2021–22 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2021–22 American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey season was the 74th season of play for the program. They represented American International College in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season and for the 19th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Yellow Jackets were coached by Eric Lang , in his sixth season, and played their home games at MassMutual Center .
Season
AIC entered the season looking to continue its run as the Atlantic Hockey champion but didn't get off to a good start. While due in part to the difficulty of their schedule, the Yellow Jackets began with just 3 wins in their first 13 games. While they got solid, if unspectacular, goaltending from both grad transfer Alec Calvaruso and nominal starter Jake Kucharski, American International was let down by its offense. In just 4 of those 13 games, the team managed to score more than 2 goals.
In late-November, the offense finally got going and the team went on an extended winning streak as a result. AIC won 11 consecutive games, including a defeat of Connecticut , who ended the season in the top-20. The run shot the Yellow Jackets to the top of the Atlantic Hockey standings, where they remained for the rest of the year. While their winning streak nearly put them into the poll themselves, AIC came back down to earth a bit at the end of the regular season. With their 4th-consecutive Atlantic Hockey title in hand, AIC still had to win the conference tournament in order to make the NCAA Tournament .
Prior to the start of their postseason, AIC got some unwelcome news when Kucharski went down with an undisclosed injury. Despite missing the conference goaltending champion, American International had a capable backup in Calvaruso and he showed up during the playoffs. Calvaruso won all four games for the Yellow Jackets, posting a 2.00 goals against average. It was, however, Blake Bennett who was the story for AIC; the junior forward scored recorded 10 points during their run, including a hat-trick in the semifinal against Mercyhurst , and was named Tournament MVP .
American International made its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA championship but, as is typical for Atlantic Hockey, they did so against the #1 seed once again. The team faced Michigan , who boasted one of, if not the, most talent-laden teams in NCAA history. The Yellow Jackets, on the other hand, possessed only one NHL -drafted player and he (Kucharski) was still out due to injury. Early on it appeared that the Wolverines would just roll over AIC when they scored twice in the first 5 minutes of the game. The Yellow Jackets fought back, however, and demonstrated that they weren't to be taken lightly. American International ended up outshooting Michigan 32-31 in the game and scored three goals, but it wasn't enough. Even with the loss, the credible performance showed that AIC could compete with the elite college hockey programs.
Departures
Recruiting
Roster
As of August 23, 2021.[ 1]
No.
S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Jake Kucharski
Sophomore (RS )
G
6' 4" (1.93 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
1999-09-25
Erie, Pennsylvania
Providence (HEA )
CAR , 197th overall 2018
2
Nico Somerville
Sophomore
D
5' 9" (1.75 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-04-08
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Penticton (BCHL )
—
4
Brett Callahan
Junior
D
5' 10" (1.78 m)
182 lb (83 kg)
1998-10-16
Westmont, Illinois
Jersey (NCDC )
—
5
Alex Tertyshny
Freshman
D
6' 0" (1.83 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
2000-01-03
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Northeast (NAHL )
—
6
Matt Rickard
Freshman
D
6' 0" (1.83 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1999-07-28
Coventry, Rhode Island
Lone Star (NAHL )
—
7
Brian Kramer
Freshman
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
181 lb (82 kg)
2000-07-20
Wexford, Pennsylvania
