University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies, Falcons Battle At Freitas
11/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 19, 2009
STORRS, Conn. - After their seventh and eighth road games of the season, the University of Connecticut men's hockey team returns home this weekend for a two-game series against Air Force. The two home games this weekend will be the final home games of the fall season for the Huskies and will take place on Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21 at 7:05 p.m.
UConn enters this series after taking just one point away from their road trip to Canisius last weekend. The Huskies tied the Griffs 4-4 in game one, as nine different players recorded a season high 11 points. Canisius took game two 1-0 after scoring an early goal in the third period, the lone goal of the game.
Air Force enters this game with a 5-5-2 record, 5-1-2 AHA while the Huskies are 2-7-1 on the year, 2-4-1 AHA, good enough for eighth. The Falcons are tied for first place in Atlantic Hockey with RIT already recording 12 points this season.
The Huskies are led by a trio of freshmen. Sean Ambrosie (Moorhead, Minn.) has recorded three goals and five assists this season. Ambrosie added a couple of assists to his total last weekend tacking them on in game one of the Huskies two-game series at Canisius. Also racking up the points is Alex Gerke (Tomah, Wisc.) who, as a defenseman, has recorded two goals and three assists on the season already.
Also helping to lead the Huskies is freshman goaltender Jeff Larson (Ballwin, Mo.) who recorded the first two wins of his college career against AIC on Nov. 6 and 7. Larson has a 3.55 GAA this season already making 268 saves on the season for a .887 save percentage.
Air Force is led by senior goaltender Andrew Volkening who has played all 12 games in goal racking up over 665 minutes between the pipes this season. Volkening has allowed 31 goals this year, but 18 of those came in the first four games and has let up just 13 in the following eight for a 2.80 GAA. The captain has made 302 saves this year for a .907 save percentage.
On offense, the Falcons have the leadership skills of junior assistant captain Jacques Lamoureaux who was Air Force's leading scorer last season. This year he has already totaled 12 points on five goals and seven assists. He is closely followed by senior Matt Fairchild who has recorded 11 points this season on five goals and six assists. He is currently sixth in the nation in game-winning goals with two this year.
Also big for the Falcons is senior Jeff Hajner who recorded the 100th point of his career against Holy Cross on Nov. 14 in his 132nd career game. This season he has scored four goals and tallied two assists.
FOLLOW THE GAME: Both games can be seen in their entirety on the B2Network via UConnHuskies.com and can be followed via Gametracker.
SCOUTING AIR FORCE: This season, Air Force is off to a 5-5-2 start, all of their wins have come in Atlantic Hockey play (5-1-2). Prior to playing their first AHA game of the year, the Falcons dropped four-straight to Bemidji State and Alabama-Huntsville by a combined score of 18-8.
The Falcons won their first game of the year at RIT, taking both games in the weekend series from the Tigers. They fell in their next series to Canisius but have gone undefeated in their last five games compiling a 3-0-2 record against Canisius, Bentley and Holy Cross.
SERIES PAST: The Huskies have faced off with Air Force 17 times in the past and the Falcons hold the dominant 13-3-1 overall series advantage. However, in Atlantic Hockey play, since the Falcons joined the league during the 2006-07 season, Air Force only holds a 5-2-1 series advantage over the Huskies.
The series between the two teams started during the 1986-87 season and both teams met sporadically over the next 18 seasons. Air Force started off the series by winning eight-straight games over the Huskies. UConn got their first win of the series in 2003-04, a 1-0 decision and went on to win two of their next four games against the Falcons.
The two teams have met just once in overtime, last season at the UConn Classic, which ended in a 2-2 tie, the first of the series. (Air Force went on to beat the Huskies in a shootout to advance to the championship game of the UConn Classic).
HUSKIES LAST TIME OUT: The Huskies came away from the past weekend with an 0-1-1 record eking out a 4-4 tie with Canisius in the final minutes on Saturday and falling to the Griffs 1-0 on Sunday.
Nine different Huskies recorded 11 points in Saturday afternoon's game while junior Jason Krispel (Cypress, Calif.) and freshman Sean Ambrosie (Moorhead, Minn.) each tallied two points in the game. For the second game in a row, Ambrosie recorded a multi-point game, both of the double assist variety. With their points on Saturday, freshman defender Alex Gerke (Tomah, Wisc.) and junior assistant captain Andrew Olson (Alexandria, Minn.) recorded a point in three-straight games and five out of the last six games.
On Sunday, neither team was able to score until the third period when the Griffs put the only goal of the game on the board at 4:04 in the third period to finish with a 1-0 victory.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK (PART II): For the second time this season, a UConn freshman has earned Rookie of the Week honors. This time it was goaltender Larson who was honored after earning the first two wins of his collegiate career against American International.
Larson allowed just two goals on the weekend for an outstanding 1.00 GAA. He played all 120 minutes between the pipes making 48 saves for a career best .960 save percentage.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: After his performance against Ferris State, University of Connecticut freshman Sean Ambrosie (Moorhead, Minn.) earned AHA Rookie of the week honors.
Ambrosie recorded two points on the weekend tallying his first collegiate goal and assist in the series against Ferris State. Ambrosie earned his first assist of the season on Daniel Naurato's goal in game one that gave the Huskies a 1-0 advantage over their CCHA opponent. He notched the first goal of his career in game two. His goal was the only one of the game for the Huskies and came in the second period.
THE CLASS OF 2009: Of the eight freshman that joined the Huskies this season, six of them have played in almost every game. [Miles Winter is sitting out the season after transferring from Quinnipiac, while Matt Grogan will be joining him.]
Forward Sean Ambrosie leads the team in points recorded this season with eight (three goals, five assists) followed by defenseman Alex Gerke who has five points on the year (two goals, three assists.) Forward Jim Gallagher also has four points on the year coming on a goal and three assists.
Tom Janosz, a defenseman, has played in all 10 games on the season recording an assist while forward Evan Carriere has seen his share of time on the front line playing in eight games this year.
In goal, Larson has played in all 10 games turning in a 2-7-1 record already making 268 saves on the season for a 3.55 GAA.
SPREAD OFFENSE: This season, 18 different Huskies have already tallied a point, 14 of those players have scored a goal and 15 players have tacked on an assist.
Of the 18 point-getters, 12 have recorded multiple points this season.
FOUR AWAY FROM 300: Head Coach Bruce Marshall, in his 22nd year at the helm of the UConn Hockey program is closing in on winning his 300th game. Marshall currently holds a 296-313-57 record, 64-88-15 in Atlantic Hockey play.
HUSKIES IN NOVEMBER/AT HOME: The Huskies have posted a 2-1-1 record in November after dropping every game in the month of October.
The series with American International is one of just two home series' for the Huskies during the first half of their season. (They will take on Air Force on November 20 and 21.)
UConn won both of their games against AIC earning their first victories of the season to begin the 11th month of the year with a 2-0-0 record, and remain undefeated at home this season.
TO BE IN THE LEAD: When UConn is in the lead after the second period, they have not lost a game this season.
The Huskies were up after the middle period both times in their victories over AIC.
When UConn trails, or is tied, after the second period they are 0-6-0 on the year.
