JANESVILLE – The Janesville Jets, proud members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are pleased to announce that forward Evan Feno has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey for the Air Force Falcons of the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHC).
Feno (5’10/175) has taken an impressive step forward in his second season with the Jets, moving from a secondary scoring role he played last season into the first line center on the top team in the league. The 1995-born center has scored 13 goals and tallied 33 assists this season. His 46 points rank eighth in league scoring, and his two wingers, Zach LaValle and Brandon Schultz, are fourth and 10th, respectively.
“If you look at [Feno’s] numbers, they’re heavy on the assists,” said Jets head coach Joe Dibble. “That just goes to show his hockey IQ is off the charts. He’s a kid who can not only score goals, but he can make plays. His two linemates have reaped benefits from him this year, and a lot of that goes to his work ethic. He plays the game the right way.”
Feno was quick to give credit to his wingers.
“I owe a lot of my success to my linemates,” said Feno, who has recorded 15 points over the Jets’ recent eight-game winning streak. “We have a great chemistry and really help each other out. We’re unselfish and it’s great for everyone in the long run.”
Feno is from Morrison, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. His parents will be able to watch his home games at the Cadet Ice Arena, hardly an hour away.
“I’m very excited to play in Colorado,” said Feno. “I love Colorado, I love the atmosphere, and it’s going to be good being close to home.”
Waiting for Feno in Colorado Springs will be three former Jets. Forward Jordan Himley and goaltender Austin Priebe are both finishing their freshman years with the Falcons. Kyle Patava, a forward currently with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League (USHL), committed to Air Force in October, when he was still with the Jets.
The head coach of the Falcons is Frank Serratore, a native of Coleraine, Minnesota. He began coaching Air Force in 1997, when Feno was just two years old. Serratore has more than 30 years of head coaching experience, and his brother, Tom, coaches the Bemidji State Beavers, where Jets defenseman Ian Janco will play next season.
“They’re a first class staff,” said Dibble of Serratore and his assistants. “They do things the right way. They don’t let their players get away with being lazy. They make young men into great young hockey players and better overall human beings.”
Serratore’s Falcons have eight graduating seniors on their current roster, including four of their top six forwards. With so much roster change coming next year, Feno is ready to play a major role for the Falcons.
“I think I can bring a lot of offensive production while being defensively stable,” he said. “I think I can be a solid two-way player who can contribute and help the team win any way I can.”
As far as Dibble is concerned, Serratore and his Falcons got a steal in acquiring Feno.
“[Feno] will come in, and by the time he leaves his senior year, everyone will look back and say, “I can’t believe we got him.” He’s one of those players who will get better every day, every month, and every season. You haven’t seen the best of Evan Feno yet.”
Feno is the eighth player of the 2014-2015 Jets to commit to a Division I program, joining Ian Janco (Bemidji State), Grant Hutton (Miami), Nicolas Erb-Ekholm (Alaska-Anchorage), Kyle Patava (Air Force), Cullen Munson (Army), Mitch Fossier (Maine), and Drew Callin (Bentley).