Robert Morris (AHA )
—
8
Luis Lindner
Freshman
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
2001-05-16
Spittal an der Drau, Austria
Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC )
—
9
Blake Bennett
Junior
F
5' 8" (1.73 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1998-07-01
Grand Island, New York
Corpus Christi (NAHL )
—
10
Brian Rigali
Graduate
F
5' 8" (1.73 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1997-03-08
Green Oaks, Illinois
UConn (HEA )
—
11
Julius Janhonen
Sophomore
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1999-03-05
Espoo, Finland
HIFK U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga )
—
12
Eric Otto
Junior (RS )
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1997-07-19
Burnsville, Minnesota
Chicago (USHL )
—
13
Santeri Hartikainen
Sophomore
F
6' 2" (1.88 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-01-05
Helsinki, Finland
Robert Morris (AHA )
—
16
Reggie Millette
Freshman
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2000-04-10
Jacksonville, Florida
Austin (NAHL )
—
17
Zak Galambos
Junior (RS )
D
6' 2" (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1997-04-04
Walnut Creek, California
Minnesota State (WCHA )
—
18
Michal Stinil
Sophomore
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1999-03-21
East Burke, Vermont
Lone Star (NAHL )
—
19
Elijiah Barriga (A )
Senior (RS )
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
193 lb (88 kg)
1996-05-16
West Covina, California
UNLV (ACHA )
—
20
Chris Van Os-Shaw
Senior
F
6' 2" (1.88 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1997-05-20
Regina, Saskatchewan
Minnesota State (WCHA )
—
21
Justin Cole
Graduate
F
6' 3" (1.91 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1996-05-01
Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Cedar Rapids (USHL )
—
22
Parker Revering (C )
Senior
D
6' 1" (1.85 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1997-01-11
Alexandria, Minnesota
Brookings (NAHL )
—
23
Aaron Grounds
Sophomore
F
6' 2" (1.88 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-12-24
Jamestown, North Dakota
Fargo (USHL )
—
25
Luka Maver (A )
Graduate
F
6' 3" (1.91 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1997-10-25
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Lincoln (USHL )
—
26
Chris Theodore
Senior
F
5' 7" (1.7 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1997-10-15
Beaconsfield, Quebec
Cornwall (CCHL )
—
27
Hunter Johannes
Junior
F
6' 3" (1.91 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
1998-07-24
Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Jamestown (NAHL )
—
28
Jake Stella (A )
Junior
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1998-11-14
Karlstad, Sweden
Corpus Christi (NAHL )
—
29
Darwin Lakoduk
Sophomore
F
5' 10" (1.78 m)
157 lb (71 kg)
2000-01-28
Edmonton, Alberta
Penticton (BCHL )
—
30
Alec Calvaruso
Graduate
G
6' 2" (1.88 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1998-07-09
Livonia, Michigan
Rensselaer (ECAC )
—
33
Jarrett Fiske
Junior
G
6' 4" (1.93 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-05-28
Erie, Pennsylvania
Kemptville (CCHL )
—
34
Ryan McInchak
Sophomore
G
6' 0" (1.83 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1999-02-28
Trenton, Michigan
New Jersey (NAHL )
—
37
Evan Stella
Freshman
D
5' 10" (1.78 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
2001-05-11
Karlstad, Sweden
Dubuque (USHL )
—
39
Justin Young
Graduate
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
184 lb (83 kg)
1997-12-23
Leduc, Alberta
Alaska (WCHA )
—
44
Austen Long
Junior
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1998-02-15
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Omaha (USHL )
—
55
Chris Dodero (A )
Graduate
F
5' 9" (1.75 m)
176 lb (80 kg)
1996-06-08
West Chicago, Illinois
Janesville (NAHL )
—
Standings
Conference record
Overall record
GP
W
L
T
OW
OL
SW
PTS
GF
GA
GP
W
L
T
GF
GA
#18 American International †*
26
17
7
2
1
2
0
54
97
61
38
22
13
3
134
95
Canisius
26
13
11
2
2
1
1
43
