2016–17 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2016–17 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season was the 69th season of play for the program, the 21st at the Division I level, and the 14th in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Yellow Jackets represented American International College and were coached by Eric Lang , in his 1st season.
Season
AIC began the season with a new coach for the first time in 32 years. Eric Lang , an alumnus, replaced Gary Wright behind the bench.[ 1] The chance in leadership presaged a tone for the program and led to nice players leaving the team early. While all the roster spots were filled, the sizable roster turnover did no favors for the Yellow Jackets in terms of wins. In the first half of the season, American International won just 3 out of 18 games and were stuck in a familiar position; the bottom of the Atlantic Hockey standings.
While the team failed to win many games, they did fight hard and pushed several opponents into overtime. By the end of November the Yellow Jackets had more ties than losses and a great deal of credit could be attributed to the surprising defensive effort from the squad. The goaltending tandem of Alex Murray and Zackarias Skog combined to keep AIC in many games where they were otherwise outplayed and gave some hope that the team might be able to climb out of the conference cellar.
In the second half of the year the Yellow Jackets saw a moderate increase to their win total but the defense slipped. Murray struggled mightily as the season wore on and won just 1 of his 7 decisions. Since the revamped offense was little help, the bulk of the team's victories came on the shoulders of Skog, who posted a winning record after new year's . AIC finished 10th in the conference and, though their first round opponent was hardly formidable, the Yellow Jackets were unable to overcome Mercyhurst and were swept out of the postseason.
A disappointing finish was hardly a new state of affairs for the program, however, AIC had seen some signs of life during the season. Importantly, many of the new additions had played significant rolls in the team's limitded success. Not only had Skog established himself as the starting goaltender, but the top four scorers on the team were all freshmen.
Departures
Recruiting
Player
Position
Nationality
Age
Notes
Blake Christensen
Forward
United States
21
Coral Springs, FL
Patrik Demel
Defenseman
Czech Republic
20
Ostrava, CZE
Dominik Florián
Forward
Czech Republic
21
Vlašim, CZE
Jānis Jaks
Defenseman
Latvia
21
Riga, LAT
Justin Ketola
Goaltender
United States
21
Esko, MN
Nicolas Luka
Defenseman
United States
21
Bartlett, IL
Martin Mellberg
Forward
Sweden
21
Stockholm, SWE
Jared Pike
Forward
United States
20
Sandy, UT
Hugo Reinhardt
Forward
Sweden
20
Kungsbacka, SWE
Zackarias Skog
Goaltender
Sweden
21
Göteborg, SWE
Kyle Stephan
Forward
Canada
21
Barrie, ON
Billy Vizzo
Forward
United States
20
Shelton, CT
Roster
[ 2]
No.
S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Zackarias Skog
Freshman
G
6' 4" (1.93 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1995-06-27
Gothenburg, Sweden
Omaha Lancers (USHL )
—
2
Nicolas Luka
Freshman
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1995-08-18
Bartlett, Illinois
Coulee Region Chill (NAHL )
—
3
Patrik Demel
Freshman
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1995-11-28
Ostrava, Czech Republic
Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL )
—
4
Dominic Racobaldo (A )
Junior (RS )
D
6' 3" (1.91 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
1992-06-03
Pennsauken, New Jersey
Omaha Lancers (USHL )
—
5
Ryan Polin
Sophomore
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
194 lb (88 kg)
1994-12-05
Fairbanks, Alaska
Topeka Roadrunners (NAHL )
—
7
Daniel Mele
Sophomore (RS )
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1993-10-12
Buffalo, New York
Connecticut (HEA )
—
9
Billy Vizzo
Freshman
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1995-11-17
Shelton, Connecticut
P.A.L. Junior Islanders (USPHL )
—
10
Martin Mellberg
Freshman
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
183 lb (83 kg)
1995-09-17
Stockholm, Sweden
Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL )
—
11
Bryant Christian (A )
Junior
F
5' 10" (1.78 m)
176 lb (80 kg)
1993-06-10
Moorhead, Minnesota
Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL )
—
12
Johno May
Junior
F
6' 5" (1.96 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1993-10-16
Mahtomedi, Minnesota
Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL )
—
13
Hugo Reinhardt
Freshman
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1996-04-06
Kungsbacka, Sweden
Fargo Force (USHL )
—
14
Jared Pike
Freshman
F
6' 4" (1.93 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1995-12-31
Sandy, Utah
Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL )
—
15
Jackson Dudley
Junior
F
5' 9" (1.75 m)
161 lb (73 kg)
1993-12-17
Edmonton, Alberta
Bonnyville Pontiacs (AJHL )
—
17
Austin Orszulak (C )
Senior
F
5' 9" (1.75 m)
174 lb (79 kg)
1992-05-08
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield Jr. Pics (EJHL )
—
18
Blake Christensen
Freshman
F
5' 9" (1.75 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1995-09-15
Coral Springs, Florida
Wenatchee Wild (BCHL )
—
19
Kyle Stephan
Freshman
F
6' 2" (1.88 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1995-02-20
Banff, Alberta
Wenatchee Wild (BCHL )
—
21
Marc Dubeau
Sophomore
F
6' 5" (1.96 m)
216 lb (98 kg)
1994-06-29
St. Lina, Alberta
Kindersley Klippers (SJHL )
—
22
Dominik Florián
Freshman
F
6' 4" (1.93 m)
201 lb (91 kg)
1995-05-12
Vlašim, Czech Republic
Coulee Region Chill (NAHL )
—
23
Andrew DeBrincat
Junior
D
5' 7" (1.7 m)
161 lb (73 kg)
1993-07-21
Farmington Hills, Michigan
New Jersey Hitmen (USPHL )
—
24
Joel Kocur
Junior
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
188 lb (85 kg)
1995-09-18
Edson, Alberta
Flin Flon (SJHL )
—
25
Carson Grolla
Senior
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1992-04-15
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL )
—
26
Johnny Mueller
Sophomore
D
5' 9" (1.75 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1994-05-13
St. Peters, Missouri
Fairbanks Ice Dogs (NAHL )
—
27
Jānis Jaks
Freshman
D
6' 0" (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1995-08-22
Iecava, Latvia
Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL )
—
29
Shawn McBride
Sophomore
F /D
6' 2" (1.88 m)
201 lb (91 kg)
1995-08-23
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL )
—
30
Justin Ketola
Freshman
G
5' 11" (1.8 m)
174 lb (79 kg)
1995-08-25
Esko, Minnesota
P.A.L. Junior Islanders (USPHL )
—
33
Alex Murray
Junior
G
6' 0" (1.83 m)
194 lb (88 kg)
1993-06-29
Burlington, Ontario
Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL )
—
Standings
Conference record
Overall record
GP
W
L
T
PTS
GF
GA
GP
W
L
T
GF
GA
Canisius †
28
18
4
6
42
90
53
39
21
11
7
107
85
#12 Air Force *
28
19
6
3
41
91
56
42
27
10
5
133
93
Army
28
15
10
3
33
77
56
37
18
14
5
100
78
Robert Morris
28
15
10
3
33
86
73
38
22
12
4
123
95
Holy Cross
28
11
10
7
29
78
78
36
14
15
7
99
106
RIT
28
13
15
0
26
90
79
37
14
22
1
108
111
Mercyhurst
28
11
13
4
26
82
83
39
15
20
4
106
123
Bentley
28
10
12
6
26
78
82
39
13
19
7
101
120
Sacred Heart
28
10
15
3
23
67
87
37
13
19
5
88
116
American International
28
7
14
7
21
63
91
36
8
20
8
82
122
Niagara
28
3
23
2
8
55
119
39
5
31
3
76
168
Championship : March 18, 2017 † indicates conference regular season champion; * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ; updated March 6, 2017
Schedule and results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Regular Season
October 14
7:05 PM
vs. Union *
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Murray
L 4–5
1,204
0–1–0
October 21
7:05 PM
at Connecticut *
XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut
Skog
T 2–2 OT
3.529
0–1–1
October 23
3:05 PM
vs. Sacred Heart
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Skog
L 3–6
227
0–2–1 (0–1–0)
October 28
7:05 PM
at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania
Murray
W 5–3
1,127
1–2–1 (1–1–0)
October 29
7:05 PM
at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania
Skog
L 3–6
1,386
1–3–1 (1–2–0)
November 3
7:05 PM
vs. Holy Cross
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Skog
W 4–2
362
2–3–1 (2–2–0)
November 4
7:05 PM
at Holy Cross
Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts
Murray
T 4–4 OT
698
2–3–2 (2–2–1)
November 8
7:05 PM
vs. Bentley
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Skog
T 2–2 OT
152
2–3–3 (2–2–2)
November 10
7:05 PM
vs. Bentley
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Skog
T 1–1 OT
452
2–3–4 (2–2–3)
November 18
7:05 PM
at Canisius
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York
Skog
L 0–4
933
2–4–4 (2–3–3)
November 19
4:05 PM
at Canisius
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York
Skog
T 1–1 OT
417
2–4–5 (2–3–4)
November 22
7:05 PM
vs. Sacred Heart
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Skog
L 3–7
208
2–5–5 (2–4–4)
November 25
2:05 PM
vs. Niagara
