2020–21 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2020–21 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season was the 73rd season of play for the program, the 25th at the Division I level, and the 18th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Yellow Jackets represented American International College and were coached by Eric Lang , in his 5th season.
The start of the college hockey season was delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic . As a result, American International's first scheduled game was in late-November as opposed to early-October, which was the norm.
Season
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of American International's players would lose a season of play.[ 1] [ 2]
American International entered the season needing to replace a great deal of experience on its roster. The Yellow Jackets had more than a third of the previous team's players leave, mostly through graduation, and the remaining upperclassmen would need to remain steady while the coaching staff brought the new players along. The large influx of players included the program's first ever NHL draft pick in Jake Kucharski, a transfer from Providence , which demonstrated how much the program had risen in Eric Lang's short time as head coach. The team got off to a good start, winning their first five matches, but AIC faced its first big test in late December when they played Quinnipiac . The Yellow Jackets were embarrassed in the first game but recovered in the second; though they lost the team did show that it could compete with other ranked teams. As a result, the team's national ranking fell just one spot despite losing both games.
AIC played well over the next month, going 8–1 and placing themselves as the team to beat in Atlantic Hockey . Unfortunately, COVID cancellations torpedoed the team's schedule and the Yellow Jackets didn't play a single game over the succeeding 7 weeks. Even the team's quarterfinal match in the conference tournament was scratched due to COVID.[ 3]
Despite a stellar 15–3 record and both conference championships (regular- and post-season) AIC was given the 16th-overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and had to face top-seeded North Dakota in the opening round. The Yellow Jackets still appeared rusty at the start of the game, surrendering 4 goals and being outshot 7–13. The huge lead allowed UND to hang back and play defense for the remainder of the match, giving the Jackets few opportunities to cut into the lead. AIC eventually lost 1–5 but the question remains; just how badly was the team affected by their neatly 2-month layoff?
Departures
Recruiting
Player
Position
Nationality
Age
Notes
Verners Egle
Forward
Latvia 21
Liepāja, LAT ; left program after 1 game (Signed with HK Liepāja )
Zak Galambos
Defenseman
United States 23
Walnut Creek, CA ; transfer from Minnesota State
Aaron Grounds
Forward
United States 20
Jamestown, ND
Kyle Jeffers
Forward
United States 21
Oviedo, FL
Julius Janhonen
Forward
Finland 21
Espoo, FIN
Jan Kern
Forward
Czech Republic 21
Prague, CZE
Jake Kucharski
Goaltender
United States 21
Erie, PA ; Selected 197th overall in 2018 ; transfer from Providence
Darwin Lakoduk
Forward
Canada 20
Edmonton, AB
Ryan McInchak
Goaltender
United States 21
Trenton, MI
Sam Miller
Defenseman
United States 21
Pewaukee, WI
Matthew Rickard
Defenseman
United States 21
Coventry, RI
Nico Somerville
Defenseman
Canada 21
Port Alberni, BC
Adam Stacho
Forward
Slovakia 21
Trenčín, SVK
Michal Stínil
Forward
Czech Republic 21
Děčín, CZE
Justin Young
Forward
Canada 22
Leduc, AB ; transfer from Alaska
Roster
As of September 27, 2020.[ 4]
No. S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Jake Kucharski Freshman (RS )
G 6' 4" (1.93 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
1999-09-25
Erie, Pennsylvania Providence (HEA CAR 2018
2
Nico Somerville Freshman
D 5' 9" (1.75 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-04-08
Nanaimo, British Columbia Penticton (BCHL —
3
Jan Kern Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-07-27
Prague, Czech Republic Youngstown (USHL —
4
Brett Callahan Sophomore
D 5' 10" (1.78 m)
182 lb (83 kg)
1998-10-16
Westmont, Illinois Jersey (NCDC )—
5
Matt Rickard Freshman
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1999-07-28
Coventry, Rhode Island Lone Star (NAHL —
6
Jeff Baum Senior
D 5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1996-06-17
Colleyville, Texas Providence (HEA —
7
Oskar Strömberg Senior
D 6' 7" (2.01 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
1996-11-26
Sollentuna, Sweden New Jersey (NAHL —
8
Brennan Kapcheck C Senior
D 5' 9" (1.75 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1996-11-17
Mount Prospect, Illinois Aston (NAHL —
9
Blake Bennett Sophomore
F 5' 8" (1.73 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1998-07-01
Grand Island, New York Corpus Christi (NAHL —
10
Adam Stacho Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-05-28
Očkov, Slovakia Bismarck (NAHL —
11
Julius Janhonen Freshman
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1999-03-05
Espoo, Finland HIFK U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga )—
12
Eric Otto Freshman (RS )
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1997-07-19
Burnsville, Minnesota Chicago (USHL —
13
Verners Egle † Freshman
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-06-01
Liepāja, Latvia Madison (USHL —
15
Matúš Spodniak Junior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1997-12-22
Košice, Slovakia Ogden (WSHL —
16
Kyle Jeffers Freshman
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
1999-01-06
Winter Springs, Florida New Jersey (NAHL —
17
Zak Galambos Sophomore (RS )
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1997-04-04
Walnut Creek, California Minnesota State (WCHA —
18
Michal Stinil Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1999-03-21
