It’s not exactly back to the drawing board, but Friday night’s 4-1, season-opening loss to No. 10 Denver will provide the Air Force staff with plenty of teachable moments.
The Pioneers blitzed the Falcons in the first period, taking a 2-0 lead in the first 8:38, and Air Force played catchup the rest of the game.
Evan Giesler scored for Air Force and Billy Christopoulos, who was left to fend for himself more often than he’ll want to remember, made 22 saves.
“They brought speed, they brought skill. They exerted a tremendous amount of energy trying to get that lead and knock us out in the first period,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said. “We were fortunate to get out of it 2-0. They came hard.”
Signs of life
Slowly but surely the Falcons were able to pressure DU more in the second, and the result – eventually – a nice redirection goal by Giesler off a cross-slot feed from Evan Feno on a power play with 2:56 to go.
After not drawing a penalty for more than 32 minutes over two periods, Air Force’s pressure started to get to the Pioneers a bit as they drew two in a 3:24 span. After being outshot 12-4 in the first period, the Falcons bounced back for a 13-8 edge.
“There’s no way they could keep up that pace they had in the first period,” Serratore said. “I told our guys if we could just hang in there. We needed to turn the game.”
The one dent in the period was a beautiful individual play by Pioneers freshman Emilio Pettersen, who capitalized on a turnover in the Falcons zone and skated down the left side in alone on Christopoulos, burying a nifty forehand-backhand move with 6:53 to play. Pettersen also had two assists, and the Pioneers’ top line accounted for six points.
Slow start
To say it wasn’t the start the Falcons were looking for would be putting it politely.
Denver’s speed and creativity below the dots created all sorts of chances, and had Christopoulos not been sharp from the get-go, the spread could have been wider than the 2-0 margin the Pioneers built just 8:38 in.
Jaakko Heikkinen found Jake Durflinger on Christopoulos’ backdoor with a nice pass from the lower left circle 2:25 in. The strike came on the fourth line’s first shift of the game and second shot.
Defenseman Ian Mitchell made it 2-0 only 21 seconds into a 5-on-3 power player with a laser from the high slot. Cole Guttman, who scored DU’s fourth goal early in the third, won a draw to Pettersen, who turned on the left dot and found Mitchell all alone just above the circles to make it 2-0.
Denver had at least six quality chances in the period, while the Falcons mustered one.
Notes
Two rays of hope for the Falcons – they blocked 16 shots and they won 30 of 52 face-offs (59 percent). … A new NCAA rule allows teams to dress a 19th skater this season. The Falcons opted to dress seven defensemen, including Colorado native Keegan Mantaro, one of five Coloradans in the teams’ lineups. Senior Evan Feno and sophomore goalie Zack LaRocque were the others in AFA’s lineup. For the Pioneers, freshman forward Jared Resseguie was an extra forward. He and senior forward Colin Staub were DU’s Coloradans.
Air Force’s three stars
- Evan Giesler. The senior co-captain scored the lone goal and played all out, as he typically does.
- Evan Feno. He set up Giesler’s goal and had his pilot light lit all game.
- Billy Christopoulos. Take away a half dozen or so of his saves from in tight and this could have gotten ugly.
The last word
“We got exposed big time tonight,” Serratore said. “We’re not a good enough team to overcome that collection of talent at this point in time. I believe that will change, like it usually does. When we’re great it’s because we’re a great team.”
Up next
The Falcons head south to play Colorado College at 7 p.m. Saturday at World Arena. The Tigers defeated Alabama-Huntsville, 1-0, in their home opener Friday.
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