American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey

American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey
Current season
University	American International College
Conference	AHA
First season	1948–49
Head coach	Eric Lang 8th season, 122–99–24 (.547)
Assistant coaches	Patrick Tabb Matthew Woodward Brendan Riley
Arena	MassMutual Center Springfield, Massachusetts
Colors	Black, white, and gold [1]
NCAA Tournament appearances
2019, 2021, 2022
Conference Tournament championships
2019, 2021, 2022
Conference regular season championships
2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Current uniform

The American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the American International College. The Yellow Jackets are members of Atlantic Hockey America. They play at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. ^[2]

History

AIC began its varsity program in 1948, playing a modest schedule for the first dozen years, building the program under William Turner before he handed it off to Joe Bucholz. In 1961, the Yellow Jackets joined with 27 other eastern schools (mostly in New England) to form ECAC Hockey. ^[3] AIC finished near the bottom for three seasons and in 1964 it was decided that the conference was too unwieldy to continue and was split into two divisions. The Yellow Jackets joined the lower division, becoming a founding member of ECAC 2. ^[4]

American International had some success when Turner returned to take over, winning the conference tournament in 1969, ^[5] but dipped slightly after his retirement in 1970. When Paul Thornton took over in 1974, AIC saw a resurgence, and by the late 1970s, it had returned to the ECAC 2 Tournament, but after his departure in 1978, the program slumped once more.

In 1984, the Division II ice hockey level collapsed and sent almost all teams at that level down to Division III. AIC followed along, and when ECAC 2 split, the Yellow Jackets stayed with the eastern side, joining the new ECAC East. In all that upheaval, it was not lost that American International had gotten its sixth head coach since 1970, but they were finally able to find someone willing to stick around in Gary Wright. ^[6]

Wright's time with AIC began successfully, with the team earning its first 20-win season in his fourth year. The following season, 1989, saw the Yellow Jackets pace the ECAC East with 20 wins and set a program record with 24 wins overall. Still, they faltered in the conference tournament and failed to make the D-III National championship. The following year, they won the ECAC East title, their first conference championship in 21 years. However, they were left out of the National Tournament due to a relatively poor overall record (only eight teams made the tournament, and the league champions did not receive an automatic berth). AIC continued to play well in the mid-90s, but in 1995, the program declined sharply, dropping from 14 to 4 wins, and remained in the ECAC East cellar for the rest of its time there.

In 1998, the MAAC began sponsoring an ice hockey conference, and AIC joined as an affiliate member, returning to the top tier of college hockey. ^[7] In their first year back the Yellow Jackets posted a decent record, finishing 5th in the 8-team field but bowed out in the first round of the conference playoffs. After that brief glimpse of success, however, AIC fell to the bottom of the conference and remained there for almost the next 20 years. Even with several new teams joining the conference and the division's reworking into the Atlantic Hockey Association, AIC could finish no better than 9th from 2000 through 2017, with the lone exception coming in 2006 when Atlantic Hockey had only 8 league members.

AIC lost 20 games for 13 consecutive seasons and 18 out of 19 years after 1999. Gary Wright eventually retired in 2016, being the longest-tenured coach at the time of his retirement. ^[8]

American International playing an outdoor game at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in 2011

A new era at AIC began in 2016 with Eric Lang as the new head coach. After a poor but familiar first season, AIC posted its best record since 1993 with 15 wins, finishing 8th in Atlantic Hockey and winning its first conference tournament round in over a decade. The following year, AIC won its first-ever conference championship and, after winning its first conference tournament at the Division I level, made its first appearance in an NCAA Championship. As the lowest-seeded team, AIC played against #1 St. Cloud State and, despite being outshot 34-13 in the game, won the game 2-1. ^[9] They would fall to Denver 3-0 in the next round of the tournament. ^[10]

AIC again won the Atlantic Hockey championship in 2020; however, before the team played its first postseason game, the NCAA canceled all remaining contests and tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ^{[11] [12]}

AIC qualified for the NCAA tournament again in 2021 and 2022. ^[13]

Shortly after the end of the 2023–24 season, Atlantic Hockey merged with the women-only College Hockey America to form the new Atlantic Hockey America, with all members of both predecessor conferences becoming charter members of the merged league. ^[14]

