Air Force's final hockey series to decide AHA title

Air Force's hockey connections didn't want to admit it. The Falcons tried to stick to the party line, the one-game-at-a-time cliche. But let's face it - the days have been circled for a while.

Friday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 28. Frank Ritter Arena, Rochester, N.Y.

"The league title could be on the line those last two nights at RIT," junior forward Jeff Hajner said. "What better way would you want to have it than by going for a league title ..."

He said that a month ago.

Hajner said what most of the others were thinking. You can make the argument that it became a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the Falcons played their way back to the Atlantic Hockey Association pack the second third of the season.

That doesn't matter now. The teams are 19-5-2 in the AHA. Win this series, win the regular-season championship and No. 1 seed for the playoffs.

"You're going to drop some games," senior defenseman Michael Mayra said. "But if we can come together here, at the end, we can roll our way through the playoffs."

Air Force (22-8-2) is 5-1 in February after going 4-6-2 in December and January. The Falcons have played four one-goal games this month, winning them all. RIT (20-10-2) is 4-1-1 this month and split its December series at Air Force, winning 3-2 in overtime after losing 2-0.

The Falcons have won the AHA Tournament the past two seasons, but didn't win the regular-season title either year. And because the bottom of the standings are in flux and there is a play-in game, there is little advantage to being the No. 1 seed.

So, in one regard, there is little on the line. Except pride, of course.

"The guys have their eye on it. They want to go for it, and I hope we can do it," coach Frank Serratore said earlier this month.

"To me, winning the regular season at the expense of the playoffs is not where we want to be, because the playoff championship is going to get you the NCAA Tournament," Serratore said. "But it's there, and that's what we're competing for on the short end. To say that it's not important is a lie."