Eric Ehn is 5-feet-9 and 175 pounds without skates and pads, which makes him slightly taller and a little lighter than Theo Fleury. Ehn wears No. 24 for Air Force in a tribute to Bob Probert, the legendary Detroit Red Wings player, but the Falcons’ scoring style and his nose for the net are more similar to the former Avalanche.
Ehn’s 50 points in 32 games this season is the second-most in Division I hockey, one point behind Michigan’s T.J. Hensick, a second-round pick of the Avalanche in the 2005 NHL entry draft.
Ehn’s two goals last Friday in a 5-4 win over Rochester Tech gave him 21 goals and snapped a spell of eight games without a goal. Despite not scoring before the RIT series since Jan. 6, Ehn stayed at or near the top of the nation’s points leaders. His 29 assists are third-most, and his plus-20 plus/minus rating is tops on the Falcons’ roster.
His effort has not gone without notice. Ehn should be among the finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given to college hockey’s player of the year. He would be Air Force’s first.
Area hockey fans should be familiar with players among the nation’s best – three of the past four Hobey Baker winners are from Colorado College or Denver. The Falcons’ two-game Atlantic Hockey Association series with visiting Canisius this weekend will be their final regular-season games at Cadet Ice Arena.
Ehn won’t be a stranger to Canisius. In Air Force’s split of a two-game set with the Golden Griffins earlier this season, Ehn had three goals and an assist.
Air Force faces off with Canisius today and Saturday. The puck drops at 7 p.m. for both games.
WEAK IN REVIEW
How’s this for a change of pace: Duke, which dropped out of The Associated Press men’s basketball poll this week, is dragging down Air Force’s RPI ranking. The RPI, based in part on strength of schedule, is used to help seed teams for the NCAA Tournament. And Air Force and Duke met early in the season. C’mon Blue Devils, pick up the pace a little bit.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE …
Colorado’s 72nd high school wrestling championships this weekend at the Pepsi Center will highlight why it is the most entertaining among this state’s prep tournaments. Competitive draws, large, raucous crowds, exhausted athletes. It’s all there. Check out the smallest classification, 2A, for the most intrigue: a potential four-time state titlist, three possible three-timers and Burlington’s Brian Hendricks, a Wyoming-bound linebacker going for his second state title.
THE COUCH
ON: There won’t be any Allen Iverson. Or Marcus Camby. Or any defense. But the NBA All-Star Game at 6 p.m. Sunday (TNT) will feature Carmelo Anthony and a host of other ball-hogs and showboats. The All-Star Game isn’t real basketball, exactly. But it is something. And Saturday’s 3-point contest, highlighted by a matchup between Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and Washington’s Gilbert Arenas, could be Hibachi-level hot. Whatever that means.
OFF: The winter months seem an odd time for a nature hike. But Saturday’s second annual Colorado Springs Bighorn Sheep Day will give visitors a chance to spot herds that make their home in lower elevations near the Garden of the Gods and Queens Canyon. The day features guided nature walks, viewing stations, wildlife programs for kids and seminars about Colorado’s official state animal. Events start at 10 a.m. at the Garden of the Gods Park Visitor’s Center. Call 719-227-5221 for more info.
AROUND TOWN
The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing are nearly 18 months away. But now is when competitions get going. Several potential future contenders for the American fencing team will be in town this weekend for the U.S. Fencing Association’s Junior Olympic Championships at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. More than 20 area fencers and hundreds of athletes from across the country will compete in one of the most important steppingstones toward a path in collegiate and Olympic fencing. The tournament begins today and runs through Monday. Check usfencing.org for brackets and information.
