What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

Well, not a good start to the 2009-2010 campaign last night in Bemidji. Not saying it will happen again tonight, but if it does, the Falcons can take solace in the fact that Bemidji was embarrassed at our place twice last October and still made a Frozen Four.

Just looking at the stat sheet, special teams wasn't great (zero shots on the PP!) and the faceoffs were atrocious (almost as bad as the initial "2 Minutes in the Box" segment!) I think the real concerns are on the blue line. The pairing that made it all go for the Falcons last year was on the ice for the first two goals, and the most experienced pairing spent way too much time in the box. Would have liked to have had Wright and Sellers in the mix.

On the bright side, we won't have to wait all season for Artman to break out. Looks like he's picking up where he left off in Topeka.

Let's hope for the characteristic bounce-back tonight, and the customary two points on the road we've come to expect.
GO FALCONS!!!!
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

Losing Greg Flynn could really hurt the PP, and the blue line as a whole. I think a big key for AFA this year will be whether they can fill his role.
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

You may be right. Look at the 6 defensemen that started the NCAA game 3 seasons ago:

Billy Devoney-Sr
Greg Flynn-So
Brian Gineo-Sr
Frank Schiavone-Jr
Mike Mayra-So
Matt Charbonneau-Jr

Every one of them was a great player for the Falcons. Those are some huge holes to fill year in and year out, but his year's group is every bit as talented. They will have to continue the tradition of the 'long blue line' on the blue line.
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

Off to a rough start...I think we're gonna struggle a bit the first part of the season. Gotta get healthy! I believe Sellers did not play and Fairchild was only in briefly...OUCH!
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

Well, we're primed to steal a page from the Bemidji playbook. Get swept in the opening series on the road and make the Frozen Four. Based on last night, Detroit here we come!

Faceoffs were much better, especially Hajner,(12-3) but too many -3's on the stat sheet. Without watching the game, it's hard to tell if the goaltending was off or if Bemidji got too many open looks. Frank's only comment was on the turnovers, which suggests the latter. Hopefully it will be better Friday night. Looking forward to seeing UAH again, especially after their split in South Bend this weekend. Should be a great series. Let's pack the house like we did last year! TICKETS ARE ONLY $3!!!!!
Hope the team has a safe trip back, and...
GO FALCONS!!!!!
 
Last edited:
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

AFHockeyFan said:
Well, we're primed to steal a page from the Bemidji playbook. Get swept in the opening series on the road and make the Frozen Four. Based on last night, Detroit here we come!

Faceoffs were much better, especially Hajner,(12-3) but too many -3's on the stat sheet. Without watching the game, it's hard to tell if the goaltending was off or if Bemidji got too many open looks. Frank's only comment was on the turnovers, which suggests the latter. Hopefully it will be better Friday night. Looking forward to seeing UAH again, especially after their split in South Bend this weekend. Should be a great series. Let's pack the house like we did last year! TICKETS ARE ONLY $3!!!!!
Hope the team has a safe trip back, and...
GO FALCONS!!!!!
Click to expand...

I'll be there...hopefully we'll have Sellers and Fairchild back!
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

AFHockeyFan said:
Thanks. Good luck to you guys, too. You're due.
I had a blast at the tourney in Rochester last March (I'll take Dinosaur over any BBQ joint in Colorado!).
I wish we had the kind of support you do. We're getting close in numbers, but you still have us on enthusiasm!
Click to expand...

Dinosaur BBQ is definitely awesome - but Tiger fans need something else to cheer about in March!

This past weekend we had 7,400+ at the Blue Cross Arena for our regular season opener and I'd expect sellouts (2,100) virtually all season at the school rink this year.

Air Force seems to have a good travelling contingent whenever they come to Rochester.

Looks like we each have two more tough non-conference games before going head-to-head to start the conference schedule in CO. We'll be keeping an eye on you!

Cheers.
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

Ahhhh, now see, I miss the days when Air Force came to Huntsville early in the year, stepped on our slow ice, and looked befuddled.

Curious to see how the upgraded fitness of our team this year helps us handle hockey at altitude.

Don't take it personally if we're bitter at UAH about y'all leaving the CHA and setting in motion the dominoes that leave us playing as an independent next year.

All the best to Frank and his charges ... just not this weekend!

GFM
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

gfmorris said:
Don't take it personally if we're bitter at UAH about y'all leaving the CHA and setting in motion the dominoes that leave us playing as an independent next year.
Click to expand...

I was really hoping the CCHA would step up. I think UAH is a good fit in that league, both geographically or competitively.

I'm not sure having if Air Force stick around would have kept Wayne from folding, the AHA from poaching Niagara or Bobby Mo to even out their numbers, or kept Bemidji from courting the WCHA. I think the writing was on the wall for all three of those when Air Force made the move. Sorry we had to go first, but it's worked out pretty well for us. Would have been nice to win one title in the CHA, though.
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

Tough night for the Falcons. Two UAH goals in the first 3 minutes were the difference, as they kept it even the rest of the way. I don't think any of the UAH goals will make the season highlight reel, but they found the back of the net while few of Air Force's flurries did. Final shots were 42-21 Air Force. Talbot has a nice glove, but gave up a few rebounds on the low shots.

