A rough start gave way to an excellent finish, and as a result Air Force left Bemidji, Minn., feeling good about its split with the Beavers.
The Falcons, who rose to No. 17 in the uscho.com rankings (up from 19), fell, 4-1 to the Beavers on Friday, but bounced back in a big way Saturday to take a 5-1 victory.
If you’re using the Frank Serratore scoring system, the Falcons won the Serratore Bowl over brother Tom’s Bemidji State team by a cumulative 6-5. And who are we to argue with the coach?
Here are some takeaways from the series:
Happy returns
Not only did junior forward Matt Serratore return to the lineup after missing the season’s first four games due to injury, but he returned to his hometown of Bemidji, where his dad coaches the local hockey team. Clearly the home cooking agreed with him. Serratore was the Falcons’ best player both nights, scored a goal in each game and set up Jordan Himley’s all-important first goal on Saturday. Serratore is also one of the Falcons’ best defensive forwards.
Another return of note was that of Himley’s offense. With an assist on Serratore’s goal Friday and two goals of his own Saturday, the Falcons’ leading scorer of a year ago got his offensive groove back. He also was reunited with center Kyle Haak, with whom he did most of his damage last season.
The third return was that of forward Trevor Stone, who missed Friday’s game while still in concussion protocol. He had the second assist on Matt Koch‘s goal.
The Kochie Monster
It’s not as if Koch hasn’t put up big offensive numbers before. After all, he was the NAHL’s Defenseman of the Year in 2014-15, when he scored 51 points. But there the junior sits, atop the Air Force scoring list with six points and tied with Erik Baskin with a team-best three goals. Koch got his third on Saturday to build the Falcons’ lead to 4-1. Koch is putting up offense while being paired with freshman Zack Mirageas, who has played five games, more than any other Falcons newcomer.
Mr. consistent
He’s a plus player. He wins more than 50 percent of his faceoffs. And he has a point in all but one game so far this season for the Falcons. He is senior assistant captain Tyler Ledford, and he also got his first goal of the season on Saturday. Ledford’s unreal stick skills and hard work are translating to points right off the bat this season, which wasn’t always the case a year ago. It should come as no surprise that his linemates are among the Falcons’ top scorers – Evan Giesler (four points) and Erik Baskin (three goals).
Another unsung hero has been shot-block machine Phil Boje, who had his first multi-point game of the season Saturday, when he logged two assists. If the all-AHC pick from a year ago gets it going offensively again that will add another dimension to the Air Force attack.
Next up
The Falcons open Atlantic Hockey Conference play at Canisius on Friday and Saturday. The Golden Griffins tied Colgate, 3-3, on Saturday and sit at 1-1-1 after an earlier AHC split with Robert Morris.
Click here for a recap of Friday’s game, and here for a recap of Saturday’s game
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