Boldrey’s Breakdown: This may be the most exciting time in the history of Air Force hockey. Coming off back-to-back Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament championships and their first two trips to the NCAA tournament in school history, the Falcons have fans looking forward to what they have every right to believe will be another exciting season.

The biggest loss Air Force is facing this season is the departure of three-time Hobey Baker Finalist Eric Ehn, a player who Coach Frank Seratorre has referred to as the best to ever play at the Academy. Yet with Ehn missing much of last season due to injury, the Falcons already are quite familiar what it is like to play, and win, without him.

“One of the things this group of kids learned when Eric went down is that we weren’t a one man band,” Seratorre said. “And not only did we continue to play well, but we actually played better… I don’t think it had anything to do with him being gone, but more with other people stepping up, knowing they had to because he wasn’t there… Our guys believe we can still win without him because we did.”

And just how much do the Falcons think they can win this year?

“Our goals are the same as they are every year, to be the most difficult team in the country to play against,” Seratorre said. “Hopefully if you take care of all the little things, the big things will take care of themselves. Of course with the success we have had the last couple years (winning a national championship) is in the back of your mind, but there are a lot of things you need to do in order to have a chance to accomplish that.”
 
The Falcons have come close to pulling the upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament each of the last two years.

Offensively: Air Force returns its top six scorers from 2007-08, a team which ranked eighth nationally in point production. Leading the charge on the front line will be seniors Brent Olson, Mike Phillipich and Josh Frider, along with junior Jeff Hajner. Sophomore transfer Jacques Lameroux is also expected to step right into a prominent role offensively in his first year with the Falcons.

Defensively: Seniors Greg Flynn and Mike Mayra are expected to anchor the d for the Falcons this season. Seratorre is also expecting major contributions from sophomore Brad Sellers and freshmen Scott Mathis, Mark Williams and Tim Kirby. It’s the first class of impact defenseman the Falcons have brought in, in a while.

In the net: Junior goaltender Andrew Volkening, the Falcons’ 2007-08 MVP, who played every minute of the teams’ final 22 games in 07-08, returns as the heart and sole of this year’s Falcons. “He doesn’t say much, but he leads by example,” said Seratorre. “He’s the hardest worker on the team. He sets the tone every day in practice with how hard he competes.” Volkening’s 2.15 GA ranked second in the AHA last season.