2018 NCAA Tournament
West Region final: Air Force (23-14-5) vs. Minnesota Duluth (22 -16-3)
Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPN2, AM 1300
Overview
One team played its way into the NCAA Tournament (Air Force), while the other made it in by a nose (Duluth) after losing a conference semifinal game. Once in the NCAAs, the Bulldogs rallied from a 2-0 first-period deficit to defeat Minnesota State, 3-2, in overtime Friday night. Minnesota Duluth, which lost to Denver in the national championshp game last April, improved to 9-0 in first-round games under coach Scott Sandelin. The Falcons, meanwhile, enter Saturday night’s matchup on a season-high four-game win streak.
MORE: Falcons knock off No. St. Cloud State
Air Force update
The Falcons reached the elite eight for the second season in a row due in large part to the play of goaltender Billy Christopoulos, who allowed one goal on 40 shots in a 4-1 victory against No. 1 St. Cloud State on Friday afternoon. Christopoulos has allowed just three goals total in the past five games, and he’s given up just 32 since 2018 began, a 22-game stretch in which Air Force is 15-5-2. … Senior center Tyler Ledford continues his clutch play this postseason with his third goal in the past four game, span that included a series-winner in overtime at Army West Point and the first two against St. Cloud, the second of which was the game winner. Junior center Kyle Haak has five points in his past three games and 11 in his past 12. Senior defenseman Phil Boje had nine of the Falcons’ 29 blocked shots, giving him an even 100 on the season. … The Falcons were 3 for 3 on the penalty kill against one of the top power plays in the nation and have now stopped 26 of the past 29 power plays against them.
Minnesota Duluth update
The Bulldogs are a much different – and much younger – team than the one that reached the 2017 national title game. But they’re no less skilled. Much like St. Cloud State, Duluth features an active, skilled defense, led by freshmen Scott Perunovich (35 points) and Mikey Anderson (22 points). Up front, they feature two solid lines, with junior Peter Krieger (30 points) centering NHL draft picks Riley Tufte (28 points, 16 goals) and Joey Anderson (26 points), and senior Jared Thomas (23) between senior captain Karson Kuhlman (16) and another NHL pick, freshman Nick Swaney (21). … Kuhlman started the Bulldogs’ rally Friday, and Swaney tied the score in the third period before junior Parker Mackay won it in overtime. … Sophomore goalie Hunter Shepard (1.98 GAA and .924 save percentage) has been very good for the Bulldogs, particularly in the second half of the season.
How it could go down
The Falcons have the benefit of an extra four-plus hours of rest, but they face another tall challenge in the resilient Bulldogs. Air Force will have to be careful not to take penalties because Duluth has an even better power play than St. Cloud statistically (24.2 percent to 22.3 percent), and it’s nearly as good as the Falcons on the PK. Both goalies are rolling so expect a low-scoring affair with a Frozen Four berth on the line. There have been games recently when Duluth’s frustrations have gotten the better of it (North Dakota in the NCHC third-place game, for example) and it’s taken too many penalties. Air Force will need to exploit that if it shows up again.
©First Line Editorial 2017-18
