American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey

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 a member of Atlantic Hockey. They play at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.[2]

American International Yellow Jackets
Current season
UniversityAmerican International College
ConferenceAHC
First season1948–49
Head coachEric Lang
5th season, 67–69–14 (.493)
CaptainHugo Reinhardt Joel Kocur
ArenaMassMutual Center
Capacity: 6,866
Surface: 200' x 85'
LocationSpringfield, Massachusetts
ColorsBlack, White, and Gold[1]
              
NCAA Tournament appearances
2019
Conference Tournament championships
2019
Conference regular season championships
2019, 2020
Current uniform

History

AIC began its varsity program in 1948, playing a modest schedule for the first dozen years of its existence, 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 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 the 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 fairly successfully with the team earning its first 20-win season in his fourth year. The next season, 1989, saw the Yellow Jackets pace the ECAC East with 20 wins and set a program record with 24 wins overall but they faltered in the conference tournament and failed to make the D-III National championship. The next year the team was able to regain some of their success by winning the ECAC East title, their first conference championship in 21 years, but they were left out of the National Tournament due to a relatively poor overall record (only eight teams made the tournament and 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 Atlantic Hockey 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 made the conference tournament every years because Atlantic Hockey structured its conference tournament to include every team, but even then the Yellow Jackets could only twice win the 9 vs 8 play-in game and lost every other round it participated in. AIC lost 20 games for 13 consecutive seasons and 18 out of 19 years after 1999 but through it all Gary Wright stayed on to hold the program together. He eventually retired in 2016, being the longest-tenured coach at the time of his retirement and held the record for the most career losses with a single program, but his legacy with AIC went beyond wins and losses.[8]

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 match. The Yellow Jackets season ended after losing the next game but they had already produced the best season in the history of program by a mile.

AIC again won the Atlantic Hockey championship in 2020, however, before the team played its first postseason game the NCAA cancelled all remaining contests and tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic.[9][10]

Season-by-season results
Main article: List of American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey seasons

[11]

All-time coaching records

As of April 1, 2020

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
2016–PresentEric Lang467–69–14.493
1984–2016Gary Wright32313–605–76.353
1982–1984Lincoln Flagg218–32–0.360
1978–1982Wayne LaChance446–57–0.447
1974–1978Paul Thornton463–33–1.655
1972–1974Peter Esdale218–32–3.368
1970–1972Wally Barlow217–23–1.427
1957–1964Joe Bucholz739–86–0.312
1948–1957, 1964–1970William Turner15128–118–4.520
Totals 9 coaches 72 seasons 709-1055-99 .407

Awards

Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award
  • Jared Pike (2020)

NCAA All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

  • 2018–19: Blake Christensen, F

Rookie of the year
Atlantic Hockey
  • Brennan Kapcheck (2018)

Regular Season Scoring Trophy
Atlantic Hockey
  • Blake Christensen (2019)

Team Sportsmanship Award
Atlantic Hockey
  • 2014, 2015, 2016

Coach of the Year
MAAC
Atlantic Hockey

Most Valuable Player in Tournament
Atlantic Hockey
  • Zackarias Skog (2019)

First Team

The following AIC men's ice hockey players have been chosen as First Team All-MAAC.[12]

  • Aaron Arnett (2001)

Second Team
  • Chance Thede (1999)
  • Mike Sowa (1999)

Rookie Team
  • Guillaume Caron (2001)
  • Trent Ulmer (2001)

First Team

The following AIC men's ice hockey players have been chosen as First Team All-Atlantic Hockey.[13]

  • Guillaume Caron (2004)
  • Frank Novello (2005)
  • Brennan Kapcheck (2019)
  • Blake Christensen (2019)

Second Team
  • Ben Meisner (2013)
  • Adam Pleskach (2013)

Third Team
  • Jeremr Tendler (2007, 2008)
  • Adam Pleskach (2012)
  • Jeff Ceccacci (2013)
  • Jon Puksar (2014)
  • Jānis Jaks (2018)

