A couple of untimely miscues cost Air Force dearly Saturday night in a 5-2 Atlantic Hockey Conference loss to Niagara at Cadet Arena.
One night after the Purple Eagles took a convincing win, Saturday’s contest was much tighter but the end result was the same as the Falcons were swept at home for the second time in four series and fell below .500 for the first time this season (7-8-3, 3-7-2 AHC).
“They beat us last night, but we beat ourselves tonight,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said. “The bottom line is we chased the scoreboard the entire weekend.”
Niagara (9-5-1, 8-2-1 AHC) scored an unusual goal just 26 seconds into the game – it bounced off Billy Christopoulos‘ shoulder then off a defenseman’s leg and into the net. It then answered Matt Serratore‘s tying goal late in the second period with a short-handed tally to take the lead for good.
The teams traded even strength goals in the third before the Purple Eagles scored two empty-net goals in the final 1:03.
“We had our moments tonight where we played pretty well,” Matt Serratore said. “We were physical and pushed the pace. Then we had times when we dropped some bombs and kind of beat ourselves. It’s a tough pill to swallow when you don’t get outplayed and you lose.”
A neutral-zone giveaway by Matt Koch on a power play led to Niagara’s second goal. Nick Farmer collected the puck and sped in on Christopoulos, scoring high with 5:31 to play in the second period.
Christopoulos, who was sharp Saturday in making 17 saves, then faced a 2-on-1 breakaway early in the third, with Tanner Lomsnes scoring his 12th goal of the season and second in two nights on a give-and-go with Sean King.
The Falcons kept the pressure on and finished with a 25-22 shots on goal edge. Trevor Stone pulled them to 3-2 when he bolted into the offensive zone and took a nice cross-slot pass from Erich Jaeger and slammed it past Brian Wilson (23 saves).
“We felt overall we were more competitive, our intensity, winning battles, finishing checks. It was more of a 60-minute game, but at times there were let-ups,” assistant captain Erik Baskin said. “Shots were pretty heavy in their favor early. We gave up a couple of goals that were potentially preventable. We have to build on this. We’ve been here before. We have confidence in this group.”
Farmer and Derek Brown had the empty-net tallies for the Purple Eagles, who have gone from three wins all last season to nine in the first half of this season.
That, if anything, should give the Falcons some motivation that anything is possible.
Looking forward
No one has used injuries as an excuse for a first half that didn’t meet expectations, but getting captain Dylan Abood, a warrior defenseman, and centers Kyle Haak and Brady Tomlak back can only help in the second half.
“We’ve been dreadful on the dot, and that’s hurt us defensively,” Frank Serratore said.
After nine consecutive weeks of games on top of the academic and military demands, perhaps what the Falcons need most is a break.
“(One key is) going (home) to recharge the batteries,” Baskin said. “We’ve always historically come back in the second half. We’ve learned some tough lessons in the first half and then we’ve applied those in the second half.
“We’ve definitely had our fair share of lessons learned in this first half, but there’s no reason to think it can’t be any different in the second half.”
Added Matt Serratore, “The break is pretty well needed for us; it’s been a tough stretch. But you do have to wipe the slate clean, learn from the experiences we’ve had and hopefully improve upon it.
“Hopefully we can come back with renewed energy and a sense of excitement and be the team we were last year in the second half.”
Check the lineup sheet
The Falcons made two changes to their lineup Saturday. Sophomore Pierce Pluemer entered the lineup at forward while senior Ben Kucera was out, and sophomore Joe Tryan played, while freshman Jake Levin was a scratch. Matt Pulver shifted from wing to Kucera’s center spot.
Air Force’s three stars
- Matt Serratore. One of the ringleaders of applying pressure and finishing checks, his goal tied it late in the second period.
- Trevor Stone. Noticeable at both ends of the ice, he netted his first goal of the season.
- Joe Tyran. The defenseman hit anything that moved and was one of just two Falcons with a plus.
Up next
The Falcons play host to cross-town rival Colorado College on Friday, Dec. 29, at 7:05 p.m. It’s the teams’ only meeting this season. The next night Air Force will head north to play top-ranked Denver, also at 7:05 p.m.
