Zach Mirageas remembers having to make one of the biggest decisions of his life.
The Newburyport, Mass., native was touring the Air Force Academy in Colorado after a successful season in the United State Hockey League. Mirageas had a few offers from Division 1 schools in the Northeast, but after checking out Air Force, the 5-foot-9 blueliner knew the academy would set up the best opportunities for him after his hockey career.
"Being an undersized defenseman, the chances of going to a high-level pro league are pretty slim," Mirageas said. "I had to put my man boots on and make an adult decision."
That decision has paid off so far, as Mirageas is a key contributor to an Air Force team that scrapped its way into the 2018 NCAA tournament. Mirageas led all Falcon freshmen with 17 points in 41 games, and his plus/minus rating of plus-15 was second-best on the team.
Not only that, but Mirageas tallied an assist and two blocks in Air Force’s upset of No. 1 St. Cloud State in the first round of the NCAA West Regional. He recorded another assist in a 2-1 loss to No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth in the following round.
Thanks to Mirageas’ efforts, the Falcons went 8-2-1 to close out the season. Head coach Frank Serratore commends the freshman’s well-rounded game.
"His greatest strength might be that he doesn’t possess a huge weakness," Serratore said. "He wasn’t one of the leading scoring defensemen, but he scores. Defensively, he’s got good instincts, he’s got a good skill level, he skates well, he’s quick, he’s tough."
Having had USHL experience, Mirageas was able to make a smooth transition to the college game. That helped him nab Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week honors in February, when he totaled three assists in a huge weekend sweep of Canisius.
Mirageas wasn’t sure if he’d be able to earn a role right away on such a deep Air Force squad. He competed for a spot in the defensive rotation and credits his teammates’ competitiveness for the team’s success.
"It was a challenge at first, the first couple of practices and scrimmages, getting into the swing of things," Mirageas said. "We were all just looking for a spot and we didn’t want to give it away to anybody, especially our own classmates."
Now over a year removed from his "adult decision," the Massachusetts native is showing he belongs in Colorado — NICK FRAZIER
The Notebook
The semifinals of the Atlantic Hockey tournament provided plenty of surprises, as seventh-seeded Robert Morris defeated top-seeded Mercyhurst on Michael Louria‘s overtime goal. Senior forward Brady Ferguson notched a hat trick and increased his goal count this season to 18. …
That same day, fifth-seed Air Force held Canisius and the best offense in the conference scoreless to move on to the championship game. Falcons junior goaltender Billy Christopoulos made 24 saves for his fifth shutout of the season. …
Air Force handled Robert Morris, 5-1, to win its second straight conference championship. In the NCAA tournament, Air Force upended overall No. 1 St. Cloud State 4-2 in the first round. Senior forward Tyler Ledford scored twice and Christopoulos made 39 stops. It is the second straight year Air Force has won a tourney game. …
This year’s forwards on the 2017-18 conference All-Rookie Team are Sacred Heart’s Marc Johnstone, Bentley’s Luke Santerno and Canisius’ Grant Meyer. The two defensemen named to the All-Rookie Team are AIC’s Brennan Kapcheck and Army’s John Zimmerman. Stefano Durante of AIC takes up the goaltender position on Atlantic Hockey’s All-Rookie Team.
In The Spotlight
Dylan McLaughlin, Canisius
The Lancaster, N.Y., native was named Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year after recording 16 goals and 26 assists in conference play. The junior led the best offense in Atlantic Hockey and is a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Jack Riley, Mercyhurst
The Mercyhurst captain won the Atlantic Hockey Best Defensive Forward Award after blocking 46 shots in his senior season. Riley, from West Point, N.Y., also scored 15 conference goals.
Bryant Christian, AIC
AIC’s captain won the hearts of many in his final collegiate game. After fracturing his tibia on the first shift of a 3-0 loss to Canisius, Christian stayed on the bench the whole game and even took one last shift with 13 seconds left in a game already decided. He wanted to get one last turn on the ice in a Yellow Jackets jersey, something that the college hockey community took note of.