Rookie Team
  • Adam Pleskach (2010)
  • Chris Porter (2013)
  • David Norris (2014)
  • Stefano Durante (2018)
  • Brennan Kapchek (2018)

Roster

As of September 27, 2020.[14]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Jake Kucharski Freshman G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1999-09-25 Erie, Pennsylvania Providence (HEA) CAR, 197th overall 2018
2 Nico Somerville Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-04-08 Nanaimo, British Columbia Penticton (BCHL) —
3 Jan Kern Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-07-27 Prague, Czech Republic Youngstown (USHL) —
4 Brett Callahan Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 1998-10-16 Westmont, Illinois Jersey (NCDC) —
5 Matt Rickard Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1999-07-28 Coventry, Rhode Island Lone Star (NAHL) —
6 Jeff Baum Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1996-06-17 Colleyville, Texas Providence (HEA) —
7 Oskar Strömberg Senior D 6' 7" (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1996-11-26 Sollentuna, Sweden New Jersey (NAHL) —
8 Brennan Kapcheck Senior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1996-11-17 Mount Prospect, Illinois Aston (NAHL) —
9 Blake Bennett Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-07-01 Grand Island, New York Corpus Christi (NAHL) —
10 Adam Stacho Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-05-28 Očkov, Slovakia Bismarck (NAHL) —
12 Eric Otto Freshman (RS) F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1997-07-19 Burnsville, Minnesota Chicago (USHL) —
13 Verners Egle Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-06-01 Liepāja, Latvia Madison (USHL) —
15 Matúš Spodniak Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1997-12-22 Košice, Slovakia Ogden (WSHL) —
16 Kyle Jeffers Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1999-01-06 Winter Springs, Florida New Jersey (NAHL) —
17 Zak Galambos Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-04-04 Walnut Creek, California Minnesota State (WCHA) —
18 Michal Stinil Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-03-21 East Burke, Vermont Lone Star (NAHL) —
19 Elijiah Barriga Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1996-05-16 West Covina, California UNLV (ACHA) —
20 Tobias Fladeby Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 191 lb (87 kg) 1996-05-20 Asker, Norway Bismarck (NAHL) —
21 Justin Cole Junior (RS) F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1996-05-01 Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania Cedar Rapids (USHL) —
22 Parker Revering Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1997-01-11 Alexandria, Minnesota Brookings (NAHL) —
23 Aaron Grounds Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-12-24 Jamestown, North Dakota Fargo (USHL) —
25 Luka Maver Junior (RS) F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-10-25 Ljubljana, Slovenia Lincoln (USHL) —
26 Chris Theodore Junior F 5' 7" (1.7 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-10-15 Beaconsfield, Quebec Cornwall (CCHL) —
27 Hunter Johannes Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1998-07-24 Eden Prairie, Minnesota Jamestown (NAHL) —
30 Stefano Durante Senior G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1996-06-04 Brampton, Ontario Cobourg (OJHL) —
33 Jarrett Fiske Sophomore G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-05-28 Erie, Pennsylvania Kemptville (CCHL) —
34 Ryan McInchak Freshman G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-02-28 Trenton, Michigan New Jersey (NAHL) —
39 Jake Stella Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-11-14 Karlstad, Sweden Corpus Christi (NAHL) —
44 Austen Long Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-02-15 Minneapolis, Minnesota Omaha (USHL) —
55 Chris Dodero Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 1996-06-08 West Chicago, Illinois Janesville (NAHL) —
61 Sam Miller Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-08-03 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Shreveport (NAHL) —
11 Julius Janhonen Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-03-05 Espoo, Finland HIFK U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga) —

See also

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 January 30, 2013. 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. "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships due to coronavirus concerns". NCAA.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  10. "Remainder of 2020 Atlantic Hockey Tournament Cancelled". atlantichockeyonline.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  11. "Men's Ice Hockey Year-By-Year Results". American INternational Yellow Jackets. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  12. "All-MAAC Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  13. "All-Atlantic Hockey Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  14. "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". American International College Athletics. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
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