If you can get past the video-game like goal and shots on goal totals, there were some other signs that Air Force might be onto something this season.
The Falcons took apart Trinity Western, 8-0, and outshot their exhibition guests an almost unreal 77-12 on Sunday night at Cadet Arena. Thirteen Falcons dented the scoresheet, two had three points and two more had two goals.
“We scored more tonight than we did all last season,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said tongue in cheek afterward, later adding, “It’s hard for a team to go back-to-back (nights) at altitude, and (Trinity Western) had a tough game (Saturday) at CC.
“I thought our attitude and our effort level were good. We got a chance to work on a lot of things.”
Here are The Flight Path’s observations:
Agressive attack
Yes, the Falcons faced a tired opponent, but time and again they beat the Spartans to loose pucks and got second and third chances on a trio of goalies. Air Force drove the net and reached rebounds first as much as any time I can recall in the past four seasons, and their various forechecks not only kept Trinity pent up in its zone but created a myriad of scoring chances.
Every line scored, and two juniors who didn’t get on the scoresheet – wings Max Harper and Marshall Bowery – looked as fast as I have ever seen them.
“We do have four good lines, and all of them have the capabilities to play with intensity and the capabilities to score goals,” Serratore said.
Harper’s linemates – senior assistant captains Brady Tomlak and Trevor Stone each went for a goal and two assists. Stone had a remarkable 12 shots on goal.
The kids are all right
The Falcons dressed seven freshmen (four on defense) plus transfer Ty Pochipinski, who is designated a sophomore after playing three games for Colorado College last season before returning to junior midway through the campaign.
The early returns were very good as the class produced eight points. Two of the group’s three goals were scored by winger Willie Reim, including one on his first college shift.
“A goal on your first college shift, how cool is that?” Serratore said. “He had a tremendous game.”
Reim and linemates Bowery and fellow freshman Luke Manning accounted for 16 shots.
A third freshman, Blake Bride, who played with captain Matt Pulver and sophomore Kieran Durgan, also scored.
“I thought Manning really stood out tonight, he’s a little bit like Evan Feno,” Tomlak said. “Reimer had a really good game. He can really rip the puck. He’s a big body who can shoot. Poch (Pochipinski) is an all-around player, he’s fast, he’s skilled.”
The green blue line
Three of the four freshmen defensemen had assists, and the quartet combined for four helpers, including two by Brandon Koch, younger brother of recently graduated Matt.
Koch, as was his brother most of the past two seasons, was paired with Zach Mirageas, who scored a goal.
“He’s going to be fun to play with,” Mirageas noted. “We’ve got some talent on the back end.”
Andrew Kruse and Dalton Weigel had the other assists.
Sophomore goalie Alex Schilling was tested right off the bat in the third period. Photo courtesy of Paat Kelly / Pengo Sports and Air Force Athletics
The Maytag repairmen
The circumstances of the game – Trinity Western didn’t gets a shot on goal until 7:12 into the second period and rarely had grade A chances – meant it was harder to get a good read on goalies Zach LaRocque and Alex Schilling. Both saw few shots.
LaRocque, a junior, played the first two periods and saw just eight shots. Schilling, a sophomore, played the third, the three-on-three overtime (agreed upon by both teams before the game to give the Falcons a taste of that before Atlantic Hockey play begins) and the shootout.
Schilling, who had four regulation saves and three more in the OT, had to make a point-blank stop early in the third and another on a shot from the high slot.
“Our young goalie’s first save (in the shootout) was game-saving because if they score it’s over. And then he made the save to win the game – that was nice to see,” Serratore added.
The last word
Serratore on his young team: “This group has been so fun to work with. We turned the page on a great chapter in our history with all those boys we graduated the last two years. Not just great athletes but great students. … This group the way they have come to work and their attitudes, it sure eased the transition. We’re really having a lot of fun with these guys.”
©First Line Editorial 2019
