Experienced Mathis gives Air Force hockey a lift

Eighteen members of the Air Force Academy hockey team have played less than half of the college games as senior defenseman Scott Mathis.

“We have a really young team,” said Mathis, a Prairie Ridge graduate. “(About 65 percent) of our roster is freshmen and sophomores.”

Thanks to Mathis -- who has played in 134 career games at NCAA Division I Air Force -- and those young players, AFA is off to its second-best Atlantic Hockey Association start in school history at 8-3-2.

The Falcons (10-6-3) are in second place in the AHA, only two points behind league leader Mercyhurst.

“Our young guys have really bought into what we’re trying to do with our systems,” Mathis said. “They’ve picked things up really quick.”

Mathis has provided a solid example for his younger teammates.

His 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) rank second in the AHA among defensemen while the Falcons are allowing a mere 2.64 goals-against average.

While Mathis is a regular contributor on offense, defense is where he and the Falcons have been solid all season. 

The Falcons have allowed more than three goals only three times this season. Of their six losses, three were one-goal decisions, while two were against ranked opponents.

“Whether you’re a forward or defenseman, we’re about team defense,” Mathis said. “That’s what Air Force hockey is all about. We play hard in our own zone. That’s where it all starts.”

Mathis, one of four seniors on the 28-man roster, would like nothing better than to finish off his career in the NCAA tournament for the third time in his four seasons.

The Falcons advanced all the way to the West Region final during Mathis’ freshman season. Last year, while Mathis was earning first-team All-AHA honors, Air Force lost a 2-1 overtime decision in the NCAA’s opening round.

“It was real frustrating because we had beaten them earlier in the season,” Mathis said. “But in college hockey, any team can beat anybody else on any night.”

Getting back to the NCAAs is something Mathis hopes can happen with the help of his young teammates. Twenty different players have scored goals this season for Air Force, which boasts five players with at least 10 goals.

“Our team is pretty confident (of returning to the NCAAs) because of the depth of our roster,” he said. “We play all four of our (offensive) lines and all six defensemen every night. A lot of other teams have two good lines, but they don’t use a full roster.”

Moran makes move: Jacobs grad Johnny Moran made three three-pointers Tuesday in a 63-60 men’s basketball loss to Creighton to move into second place on D-I Northern Iowa’s career made three-pointers list.

Moran, a senior guard, has 171 threes in his four-year career as a starting for the Panthers (12-5). Moran, who has hit 10 of his last 18 three-point attempts, trails only school record holder and current UNI head coach Ben Jacobson’s 203 career threes.

Moran has started 118 career games, which is two starts shy of Jacobson’s career record.

This season, Moran is averaging 6.6 points and 2.6 rebounds while starting every game. He also has a team-best 24 steals.

Parkland players choose King: Pitcher Mark Hode and outfielder Tom Hooker of NJCAA Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., have committed to play baseball next spring at NCAA Division II King College.

Hode, a right-hander, is a Crystal Lake South graduate who helped the Cobras to a fifth-place finish in the NJCAA World Series last season. Hooker, a Crystal Lake Central grad, batted .300 last season for the Cobras on their run to nationals.

King, located in Bristol, Tenn., will play its first season in Conference Carolinas this spring. Last season, the Tornado (28-25) won at least 28 games for the sixth season in a row. King also advanced to the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series by winning the Mideast regional.

Starring in Springfield: Huntley grad Carly Goede is averaging 5.2 points and 1.9 assists a game as a top reserve guard for D-II University of Illinois Springfield’s women’s basketball team.

Goede ranks second on the team this season for the Prairie Stars (6-6) by hitting 42 percent of her three-point shots (10-for-24). Goede scored a career-high 15 points on Dec. 8 in a 74-55 win against Oakland City.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.