Who is poised to take a step forward for Air Force’s hockey team during the 2019-20 season?

Given the amount and quality of players who have graduated in the past two seasons (15), the answer to that question could include a crowd.

“We’ve got a lot to prove. We lost back-to-back classes that were outstanding hockey players and outstanding students,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said. “These guys have been in a support role for the most part. … They haven’t had an opportunity to play in many impact roles.

“This is an opportunity for this group to write their own chapter.”

2019-20 Season Preview

Part 1 – Air Force’s roster by the numbers

Part 2 – The Falcons’ indispensable players

Part 3 – Air Force’s emerging players

What follows are some possibilities based upon interviews with a handful of Falcons upperclassmen and careful observation at Sunday’s exhibition victory.

D Carter Ekberg and Jake Levin

Levin is part of the three-headed junior monster on the blue line, along with D partner Alex Mehnert and Zach Mirageas. Ekberg is a sophomore who likely will be paired with a freshman on most nights.

Both bring size (6-foot-2) but they have slightly different skill sets. Levin was an every-night player last season and improved his point total to 13 (12 of which were assists). He plays some on the power play but gets heavy-duty minutes on the penalty kill and in the defensive zone. Teammates noted his relentless work ethic.

“I worked out with him this summer and he made huge steps,” assistant captain Erich Jaeger said. “He’s a huge runner, and he’d run three, four times a week after working out.”

Ekberg battled injuries at times as a freshman, but he has an offensive knack as well, and he should be a power-play fixture this season.

“He looks stronger and a lot more confident out there, able to make plays,” captain Matt Pulver said. “He’s a guy that has the potential to take a big step. We definitely need him to. He’s got good poise with the puck, is able to find guys and he’s got a pretty good shot, too.”

F Marshall Bowery

Bowery and fellow junior wing Max Harper looked as quick as I’d ever seen them Sunday. Both have battled injuries at the Academy, but Bowery provided a taste of what could be in the second half of his freshman season, a campaign in which he had eight goals, double his sophomore season point total.

“He had a good offseason as well after struggling last season,” Pulver said. “He’s come back with a new mindset, and he’s simplified his game. Plus his speed is some of the best in college hockey, so hopefully he can use that to our advantage and help us to score more goals.”

Harper has missed all but 19 games in his first two seasons, but the physical attributes (6-2, 200 and fast) are there to make an impact as well.

The JPT Line

Jaeger centers a line with fellow seniors Pierce Pluemer and Joe Tyran, and Falcon after Falcon has told me how the group collectively has turned it up a notch after combining for just 16 points last season, but most coming down the stretch.

“Our fourth line last year – they have been running the show in practice,” goaltender Zach LaRocque said. “They are frustrating to play against because they just don’t stop.”

That’s the idea, Jaeger said after Sunday’s exhibition.

“We all play a similar gritty game, and that’s pretty fun,” Jaeger said. “They’re super reliable. … We all like to play with a fast pace and wear the other team down. It’s really fun when you get done with a shift and the other team’s D men are hunched over going to the bench they’re so tired.

“We play this puck possession game down low, and that’s the way I’ve always played growing up and in juniors, and to take that to the next level in college is really enjoyable.”

If the group could move its goal total from five into the 12-15 range, it would be huge for a Falcons team that lost more than 50 percent of its goal scoring from a season ago.

©First Line Editorial 2019