2017–18 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season

The 2017–18 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season was the 70th season of play for the program, the 22nd at the Division I level, and the 15th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Yellow Jackets represented American International College and were coached by Eric Lang, in his 2nd season.

2017–18 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season
Conference8th Atlantic Hockey
Home iceMassMutual Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall15–20–4
Conference11–13–4
Home9–7–1
Road6–13–3
Coaches and captains
Head coachEric Lang
Assistant coachesMike Towns
Steve Wiedler
Captain(s)Bryant Christian
Alternate captain(s)Shawn McBride
Hugo Reinhardt
American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey seasons
« 2016–17 2018–19 »

Season

American International began its second season under Eric Lang rather poorly; the Yellow Jackets won just 1 of their first 9 games and looked destined to compile yet another poor record. However, in mid-November, after making freshman Stefano Durante the starting goaltender, AIC began to improve. While the offense was never strong, it was serviceable for much of the year and an improved defensive effort allowed the Yellow Jackets to start winning game more often. The team was never able to put together a long stretch of wins but, after such a bad start, .500-hockey was a vast improvement.

American International finished the season 8th in the Atlantic Hockey standings, their best result in over a decade.[1] While they possessed a losing record, AIC managed to earn its first home playoff game since 1990. While they got a fight from Niagara, the Yellow Jackets won both games to win a postseason series for the first time in eleven years.

The 15 wins recorded on the year were the most in any one season by the program since it had joined Division I in 1999. The sizable improvement for the team was spearheaded by the addition of Brennan Kapcheck and Stefano Durante, two freshman that the program would conceivably be able to build around for the near future.

Departures

Player Position Nationality Cause
Marc DubeauForward CanadaLeft program (retired)
Carson GrollaDefenseman CanadaGraduation (signed with Rosetown Red Wings)
Justin KetolaGoaltender United StatesTransferred to Endicott
Daniel MeleForward United StatesLeft program (retired)
Johnny MuellerDefenseman United StatesTransferred to Wisconsin–Eau Claire
Austin OrszulakForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Adirondack Thunder)
Billy VizzoForward United StatesTransferred to Endicott

Recruiting

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Justin ColeForward United States21Bryn Athyn, PA; red shirt
Darius DavidsonForward Canada21Surrey, BC
Chris DoderoForward United States21West Chicago, IL
Stefano DuranteGoaltender Canada21Brampton, ON
Tobias FladebyForward Norway21Asker, NOR
Brennan KapcheckDefenseman United States20Mt. Prospect, IL
Luka MaverForward Slovenia19Ljubljana, SLO; red shirt
Vitaliy NovytskyyDefenseman Ukraine21Kharkiv, UKR
Ryan PapaForward United States23Prospect Heights, IL; graduate transfer from St. Cloud State
Oskar StrömbergDefenseman Sweden20Sollentuna, SWE

