Like good cadets, Eric Ehn and Billy Devoney answered their questions dutifully, explaining in clear terms why the Falcons' hockey team, making its first appearance in the NCAA tournament, has a fighting chance against Minnesota.

When the media rite of the tournament was nearing completion, Ehn, AFA's first Hobey Baker Award finalist, and Devoney, the Falcons captain, were allowed to leave the podium while their coach, Frank Serratore, remained to field questions from the masses.

When the two stood and looked to Serratore as he was asked whether he wanted them to leave or stay, Serratore quickly shook his head.

"I want them to stay," he said. "It took a long time to get here."

The wait for the Falcons finally will pay off today, as they make their NCAA tourney debut, against the top-seeded Golden Gophers in the first game of the West Regional at the Pepsi Center.

The Falcons, sick of being the forgotten brother along the Front Range when compared with NCAA tournament regulars Colorado College and the University of Denver, are eager to carry the torch for the region when the spotlight focuses on them today in college hockey's version of the Big Dance.

"It's an opportunity to validate ourselves," Serratore said. "We do have a good team. We are good. That's our thing with CC and DU right now - we really feel we've closed the gap. When I first got here, I was afraid every time we played them that they were going to beat us by 10 goals. I used to dread those games. I don't dread them anymore."

Air Force nearly got over its hurdles against DU and CC this season - the Falcons outshot both teams but suffered a 2-1 loss each time - and also held its own against a Notre Dame team that received a No. 1 seed.

After facing the end of its season in three consecutive games in the Atlantic Hockey Association tournament, the Falcons will turn to freshman goaltender Andrew Volkening today as they aim for the sort of monumental upset victory they narrowly missed three times during the regular season.

The Falcons have struggled to find stability between the pipes, as four players have made at least five starts at goaltender. Serratore was prepared to go with Ben Worker in the AHA championship game after the senior recorded an overtime win against Sacred Heart in the semifinals, but he was persuaded by assistant coach Mike Corbett to give Volkening a shot instead.

The freshman responded by stopping 23 of 24 shots in AFA's NCAA tournament-clinching victory against Army, an effort that helped give Serratore enough confidence to start Vol- kening against a Gophers team that ranks third in the nation in scoring.

"As far as rallying behind a goalie goes, we don't have a problem on our team, just because we are such a tight-knit group," Ehn said. "If we play any of the four we have, we feel confident. We have been kind of waiting for one to step forward and really take over. We support them all as much as we can, but I think coming down the stretch, we've put a lot of support behind Andrew, because he has really stepped his game up."

Air Force's challenge will be magnified by a field widely considered to be the toughest of the tournament's four regions. Minnesota, Michigan and North Dakota all harbor legitimate national championship aspirations. So, if the Falcons can pull off the sort of upset that AHA member Holy Cross managed against the Gophers in the first round of the tournament last year, their task will be just as daunting in the championship match Sunday.

"The Achilles' heel of all the teams is goaltending," said Adam Wodon, a longtime college hockey analyst and the editor in chief of the online publication CollegeHockeyNews.com. "None of them have the top five goalies in the tournament. Michigan has the best scoring in the nation, but their goaltending has been up and down. But they are quite capable of playing good defense. North Dakota and Minnesota, too. They just have to get the guys to play it."

Air Force vs. Minnesota

• What: First round of the West Regional of the NCAA tournament.

• When: 1:30 p.m. today.

• Where: Pepsi Center.

• Records: Air Force, 19-15-5; Minnesota, 30-9-3.

• TV/radio: ESPNU; tape-delay broadcast on Altitude at midnight; KEPN-AM (1600).

• Leading scorers

Air Force Pos. G A Pts.

Eric Ehn C 24 40 64

Andrew Ramsey LW 22 25 47

Mike Phillipich RW 16 27 43

Jeff Hajner RW 12 14 26

Josh Schaffer C 7 14 21

Coach: Frank Serratore

Minnesota Pos. G A Pts.

Jay Barriball RW 18 23 41

Kyle Okposo C 19 20 39

Blake Wheeler C 18 20 38

Alex Goligoski D 9 28 37

Mike Vannelli D 10 25 35

Coach: Don Lucia

• Notes: Minnesota is making its NCAA-record 31st appearance in the national tournament. . . . Air Force never has played Minnesota. . . . Ehn has collected three goals and 11 assists during a seven-game scoring streak. . . . Phillipich recorded three goals and four assists in the Falcons' three victories in the Atlantic Hockey Association tournament. . . . Minnesota junior forward Mike Howe, who has posted five goals and seven assists in 39 games, is not expected to play because of a leg injury. . . . The Golden Gophers won the regular-season championship and postseason tournament in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

North Dakota vs. Michigan

• What: First round of the West Regional of the NCAA tournament.

• When: 5:30 p.m. today.

• Where: Pepsi Center.

• Records: North Dakota, 22-13-5; Michigan, 26-13-1.

• TV/radio: Tape-delay broadcast on Altitude at 2:30 a.m. Sunday; KEPN-AM (1600).

• Leading scorers

North Dakota Pos. G A Pts.

Ryan Duncan LW 30 23 53

T.J. Oshie RW 13 31 44

Jonathan Toews C 16 27 43

Taylor Chorney D 8 21 29

Robbie Bina D 8 20 28

Coach: Dave Hakstol

Michigan Pos. G A Pts.

T.J. Hensick C 21 45 66

Kevin Porter LW 23 33 56

Andrew Cogliano C 23 25 48

Chad Kolarik RW 18 27 45

Jack Johnson D 16 21 37

Coach: Red Berenson

• Notes: Michigan is the second seed in the region and North Dakota is seeded third. . . . Duncan, Oshie and Toews all scored goals in the Fighting Sioux's 5-1 victory against Michigan in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year. . . . North Dakota suffered only one loss in 18 games before losing the Western Collegiate Hockey Association final in overtime to Minnesota. . . . Duncan was the WCHA player of the year. . . . Michigan lost the title game of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association tournament against Notre Dame, the top seed in the Midwest Region. . . . The Wolverines own a 45-39-4 advantage against North Dakota.

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