This past week we wrapped up our seven-part Air Force hockey player survey. The survey included 25 questions, broken down into various categories. Players were given multiple choices of teammates for each question and promised anonymity for their answers.

Just as we did last year, I’d like to break down the responses in some detail to see if any trends emerge. Just for fun we’ll add in last year’s results as well.

THE FULL SURVEY

Part 1 (Questions 1-4) deals with skating

Part 2 (Questions 5-7) deals with strength and toughness

Part 3 (Questions 8-10) reveals the shooting stars

Part 4 (Questions 11-14) tracks the good hands Falcons

Part 5 (Questions 15-17) focuses on the eyes

Part 6 (Questions 18-22) gets defensive

Part 7 (Questions 23-25) is all about hard work, resilience and leadership

Before I get to the breakdown, I’d like to again thank the 2018-19 Air Force Falcons for their assistance with this and so many other stories throughout the season. AFAFlightPath.com would not be possible without their cooperation and insight.

Which category had the widest margin of voting?

• 18 – Goalie, lateral movement and positionally sound (Billy Christopoulos)
• 15 – Best goalie glove (Billy Christopoulos)
• 14 – Best stickhandler (Evan Feno)
• 12 – Top-end speed (Walker Sommer)
• 11 – Best breakout passes (Matt Koch)

Behind the numbers: Aside from Christopoulos’ dominance, we learn that Sommer has unmatched speed, Koch’s ability to move the puck is unparalleled and Feno’s mitts are magical.

Last year: Phil Boje (19) in hardest shot

What were the highest vote totals in a category?

• 18 – Goalie lateral movement and positionally sound (Billy Christopoulos)
• 16 – Stickhandler (Evan Feno)
• 16 – Goalie glove (Billy Christopoulos)
• 14 – Top-end speed (Walker Sommer)
• 13 – Breakout passes (Matt Koch)
• 11 – Winning important draws (Brady Tomlak)
• 9 – Most resilient (Evan Feno)

Behind the numbers: That Christopoulos and Feno make multiple appearances here shouldn’t be a surprise. Tomlak is the only player who didn’t appear in the widest margin because Kyle Haak also got quite a few votes in the face-off category.

Last year: Phil Boje (22) in hardest shot

Which categories had the closest Margins of voting?

• Tie – Forcing turnovers (Kyle Haak, Matt Koch)
• Tie – Best vision (Evan Feno, Matt Koch)
• Tie – Hardest worker (Pierce Pluemer, Joe Tyran)
• 1 – Agile skater (Walker Sommer over Matt Serratore)
• 1 – Best checker (Zack Mirageas over Jake Levin)
• 1 – Toughest overall (Evan Giesler over Zack Mirageas)
• 1 – Quickest release (Trevor Stone over Evan Feno)
• 1 – Hockey sense (Evan Feno over Kyle Haak)
• 1 – Defensive forward (Brady Tomlak over Kyle Haak)

Behind the numbers: Almost 40 percent of the categories were decided by one vote or were tied. The Falcons have a balanced roster. … Also notable, Haak nearly won two more categories, but more on that in a few questions.

Last year: There were three – hockey sense, forcing turnovers and positionally sound, all by one vote.

Which categories had the most players named?

• 11 – Forcing turnovers
• 9 – Shot accuracy
• 8 – Hockey sense, positionally sound skaters, hard work, leadership

Behind the numbers: These are the most balanced categories on the roster, according to the players. The six with the most players named have these common denominators – intelligence and effort. Obviously, a high degree of skill is involved, but the hockey brain and a high drive are necessary.

Last year: Best at forcing turnovers (12)

Which category had the lowest vote total by a leader?

• 3 – Forcing turnovers (Kyle Haak, Matt Koch)
• 4 – Hardest worker (Pierce Pluemer, Joe Tyran)
• 5 – Agile skater (Walker Sommer)
• 5 – Body checker (Zack Mirageas)
• 5 – Defensive forward (Brady Tomlak)
• 5 – Hockey sense (Evan Feno)

Behind the numbers: A lower voting participation skews this category (18 vs. 25 a year ago), but there were among the most balanced categories, too.

Last year: Jordan Himley, best forcing turnovers (5 votes)

Which player made the most overall appearances?

• Evan Feno – 17
• Zack Mirageas – 14
• Shawn Knowlton, Matt Pulver, Matt Serratore – 10
• Evan Giesler, Kyle Haak, Matt Koch, Joe Tyran – 8
• Billy Christopoulos – 7
• Brady Tomlak – 6
• Walker Sommer, Trevor Stone – 5

Behind the numbers: Feno was named in 17 of the 22 skater-specific categories, or 77 percent. Now, consider this – what might the Falcons have done had they had him last season for more than one game? The senior is their leading scorer entering 2019. Mirageas, who is taking his game to another level this season, was named in 14 categories, which is very impressive for a young defenseman. The other number that stands out to me is the starting goaltender was named in seven categories when only three are goalie specific. But by now we all know how valued Billy the Greek is by his teammates. … Good news for the future, three of the top five here return next season. … A total of 23 of the 28 players were named in the survey.

Last year: Jordan Himley (13)

Who was voted as the top player in a category the most times?

• Evan Feno – 6
• Billy Christopoulos, Matt Koch, Brady Tomlak – 3
• Evan Giesler, Kyle Haak, Zack Mirageas, Walker Sommer – 2
• Jake Levin, Pierce Pluemer, Trevor Stone, Joe Tyran – 1

Behind the numbers: Feno’s came from all over the survey – resiliency, vision, hockey sense, passing, stick handling and shot accuracy. … Christopoulos captured every goalie category, while Koch was lauded for rising, breakout passes and forcing turnovers. Tomlak is the face-off ace, the best defensive forward and passer in traffic (with Feno). … Giesler got nods for strength and leadership, Haak for positioning and forcing turnovers (with Koch), Mirageas for hardest shot and checking and Sommer for top-end speed and agility.

Last year: Tyler Ledford (5)

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