Roster

[2]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Sweden Zackarias Skog Sophomore G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1995-06-27 Gothenburg, Sweden Omaha Lancers (USHL)
2 Illinois Nicolas Luka Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1995-08-18 Bartlett, Illinois Coulee Region Chill (NAHL)
3 Czech Republic Patrik Demel Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1995-11-28 Ostrava, Czech Republic Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL)
4 New Jersey Dominic Racobaldo Senior (RS) D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1992-06-03 Pennsauken, New Jersey Omaha Lancers (USHL)
5 Alaska Ryan Polin Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1994-12-05 Fairbanks, Alaska Topeka Roadrunners (NAHL)
6 Ukraine Vitaliy Novytskyy Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 216 lb (98 kg) 1997-05-07 Kharkiv, Ukraine Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
7 Sweden Oskar Strömberg Freshman D 6' 7" (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1996-11-26 Sollentuna, Sweden New Jersey Titans (NAHL)
8 Illinois Brennan Kapcheck Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1996-11-17 Mount Prospect, Illinois Aston Rebels (NAHL)
9 Illinois Ryan Papa Graduate F 5' 6" (1.68 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1994-01-16 Prospect Heights, Illinois St. Cloud State Huskies (NCHC)
10 Sweden Martin Mellberg Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 1995-09-17 Stockholm, Sweden Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL)
11 Minnesota Bryant Christian (C) Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 1993-06-10 Moorhead, Minnesota Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL)
12 Minnesota Johno May Senior F 6' 5" (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1993-10-16 Mahtomedi, Minnesota Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)
13 Sweden Hugo Reinhardt (A) Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1996-04-06 Kungsbacka, Sweden Fargo Force (USHL)
14 Utah Jared Pike Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1995-12-31 Sandy, Utah Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL)
15 Alberta Jackson Dudley Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 1993-12-17 Edmonton, Alberta Bonnyville Pontiacs (AJHL)
16 Alberta Kyle Stephan Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1995-02-20 Banff, Alberta Wenatchee Wild (BCHL)
17 Illinois Chris Dodero Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 1996-06-08 West Chicago, Illinois Janesville Jets (NAHL)
18 Florida Blake Christensen Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1995-09-15 Coral Springs, Florida Wenatchee Wild (BCHL)
19 British Columbia Darius Davidson Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1996-01-24 Surrey, British Columbia Surrey Eagles (BCHL)
20 Norway Tobias Fladeby Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 191 lb (87 kg) 1996-05-20 Asker, Norway Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL)
21 Pennsylvania Justin Cole Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1996-05-01 Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
22 Czech Republic Dominik Florián Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1995-05-12 Vlašim, Czech Republic Coulee Region Chill (NAHL)
23 Michigan Andrew DeBrincat Senior D 5' 7" (1.7 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 1993-07-21 Farmington Hills, Michigan New Jersey Hitmen (USPHL)
24 Alberta Joel Kocur Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1995-09-18 Edson, Alberta Flin Flon (SJHL)
25 Slovenia Luka Maver Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-10-25 Ljubljana, Slovenia Lincoln Stars (USHL)
27 Latvia Jānis Jaks Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1995-08-22 Iecava, Latvia Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)
29 British Columbia Shawn McBride (A) Junior F/D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1995-08-23 Victoria, British Columbia Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)
30 Ontario Stefano Durante Freshman G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1996-06-04 Brampton, Ontario Cobourg Cougars (OJHL)
33 Ontario 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
Mercyhurst2816843690813721124124111
Canisius28171103494763819172117108
Holy Cross2812106308070361316797100
Army281210630807036151569391
#14 Air Force *2813114307364432315511594
RIT28131412791903715202114127
Robert Morris28121332779784118203119118
American International2811134266375391520488116
Niagara2810153237690361122393123
Bentley289145237287371318696114
Sacred Heart2891542279963913224107135
Championship: March 17, 2018
† indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated March 5, 2018

