2023–24 Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2023–24 Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey season was the 56th season of play for the program and the 18th in Atlantic Hockey . The Falcons represented the United States Air Force Academy , played their home games at the Cadet Ice Arena and were coached by Frank Serratore in his 27th season.
Season
Just before the start of the season, the NCAA announced:
"The school, enforcement staff, men's ice hockey head coach and two assistant coaches agreed that ... two assistant coaches had approximately 18 impermissible recruiting contacts with a prospective student-athlete and his father before that student-athlete had entered the Transfer Portal"[ 1]
Though he was not charged with any direct action, head coach Frank Serratore was responsible for the actions of his assistants. As such, a standard Level II penalty was applied to both Serratore and the two assistants who were unnamed in the release.
Once the season got underway, the Falcons very quickly proved to be an inconsistent team. After splitting their opening series against Lindenwood , one of the worst teams in the nation, Air Force followed that up with a split versus Michigan State , one of the best teams. That trend continued throughout the season and can mostly be attributed to the defensive side of the puck. Air Force had a very good season offensively, averaging 3 goals per game for the year. However, they allowed slightly more goals per game on average and were let down by a subpar season from Guy Blessing.
Despite the deficiencies, the team finished 4th in Atlantic Hockey and earned a home stand for the conference quarterfinals. The Falcons outplayed American International in the first game, firing 32 shots to the Yellow Jackets' 18 but they were unable to overcome a strong goaltending performance from the opposing netminder. The second game saw Air Force jump out to a 2–0 lead in the first period but the team was unable to build on that lead for the rest of the match. AIC tied the game with less than two minutes to play and forced overtime. USAF ratcheted up their offense in the extra session, sending 15 shots on goal in just over 12 minutes but none of them could find the back of the net. A simple rush up the ice ended the game in the middle of the first overtime when a perfectly placed shot ricocheted in off of the crossbar and ended the Falcons' season.[ 2]
Departures
Recruiting
Player
Position
Nationality
Age
Notes
Owen Baumgartner
Defenseman
United States 21
Owatonna, MN
James Callahan
Defenseman
United States 20
Minneapolis, MN
Carter Clafton
Goaltender
United States 21
Grand Rapids, MN
Nolan Cunningham
Defenseman
United States 21
Great Falls, MT
Owen DuBois
Forward
United States 21
Madison, WI
Brendan Gibbons
Forward
United States 21
South Kingstown, RI
Sam Jacobs
Forward
United States 21
Plymouth, MN
Nick Remissong
Forward
United States 21
Lake Forest, IL
Will Staring
Defenseman
United States 20
Springfield, VA
Ethan Ullrick
Forward
United States 20
Lakewood, IL
Dominik Wasik
Goaltender
United States 21
Superior, CO
Roster
As of September 14, 2023[ 3]
No. S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Guy Blessing Junior
G 6' 3" (1.91 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
2001-05-08
Chandler, Arizona Lone Star (NAHL —
4
Luke Rowe Senior
D 6' 1" (1.85 m)
206 lb (93 kg)
1998-08-08
Succasunna, New Jersey Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC )—
6
Owen Baumgartner Freshman
D 5' 10" (1.78 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2002-07-01
Owatonna, Minnesota Oklahoma (NAHL —
7
Brian Adams Senior
F 5' 8" (1.73 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1999-12-07
San Ramon, California Wenatchee (BCHL —
8
Ethan Ulrick Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
2003-04-25
Lakewood, Illinois Salmon Arm (BCHL —
9
Lucas Coon Junior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2001-11-24
Steamboat Springs, Colorado Odessa (NAHL —
