RAMSEY: Despite loss, Air Force hockey has arrived

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – A year ago, Frank Serratore was fearful and with good reason.
His Air Force Falcons had lost goaltender Andrew Volkening, the most important player in the history of the program.

Serratore is not one to hide his feelings. He called Volkening his “security blanket” and wondered aloud if he ever could replace him.

Let’s be honest; I wondered, too. During Volkening’s four seasons, the Falcons won 84 games. In the four seasons prior to Volkening’s arrival, the Falcons lost 84 games.

Could Air Force survive and thrive without the goaltender Serratore affectionately – and accurately - called, “The Big Fella?”

The Falcons delivered the reply, and they did not answer in a soft voice. Serratore and the Falcons shouted to anyone paying attention this is a real program, one that transcends one player, one that is exceedingly dangerous to meet in the NCAA Tournament.

Yes, the 2-1 overtime loss to Yale stings, largely because the Falcons know they came close, once again, to even more. For the third time in four years, Air Force ends a season with an overtime loss in the NCAA Tournament.

Yet this season proves the durability of Serratore’s renovation project. This was a team, a true team, that rose above its collective talent. This was a team that surprised its coach.

Minutes after Friday’s loss, Serratore laughed as he thought back to the start of 2010-2011.
It was not a happy laugh.

As he marched into the season, Serratore had fears about his goaltending. Turns out, he had reason.

He encountered sheer terror during the first four games. Opponents scored 16 goals, trashed the Falcons four straight times and left Serratore in a state of depression.

“I thought these guys might just get me fired,” Serratore said.

He paused, looking around an empty locker room.

“And then we win a championship,” he said.

The Falcons recovered for one of the signature moments of the Serratore era. On March 19, Air Force defeated Rochester Institute of Technology, 1-0, in downtown Rochester. The Falcons faced down a hostile crowd for the victory in the Atlantic Hockey Association finals.

This was the night freshman goaltender Jason Torf announced to everyone, Serratore included, the search for Volkening’s successor had ended.

The Yale defeat will stick in Serratore’s mind for, oh, the next 30 years or so, but he has to be encouraged by Torf’s performance. The freshman again was battling an elite team and again was performing in front of thousands of enemy fans.

Torf crafted a masterpiece in front of the net against Yale. He placed the Falcons in position for a massive upset, but Air Force’s offense could not quite deliver.

“I know I have the ability to play these kind of games,” Torf said, “but I struggled doing it consistently.”

The defeat did nothing to alter the Falcons' swagger. Air Force players declined, one after the other, to find comfort in the oh-so-close defeat.

The Falcons expected to earn a trip to the Frozen Four. They really did.

“We came here to win two games,” junior forward Paul Weisgarber said. “People in the hockey world are going to say, ‘Wow, they put up a good fight.’ But that’s not enough for us. Everyone came here to win two games. That was our goal.”

The Falcons failed in that quest. Once again, they barely lost to a national power. A journey to the Frozen Four remained just out of reach.

But Serratore and his team succeeded in answering the season’s big question.  The Volkening era was, no doubt, sensational.

But it was beginning, not an ending.