76
67
35
16
16
3
99
97
Army
26
12
11
3
0
1
2
42
75
68
35
14
17
4
98
100
RIT
26
12
10
4
1
3
3
41
69
82
38
18
16
4
92
115
Sacred Heart
26
11
12
3
0
1
3
40
72
70
37
15
18
4
95
100
Air Force
26
11
12
3
3
2
2
37
76
80
36
16
17
3
99
127
Mercyhurst
26
10
12
4
0
1
1
36
75
79
39
16
19
4
114
129
Niagara
26
10
13
3
2
2
1
34
70
79
36
11
22
3
82
122
Bentley
26
10
14
2
1
2
1
34
70
78
36
14
20
2
94
117
Holy Cross
26
10
14
2
3
0
0
29
56
72
37
12
23
2
77
108
Championship : March 19, 2022 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy ) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Schedule and results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Exhibition
October 2
4:00 PM
at #7 Boston College *
#20
Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts (Exhibition)
Calvaruso
L 1–4
567
—
Regular season
October 9
7:05 PM
#11 Providence *
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
L 1–5
577
0–1–0
October 15
7:05 PM
#9 Massachusetts *
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
L 1–5
1,306
0–2–0
October 16
7:00 PM
at #9 Massachusetts*
Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts
Kucharski
L 2–4
4,664
0–3–0
October 21
7:05 PM
Army
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 4–3
195
1–3–0 (1–0–0)
October 22
7:05 PM
at Army
Tate Rink • West Point, New York
Kucharski
L 0–2
1,516
1–4–0 (1–1–0)
October 29
7:05 PM
#5 Quinnipiac *
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
T 2–2 OT
487
1–4–1
October 30
7:00 PM
at #5 Quinnipiac*
People's United Center • Hamden, Connecticut
Calvaruso
L 1–2 OT
3,426
1–5–1
November 6
5:05 PM
RIT
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 7–3
306
2–5–1 (2–1–0)
November 7
5:05 PM
RIT
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Calvaruso
L 2–3 OT
180
2–6–1 (2–2–0)
November 12
7:00 PM
at #12 Providence*
Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island
Kucharski
L 1–2 OT
1,753
2–7–1
November 19
1:05 PM
Bentley
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 5–0
293
3–7–1 (3–2–0)
November 20
1:05 PM
Bentley
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Calvaruso
L 1–2 OT
192
3–8–1 (3–3–0)
November 26
1:00 PM
at Canisius
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York
Kucharski
L 5–6
552
3–9–1 (3–4–0)
November 27
1:00 PM
at Canisius
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York
Calvaruso
W 3–2
609
4–9–1 (4–4–0)
January 1
7:35 PM
Air Force
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 5–2
182
5–9–1 (5–4–0)
January 2
4:05 PM
Air Force
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 4–3
299
6–9–1 (6–4–0)
January 7
7:05 PM
at Holy Cross
Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 2–0
0
7–9–1 (7–4–0)
January 8
5:05 PM
at Holy Cross
Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts
Calvaruso
W 5–2
0
8–9–1 (8–4–0)
January 11
7:05 PM
Connecticut *
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 3–1
207
9–9–1
January 14
1:05 PM
Mercyhurst
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 5–4
70
10–9–1 (9–4–0)
January 15
1:05 PM
Mercyhurst
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Calvaruso
W 6–3
79
11–9–1 (10–4–0)
January 21
6:05 PM
at Sacred Heart
Webster Bank Arena • Bridgeport, Connecticut
Kucharski
W 4–2
243
12–9–1 (11–4–0)
January 22
1:05 PM
at Sacred Heart
Webster Bank Arena • Bridgeport, Connecticut
Calvaruso
W 3–1
253
13–9–1 (12–4–0)
January 27
5:05 PM
Holy Cross
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 3–1
191
14–9–1 (13–4–0)
January 30
12:05 PM
Holy Cross
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
McInchak
L 4–5
137
14–10–1 (13–5–0)
February 4
7:05 PM
at RIT
Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York
Calvaruso
W 7–0
1,786
15–10–1 (14–5–0)
February 5
7:05 PM
at RIT
Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York
Kucharski
T 4–4 SOL
2,200
15–10–2 (14–5–1)
February 10
5:05 PM
Army
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Calvaruso
W 5–1
252
16–10–2 (15–5–1)
February 12
6:05 PM
at Army
Tate Rink • West Point, New York