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Murray
T 0–0 OT
523
2–5–6 (2–4–5)
November 26
5:05 PM
vs. Niagara
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Murray
W 3–1
423
3–5–6 (3–4–5)
December 2
7:05 PM
at Army
Tate Rink • West Point, New York
Murray
L 0–1
1,516
3–6–6 (3–5–5)
December 9
7:07 PM
at Maine *
Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine
Murray
L 3–5
3,578
3–7–6
December 10
5:35 PM
at Maine *
Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine
Skog
L 2–7
3,365
3–8–6
December 13
7:05 PM
vs. Arizona State *
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Murray
L 2–3
548
3–9–6
January 3
7:00 PM
at Massachusetts *
Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts
Skog
W 3–0
1,024
4–9–6
January 6
7:05 PM
at Robert Morris
Colonials Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania
Skog
L 0–3
525
4–10–6 (3–6–5)
January 7
7:05 PM
at Robert Morris
Colonials Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania
Murray
L 3–4
763
4–11–6 (3–7–5)
January 13
7:05 PM
vs. RIT
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Murray
L 0–5
350
4–12–6 (3–8–5)
January 14
2:05 PM
vs. RIT
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Skog
W 5–3
350
5–12–6 (4–8–5)
January 17
7:05 PM
vs. Army
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Skog
L 0–2
370
5–13–6 (4–9–5)
January 20
7:07 PM
at Niagara
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
Skog
W 7–3
680
6–13–6 (5–9–5)
January 21
7:05 PM
at Niagara
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
Murray
W 7–2
784
7–13–6 (6–9–5)
January 27
2:05 PM
vs. Canisius
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Murray
L 2–4
103
7–14–6 (6–10–5)
January 28
2:05 PM
vs. Canisius
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Murray
L 1–6
351
7–15–6 (6–11–5)
February 2
7:05 PM
vs. Holy Cross
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Murray
L 1–3
402
7–16–6 (6–12–5)
February 3
7:05 PM
at Holy Cross
Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts
Murray
L 2–8
1,224
7–17–6 (6–13–5)
February 10
8:37 PM
at #20 Air Force
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado
Skog
L 0–5
2,264
7–18–6 (6–14–5)
February 11
7:05 PM
at #20 Air Force
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado
Skog
T 3–3 OT
1,906
7–18–7 (6–14–6)
February 23
7:05 PM
vs. Army
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Skog
T 1–1 OT
764
7–18–8 (6–14–7)
February 25
7:05 PM
vs. Army
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Skog
W 2–1 OT
2,418
8–18–8 (7–14–7)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 3
7:05 PM
at Mercyhurst *
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania (Atlantic Hockey First Round game 1)
Skog
L 3–4
1,042
8–19–8
March 4
7:05 PM
at Mercyhurst *
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania (Atlantic Hockey First Round game 2)
Skog
L 0–5
1,001
8–20–8
American International Lost Series 0–2
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time . Source:[ 3]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Blake Christensen
LW
33
8
13
21
37
Dominik Florián {{{last}}}
F
35
10
10
20
32
Martin Mellberg
RW
35
7
12
19
32
Hugo Reinhardt
C
35
6
13
19
18
Austin Orszulak
LW
36
9
5
14
24
Johnny Mueller
D
35
4
10
14
32
Shawn McBride
C /D
35
4
10
14
6
Andrew DeBrincat
D
34
1
13
14
22
Jānis Jaks
D
27
5
6
11
10
Jackson Dudley
LW
25
2
8
10
8
Patrik Demel
D
14
4
5
9
2
Nicolas Luka
D
34
3
6
9
24
Kyle Stephan
RW
24
3
5
8
26
Johno May
C /RW
33
3
5
8
20
Jared Pike
F
36
5
2
7
30
Bryant Christian
F
35
1
5
6
24
Joel Kocur
C /LW
28
3
2
5
10
Marc Dubeau
D
31
2
3
5
6
Ryan Polin
D
31
1
4
5
10
Billy Vizzo
F
8
1
0
1
2
Carson Grolla
D
14
0
1
1
6
Zacharias Skog
G
24
0
1
1
6
Dominic Racobaldo
D
25
0
0
0
6
Daniel Mele
F
3
0
0
0
0
Justin Ketola
G
4
0
0
0
0
Alex Murray
G
15
0
0
0
0
Bench
-
-
-
-
-
6
Total
82
140
222
399
[ 4]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut Outs
SV %
GAA
Zacharias Skog
24
1356
5
12
6
69
652
1
.904
3.05
Alex Murray
15
753
3
8
2
45
340
1
.883
3.58
Justin Ketola
4
64
0
0
0
6
24
0
.800
5.60
Empty Net
-
26
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
Total
36
2201
8
20
8
122
1016
2
.893
3.32
Rankings
Poll
Week
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25 (Final)
USCHO.com
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
-
NR
USA Today
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
USCHO did not release a poll in Week 24.[ 5]
References
Playing venues Head coaches Seasons Conference affiliations All-time leaders NCAA Tournament appearances Conference Tournament titles