East Burke, Vermont Lone Star (NAHL —
19
Elijiah Barriga Junior (RS )
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
193 lb (88 kg)
1996-05-16
West Covina, California UNLV (ACHA —
20
Tobias Fladeby Senior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
191 lb (87 kg)
1996-05-20
Asker, Norway Bismarck (NAHL —
21
Justin Cole Junior (RS )
F 6' 3" (1.91 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1996-05-01
Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania Cedar Rapids (USHL —
22
Parker Revering C Junior
D 6' 1" (1.85 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1997-01-11
Alexandria, Minnesota Brookings (NAHL —
23
Aaron Grounds Freshman
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-12-24
Jamestown, North Dakota Fargo (USHL —
25
Luka Maver A Junior (RS )
F 6' 3" (1.91 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1997-10-25
Ljubljana, Slovenia Lincoln (USHL —
26
Chris Theodore Junior
F 5' 7" (1.7 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1997-10-15
Beaconsfield, Quebec Cornwall (CCHL —
27
Hunter Johannes Sophomore
F 6' 3" (1.91 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
1998-07-24
Eden Prairie, Minnesota Jamestown (NAHL —
28
Jake Stella Sophomore
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1998-11-14
Karlstad, Sweden Corpus Christi (NAHL —
29
Darwin Lakoduk Freshman
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
157 lb (71 kg)
2000-01-28
Edmonton , Alberta Penticton Vees (BCHL —
30
Stefano Durante Senior
G 6' 0" (1.83 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1996-06-04
Brampton, Ontario Cobourg (OJHL —
33
Jarrett Fiske Sophomore
G 6' 4" (1.93 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-05-28
Erie, Pennsylvania Kemptville (CCHL —
34
Ryan McInchak Freshman
G 6' 0" (1.83 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1999-02-28
Trenton, Michigan New Jersey (NAHL —
39
Justin Young Senior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
172 lb (78 kg)
1997-12-23
Leduc, Alberta Alaska (WCHA —
44
Austen Long Sophomore
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1998-02-15
Minneapolis, Minnesota Omaha (USHL —
55
Chris Dodero A Senior
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
176 lb (80 kg)
1996-06-08
West Chicago, Illinois Janesville (NAHL —
61
Sam Miller Freshman
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1999-08-03
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Shreveport (NAHL —
† Egle left the program after playing one game.
Standings
Conference record
Overall record
GP
W
L
T
OW
OL
SW
PTS
PT%
GF
GA
GP
W
L
T
GF
GA
#15 American International †*
12
11
1
0
1
0
0
32
.889 47
18
19
15
4
0
67
40
Army 15
10
4
1
3
1
1
30
.667 42
33
22
15
6
1
71
48
Robert Morris 15
10
5
0
2
1
0
29
.644 58
48
24
15
9
0
85
69
Canisius 13
8
5
0
1
1
0
24
.615 42
34
17
11
6
0
59
46
RIT 13
7
5
1
0
0
1
23
.590 43
40
20
9
9
2
68
70
Sacred Heart 13
6
6
1
1
2
0
20
.513 35
38
18
6
10
2
43
59
Mercyhurst 16
7
8
1
1
1
1
23
.479 54
50
21
8
12
1
64
67
Bentley 15
4
11
0
1
5
0
16
.356 35
48
16
5
11
0
42
51
Niagara 15
3
9
3
0
2
1
15
.333 39
53
22
7
12
3
57
70
Air Force 13
3
9
1
2
1
0
9
.231 32
49
14
3
10
1
35
56
Holy Cross 12
3
9
0
2
0
0
7
.194 22
38
16
4
12
0
30
52
Championship : March 20, 2021† indicates conference regular season champion indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy ) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Schedule and results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Regular season
November 27
3:00 PM
vs. Air Force
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts
Durante
W 3–1 0
1–0–0 (1–0–0)
November 28
3:00 PM
vs. Air Force
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts
Durante
W 2–1 0
2–0–0 (2–0–0)
December 15
5:00 PM
vs. Army
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts
Durante
W 4–1 0
3–0–0 (3–0–0)
December 18
5:05 PM
at Bentley
Bentley Arena • Waltham , Massachusetts
Durante
W 4–1 0
4–0–0 (4–0–0)
December 19
1:05 PM
vs. Bentley
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 3–1 0
5–0–0 (5–0–0)
December 26
7:00 PM
at #16 Quinnipiac *
#19
People's United Center • Hamden , Connecticut
Durante
L 3–8 0
5–1–0
December 27
3:05 PM
vs. #16 Quinnipiac *
#19
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts
Durante
L 2–3 0
5–2–0
January 2
2:05 PM
vs. Long Island *
#20
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts
Durante
W 2–1 0
6–2–0
January 6
5:00 PM
at Army
#19
Tate Rink • West Point , New York
Durante
W 6–3 0
7–2–0 (6–0–0)
January 7
5:00 PM
at Army
#19
Tate Rink • West Point , New York
Kucharski
W 4–3 OT
0
8–2–0 (7–0–0)
January 10
5:00 PM
vs. Army
#19
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts
Durante
L 3–5 1
8–3–0 (7–1–0)
January 13
4:00 PM
vs. Long Island *
#20
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts
Durante
W 5–2 0
9–3–0
January 17
1:00 PM
vs. Holy Cross
#20
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 1–0 0
10–3–0 (8–1–0)
January 26
5:00 PM
vs. Sacred Heart
#19
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 8–2 0
11–3–0 (9–1–0)
January 29
5:00 PM
at Holy Cross
#19
Hart Center • Worcester , Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 6–0 0
12–3–0 (10–1–0)
January 30
2:00 PM
vs. Holy Cross
#19
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts
McInchak
W 3–0 0
13–3–0 (11–1–0)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 19
2:00 PM
vs. Army *
#15
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts (Atlantic Hockey Semifinals)
Durante
W 2–1 0
14–3–0
March 20
7:00 PM
vs. Canisius *
#15
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts (Atlantic Hockey Championship)
Durante
W 5–2 0
15–3–0
NCAA Tournament
March 26
9:30 PM
vs. #1 North Dakota *
#15
Scheels Arena • Fargo , North Dakota (Midwest Regional semifinals)ESPN3
Durante
L 1–5 1,435
15–4–0
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time .