Kucharski
L 0–1
1,589
16–11–2 (15–6–1)
February 18
7:05 PM
at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania
Kucharski
W 5–1
1,214
17–11–2 (16–6–1)
February 19
3:05 PM
at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania
Calvaruso
L 3–6
779
17–12–2 (16–7–1)
February 25
1:05 PM
Niagara
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
T 1–1 SOL
93
17–12–3 (16–7–2)
February 26
1:05 PM
Niagara
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
Kucharski
W 4–3 OT
262
18–12–3 (17–7–2)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 11
7:00 PM
Bentley*
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal game 1)
Calvaruso
W 5–2
410
19–12–3
March 12
7:00 PM
Bentley*
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal game 2)
Calvaruso
W 6–2
310
20–12–3
American International Won Series 2–0
March 18
4:05 PM
vs. Mercyhurst*
Adirondack Bank Center • Utica, New York (Semifinal)
Calvaruso
W 5–4
1,072
21–12–3
March 19
7:35 PM
vs. Air Force*
Adirondack Bank Center • Utica, New York (Championship)
Calvaruso
W 7–0
250
22–12–3
NCAA Tournament
March 25
3:00 PM
vs. #2 Michigan *
#18
PPL Center • Allentown, Pennsylvania (Midwest Regional semifinal)
ESPNU
Calvaruso
L 3–5
2,155
22–13–3
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time . Source:[ 2]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Blake Bennett
F
37
19
15
34
20
Justin Young
C
36
12
19
31
16
Chris Dodero
C /LW
36
13
16
29
6
Chris Theodore
LW
35
10
19
29
6
Zak Galambos
D
36
5
24
29
49
Jake Stella
LW
37
12
16
28
12
Brian Rigali
F
32
13
13
26
8
Elijiah Barriga
LW
37
9
15
24
16
Luis Lindner
F /D
28
4
14
18
8
Chris Van Os-Shaw
LW
36
7
8
15
41
Julius Janhonen
C
33
6
8
14
4
Luka Maver
C
38
6
6
12
16
Brian Kramer
D
36
3
8
11
32
Justin Cole
F
32
1
10
11
4
Brett Callahan
D
25
2
6
8
10
Parker Revering
D
25
2
6
8
10
Austen Long
RW
24
3
4
7
12
Evan Stella
D
36
0
6
6
20
Hunter Johannes
F
14
3
2
5
4
Eric Otto
F
19
1
4
5
10
Nico Somerville
D
24
1
4
5
12
Santeri Hartikainen
C /RW
6
0
3
3
0
Aaron Grounds
F
15
1
1
2
4
Matthew Rickard
D
21
1
1
2
12
Zachary Purcell
F
1
0
0
0
0
Jarrett Fiske
G
1
0
0
0
0
Ryan McInchak
G
1
0
0
0
0
Alexander Tertyshny
RW
1
0
0
0
0
Michal Stinil
W
1
0
0
0
0
Reggie Millette
F
9
0
0
0
0
Darwin Lakoduk
F
10
0
0
0
0
Alec Calvaruso
G
16
0
0
0
0
Jake Kucharski
G
22
0
0
0
2
Bench
-
-
-
-
-
6
Total
134
228
362
355
[ 3]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut Outs
SV %
GAA
Jarrett Fiske
1
2:09
0
0
0
0
3
0
1.000
0.00
Ryan McInchak
1
33
0
1
0
1
13
0
.929
1.81
Jake Kucharski
22
1334
12
7
3
53
535
2
.910
2.38
Alec Calvaruso
16
925
10
5
0
39
374
2
.906
2.53
Empty Net
-
23
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
Total
38
2318
22
13
3
95
925
4
.907
2.46
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
20
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
18
-
18
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
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24. [ 4]
Awards and honors
References
^ "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster" . American International College Athletics. Retrieved September 20, 2017 .
^ "American International 2021-22 Team Schedule" . College Hockey Inc . Retrieved February 2, 2022 .
^ "American International College 2021-2022 Skater Stats" . Elite Prospects . Retrieved June 20, 2020 .
^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll" . USCHO.com . Retrieved November 26, 2019 .
^ a b c d e "Atlantic Hockey Announces 2021-22 Regular season Awards" . Atlantic Hockey . March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022 .
^ a b "AIC Overpowers Air Force to Clinch Third-Straight Atlantic Hockey Postseason Championship" . Atlantic Hockey . March 19, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022 .
^ a b c d "Atlantic Hockey Announces 2021-22 All-Conference Teams" . Atlantic Hockey . March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022 .
Playing venues Head coaches Seasons Conference affiliations All-time leaders NCAA Tournament appearances Conference Tournament titles