So much for concerns Air Force might display some rust coming off a four-week holiday break.
The Falcons rode two second-period goals by junior Marshall Bowery and 28 saves by Alex Schilling to a convincing 4-1 victory over defending Atlantic Hockey champion AIC on Friday night at Cadet Arena.
The triumph gave Air Force a 6-1-3 record in the 10 games since it started the season 0-7.
Freshman Luke Manning put the Falcons on the board first, 12:25 into the first. Bowery scored his fourth and fifth of the season 2:18 apart in the middle of the second, and Kieran Durgan added his sixth with 8 seconds to play into an empty net.
Air Force killed off all four AIC power plays, including a five-minute one midway through the third period after Trevor Stone took a high-sticking major.
Schilling had to be especially sharp in the third, when the Falcons were outshot 10-4. Defenseman Jeff Baum‘s blast in the final minute of the first was the only shot to elude the sophomore netminder.
“This was a team that beat us into submission last season,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said. “But it didn’t surprise me that our guys battled the way they did and were tough to play against. Our guys play with a lot of spirit.
“Scoring first was big for us and our penalty kill was great. The best player on the ice by a country mile was Alex Schilling. He was fantastic tonight.”
©First Line Editorial 2020
