning all six matches at West Point. It was the first time either team has achieved a series sweep in the history of both programs.
* Air Force has recorded five consecutive wins in the series and eight out of the last nine.
* In contests held at West Point, Air Force maintains a record of 24-17-4 against Army.

About the Black Knights
Army stands at 7-15-0 overall and 7-8-0 in the AHA (seventh with 21 points). Over the past weekend, Army netted 22 goals in a sweep of Mercyhurst (9-1 and 13-1) at Tate Rink in West Point. These victories concluded a nine-game losing streak that dated back to two wins over RIT, Nov. 15-16. Defenseman Max Gadowsky and forward Nik Hong each possess eight goals this season. Gadowski leads the team with 11 assists and 19 points. Freshman goalie J.J. Cataldo has taken the starting role for the last eight games and 14 of the last 15. He carries a 2.18 GAA and a .927 save percentage with a 6-9-0 record and one shutout. He achieved a career-best 45 saves against Merrrimack. Recently, he stopped 38 out of 40 shots against Mercyhurst.

Series History Against Army
Air Force leads the all-time series against Army, 53-27-9. Air Force completed a series sweep against Army in four games last season, taking five points in Colorado and clinching all six matches at West Point. Last season at Air Force, the Falcons triumphed 4-3 in overtime and 4-2. At West Point, Air Force won 8-1 and 7-6. Air Force has secured five consecutive victories in the series, taking eight of the last nine. Out of the last 17 matches, Air Force holds an 11-3-3 advantage against Army. In Atlantic Hockey contests (since 2006-07), Air Force leads the series, 28-12-7 (including playoffs). Since Frank Serratore became the Falcons’ coach in 1997, he has a 41-17-8 (68 percent) record against the Black Knights (64 games). In matches at West Point, Air Force has a record of 24-17-4 against Army.

Note: There has consistently been a discrepancy in the series records as reported by Army and Air Force. In 1969, during AF’s inaugural season of varsity hockey, the Falcons and Black Knights faced off twice in St. Petersburg, Fla., with Army winning by scores of 12-4 and 8-0. These games are acknowledged in Army’s series record (29-53-9 vs. AF), but they have not been included by Air Force (53-27-9 vs. Army). From the perspective of Air Force records, these games were categorized as exhibition contests and were not on the team’s initial schedule or final outcomes for that season.