Air Force hockey coach Frank Serratore guided the Falcons to their first conference championship and inaugural trip to the NCAA Tournament last season, and center Eric Ehn became the program’s first unanimous first-team All-American. The historical campaign ended with a 4-3 loss to No. 1 Minnesota in the West Regional at the Pepsi Center. For an encore, Serratore and the Falcons ended a 19-game, 28-year losing streak to the University of Denver last month, winning 5-2 to climb into the regular-season national rankings for the first time. Serratore, whose team is 13-10-5 and eyeing another Atlantic Hockey Association playoff championship and automatic bid to the 16-team national field, traded slap shots with Denver Post staff writer Mike Chambers on Wednesday:
Q: You have twin 18-year-old sons who play hockey. How much coaching do you offer them?
A: I let their coaches coach them, and if they have a problem, I make them deal with it. To me, that’s why you want your kids playing sports. Some day they’re going to have a job and they’re going to have to deal with their boss.
Q: You must share some sort of hockey wisdom with them?
A: My only off-ice advice is: Always remember who you’re representing — yourself, your team, your family name — and don’t embarrass any of those things.
Q: Tell me about your bride of 20 years, Carol. I hear she’s truly your better half.
A: Without Carol, all I would have is hockey, because that’s all I would do. I wouldn’t have a complete life, or depth in my life.
Q: You accepted the DU job in 1990 at age 32 (and were fired after going 49-92-9 in four seasons). Were you too young?
A: I wasn’t prepared to deal with adversity because I had never had that type. Everything I touched to that point turned to gold. I was able to make a quick fix in junior hockey. There are no quick fixes, no free agents, in college hockey. It takes time. So my career hadn’t prepared me to deal with that coaching experience, but the DU experience made me a much better coach and prepared me for the rebuilding process down here at Air Force.
Q: How does a civilian like you deal with military personnel every day?
A: I come from northern Minnesota, a very conservative part of the country, where everybody’s father, brother or uncle has served. It’s a very patriotic area, a melting pot of immigrants, like my family from Italy. Lots of pride about country. So I’m proud to be associated with the Air Force and the military. I take great pride in developing young men into officers. Of all the jobs I’ve had, this has been the best fit, the most complete fit. I believe in the place.
Q: Last month’s win over DU still on your mind?
A: Unfortunately, there’s only been one win since that one, so it put a little damper on it. But, yeah, it’s still there. We marked that one off the list, and hopefully we can do the same thing against the Tigers down here. I mean, we’ve won a championship, we’ve made the NCAA Tournament. Now we need to beat both neighbors.
Serratore’s top five reasons to live in Colorado
1. No humidity
2. No mosquitoes
3. Lots of sun
4. Awesome people
5. Great hockey
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