2023-2024 American International Yellow Jackets at Holy Cross's Hart Center

Season-by-season results

Main article: List of American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey seasons

^[15]

Roster

As of September 14, 2023. ^[16]

No.	S/P/C	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
1		Alexandros Aslanadis	Senior	G	6' 5" (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2001-01-20	Moorestown, New Jersey	Western Michigan  ( NCHC )	—
2		Nico Somerville	Senior	D	5' 9" (1.75 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1999-04-08	Nanaimo, British Columbia	Penticton  ( BCHL )	—
3		Logan Jenuwine	Graduate	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	1998-05-15	Romeo, Michigan	Lake Superior State  ( CCHA )	—
4		Brett Callahan	Graduate	D	5' 10" (1.78 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1998-10-16	Westmont, Illinois	Jersey  (NCDC)	—
5		Tomi Leppänen	Freshman	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2003-04-07	Heinola, Finland	Sioux City  ( USHL )	—
6		Matt Rickard	Senior	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1999-07-28	Coventry, Rhode Island	Lone Star  ( NAHL )	—
7		Brian Kramer	Senior	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2000-07-20	Wexford, Pennsylvania	Robert Morris  ( AHA )	—
8		Hunter Jones	Freshman	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2002-07-13	Andover, Minnesota	Oklahoma  ( NAHL )	—
9		Hunter Longhi	Freshman	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	174 lb (79 kg)	2002-04-02	Collinsville, Illinois	Minot  ( NAHL )	—
10		Dustin Manz	Graduate	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	1999-09-21	Vanderbilt, Michigan	Lake Superior State  ( CCHA )	—
11		Julius Janhonen	Senior	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1999-03-05	Espoo, Finland	HIFK U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga)	—
13		Grayson Dietrich	Sophomore	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2001-12-18	Calgary, Alberta	Drumheller  ( AJHL )	—
14		Douglas Andersson	Freshman	F	6' 6" (1.98 m)	209 lb (95 kg)	2002-04-04	Ängelholm, Sweden	Kallinge-Ronneby IF  ( Hockeyettan )	—
15		Casper Söderling	Sophomore	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	2001-06-02	Stockholm, Sweden	Nacka J20 (J20 Regional)	—
16		Andrew Amousse	Sophomore	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	2001-07-16	Laval, Quebec	Victoria  ( BCHL )	—
17		Oscar Geschwind	Junior	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	2001-02-24	Hällefors, Sweden	Northern Michigan  ( CCHA )	—
18		Akseli Pennanen	Freshman	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	198 lb (90 kg)	2003-01-19	Espoo, Finland	Jukurit U20  ( U20 SM-sarja )	—
19		Jordan Biro	Senior	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	2000-08-10	Sherwood Park, Alberta	Colorado College  ( NCHC )	—
20		Hunter McCurdy	Sophomore	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	2001-08-09	Mokena, Illinois	Danbury  ( NAHL )	—
21		John Lundy	Sophomore	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	163 lb (74 kg)	2001-04-27	Brooklyn, New York	Jamestown  ( NAHL )	—
22		Timofei Khokhlachev	Sophomore	F	6' 4" (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	2001-11-06	Moscow, Russia	Shreveport  ( NAHL )	—
23		Theo Angesved	Freshman	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	2003-06-23	Växjö, Sweden	Borås HC  ( Hockeyettan )	—
24		Blake Wells	Graduate	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	201 lb (91 kg)	1999-08-02	Blackie, Alberta	UMass Lowell  ( HEA )	—
25		Alexander Malinowski	Sophomore	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2001-02-07	Linköping, Sweden	Fairbanks  ( NAHL )	—
26		Jake Sacratini	Sophomore	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	2001-05-19	Pincourt, Quebec	Notre Dame  ( SJHL )	—
27		Josh Barnes	Sophomore	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	2002-09-27	Cornwall, Ontario	Des Moines  ( USHL )	—
28		Alfred Lindberg	Freshman	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2002-01-28	Hallsberg, Sweden	New Mexico  ( NAHL )	—
29		Darwin Lakoduk	Senior	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	2000-01-28	Edmonton, Alberta	Penticton  ( BCHL )	—
30		Cole Hudson	Junior	G	6' 1" (1.85 m)	161 lb (73 kg)	2000-03-13	Tonawanda, New York	Vermont  ( HEA )	—
33		Peyton Grainer	Freshman	G	6' 1" (1.85 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	2002-03-12	Detroit, Michigan	Jersey  ( NCDC )	—
34		Nils Wallström	Freshman	G	6' 3" (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2003-10-15	Skellefteå, Sweden	Kenai River  ( NAHL )	—
37		Evan Stella	Junior	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2001-05-11	Karlstad, Sweden	Dubuque  ( USHL )	—
39		Dario Beljo	Freshman	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2002-08-15	Sudbury, Ontario	Brooks  ( AJHL )	—
44		Austen Long	Graduate	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1998-02-15	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Omaha  ( USHL )	—
55		Brett Rylance	Sophomore	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	167 lb (76 kg)	2001-08-03	Edmonton, Alberta	Chilliwack  ( BCHL )	—
61		Casey McDonald	Sophomore	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	2001-05-10	Plenty, Saskatchewan	Penticton  ( BCHL )	—

