Scouting Air Force (5-5-2, 1-4-1 AHC) vs. RIT (5-3-1, 5-1 AHC)
Friday and Saturday, 7:05 p.m., at Cadet Arena
Radio / TV: AM 1300, goairforcefalcons.com / AtlanticHockey.tv (subscription)
Series: Air Force leads 27-20-4, including 4-0 last season. Three of the four wins were by a goal, and the fourth was by two but included an empty-net tally.
Overview
Was Saturday’s rally from two goals down to tie at Holy Cross a course correction for Air Force after four losses in a row? We’ll find out this weekend when an RIT team that has won five of its past six (and the loss came in overtime) visits Cadet Arena. Seven weeks into the season, this is just Air Force’s third series at home. Despite the fact neither team takes many penalties (both are in the bottom eight in PIMs per game), this typically morphs into a chippy series at some point. Given the teams were projected to be among the best in Atlantic Hockey, there is plenty at stake this weekend.
Air Force update
Who’s playing has been the question du jour surrounding the Falcons, who have had to dress defensemen at forward the past two series because of a dearth of healthy forwards. The one who got the call last Saturday, Joe Tyran, left a strong impression on his coach. “Tyran was our most visible and tenacious forward,” Frank Serratore said. “That kid can skate, and he made an impact on the game.” Serratore also singled out fellow sophomore Erich Jaeger. “He stepped forward and played out of his comfort zone. He showed really good purpose.” … Injuries will be an issue until the December break, and until that time several freshmen who weren’t expected to play much have received important minutes. Two defensemen have stood out. One – Zach Mirageas – has played in all but one of the Falcons’ games and is tied for second among Falcons defensemen in scoring with four points. Another, Jake Levin, only scored two goals in his NCAA debut Saturday at Holy Cross. … Several of AFA’s healthy players should relish this series because more than a handful have enjoyed big games against them, starting with forwards Jordan Himley (multiple goals) and Evan Giesler (first career hat trick). Giesler leads the Falcons with eight points, while Himley is tied with defenseman Matt Koch, who got his first career goal against the Tigers last season, forward Matt Serratore. … Junior goalie Billy Christopoulos (5-5-2, 2.25, .917) has played the second most minutes of any D-I goalie (720:59), and there is no reason to expect that trend to change.
RIT update
The Tigers’ offense is heating up, as it has scored five goals four times in its recent six-game stretch, and their average of 3.56 goals is eighth in Division. They accomplish that largely at even strength as they have just seven power-play goals. RIT has drawn barely three man advantages per game, but they’re effective when they get them (24 percent, 13th). They don’t take many penalties but have struggled a bit killing them off (76.9 percent). … A trio of junior forwards – Abbott Girduckis (12 points, four goals), Gabe Valenzuela (11, 4) and Erik Brown (10, 6) – do most of the damage up front, while freshman Dan Willett (seven points) senior Matt Abt (six) lead a potent blue line. The Norrish twins, Chase and Brady, also are effective from the back end. “RIT was a team similar to ours last year, when they got barraged with injuries,” Serratore said. “They got Valenzuela and the twins on defense back – they’re very, very good players.” … Freshman Logan Drackett (5-2-1, .893, 3.27) has carried the mail in net.
How it could go down
This is a strength vs. strength matchup – Air Force’s defense and goaltending vs. RIT’s offense. The Tigers’ PK hasn’t been great so far, so that might be an area for the Falcons to exploit. Perhaps the biggest thing to watch for is the Falcons’ compete level, an area Serratore singled out earlier this week. “I don’t know if we’ve put our best foot forward at times, and that has to change. We have to play with consistency.”
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