Air Force controlled play for long stretches Friday night but could not solve Sacred Heart goaltender Brett Magnus in a 2-1 Atlantic Hockey Conference loss at Cadet Arena.
Twice the Pioneers scored goals in the first 3-plus minutes of a period, while the Falcons (11-11-3, 6-9-2 AHC) could only muster freshman Marshall Bowery‘s third goal in the past two games.
“I liked our game tonight,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said. “The effort was there. In a lot of ways, I am proud of our guys. I feel bad for them. They did everything we asked them to do tonight.
“We outshot them by a bunch, but we have to find a way to score goals. This game is not about territorial play. It is about putting the puck in the net.”
Bowery’s first-period goal tied the score with 7:25 to play and came after fellow freshman Walker Sommer retrieved the puck in the right corner, walked to the circle and found Bowery on the right dot.
Sacred Heart (7-14-4, 4-10-4 AHC) took the lead just 3:04 in when Jackson Barliant skated the puck into the offensive zone and snapped a wrister from the right circle at 3:04.
The Pioneers took 18 seconds longer to start the second period, scoring after a Falcons turnover at their own blue line at 3:22.
Vito Bavaro collected the puck and found Mel Melconian open in front of Billy Christopoulos. The Falcons goalie poked the puck from Melconian at the top of the crease. However, the puck caromed off of Melconian’s foot and under the pads of Christopoulos (14 saves).
Notable
The Falcons got two injured players back Friday – defenseman Phil Boje and center Erich Jaeger. Boje had a game-high eight shots on goal. … The Falcons outshot the Pioneers 36-16. … Air Force also killed off both of its penalties, giving them seven consecutive kills over three games.
Air Force’s three stars
- Marshall Bowery. The freshman is emerging as a scorer, getting his third in two games.
- Walker Sommer. Another freshman set up Bowery’s goal and was one of just two Falcons in plus territory.
- Phil Boje. He generated eight shots and played heavy minutes in his first game in three weeks.
Up next
The teams play again Saturday at 5:05 p.m. at Cadet Arena
