60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less): Air Force

Air Force

2018-19 Record: 16-15-5 (14-10-4, 9th in Atlantic Hockey)
Head Coach: Frank Serratore, 23rd Year
Top returning scorer: Kieran Durgan (12G-6A)
Top returning goaltender: Zack LaRocque (Jr.)

At the risk of beginning to sound like a broken record, a team in Atlantic Hockey picked preseason to win the conference or contend ended up not winning the conference.

Okay, that might harsh for Air Force. The Falcons are the first team in this series to finish above .500. At the start of 2019, Air Force - picked by Atlantic Hockey's coaches to win the conference - was leading AHA before finishing third.

No team in Atlantic Hockey gets the high expectations placed upon them annually like Air Force whether they get met or not. The same can be said for this season despite Frank Serratore's team losing its starting goalie and a large senior class.

What's New: Unfortunately, Serratore has still not seen Bigfoot nor the Easter Bunny.

Serratore being one of college hockey's great characters and quotes also is not new. (Look, I only have 600 self-imposed words here so if you need to know why read this feature I wrote earlier this year.) What is new with Air Force, however, is entering the year not making the NCAA Tournament after two straight appearances in the regional final. The Falcons, after Serratore used the Atlantic Hockey postseason first-round bye to watch Greenway reach the Class A championship game, were swept at home by Niagara.

Missing a Serratore also, unfortunately, isn't new. Matt Serratore, who scored 14 goals as a junior, missed most of his senior season with a lower-body injury. Air Force will also need to replace Billy Christopoulos AKA Billy the Greek in goal (one of college hockey's best nicknames to use in a conversation - i.e. "St. Cloud State got shut down as the #1 overall seed by Billy the Greek") and replace its top four scorers in 2018-19.

The Falcons also host an NHL outdoor game this season. That is definitely new.

Closing Thoughts: Serratore's entertaining press conferences and interviews - he's one coach who does not give canned, broken record-sounding answers - hide the fact Air Force won the old fashioned way with no primadonnas. Defense paved the way to the third-place finish. The Falcons were Atlantic Hockey's second-worst team offensively last season (only Army West Point was worse) and its best defensively, allowing 2.56 goals per game.

The gap could get more extreme. Besides losing Billy the Greek, the Falcons return all but one defender for 2019-20. In an era of late where defense has been winning championships, being able to shut down opposing teams gives Serratore's a chance in Atlantic Hockey. 

That's where the expectations arise. Air Force has been one of Atlantic Hockey's most consistent teams and a regular NCAA Tournament representative. Whether it's nearly making the tournament as an at-large bid (2017 where the Falcons defeated Western Michigan) or getting hot at the right time to win the conference tournament (2018 when Air Force, ninth in AHA in February, won an automatic berth and upset SCSU), the Falcons seem to be in the conversation no matter what the team.

To get back in 2019 will take another effort and an unexpected uptick in scoring from the offense. Put it this way, missing would not be as heartbreaking as a Vikings playoff loss. Par for the course in Atlantic Hockey.

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