The Seventh Period is a wrap-up of Air Force’s hockey series against Arizona State on Oct. 18-19.

First Period

Air Force went nearly seven periods between goals before scoring Saturday. Freshman center Luke Manning‘s first NCAA goal with 3:01 to in the second period ended a drought of 139:12. The man who scored the previous goal, junior Max Harper, scored in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Arizona State.

Second period

Unlike Friday, when the Falcons mustered just 15 shots on goal, they erupted for 40 – by far a season high – on Saturday. The problem was the Sun Devils put half of their six third-period shots into the net. Coach Frank Serratore specifically cited his team’s turnovers as a factor in giving ASU prime scoring chances.

Third period

Arizona State converted two of four power plays Saturday, marking the second time in three games the Falcons have allowed multiple PPGs by an opponent. As a result, Air Force’s penalty kill sits at 73.3 percent, 45th in Division I. There’s a long ways to go this season, but it’s worth noting the Falcons led the nation in that stat last season.

Fourth period

The Falcons have led games for exactly 25:27, and that stretch came during the first and second periods of the first game of the season at Notre Dame. What’s more, they’ve only been tied for 5:16 (at 1-1 during last Sunday’s game at Notre Dame). With all the other challenges the Falcons face, continuously chasing the scoreboard doesn’t make things any easier.

Fifth period

Three Falcons made their season debuts on Saturday – sophomore forward Shawn Knowlton and two freshmen – defenseman Andrew Kruse and forward Keenan Lund. Saturday also marked the first time Air Force dressed seven defensemen.

Sixth period

The last time the Falcons started the season with four losses was 2010-11. That means big trouble, right? Not at all. Air Force finished 20-12-6 that season and won the Atlantic Hockey tournament before losing to Yale, 2-1, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Seventh period

There is no rest for the weary. The Falcons will begin a series on short rest for the second week in a row. They open Atlantic Hockey Conference play against RIT at Cadet Arena on Thursday night, a series moved up one day to avoid a conflict with football on Saturday. Air Force also had just five days between games this past week because they wrapped up their season-opening series at Notre Dame on Sunday.

©First Line Editorial 2019