Inside College Hockey | Air Force Puts Unbeaten Mark to the Test

November 28, 2008

Air Force Puts Unbeaten Mark to the Test

By Ken McMillan

Air Force forward Jeff Hajner is in the midst of a five-game point streak. The Falcons hope to snap another streak this weekend — they haven't beaten Colorado College in more than two decades.

College hockey is enjoying a Rocky Mountain high, and Colorado is the place to be this weekend.

No. 11 Air Force puts its unbeaten record on the line in a traditional clash with a pair of top-10 teams. The Falcons (12-0) host No. 3 Colorado College (8-3-3) Friday, then play at No. 9 Denver (7-5-1) Saturday.

“I’d like to just go in and say to the team, ‘Hey guys, number 13 coming up,”’ Air Force coach Frank Serratore told Ralph Routon of the Colorado Springs Independent. “But we’ve got some high ACT scores in our locker room. They would see through that.”

Air Force made it a perfect dozen to start the season last week with its second sweep of Sacred Heart, a dominating 8-1, 7-1 performance at home. The Falcons were 3-for-7 on the power play Friday and 5-for-6 Saturday. The line of Matt Fairchild (2-4-6), Jeff Hajner (3-3-6) and Derrick Burnett (0-4-4) produced 10 points in the opener and eight the following night. All-league defenseman Greg Flynn had two goals and four assists, while Josh Frider extended his point streak to 12 games.

Junior goalie Andrew Volkening has won all 12 contests and remains one of the hottest netminders in the nation, stopping 44 of 46 shots over the weekend. He has allowed one goal or fewer in six of his last seven starts. His goals against average has dropped to 1.24, fourth best in the country, and his save percentage of .944 ranks seventh nationally.

“Special teams and goaltending were the keys,” Serratore said. “Sacred Heart was a much more difficult team to play against (Saturday). We were not as sharp as we were (Friday) but we out-special teamed them and out-goaltended them.”

In three short seasons, Air Force has become the gold standard in Atlantic Hockey. The Falcons have won the last two playoff titles, and its current 11-game conference win streak ties the 11th-longest such run in NCAA history. AFA’s 15-game unbeaten streak in Atlantic Hockey play is the seventh-longest in NCAA history. Their last league loss was a 3-1 defeat at Mercyhurst Feb. 8.

Critics will point out that Air Force has yet to beat a team with a winning record, but their dominance thus far is unquestioned. Falcon fever, meanwhile, has caught on — there are no tickets available for the Air Force-Colorado College contest, marking the third consecutive sellout at Cadet Ice Arena. Air Force has not beaten Colorado College since 1985. The Falcons had lost 19 in a row to Denver before beating the Pioneers last January.

“Now we get to find out if we are for real when we take on two of the top teams in the nation,” Serratore said. “These games are important, but our number one goal is to win the league playoffs and go to the NCAA tournament. Our number two goal is to win the regular-season league title. Our number three goal is to sweep the Army series — not only is it Army, but four league points are on the line. Then come this weekend versus CC and Denver.”