Air Force won the special teams battle, with two tallies on the PP, and displayed great PK all night with several shorthanded chances. Unfortunately, the defense had some lapses, with way too many turnovers and odd-man rushes. Still, there was some nice energy in the third, and the team seems to be settling into their lines. The Hajner-Fairchild-Burnett trio from last year was back, with Lamoureux centering his classmates Blake Page and Scott Kozlak. Hopefully we'll see more chemistry out of these pairings.
Volks had a tough night in net, but he will round into form. Even with the poor stats, he made several nice saves to keep it from being worse than it already was.

The CIA appeared to be packed again, hopefully keeping the sellout streak intact. While filling the seats is great, it would be even better to fill them with REAL fans. Case in point. If you're going to complain about the FAN in front of you standing up during breakaways and odd-man rushes, but not even stand up yourself to cheer for goals or for the fight song, maybe the FAN in front of you isn't the problem. (end of editorial).
Tough loss, but some movement in the right direction.

Interesting game note: After introducing 5 Chargers from Ontario, the crowd erupted when it was announced that the sixth starter was from Georgia. (presumably NOT the former Soviet republic) Falcon fans still have some issues with xenophobia.
Let's get them tomorrow.
GO FALCONS!!!
 
Last edited:
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

AFHockeyFan said:
I was really hoping the CCHA would step up. I think UAH is a good fit in that league, both geographically or competitively.

I'm not sure having if Air Force stick around would have kept Wayne from folding, the AHA from poaching Niagara or Bobby Mo to even out their numbers, or kept Bemidji from courting the WCHA. I think the writing was on the wall for all three of those when Air Force made the move. Sorry we had to go first, but it's worked out pretty well for us. Would have been nice to win one title in the CHA, though.
Click to expand...
Actually the AHA did not "poach" Niagara nor Robert Morris, nor did the WCHA ever want BSU. Those things all happened because of the collapse of the CHA. Just saying...

AFHockeyFan said:
Tough night for the Falcons. Two UAH goals in the first 6 minutes were the difference, as they kept it even the rest of the way. I don't think any of the UAH goals will make the season highlight reel, but they found the back of the net while few of Air Force's flurries did. Final shots were something like 36-20 Air Force. Talbot has a nice glove, but gave up a few rebounds on the low shots.

Air Force won the special teams battle, with two tallies on the PP, and displayed great PK all night with several shorthanded chances. Unfortunately, the defense had some lapses, with way too many turnovers and odd-man rushes. Still, there was some nice energy in the third, and the team seems to be settling into their lines. The Hajner-Fairchild-Burnett trio from last year was back, with Lamoureux centering his classmates Blake Page and Kevin Kozlak. Hopefully we'll see more chemistry out of these pairings.
Volks had a tough night in net, but he will round into form. Even with the poor stats, he made several nice saves to keep it from being worse than it already was.

The CIA appeared to be packed again, hopefully keeping the sellout streak intact. While filling the seats is great, it would be even better to fill them with REAL fans. Case in point. If you're going to complain about the FAN in front of you standing up during breakaways and odd-man rushes, but not even stand up yourself to cheer for goals or for the fight song, maybe the FAN in front of you isn't the problem. (end of editorial).
Tough loss, but some movement in the right direction.

Interesting game note: After introducing 5 Chargers from Ontario, the crowd erupted when it was announced that the sixth starter was from Georgia. (presumably NOT the former Soviet republic) Falcon fans still have some issues with xenophobia.
Let's get them tomorrow.
GO FALCONS!!!
Click to expand...
I'm looking forward to seeing AFA when they come back east. It sounds like they need to sort a few things out, but they have lost a lot from last year's team. I have full confidence that they will get it going, though!

As for the fan behind you, well, it sounds to me like they should go to a movie instead of a hockey game. :)
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

JS Tigers said:
Actually the AHA did not "poach" Niagara nor Robert Morris, nor did the WCHA ever want BSU. Those things all happened because of the collapse of the CHA. Just saying...
Click to expand...

When RIT moved up to D-1, the AHA made it clear they wanted another team to come with them. If Air Force had turned them down, it's possible Niagara or Bobby Mo would have taken the offer, setting the same string of dominos in motion. And the WCHA may not have "wanted" Bemidji, but Bemidji definitely "wanted" the WCHA. The CHA might have been viable for a few more years, but I think long-term, things were headed in the direction they eventually went. If more schools had added D-1 programs, the CHA might have been better off in the long-term, But only one school made that move in the last decade, and they didn't join the CHA.