Schedule and results

DateTimeOpponent#Rank#SiteTVDecisionResultAttendanceRecord
Regular Season
October 6 7:05 PM vs. Army MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Skog L 1–5  716 0–1–0 (0–1–0)
October 7 7:05 PM vs. Army MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Skog L 1–2  848 0–2–0 (0–2–0)
October 10 7:05 PM at Bentley John A. Ryan ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts  Skog T 3–3 OT 456 0–2–1 (0–2–1)
October 13 7:05 PM vs. Connecticut* MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Skog L 4–6  527 0–3–1
October 14 7:00 PM at Massachusetts* Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts  Murray L 1–3  3,662 0–4–1
October 19 7:03 PM at Penn State* Pegula Ice ArenaUniversity Park, PennsylvaniaBTN Murray L 5–7  6,018 0–5–1
October 20 7:07 PM at Penn State* Pegula Ice ArenaUniversity Park, Pennsylvania  Skog W 3–2 OT 6,149 1–5–1
October 24 7:05 PM vs. Bentley MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Skog T 2–2 OT 547 1–5–2 (0–2–2)
November 3 7:05 PM at RIT Gene Polisseni CenterHenrietta, New York  Durante L 3–5  3,455 1–6–2 (0–3–2)
November 4 7:05 PM at RIT Gene Polisseni CenterHenrietta, New York  Durante W 3–2 OT 2,242 2–6–2 (1–3–2)
November 10 7:05 PM vs. Sacred Heart MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Durante W 6–2  472 3–6–2 (2–3–2)
November 11 2:05 PM vs. Sacred Heart MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Durante W 4–1  307 4–6–2 (3–3–2)
November 17 7:05 PM at Robert Morris Colonials ArenaNeville Township, Pennsylvania  Durante L 1–3  512 4–7–2 (3–4–2)
November 18 4:05 PM at Robert Morris Colonials ArenaNeville Township, Pennsylvania  Durante L 0–4  728 4–8–2 (3–5–2)
November 24 2:05 PM vs. Niagara MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Durante L 1–3  219 4–9–2 (3–6–2)
November 25 7:05 PM vs. Niagara MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Murray W 4–1  247 5–9–2 (4–6–2)
December 1 7:05 PM vs. Bentley MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Murray L 2–6  767 5–10–2 (4–7–2)
December 8 2:05 PM vs. Mercyhurst MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Durante W 3–1  157 6–10–2 (5–7–2)
December 9 2:05 PM vs. Mercyhurst MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Durante L 2–4  317 6–11–2 (5–8–2)
December 30 7:00 PM at Northeastern Matthews ArenaBoston, Massachusetts  Durante L 1–3  1,357 6–12–2
January 5 7:05 PM vs. Holy Cross MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Durante W 2–1  537 7–12–2 (6–8–2)
January 6 7:00 PM at Holy Cross Hart CenterWorcester, Massachusetts  Durante W 4–2  766 8–12–2 (7–8–2)
January 12 7:35 PM at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York  Durante W 4–2  337 9–12–2 (8–8–2)
January 13 7:35 PM at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York  Durante L 1–6  641 9–13–2 (8–9–2)
January 19 7:05 PM at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  Durante L 1–3  1,067 9–14–2 (8–10–2)
January 20 7:05 PM at Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  Durante T 4–4 OT 1,245 9–14–3 (8–10–3)
January 26 2:05 PM vs. Robert Morris MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Skog W 3–1  682 10–14–3 (9–10–3)
January 27 2:05 PM vs. Robert Morris MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Durante L 3–5  1,310 10–15–3 (9–11–3)
February 2 9:05 PM at Air Force Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado  Skog L 0–3  2,236 10–16–3 (9–12–3)
February 3 7:05 PM at Air Force Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado  Durante T 2–2 OT 2,153 10–16–4 (9–12–4)
February 6 7:00 PM at Massachusetts–Lowell* Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts  Murray L 0–4  3,642 10–17–4
February 17 2:05 PM vs. Holy Cross MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Durante W 1–0  2,176 11–17–4 (10–12–4)
February 22 7:05 PM at Holy Cross Hart CenterWorcester, Massachusetts  Durante L 0–2  1,026 11–18–4 (10–13–4)
February 24 7:05 PM at Bentley John A. Ryan ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts  Durante W 3–2  2,207 12–18–4 (11–13–4)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 2 1:05 PM vs. Niagara* MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts (Atlantic Hockey First Round game 1)  Durante W 4–1  648 13–18–4
March 3 1:05 PM vs. Niagara* MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts (Atlantic Hockey First Round game 2)  Durante W 4–3 2OT 1,134 14–18–4
American International Won Series 2–0
March 9 7:35 PM at Canisius* LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York (Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinal game 1)  Durante L 1–8  727 14–19–4
March 10 8:05 PM at Canisius* LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York (Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinal game 2)  Durante W 2–1 OT 752 15–19–4
March 11 7:05 PM at Canisius* LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York (Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinal game 3)  Durante L 0–3  421 15–20–4
American International Lost Series 1–2
*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
Brennan KapcheckD397192624
Blake ChristensenLW3413102350
Jānis JaksD378152320
Hugo ReinhardtC397121944
Martin MellbergRW394141828
Jared PikeC391161723
Joel KocurC/LW39491326
Andrew DeBrincatD37112138
Darius DavidsonF3466126
Nicholas LukaD36381120
Shawn McBrideC/D3873104
Patrik DemelD2135810
Dominik FloriánF2343718
Tobias FladebyLW/RW3216727
Bryant ChristianF3924624
Johno MayC/RW3632514
Kyle StephanRW272356
Ryan PolinD3105516
Dominic RacobaldoD2513412
Jackson DudleyLW240444
Vitaly NovytskyyD161016
Chris DoderoC/LW110114
Ryan PapaLW10000
Oskar StrömbergD50005
Alex MurrayG60000
Zacharias SkogG90000
Stefano DuranteG280000
Bench-----10
Total88150238409

[4]

Goaltending statistics

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Stefano Durante28158512122206112.9112.27
Zacharias Skog9510242262000.8853.06
Alex Murray6276140221240.8494.77
Empty Net-30---8----
Total392402152041169352.8902.90

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]

Awards and honors

Player Award Ref
Brennan Kapcheck Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year
Jānis Jaks Atlantic Hockey Third Team
Brennan Kapcheck Atlantic Hockey Rookie Team
Stefano Durante

References

  1. "Men's Ice Hockey Year-By-Year Results". American International Yellow Jackets. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  2. "American International College". Elite Prospects. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  3. "American International Yellow Jackets (Men) 2017-2018 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  4. "American International College 2017-2018 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  5. "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
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