SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts The American International College ice hockey team won a defensive battle in the 2020-21 season opener against its Atlantic Hockey Conference foe, the Air Force Academy, taking a 3-1 victory on Friday, November 27.

FAST FACTS:
SCORE:AIC 3, Air Force 1
RECORDS:AIC starts at 1-0-0 and 1-0-0-0 in the AHC, while Air Force drops to 0-1-0 and 0-1-0-0 in league play.
LOCATION:MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts

STATS:
Air Force:
Will Gavin: One goal
Keenan Lund: One assist
Alex Schilling: Loss (0-1-0), 22 saves on 24 shots in 58:40

AIC:
Chris Dodero: One goal, one assist
Luka Maver: One goal
Tobias Fladeby: One goal
Chris Theodore: One assist
Nico Somerville: One assist
Brennan Kapcheck: One assist
Stefano Durante: Win (1-0-0), 15 saves

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• In Air Force's most recent trip to the MassMutual Center, the Falcons were blanked twice; they quickly dispelled any notion of a repeat as Will Gavin redirected a wraparound into the net just 1:28 into the game.
• The early tally did not rattle the Yellow Jackets, who regrouped quickly. However, it was only late in the period that the hosts finally struck back on the scoreboard. Rookie defender Nico Somerville pushed a pass to the left side for senior forward Chris Dodero, who in turn found redshirt junior forward Luka Maver loose at the right post for a tap-in at 18:06.
• In the second period, AIC's power play finally clicked; senior defenseman Brennan Kapcheck set up senior forward Tobias Fladeby in the right circle for a one-timer. His bid went well wide, but came to redshirt sophomore forward Chris Theodore, who crossed it to Fladeby in the same spot, and he did not miss the second time, lighting the lamp at 14:42 for the go-ahead tally.
• AIC slammed the door from there, and though redshirt junior goalkeeper Stefano Durante made eight of his 15 saves in the third frame, the Yellow Jackets totaled 15 shots of their own in that period alone, including the empty-netter by Dodero at 19:20 that sealed the 3-1 win.

A GAME OF FIRSTS:

• Apart from Somerville, who garnered his first point on AIC's first goal of the game, four other freshmen made their debuts, with forwards Jan Kern, Michal Stinil, and Aaron Grounds joining defensemen Matt Rickard in playing their first collegiate games as rookies.
• Additionally, sophomore forward Blake Bennett made his collegiate debut, while redshirt sophomore defenseman Zak Galambos played his first game as a Yellow Jacket.

NEXT UP:

• The Yellow Jackets return to the MassMutual Center for a rematch with the Falcons on Saturday, November 28 at 3:00 p.m.
• That game, and all Atlantic Hockey Conference matchups, can be watched on flohockey.tv.

STAY CONNECTED:

• For more updates about the AIC ice hockey team, follow@AIC_HockeyonTwitterandInstagram, and likeAmerican International College Ice HockeyonFacebook. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow@AICAthleticsonTwitterandInstagram, and likeAIC Yellow JacketsonFacebook.