Should Air Force end up going on the road for the Atlantic Hockey Conference quarterfinals, Friday’s 2-1 overtime loss to Holy Cross will be one of many reasons why.
The Falcons dominated possession for much of the game ended up finishing with a 29-15 shots on goal advantage, but the Crusaders’ Mitch Collett ended the game with 2:29 to play in overtime on a great individual effort.
Collett’s shot from inside the right dot was kicked out by Billy Christopoulos, but Collett cut toward the net and buried the rebound.
“I thought we played a terrific game. When you only score one goal it’s tough,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said. “If this team goes down it’s going to be because it doesn’t score goals.
“We deserved a better fate. When they stink, I’ll be the first one to tell them. Tonight, our guys showed up and played hard.”
If there is a silver lining, it’s that Air Force (15-13-5, 13-10-4 AHC) clinched a first-round playoff bye when Mercyhurst lost in overtime to Robert Morris. The Falcons remain tied for fourth place with RIT, one point behind third-place Sacred Heart.
Trevor Stone, who missed last weekend game due to an illness, gave Air Force a short-lived 1-0 lead midway through the second period when he converted a pass from Evan Giesler with 9:58 to go.
The Crusaders (10-18-5, 10-13-4 AHC) tied it six minutes later on Michael Laffin‘s strike with 3:46 to go.
Tommy Nixon made 28 saves for Holy Cross, while Christopoulos stopped 13 shots. The Crusaders also blocked 21 shots.
Notes
Air Force fell to 0-2-5 in overtime games and 0-12 in games in which they score one or fewer goals. … The Falcons dominated on the face-off circle, winning 45 of 74 draws (61 percent), but they were 0 for 4 on the power play. They killed off all four Crusaders power plays.
Air Force’s three stars
- Trevor Stone. It was questionable if he would play, and he ended up scoring the Falcons’ only goal.
- Zack Mirageas. He blocked three shots, was a plus-1 and had three shots on goal while spearheading a defense that largely thwarted Holy Cross.
- Evan Feno. The senior went 13 of 20 in the circle and created several chances.
Up next
The series concludes at 5:05 p.m. at Cadet Arena. The Falcons will honor their seven seniors before the game.
©First Line Editorial 2017-19
