Air Force Falcons Hockey Star Claims Defenseman of Month Award

The Air Force Falcons are struggling to stay at .500 this season, but this defenseman is having a tremendous season.

Apr 11, 2024; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; A general view of the rink prior to the semifinals of the 2024 Frozen Four college ice hockey tournament at Xcel Energy Center. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Chris Hedden, an Air Force junior, was named the Atlantic Hockey America Defenseman of the Month for December.

The Falcons (9-11-1, 6-5-0 in conference play) were in Fairfield, Conn., on Friday to take on Sacred Heart and absorbed a 3-0 loss. The Falcons play again on Saturday.

This is the second time Hedden has won the AHA award, as he claimed it for his play in October.

Air Force only played two games in December, but Hedden made the most of them.

Both games were against Niagara and he helped the Falcons win the series by finishing with four of Air Force’s six points. He took 12 shots and blocked four shots.

In the first game he had a season-high eight shots on goal and dished out an assist in a 3-2 overtime loss.

The Falcons won the second game, 4-2, as Hedden scored two goals, tying his career high, and also had an assist to finish with three points. His two goals gave Air Force a 2-0 lead in the game. His assist came on the final goal.

Hedden has emerged as one of the best defensemen in the country. He went into the Sacred Heart series ranked fourth in the country with 41 blocked shots and fifth with 81 shots on goal. Among players in the AHA, he leads in shots and is second in blocked shots.

Against Sacred Heart, Hedden was a minus-3 as he blocked a shot. The Falcons were down 1-0 in the second period and struggled to tie the game. The Pioneers scored two more goals in the final two minutes as Air Force went to an empty net.

When Hedden won the AHA award in October, he scored six points (4-2-6) in eight games, which included two power-play goals and 17 blocked shots. At the time, he was tied for the national lead for goals among defensemen. One of his assists that month helped clinch Air Force’s overtime win over ranked Arizona State.

The Falcons return home to host Bentley next Friday and Saturday, followed by a trip to West Point, N.Y. to take on service academy rival Army West Point on Jan. 17-18. The Falcons will get a rematch with the Black Knights on Feb. 14-15 at USAFA.

The AHA playoffs will begin in March.