[ 5]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Chris Theodore LW 19
4
15
19 2
Tobias Fladeby LW /RW 16
10
8
18 0
Chris Dodero C /LW 19
7
11
18 16
Brennan Kapcheck D 19
0
18
18 10
Justin Cole F 18
9
7
16 0
Elijiah Barriga LW 16
7
6
13 6
Zak Galambos D 16
4
6
10 16
Aaron Grounds F 18
5
3
8 10
Julius Janhonen C 16
3
5
8 4
Eric Otto F 15
2
5
7 8
Michal Stinil LW 17
2
5
7 31
Parker Revering D 19
0
7
7 14
Brett Callahan D 15
1
5
6 2
Nico Somerville D 16
2
3
5 6
Justin Young C 6
2
2
4 6
Jeff Baum D /F 16
0
4
4 6
Jake Stella LW 17
0
4
4 2
Blake Bennett F 5
2
1
3 2
Luka Maver C 14
2
1
3 17
Jan Kern LW 16
1
2
3 10
Hunter Johannes F 8
0
3
3 6
Darwin Lakoduk F 1
1
0
1 0
Sam Miller D 4
1
0
1 2
Kyle Jeffers F 6
1
0
1 2
Austen Long RW 15
1
0
1 4
Matúš Spodniak F 1
0
0
0 0
Jarrett Fiske G 1
0
0
0 0
Adam Stacho RW 1
0
0
0 0
Verners Egle W 1
0
0
0 0
Oskar Strömberg D 2
0
0
0 0
Ryan McInchak G 2
0
0
0 0
Jake Kucharski G 7
0
0
0 0
Matt Rickard D 9
0
0
0 4
Stefano Durante G 13
0
0
0 0
Bench
-
-
-
-
-
12
Total
67
121
188
198
[ 6]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut Outs
SV % GAA
Ryan McInchak 2
99
1
0
0
0
37
1
1.000
0.00
Jake Kucharski 7
319
5
0
0
9
98
1
.916
1.69
Stefano Durante 13
710
9
4
0
29
252
0
.897
2.45
Jarrett Fiske 1
5:07
0
0
0
2
5
0
.714
23.45
Empty Net
-
8
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
-
Total
19
1142
15
4
0
40
392
3 †
.907
2.10
† Kucharski and McInchak split a shutout on January 29.
Rankings
Poll
Week
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21 (Final)
USCHO.com
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
19
20
19
20
20
19
17
15
16
16
16
16
15
15
-
15
USA Today
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
14
15
15
15
15
15
14
15
15
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20. [ 7]
Awards and honors
References
^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility" . CBS Sports . August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021 .^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately" . NCAA . December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021 .^ "Bentley withdraws from Atlantic Hockey playoffs, advancing American International to semifinals" . USCHO.com . March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021 .^ "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster" . American International College Athletics. Retrieved September 20, 2017 .^ "American International Yellow Jackets (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results" . College Hockey Stats . Retrieved December 5, 2019 .^ "American International College 2020-2021 Skater Stats" . Elite Prospects . Retrieved June 20, 2020 .^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll" . USCHO.com . Retrieved November 26, 2019 .^ "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season" . USCHO.com . April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021 .^ a b c d "Atlantic Hockey Names 2020-21 Regular season Award Winners" . Atlantic Hockey . March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021 .^ a b "ATLANTIC HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP: American International repeats as titlists with three goals in third period to down Canisius" . USCHO.com . March 20, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021 .^ a b c "Atlantic Hockey Announces All-Conference and All-Rookie Winners" . Atlantic Hockey . March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021 .
Playing venues Head coaches Seasons Conference affiliations All-time leaders NCAA Tournament appearances Conference Tournament titles
