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

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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 »

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.

Season

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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

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Marc Dubeau Forward  Canada Left program (retired)
Carson Grolla Defenseman  Canada Graduation (signed with Rosetown Red Wings)
Justin Ketola Goaltender  United States Transferred to Endicott
Daniel Mele Forward  United States Left program (retired)
Johnny Mueller Defenseman  United States Transferred to Wisconsin–Eau Claire
Austin Orszulak Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Adirondack Thunder)
Billy Vizzo Forward  United States Transferred to Endicott

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Justin Cole Forward  United States 21 Bryn Athyn, PA; red shirt
Darius Davidson Forward  Canada 21 Surrey, BC
Chris Dodero Forward  United States 21 West Chicago, IL
Stefano Durante Goaltender  Canada 21 Brampton, ON
Tobias Fladeby Forward  Norway 21 Asker, NOR
Brennan Kapcheck Defenseman  United States 20 Mt. Prospect, IL
Luka Maver Forward  Slovenia 19 Ljubljana, SLO; red shirt
Vitaliy Novytskyy Defenseman  Ukraine 21 Kharkiv, UKR
Ryan Papa Forward  United States 23 Prospect Heights, IL; graduate transfer from St. Cloud State
Oskar Strömberg Defenseman  Sweden 20 Sollentuna, SWE

Roster

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[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

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Mercyhurst 28 16 8 4 36 90 81 37 21 12 4 124 111
Canisius 28 17 11 0 34 94 76 38 19 17 2 117 108
Holy Cross 28 12 10 6 30 80 70 36 13 16 7 97 100
Army 28 12 10 6 30 80 70 36 15 15 6 93 91
#14 Air Force * 28 13 11 4 30 73 64 43 23 15 5 115 94
RIT 28 13 14 1 27 91 90 37 15 20 2 114 127
Robert Morris 28 12 13 3 27 79 78 41 18 20 3 119 118
American International 28 11 13 4 26 63 75 39 15 20 4 88 116
Niagara 28 10 15 3 23 76 90 36 11 22 3 93 123
Bentley 28 9 14 5 23 72 87 37 13 18 6 96 114
Sacred Heart 28 9 15 4 22 79 96 39 13 22 4 107 135
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

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Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
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, Pennsylvania BTN 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

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Brennan Kapcheck D 39 7 19 26 24
Blake Christensen LW 34 13 10 23 50
Jānis Jaks D 37 8 15 23 20
Hugo Reinhardt C 39 7 12 19 44
Martin Mellberg RW 39 4 14 18 28
Jared Pike C 39 11 6 17 23
Joel Kocur C/LW 39 4 9 13 26
Andrew DeBrincat D 37 1 12 13 8
Darius Davidson F 34 6 6 12 6
Nicholas Luka D 36 3 8 11 20
Shawn McBride C/D 38 7 3 10 4
Patrik Demel D 21 3 5 8 10
Dominik Florián F 23 4 3 7 18
Tobias Fladeby LW/RW 32 1 6 7 27
Bryant Christian F 39 2 4 6 24
Johno May C/RW 36 3 2 5 14
Kyle Stephan RW 27 2 3 5 6
Ryan Polin D 31 0 5 5 16
Dominic Racobaldo D 25 1 3 4 12
Jackson Dudley LW 24 0 4 4 4
Vitaly Novytskyy D 16 1 0 1 6
Chris Dodero C/LW 11 0 1 1 4
Ryan Papa LW 1 0 0 0 0
Oskar Strömberg D 5 0 0 0 5
Alex Murray G 6 0 0 0 0
Zacharias Skog G 9 0 0 0 0
Stefano Durante G 28 0 0 0 0
Bench - - - - - 10
Total 88 150 238 409

[4]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Stefano Durante 28 1585 12 12 2 20 611 2 .911 2.27
Zacharias Skog 9 510 2 4 2 26 200 0 .885 3.06
Alex Murray 6 276 1 4 0 22 124 0 .849 4.77
Empty Net - 30 - - - 8 - - - -
Total 39 2402 15 20 4 116 935 2 .890 2.90

Rankings

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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

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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

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  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.