Lots of buzz about the Tigers around the Springs. This was supposed to be an off-year, but they're dominating the headlines so far!
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

AFHockeyFan said:
When RIT moved up to D-1, the AHA made it clear they wanted another team to come with them. If Air Force had turned them down, it's possible Niagara or Bobby Mo would have taken the offer, setting the same string of dominos in motion. And the WCHA may not have "wanted" Bemidji, but Bemidji definitely "wanted" the WCHA. The CHA might have been viable for a few more years, but I think long-term, things were headed in the direction they eventually went. If more schools had added D-1 programs, the CHA might have been better off in the long-term, But only one school made that move in the last decade, and they didn't join the CHA.

Lots of buzz about the Tigers around the Springs. This was supposed to be an off-year, but they're dominating the headlines so far!
Click to expand...
CC is really young and lost most of their key players going into this season, so expectations are pretty low from a lot of people. Big win tonight at Wisconsin!!! I'm pretty pumped about this one.

I don't argue with any of your logic. Don't get me wrong, I think AFA did what they needed to do. The CHA was not as good a fit for Air Force as the AHA is. Niagara did not want to move to the AHA, but had to because of the fall of the CHA. They would rather have gone to HEA the ECAC. Basically, everything is messed up now. I would hope the UAH fans don't blame AFA for anything. Air Force did not determine the fate of the CHA in any way. In terms of scholarship restrictions and ability to recruit top tier talent, Air Force fits well in the AHA.
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

The way it was described around RIT is that RIT, AFA, and Rob Mo all applied to the AHA at the same time. And the AHA chose RIT and AFA. Then Rob Mo ended up in the CHA instead. I don't think the AHA went on a hunting trip!;)

RIT also applied to the ECAC, but was turned down (clearly the numbers don't make sense). Looking back at ancient history, apparently RIT had a chance to apply to the ECAC when Union joined ... I always thought we should have made the jump then.
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

Sorry. Didn't mean to imply that RIT had anything to do with the CHA's downfall. More that the CHA wasn't making itself attractive to up-and-coming programs because of so many questions about its current members. I think the AHA is fully justified in its decision to take the two schools they did, and gets kudos for taking two more next year. I'm really happy with our league (well, maybe not with the way we're playing collectively right now) but do want to see everyone in the old CHA find a home and continue to be successful. UAH is probably a top-6 CCHA team right now, and would occasionally steal one from ND, OSU, Sparty, Miami and the Wolverines, as we saw last week. I hope their decision was based more on questions about their current membership than any concerns about the quality of UAH's program.
My two cents.
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

Didn't take it that way at all; I was just throwing in the perspective I had heard.

I absolutely agree about UAH and hope to see them survive and thrive. They were one of the teams nice enough to schedule RIT during our independent season immediately after the transition and I hope RIT has the chance to return the favor.

Also, since I crashed the AFA thread, let me take the chance to wish Air Force all the best this year (with the exception of a few games!!!). Let's hope both AFA and RIT can pull off wins tonight, so that we're not both looking for a first win against each other.
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

AFHockeyFan said:
Sorry. Didn't mean to imply that RIT had anything to do with the CHA's downfall. More that the CHA wasn't making itself attractive to up-and-coming programs because of so many questions about its current members. I think the AHA is fully justified in its decision to take the two schools they did, and gets kudos for taking two more next year. I'm really happy with our league (well, maybe not with the way we're playing collectively right now) but do want to see everyone in the old CHA find a home and continue to be successful. UAH is probably a top-6 CCHA team right now, and would occasionally steal one from ND, OSU, Sparty, Miami and the Wolverines, as we saw last week. I hope their decision was based more on questions about their current membership than any concerns about the quality of UAH's program.
My two cents.
Click to expand...

Thanks. That said, I still want y'all to lose tonight. ;)

GFM
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

gfmorris said:
Thanks. That said, I still want y'all to lose tonight. ;)

GFM
Click to expand...
This is probably the only series this season that I'm not cheering for UAH. Next weekend I will be back to cheering for your boys.

Suck it, CCHA!:p
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

Different night, same teams, same result.

Air Force juggled the lineup, but it wasn't enough to scratch the win column. Despite holding a 2-1 lead in the second, the Falcons couldn't clear loose pucks in the crease when it mattered, and the Chargers were opportunistic.

Hosting RIT isn't exactly the prescription for a team that's struggling, but they are winless, too. Something will have to give next Friday night (unless it ends in a tie!!!) For those Tigers looking to make the trip, Friday is free food night, so that will help make up some for the airline ticket.;)
Here's to a good week of work, and a better start to conference play.
Go Falcons!!
 
Re: Air Force Hockey 2009-2010 Season Thread

I never would have seen an 0-4 start for AFA this season. Granted, they have played two teams who look to be good this year, but I figured a 2-2 start was in the cards. Oh well...it's early. Let's turn things around for the upcoming conference games, though!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top