There was no turkey hangover for Air Force’s offense, and that is one of the encouraging signs to emerge from an Atlantic Hockey Conference series that could have gone one of two ways.
What could have been the Falcons’ best chance yet to sweep an AHC series nearly went up in smoke in Game 1 at Sacred Heart, a 3-3 tie. The Falcons took a 3-1 lead into the final three minutes and had a power play before things unraveled.
Obviously, they’re quick studies because the learning opportunity coach Frank Serratore talked about after that game quickly became practical application in Sunday’s game, a 5-3 victory that marked only the second time AFA had scored as many goals this season (the second game at Bemidji State in mid-October was the other).
Taking three of four points on the road against the one team underneath you in the standings is a good starting point, and grabbing points for the fourth time in the past five conference games also helps as Air Force continues to rebuild its injury-racked season.
Here are a few takeaways from the weekend, the Falcons’ penultimate one of the first half.
Offensive eruption
The eight goals over two games marked the Falcons’ highest output of the season, and interestingly enough six of the eight came from three players – senior defenseman Jonathan Kopacka, junior wing Evan Giesler and sophomore center Erich Jaeger.
Kopacka has been among the Falcons’ skating wounded, in and out of the lineup because of an upper-body injury. And he might not have played had not freshman Alex Mehnert, the reigning AHC rookie of the week, not been felled by illness on the trip. But Kopacka scored a goal in each game and added an assist on Saturday. And his goals were big ones – Saturday’s gave the Falcons a 3-1 lead and Sunday’s sparked a three-goal rally that flipped a two-goal deficit to one-goal lead.
Giesler, who leads the team with 12 points, brings a willingness to be involved in every zone and it is again showing in multiple ways. He had an assist Saturday before getting goals 3 and 4 on Sunday on a tip and a back-door play. Both were a direct result of patient plays by junior defenseman Matt Koch, who had three assists on the weekend and has 11 points overall.
Jaeger has been cited by Serratore as one of the Falcons who has made the most of his opportunity for more playing time. Not only has he improved on face-offs, but his more well-rounded game is beginning to show up on the scoresheet as well. After scoring one goal and three points in 14 games as a freshman, he vaulted past those totals in his 14th game this season (two goals, five points). Jaeger centered an all-around effective line that includes Trevor Stone, himself just back from injury, and freshman Marshall Bowery.
The other goal scorers were forwards Erik Baskin and Matt Serratore, two every situation players the Falcons look to for offense. Not surprisingly they sit No. 1 (Serratore, 6) and No. 2 (Baskin, 5) in goals scored.
Three-mendous
The Falcons don’t lose if they reach three goals; they’re 7-0-2 when that happens. That’s due in large part to the play of goaltender Billy Christopoulos but improving all-around play also is a reason.
Christopoulos has been as consistent as can be, allowing as many as four goals once (at Bemidji State) in 16 games. In the first 10 games, he’d allowed as many as three just three times. Air Force went 5-4-1 in that span.
In the six games since, he’s given up three goals five times and two in the other (Holy Cross had an empty-netter). Yet the Falcons are 2-2-2 in that stretch (which coincided with the peak of injured players).
The difference of late is the offense is giving him a bit of breathing room, and defensively the team isn’t giving up odd-man rushes and breakaways quite as often. In their past five games the Falcons have 17 goals (3.4 per game, almost a goal better than the season average). So for as well as Christopoulos has played, the recent offensive renaissance is a heavy contributor to keeping AFA in the hunt.
Numbers game
Bear in mind the Falcons have played 10 of their first 16 games on the road. That would be challenging enough without the injuries, but they’ve managed to go 4-3-3 in those 10. The area to improve, and I think it will, is at home where since a sweep of Arizona State, they’ve gone just 1-3. They get their chance this weekend against a surprising Niagara team. … AFA also is above water in one-goal games (4-3).
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