All-time coaching records

Eric Lang

As of April 1, 2023

Tenure	Coach	Years	Record	Pct.
2016–present	Eric Lang	7	122–99–24	.547
1984–2016	Gary Wright	32	313–605–76	.353
1982–1984	Lincoln Flagg	2	18–32–0	.360
1978–1982	Wayne LaChance	4	46–57–0	.447
1974–1978	Paul Thornton	4	63–33–1	.655
1972–1974	Peter Esdale	2	18–32–3	.368
1970–1972	Wally Barlow	2	17–23–1	.427
1957–1964	Joe Bucholz	7	39–86–0	.312
1948–1957, 1964–1970	William Turner	15	128–118–4	.520
Totals	9 coaches	75 seasons	764–1085–109	.418

Awards and honors

NCAA

Individual awards

Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award Jared Pike (2020)

All-Americans

AHCA First Team All-Americans

• 2020–21: Brennan Kapcheck, D

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

• 2018–19: Blake Christensen, F

MAAC

Individual awards

Coach of the Year

• Gary Wright: 1999

All–Conference

First Team ^[17]

• 2000–01: Aaron Arnett, D

Second Team

• 1998–99: Chance Thede, G; Mike Sowa, F

Rookie Team

• 2000–01: Guillaume Caron, F; Trent Ulmer, F

Atlantic Hockey Association

Individual awards

Player of the Year Brennan Kapcheck: 2021 Chris Theodore: 2022

Rookie of the Year Brennan Kapcheck: 2018

Best Defenseman Brennan Kapcheck: 2021 Zak Galambos: 2022 Brian Kramer: 2024

Best Defensive Forward Chris Dodero: 2021 Jake Stella: 2022

Individual Sportsmanship Award Justin Cole: 2021

Regular Season Scoring Trophy Blake Christensen: 2019

Regular Season Goaltending Award Zackarias Skog: 2020 Jake Kucharski: 2022 Jarrett Fiske: 2023

Team Sportsmanship Award 2014, 2015, 2016

Coach of the Year Eric Lang: 2019, 2020, 2022

Most Valuable Player in Tournament Zackarias Skog: 2019 Justin Cole: 2021 Blake Bennett: 2022

All–Conference

First Team

• 2003–04: Guillaume Caron, F
• 2004–05: Frank Novello, G
• 2018–19: Brennan Kapcheck, D; Blake Christensen, F
• 2019–20: Zackarias Skog, G; Brennan Kapcheck, D; Blake Christensen, F
• 2020–21: Brennan Kapcheck, D; Tobias Fladeby, F
• 2021–22: Zak Galambos, D; Chris Theodore, F
• 2022–23: Blake Bennett, F
• 2023–24: Brian Kramer, D

Second Team

• 2012–13: Ben Meisner, G; Adam Pleskach, F
• 2019–20: Patrik Demel, D
• 2020–21: Stefano Durante, G; Elijah Barriga, F; Chris Dodero, F
• 2021–22: Jake Stella, F
• 2022–23: Jarrett Fiske, G; Brian Kramer, D

Third Team

• 2006–07: Jeremr Tendler, F
• 2007–08: Jeremr Tendler, F
• 2011–12: Adam Pleskach, F
• 2012–13: Jeff Ceccacci, D
• 2013–14: Jon Puksar, F
• 2017–18: Jānis Jaks, D
• 2019–20: Martin Mellberg, F; Hugo Reinhardt, F
• 2021–22: Jake Kucharski, G
• 2022–23: Jordan Biro, F

