Air Force worked overtime Saturday night, but the paycheck was worth it – the Ice Breaker Tournament championship.

Goaltender Shane Starrett made 50 saves, several in the closing minutes of the second overtime when Ohio State had a 4-on-3 power play, and Tyler Ledford scored a sudden death shootout goal to clinch it.

Phil Boje scored a first-period goal for the Falcons and Ben Kucera and Jordan Himley tallied in the second period. Kucera’s power-play strike was his second in two nights, and Boje and Ledford each had assists as well.

Here’s what we learned:

There is no formula for Falcons victories

Friday night Air Force staged a two-goal, third-period comeback against the No. 5 team in the nation. Saturday the Falcons took control of the game in the second period with two goals to lead 3-1 entering the third. But Ohio State stormed back to tie behind 17-3 shot avalanche. As they had all game, the teams traded penalties in the overtimes, with the Falcons needing to kill off a 4-on-3 in the final minutes of the second one. Ledford then ended it on the Falcons first shootout attempt after Starrett had stopped OSU captain Nick Schilkey with a beautiful left toe save. But even that had a catch. “No one on the bench knew the game was over,” Ledford said. “We thought they lost because they sent the wrong guy out.” Added Starrett, “I didn’t know it had ended. I was told it was three rounds. I was focused on the next shooter.”

The last line of defense is in midseason form

Starrett is picking right up where he left off last season, when he went 16-9-5 with a 1.92 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. One night after stopping 37 of 38 shots vs. BC he stopped 50 of 53 Ohio State shots. For those scoring at home, that’s a .956 save percentage and a 1.85 gaa so far. The shorthanded situations at the end? No problem, Ledford said. “Our penalty kill has been saving us the past two years, our defensemen must have had four or five blocks on every one, but we don’t worry too much with Shane back there. He’s our best penalty killer.”

It’s all right to dream big

Buoyed by the Ice Breaker title and wins over bigger programs, the Falcons are thinking this is just a sign of things to come. With a series against Division I newcomer Arizona State next weekend before AHC play begins at home vs. Bentley and continues with a weekend at West Point, it’s not unrealistic Air Force could be 6-2 or better heading into a major showdown with R.I.T in mid-November.  “We know we have a top team and we want to show it,” Starrett said. More specifically, Ledford said, the goal is to be playing into April. “We have a goal in mind, we want to be in the Frozen Four. This weekend sends a message to our league that everybody needs to be ready for us.”