The rematch was no match, and as a result Air Force is headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row and the seventh time in program history.

The Falcons scored twice in the first three minutes of the game and led by four goals early in the second period en route to a 5-1 victory over Robert Morris in the Atlantic Hockey Conference championship game at Rochester, N.Y., on Saturday night.

Kyle Haak scored two goals and Billy Christopoulos made 35 saves, 28 after the Falcons’ dominant first period to ensure another AHC championship and second in a row against Robert Morris.

“Unbelievable. You get those three early goals, and that’s not really in the coaching manual,” Falcons assistant Joe Doyle said. “You expect these games to be tight. You try to find that balance where you’re not pushing too hard where you give up chances.”

Air Force (22-14-5) continued to be money in AHC title games, keeping its 1.000 batting average (7 for 7), and in the process continued its second-half resurrection. Sitting 7-8-2 at the Christmas break after an injury-racked first half, the Falcons have gone 15-6-2 since.

The Falcons, who edged RMU 2-1 in last season’s AHC title game, chased Colonials goalie Francis Marotte after Evan Giesler made it 4-0 just 5:07 into the second period. Giesler intercepted a clearing pass by Robert Morris (18-20-3), carried it in and snapped it past Marotte (13 saves).

Nick Prkusic got one goal back for RMU, when he scored on a power play with 4:08 left in the second. That came during a string of five consecutive penalties by the Falcons from late in the first period until early in the third.

“We settled in a little too much,” Doyle said. “We made some adjustments and clogged up the middle. They’re a dangerous team. If they get another goal with 20 minutes left it’s a different game.”

Haak put the Falcons on the board 2:06 in off a nice pass from Jordan Himley. Defenseman Jonathan Kopacka extended the lead to 2-0 just 50 seconds later when he gathered a rebound of a Brady Tomlak shot and fired it past Marotte.

Himley gave the Falcons a 3-0 lead on a sequence during a power play in which defenseman Phil Boje got the puck out of the AFA zone and found room to launch a point shot that hit Marotte. Himley collected the rebound and promptly put it in.

The Haak-Himley-Matt Serratore line was omnipresent all game.

“Getting HImley back after last weekend (when he was injured during Game 1 at Army West Point) was huge,” Doyle said. “He’s a game-breaker. He can wire a puck, he’s dangerous. Haaker has been taking steady steps the last month or two. His brain is big time, his stick is good and he’s got his legs under him (after overcoming two injuries).”

Boje also got the primary assist on an empty-net goal by Haak with 6:00 to play. With Colonials backup goalie Andrew Pikul (14 saves) pulled, Boje got the puck to Haak in the neutral zone, and the junior found the net for the third time in two goals this weekend.

The other prize for the Falcons, aside from the NCAA Tournament berth, is winning the conference’s inaugural Jack Riley Trophy, named for the legendary Army West Point coach.

“How special is it that a service academy won it?” Doyle said. “We’ve got a good group, whoever we have in there. We’re trending in the right direction. We’ve been better each of the last two, three, four weekends.”

Notable

The Falcons continued some impressive trends. When scoring four goals in a game, they improved to 13-0, and they’re now 17-2-2 when they get the first goal. … Air Force also has been unbeatable when they lead after two periods (20-0). “To be able to come at teams with our depth is huge,” Doyle said.

All-tournament team

Befitting a team that won two games in the conference final four by a cumulative 8-1, the Falcons dominated the all-tournament team.

Christopoulos was selected the tournament MVP, and with good reason, as he stopped 59 of 60 shots on goal over the weekend. Zack Mirageas and Kopacka were the defensemen, and Haak and Himley were two of the three forwards, joining RMU’s Brady Ferguson, who scored three goals in a semifinal upset of top-seeded Mercyhurst on Friday.

Air Force’s three stars

1. Billy Christopoulos. The junior stopped 35 of 36 shots and was selected the tournament MVP.
2. Kyle Haak. The junior center scores two goals and wins 11 of 19 face-offs (58 percent).
3. Jordan Himley. The senior scored the Falcons’ third goal and set up Haak’s first goal.

Up next

The Falcons are headed to the NCAA Tournament. Their opponent and location will be revealed when the tournament field is announced Sunday morning (10 a.m. MT on ESPNU). A possibility exists they could be sent to Sioux Falls, S.D., where they could conceivably play St. Cloud State, a program with close ties to Air Force’s. Huskies coach Bob Motzko was on Frank Serratore‘s staff at Denver in the early 1990s.

©First Line Editorial 2017-18