Rookie Team

• 2009–10: Adam Pleskach, F
• 2012–13: Chris Porter, F
• 2013–14: David Norris, F
• 2017–18: Stefano Durante, G; Brennan Kapcheck, D
• 2020–21: Nico Somerville, D; Aaron Grounds, F; Eric Otto, F
• 2021–22: Luis Lindner, D
• 2023–24: Nils Wallstrom, G

Statistical leaders

Source: ^[18]

Career points leaders

Player	Years	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Tom Mullen	1974–1978	86	134	114	248
Jeff Arnold	1983–1987	106	83	119	202
Edgar Alejandro	1972–1976	101	64	136	200
Doug Crawford	1985–1988	84	84	103	187
Darryl Frenette	1986–1990	119	57	125	182
Ken Maffia	1987–1991	103	73	108	181
Bill Condon	1973–1977	102	62	114	176
Martin Labonte	1987–1991	112	75	89	164
Vezio Sacratini	1987–1990	70	49	114	163
Steve Hunter	1981–1985	104	66	97	163

Career goaltending leaders

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Minimum 30 games played

Player	Years	GP	Min	W	L	T	GA	SO	SV%	GAA
Stefano Durante	2017–2021	66	3651	35	23	3	147	3	.906	2.42
Zackarias Skog	2016–2020	87	4975	37	38	9	219	9	.904	2.64
Ben Meisner	2009–2013	114	6406	30	67	12	361	12	.911	3.38
Frank Novello	2001–2005	81	4644	16	53	7	284		.911	3.67
Tom Fenton	2004–2008	84	4619	15	52	9	289	1	.885	3.75

Statistics current through the start of the 2021–22 season.

Yellow Jackets in the NHL

As of July 1, 2022.

Player	Position	Team(s)	Years	Games	Stanley Cups
Dave Forbes	Left Wing	BOS, WSH	1973–1979	362	0
Kevin Wortman	Defense	CGY	1993–1994	5	0

WHA

One player was a member of the WHA.

Player	Position	Team(s)	Years	Avco Cups
Dave Forbes	Left Wing	CIN	1978–1979	0

Source: ^[19]

Olympians

This is a list of American International alumni who played on an Olympic team.

Name	Position	American International Tenure	Team	Year	Finish
Jānis Jaks	Defenseman	2016–2020	Latvia	2022	11th

See also

• American International Yellow Jackets

References

1. Logo Usage & Brand Standards Manual (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 28, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
2. "American International Yellow Jackets Men's Hockey". U.S. College Hockey Online. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
3. "History of ECAC Hockey". College Hockey Historical Archives. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
4. "1964-65 NCAA - ECAC - Div. 2 Standings". Hockey DB. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
5. "NEHC Tournaments". New England Hockey Conference. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
6. "2012–13 Men's Ice Hockey Coaching Staff". AIC Yellow Jackets. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
7. "History of the MAAC". College Hockey Historical Archives. 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
8. "Longtime AIC hockey coach Gary Wright to resign". Mass Live. March 31, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
9. "AIC men's hockey stuns No. 1 St. Cloud State in NCAA tournament debut | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
10. "AIC Battles, but Ultimately Falls in Regional Final to Denver". 31 March 2019.
11. "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships due to coronavirus concerns". NCAA.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
12. "Remainder of 2020 Atlantic Hockey Tournament Cancelled". atlantichockeyonline.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
13. "AIC Overpowers Air Force to Clinch Third-Straight Atlantic Hockey Postseason Championship". 19 March 2022.
14. "Atlantic Hockey and College Hockey America Join to Form Atlantic Hockey America" (Press release). Atlantic Hockey America. April 30, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
15. "Men's Ice Hockey Year-By-Year Results". American INternational Yellow Jackets. Archived from the original on 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
16. "2023-24 Ice Hockey Roster". American International Yellow Jackets. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
17. "All-MAAC Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
18. "Men's Ice Hockey 100 Point Club". American International Yellow Jackets. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
19. "Alumni report for American International College". Hockey DB. Retrieved August 17, 2019.

External links

• Official website