A chance to keep pace in the race for an Atlantic Hockey playoff spot slipped through Air Force’s grasp on Saturday night.

Less than a minute after Will Gavin tied the score with 5:11 to play in regulation, Sacred Heart won it on a goal from near the bottom of the right circle to take a 5-3 victory. The loss ended the Falcons’ season-high four-game win streak, and more importantly it dented their postseason hopes because Canisius completed a sweep of Mercyhurst to take a seven-point lead for the eighth, and final, AHA playoff spot.

The Falcons play host to the Golden Griffins on Monday and Tuesday in what amounts to a playoff series at Cadet Arena.

An old problem pops up for Air Force

Air Force gave itself a chance, but it had to expend a lot of energy in doing so because it was chasing the scoreboard most of the game.

The Falcons (11-17-2, 7-12-1 AHA) recently had corrected, at least partially, their bad habit of giving up the first goal in games. That reappeared Saturday, when the second-place Pioneers (15-12-2, 13-6-2) scored twice in the first 8:25 on even-strength goals by Austin Magera and Chikara Hanzawa.

Freshman Holt Oliphant got one back – his third of the season – for the Falcons with 3:16 to play in the period, and Clayton Cosentino tied it with a snipe at the end of a two-on-one with Nate Horn 3:19 into the second period. That was Cosentino’s fifth goal.

However, Sacred Heart scored the game’s only power-play goal only 3:41 later, when Neil Shea scored his third goal of the series on a wraparound on Maiszon Balboa.

That is how it stood for the next 27:49 of game time until Gavin’s wrist shot beat a screened Luke Lush.

It appeared the Falcons were in business to pick up at least a point, but John Jaworski’s goal and an empty-netter by Braeden Tuck ended any further comeback hopes.

More wide open game

Both teams’ offenses applied pressure consistently throughout the first two period – they combined for 62 shots on goal. In the third period, Sacred Heart went into lockdown mode, which worked in Air Force’s favor.

The Falcons outshot the hosts 9-3 and had some good chances, but only Gavin could beat Lush, who made 37 saves. Gavin’s goal was his team-high 11th of the season.

Balboa made 29 stops for the Falcons.

Notes: The Falcons fly home Sunday and will lace ’em up again Monday and Tuesday (7 p.m. both nights) against Canisius at Cadet Arena. The Golden Griffins are coming to town after a series against Mercyhurst at Erie, Pa. … Luke Rowe and Brandon Koch each had an assist, giving the defense partners 20 points each. Gavin’s goal also gave him 20 points. Willie Reim had an assist and leads the team with 22 points.

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