10
Austin Schwartz Junior
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
2001-06-18
Parker, Colorado Bismarck (NAHL —
11
Sam Jacobs Freshman
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2003-04-25
Plymouth, Minnesota Wisconsin (NAHL —
12
James Callahan Freshman
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
2002-12-18
Minneapolis, Minnesota Springfield (NAHL —
13
Mason McCormick Sophomore
F 6' 4" (1.93 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
2001-05-25
Verona, Wisconsin Waterloo (USHL —
14
Jacob Marti Senior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2002-08-13
Highlands Ranch, Colorado Bismarck (NAHL —
15
Owen Dubois Freshman
F 6' 4" (1.93 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
2002-07-06
Madison, Wisconsin Aberdeen (NAHL —
16
Sam Brennan Senior
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
2000-01-16
Brighton, Michigan Lone Star (NAHL —
17
Parker Brown Senior
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
1999-09-08
Hanahan, South Carolina Fairbanks (NAHL —
18
Holt Oliphant Sophomore
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2001-05-17
Northbrook, Illinois Johnstown (NAHL —
19
Nick Remissong Freshman
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2002-05-19
Lake Forest, Illinois Trail (BCHL —
20
Nolan Cunningham Freshman
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2001-12-17
Helena, Montana Fairbanks (NAHL —
21
Liam Hansson Sophomore
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2001-12-16
Ramsey, New Jersey Cranbrook (BCHL —
22
Chris Hedden Sophomore
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2002-09-20
Kalamazoo, Michigan Omaha (USHL —
24
Nate Horn Senior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
160 lb (73 kg)
1999-03-02
Elk River, Minnesota Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL —
26
Clayton Cosentino Junior
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
198 lb (90 kg)
2000-06-18
San Carlos, California Aberdeen (NAHL —
27
Luke Robinson C Senior
D 6' 3" (1.91 m)
202 lb (92 kg)
2000-02-16
Nashville, Tennessee Dubuque (USHL —
28
Mitchell Digby Junior
D 5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2000-06-26
Ottawa Lake, Michigan Lone Star (NAHL —
29
Jasper Lester Junior
D 5' 11" (1.8 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2000-07-31
Colorado Springs, Colorado Fairbanks (NAHL —
30
Dominik Wasik Freshman
G 6' 1" (1.85 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
2002-07-02
Superior, Wisconsin Steinbach (MJHL —
35
Carter Clafton Freshman
G 6' 2" (1.88 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
2002-03-13
Grand Rapids, Minnesota Amarillo (NAHL —
37
Will Gavin Senior
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-10-21
Durham, Connecticut Northern (NCDC )—
44
Will Staring Freshman
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2003-02-28
Springfield, Virginia Dubuque (USHL —
51
Maiszon Balboa Senior
G 6' 2" (1.88 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2000-04-18
Colorado Springs, Colorado Shreveport (NAHL —
64
Brendan Gibbons Freshman
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
2002-06-15
South Kingstown, Rhode Island Maine (NAHL —
82
Andrew DeCarlo Junior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2000-07-23
Huntington Beach, California Lone Star (NAHL —
Standings
Conference record
Overall record
GP
W
L
T
OW
OL
SW
PTS
GF
GA
GP
W
L
T
GF
GA
#17 RIT †*
26
18
7
1
3
2
0
54 102
64
40
27
11
2
156
96
Holy Cross 26
13
10
3
0
3
1
46 78
62
39
21
14
4
116
93
Sacred Heart 26
14
10
2
2
2
1
45 75
70
36
14
19
3
91
113
Air Force 26
15
10
1
3
0
1
44 88
75
38
18
19
1
115
119
American International 26
12
10
4
1
1
2
42 79
68
40
20
16
4
119
111
Bentley 26
12
12
2
1
2
2
41 69
58
35
16
17
2
95
82
Niagara 26
13
10
3
3
1
1
41 78
79
39
18
18
3
111
122
Canisius 26
10
12
4
2
1
0
33 73
87
37
12
21
4
103
126
Mercyhurst 26
7
15
4
0
1
4
30 77
91
35
9
22
4
98
126
Army 26
8
16
2
0
1
1
28 66
96
35
10
23
2
93
