The Air Force hockey team is what Utah is to college football, and like the Utes, a game (or two) against a national powerhouse is on the horizon.
The Falcons, who have Thanksgiving weekend showdowns against Colorado College and the University of Denver, are 10-0 and have won six of their eight Atlantic Hockey Association games on the road.
Among 58 Division I programs, they are the country’s only undefeated and untied team, and nobody has scored more goals (47, 4.70 per game).
“It’s a good run, I mean, just a good run,” Air Force coach Frank Serratore said Monday. “We’re starting to feel like Utah and Boise State (of college football), and it feels pretty good.”
After sweeping Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., last weekend by scores of 1-0 (overtime) and 5-1, the Falcons improved one spot, to a career-best 12th, in this week’s USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll.
“To become involved with the rankings and stuff, it’s interesting,” Serratore said. “Some people aren’t happy were we are ranked — they think we should be higher — but we’re still the top ranked non-BSC team in college hockey.”
What has led to this incredible turnaround by a program that used to be considered a Division I pretender? Here are some stepping-stone games that have shaped the Air Force’s “All-American” program:
“We’re having fun with this. It’s not a burden,” Serratore said of this season’s perfect start. “We’re not playing in the WCHA, but we’ve won eight games in our league, and six of them have been on the road.”
Air Force hosts Sacred Heart for a two-game AHA series this weekend. The Falcons opened the season with 4-1 and 4-3 (overtime) victories over the Pioneers.
With another sweep, the Falcons would be 12-0 heading into the WCHA Front Range Thanksgiving weekend against visiting Colorado College (Nov. 28) and at Denver (Nov. 29).
“We don’t even talk about it,” Serratore said of the games against CC and DU. “We just talk about keeping the streak alive. The streak is alive, let’s keep it alive. Now we get a chance to be 11-0. We got a good perspective on it. We don’t talk about (DU or CC) or the rankings.
“If we were 9-2, we might be more apt to looking ahead. We just want to stay perfect, and become 11-0. Being undefeated is going helping us not looking ahead. Being perfect is bigger than looking ahead to CC and Denver.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
