Nov. 25, 2003

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This Week: Air Force faces a pair of nationally-ranked teams this week. The Falcons play fifth-ranked Colorado College, Friday, Nov. 28, at 7:35 pm at the Colorado Springs World Arena. AFA then hosts 10th-ranked Denver, Saturday, Nov. 29, at 7:05 pm at the Cadet Ice Arena.

Series Records: Colorado College has dominated the series against Air Force, holding a 51-6-2 advantage in the series that began in 1969. CC has won 20 straight and has a 25-game unbeaten streak against AFA. The last Falcon win was a 6-5 overtime win in 1985 at the Broadmoor World Arena. AFA is 0-5 at the new World Arena. Last year, CC beat Air Force 7-0 at the Academy. In the last meeting at the World Arena, CC won 8-1 in 2001. Air Force and Denver have played 25 times and the Pioneers have a 23-2 lead in the series that began in 1972. DU has won 15 straight in the series. The last Falcon win was a 5-3 victory in Denver in 1980. Last year in Denver, DU beat the Falcons, 7-0. In the last meeting at the Cadet Ice Arena, DU was ranked No. 1 in the nation and beat the Falcons 2-1.

Scouting the Opponents: Colorado College is ranked fifth in the nation by USCHO. The Tigers are 6-1-3 overall and 3-1-2 in the WCHA Head coach Scott Owens in his fifth season at CC. Last weekend, CC and Wisconsin skated to a pair of 2-2 overtime ties in Madison. Marty Sertich leads the team with 12 points. Joey Crabb leads the team with nine goals. Curtis McElhinney has started six games in the net and has a 2.47 GAA and a .901 saves percentage. Denver is ranked 10th in the nation by USCHO. The Pioneers are 7-4-1 overall and 2-3-1 in the WCHA. George Gwozdecky is in his 10th season at DU. Last weekend, Denver lost a pair of games to top-ranked North Dakota by scores of 8-2 and 6-2. Sophomore forward Gabe Gauthier leads the team with 14 points. Jeff Drummond leads the Pioneers with six goals. Goalie Adam Berkhoel has a 2.84 goals against average and a .911 saves percentage.

Radio/Television/Internet: Both games this weekend will be available on the internet at www.AirForceSports.com and on the telephone through TeamLine. The Denver game will be broadcast in Colorado Springs on KBZC AM 1300. Jay Ritchie, in his seventh season of Air Force hockey, will do the play-by-play. Dave Toller will handle the color commentary.

Follow the Falcons Anywhere: Both games can be heard anywhere in the United States via the telephone. Falcon hockey radio broadcasts can be heard on TeamLine by dialing 1-800-846-4700. The team access code is 0671. This service is free of charge to listeners thanks to the Air Force Academy athletic department. Hockey games can also be listened to on the internet at www.AirForceSports.com. Go to the hockey page and click on Listen to the Falcons on the right side of the screen.

The Denver Connection: Air Force head coach Frank Serratore spent four seasons as the head coach at the University of Denver from 1991-94. He took over a team in the midst of a rebuild and won just six games in his first season. However, in his third year, the Pioneers were 19-16-2 and the attendance rose 20 percent. In his four years, he was 49-91-1 with the Pioneers.

Close Call Two Years Ago: In the last meeting between the Pioneers and Falcons at the Cadet Ice Arena, the Falcons nearly upset the top-ranked Pioneers. Denver was ranked No. 1 in the nation in 2001 and narrowly defeated Air Force 2-1. All three goals were scored in a span of four minutes in the first period. DU's Lukas Dora scored first but AFA's Andy Berg tied the game with a power play goal at 18:11. Thirty seconds later, Pioneer Matt Weber netted the game-winner. DU had 32 shots while AFA had just 17. Mike Polidor made 34 saves while Adam Berkhoel made 16.

Bader's Point Streak Ends: Matt Bader's six-game point-scoring streak ended in the first game against Niagara, Nov. 21. The sophomore winger from Beaverton, Ore., tallied an assist in the second game against Niagara and now has a point in six of his last seven games.

On Deck: Following the Colorado College/Denver weekend, Air Force returns to CHA play with a two-game series at Findlay, Dec. 5-6.

Last Week: Air Force was swept last weekend by CHA rival Niagara at the Cadet Ice Arena. NU won the first game (Nov. 21) in overtime, 3-2, and then came from behind for a 5-2 win in the series finale, Nov. 22.

Toy Trick: For the fourth consecutive year, the Air Force hockey team's annual toy drive, the "Toy Trick", was a huge success. At the Niagara series, Nov. 21-22, fans were asked to bring a new stuffed toy, wrapped in plastic, and when the Falcons score their first goal in each game, throw the toy on the ice. Over 420 toys were thrown in the first game of the series and the team collected more than 600 toys in the series. The toys will be distributed to children in local hospitals and clinics during the holiday season. In the four-year history of the Toy Trick, the team has collected and distributed more than 2,000 toys.