139
Robert Morris 26
7
17
2
0
1
1
25 60
95
39
11
25
3
94
142
Championship : March 23, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion (DeGregorio Trophy) 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
October 7
5:05 pm
Lindenwood *
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey
Blessing
W 4–1 1,659
1–0–0
October 8
5:05 pm
Lindenwood *
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey
Blessing
L 3–4 1,333
1–1–0
October 12
7:05 pm
#8 Michigan State *
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey
Blessing
W 6–5 2,589
2–1–0
October 13
7:05 pm
#8 Michigan State *
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey
Blessing
L 3–5 2,708
2–2–0
October 20
9:07 pm
at Alaska Anchorage *
Avis Alaska Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska
Blessing
L 1–3 874
2–3–0
October 21
9:07 pm
at Alaska Anchorage *
Avis Alaska Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska
Blessing
W 4–3 715
3–3–0
October 27
7:05 pm
Colorado College *
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry )FloHockey
Blessing
L 2–6 2,701
3–4–0
October 28
6:05 pm
at #2 Denver *
Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado
Blessing
L 0–4 6,278
3–5–0
November 3
5:05 pm
at Niagara
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York FloHockey
Blessing
W 3–2 OT
637
4–5–0 (1–0–0)
November 4
5:05 pm
at Niagara
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York FloHockey
Blessing
L 3–4 755
4–6–0 (1–1–0)
November 10
7:05 pm
Army
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry )FloHockey
Blessing
W 4–3 OT
2,629
5–6–0 (2–1–0)
November 11
7:05 pm
Army
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry )FloHockey
Blessing
W 4–0 2,250
6–6–0 (3–1–0)
November 18
5:05 pm
at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey
Blessing
W 5–2 734
7–6–0 (4–1–0)
November 19
5:05 pm
at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey
Blessing
L 1–5 783
7–7–0 (4–2–0)
November 24
11:00 am
at Canisius
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York FloHockey
Blessing
L 1–3 731
7–8–0 (4–3–0)
November 25
11:00 am
at Canisius
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York FloHockey
Blessing
T 2–2 SOW
621
7–8–1 (4–3–1)
December 1
7:05 pm
Bentley
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey
Blessing
W 3–2 OT
2,213
8–8–1 (5–3–1)
December 2
5:05 pm
Bentley
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey
Blessing
L 0–3 2,190
8–9–1 (5–4–1)
Holiday Face–Off
December 28
6:30 pm
at #6 Wisconsin *
Fiserv Forum • Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off semifinal)BSW
Blessing
L 0–3 8,652
8–10–1
December 29
3:00 pm
vs. Minnesota Duluth *
Fiserv Forum • Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off consolation game)BSW
Blessing
L 1–4 8,689
8–11–1
January 5
5:05 pm
at Bentley
Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts FloHockey
Blessing
W 3–1 1,389
9–11–1 (6–4–1)
January 6
5:05 pm
at Bentley
Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts FloHockey
Blessing
W 7–3 1,555
10–11–1 (7–4–1)
January 12
7:05 pm
American International
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey , Altitude2
Blessing
W 6–2 2,318
11–11–1 (8–4–1)
January 13
5:05 pm
American International
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey
Blessing
L 1–4 2,464
11–12–1 (8–5–1)
January 19
5:05 pm
at Army
Tate Rink • West Point, New York (Rivalry )FloHockey
Blessing
W 8–1 2,528
12–12–1 (9–5–1)
January 20
2:05 pm
at Army
Tate Rink • West Point, New York (Rivalry )FloHockey
Blessing
W 7–6 2,548
13–12–1 (10–5–1)
January 26
7:05 pm
Canisius
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey
Blessing
W 5–1 2,318
14–12–1 (11–5–1)
January 27
5:05 pm
Canisius
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey , Altitude
Blessing
L 3–5 2,424
14–13–1 (11–6–1)
February 2
5:05 pm
at Holy Cross
Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts FloHockey
Blessing
L 3–6 1,906
14–14–1 (11–7–1)
February 3
5:05 pm
at Holy Cross
Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts FloHockey
Blessing
L 2–5 1,812
14–15–1 (11–8–1)
February 9
7:05 pm
Sacred Heart
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey
Blessing
L 2–3 2,436
14–16–1 (11–9–1)
February 10
5:05 pm
Sacred Heart
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey , Altitude2
Blessing
W 2–0 2,422
15–16–1 (12–9–1)
February 16
5:05 pm
at #20 RIT
Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York FloHockey
Balboa
L 3–7 2,954
15–17–1 (12–10–1)
February 17
3:05 pm
at #20 RIT
Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York FloHockey , Altitude2
Blessing
W 3–2 4,300
16–17–1 (13–10–1)
February 23
7:05 pm
Robert Morris
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey
Blessing
W 5–2 2,670
17–17–1 (14–10–1)
February 24
5:05 pm
Robert Morris
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado FloHockey
Blessing
W 2–1 2,698
18–17–1 (15–10–1)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 8
7:05 pm
American International *
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Quarterfinal game 1)FloHockey
Blessing
L 1–3 1,818
18–18–1
March 9
7:05 pm
American International *
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Quarterfinal game 2)FloHockey
Blessing
L 2–3 OT
1,688
18–19–1
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Mountain Time . [ 4]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Chris Hedden D 38
8
29
37 37
Will Gavin F 38
19
17
36 24
Luke Rowe D 35
6
23
29 70
Clayton Cosentino F 38
10
18
28 6
Parker Brown F 37
8
13
21 27
Austin Schwartz F 38
10
9
19 10
Mason McCormick LW 38
6
9
15 44
Holt Oliphant F 38
10
4
14 10
Andrew DeCarlo F 32
5
9
14 12
Brendan Gibbons F 34
7
5
12 14
Owen Baumgartner D 24
4
6
10 12
Will Staring D 33
1
8
9 20
Luke Robinson D 38
2
7
9 32
Brian Adams F 30
2
6
8 4
Nate Horn F 33
3
4
7 12
Sam Brennan D 36
3
4
7 16
Owen Dubois F 30
4
2
6 6
Nick Remissong F 34
1
5
6 19
Nolan Cunningham D 26
0
5
5 2
Lucas Coon F 11
3
2
5 2
Mitchell Digby D 27
2
1
3 11
Jacob Marti F 15
1
1
2 21
Ethan Ullrick F 7
0
0
0 15
Jasper Lester D 2
0
0
0 0
Maiszon Balboa G 4
0
0
0 0
Carter Clafton G 1
0
0
0 0
Guy Blessing G 38
0
0
0 0
Sam Jacobs F 1
0
0
0 0
James Callahan D 2
0
0
0 0
Total
115
187
302
424
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals against
Saves
Shutouts
SV % GAA
Carter Clafton 9
10:46
0
0
0
0
3
0
1.000
0.00
Guy Blessing 38
2159:38
18
18
1
101
895
2
.899
2.81
Maiszon Balboa 11
99:29
0
1
0
5
39
0
.886
3.02
Empty Net
-
40:10
-
-
-
13
-
-
-
-
Total
38
2310:03
18
19
1
119
937
2
.889
3.09
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
22
23
24
25
26 (Final)
USCHO.com
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
–
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
–
NR
USA Hockey
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
–
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.
Awards and honors
References
^ "NCAA announces recruiting violations for Air Force men's hockey team, team accepts responsibility for infractions" . USCHO . September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023 .^ "AIC ends Falcons season in overtime" . YouTube . March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024 .^ "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Roster" . Air Force Falcons . Retrieved September 14, 2023 .^ "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule" . Air Force Falcons . Retrieved August 21, 2023 .^ "Macklin Celebrini Wins 2024 Hobey Baker Award" . Hobey Baker Award . Retrieved July 4, 2024 .^ "Atlantic Hockey Announces 2023-24 Regular Season Awards" . Atlantic Hockey . March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024 .^ a b c "Atlantic Hockey unveils three all-conference teams, one all-rookie team for 2023-24 season" . USCHO.com . March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024 .
Playing venues Head coaches Seasons Conference affiliations Rivalries All-time leaders NCAA Tournament appearances Conference Tournament titles
