WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass.-The American International College hockey team begins a season-long six-game homestand when they host the Air Force Falcons in a weekend Atlantic Hockey Conference series at the Olympia Ice Center.

LAST TIME OUT: AIC suffered a sweep at the hands of Robert Morris, falling 5-3 and 9-4 at 84 Lumber Arena as the Colonials took 7 of a possible 8 points in the season series. In Friday's setback, AIC trailed 4-0 early in the third before senior right wing Jason Popek (Hamilton, Ont.) broke the shutout with his fourth goal of the season at 8:22. After conceding a fifth goal, AIC climbed back into the game as senior center Alexander MacMillan (Calgary, Alb.) scored two goals in fifteen seconds to convert both halves of a 5-on-3 PP, and continued to pressure but could not close the gap any further even with the extra attacker. In Saturday's game, AIC came out roaring and pounded sixteen shots on goal in the first period, and finally broke through in the second as junior left wing David Gandara (Canyon Lake, Calif.) scored on an odd-man rush. The teams traded goals in the frame, with RMU tying the game at 1-1 before MacMillan put away another goal on a breakaway, giving him 12 goals and a team-best 25 points on the year. However, RMU scored two late period goals to build a 3-2 lead after forty, and then in the third erupted for six goals, including three by senior Cody Wydo. Popek and sophomore left wing Austin Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.) scored in the third for AIC, with the latter's goal giving him a nation-best 16 on the year, putting him one off of the college's single season goals record with an upcoming six game homestand. Freshman Alex Murray (Burlington, Ont.) played the bulk of both games in net for AIC and stopped 74 shots.

Air Force extended its winning streak to four games, the longest since a five-game streak in January 2013, by sweeping Army by scores of 4-3 and 3-1 last weekend. The top line of Scott Holm, Chad Demers and Cole Gunner combined for 10 points in the series, as Demers recorded his first career hat trick, and the first by a Falcon since Kyle De Laurell in 2013, in Friday's win over Army. Holm and Gunner each had three points in the series. Demers scored the game-winner in both games. Freshman Jonathan Kopacka scored his first career goal on Saturday.

LAST TIME THEY MET: AIC earned a come-from behind victory as part of a series split, beating the Falcons 4-3 in overtime before falling 2-0 the next night at the Olympia on January 3-4, 2014. In the Friday contest, AIC found themselves down 3-1 after an Air Force goal with 2:51 left in regulation, MacMillan played the role of hero, setting up a goal at 18:33 and another at 19:45 on the power play, and then scoring on the first shot of overtime at 0:59 to earn the stunning win over the service academy rival. Sophomore Hunter Leisner (Garland, Texas) turned back 20 shots in the win. However, Air Force rebounded by blanking AIC the next night, scoring the game's opening goal at 1:39 and holding that lead until the very end; an empty net goal at 19:52 of the third closed the scoring, with Leisner stopping 32 shots in the loss.

HOBEY BAKER NOMINEES: The Jackets have two players up for the top individual award in collegiate hockey, the Hobey Baker Award, as Orszulak and MacMillan are in the running for national player of the year. Fans can take part in the process of selecting the player who gets the coveted prize. To vote on the Hobey Baker Award, click here.

THE (AIR) FORCE IS STRONG WITH THEM: After starting the all-time series 0-19-1, the Yellow Jackets earned the program's first ever win over the Falcons on October 22, 2010, a 5-3 win in Colorado. Since that time they are 3-4-1 against Air Force, with two of those wins coming in overtime.

LEAD THE WAY: Both teams have an offensive statistical leader in Atlantic Hockey, as Orszulak is tops in the AHC in goals with 16, while Gunner leads Air Force and is tied for the conference's top spot in assists with 18. Both are in the top ten in points, as Gunner is fourth with 27 and Orszulak is tied for ninth with 24; MacMillan is fifth with 26, as he is seventh in goals and assists with 12 and 14. However, they all may find it hard to add to those totals, as goalkeepers Murray and Chris Truehl of Air Force are 1-2 in the league in total saves with 595 and 584, respectively.

MAN IN THE BOX: For AIC, the power play has been clicking of late, and the team has moved into fifth in the conference with a 20.4% conversion rate when they are on the man advantage. Since the start of the second half, the team is 8/24, 33.3%, when up a player in those six games. However, they will have to deal with the elite PK of Air Force, which is third in the AHC at 84.6% and has killed 27/32 penalties in the eight games they have played after Christmas, including holding the opposition's PP off the board entirely in four of those games (once each against Vermont, Massachusetts-Amherst, Niagara, and Holy Cross).

TROOP MOVEMENT: This weekend marks the third and fourth of a staggering eight times that AIC will play a service academy as their opponent this season, or 28.6% of their league schedule. AIC will visit Air Force on Valentine's Day weekend for a pair of games and then closes out the regular season with a home-and-home against Army; the Jackets are 1-1 against the Black Knights this season.

NEXT UP: AIC moves into the middle series of the six-game homestand as they host Sacred Heart January 30-31 for the only two meetings with their conference rivals in the regular season.