Air Force Pushes Back but Falls to Michigan State, 5-3

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Air Force could come all the way back against No. 8 Michigan State. Photo courtesy of Air Force Athletics

Posted By: FlightChief October 13, 2023

Air Force showed plenty of resilience but a three-goal deficit was too much to overcome against No. 8 Michigan State on Friday night.

The Spartans avenged Thursday night’s loss with a 5-3 victory over the Falcons at Cadet Arena to split the non-conference series.

>>READ: Falcons Take Down No. 8 Michigan State

Brendan Gibbons scored for the second game in a row, linemate Nick Remissong buried his first NCAA goal and defenseman Chris Hedden also scored for Air Force (2-2). Joey Larson had three goals and an assist for Michigan State (3-1).

Here are three takeaways from Air Force’s loss.

Freshmen Again Generate Momentum

Thursday, the freshman line of Gibbons, Remissong and center Owen Dubois accounted for three goals and seven points. They played a big role in Air Force building 3-0 and 5-1 leads.

Friday, the skate was on the other foot as the Falcons had to dig out of a 3-0 hole midway through the second period. But Remissong, off a fantastic saucer-pass feed from Gibbons, and Gibbons nearly brought Air Force back by themselves in a 50-second stretch.

The freshman line accounted for more than half of the Falcons’ nine goals in the series. That bodes well because only two upperclassmen — Parker Brown and Clayton Cosentino — scored in the series.

Goaltending Remains Inconsistent

Guy Blessing had some remarkable sequences Friday and made 28 saves. A couple of Michigan State’s goals might have been avoided had the Falcons been able to clear out the congestion in high-danger areas.

But after Air Force battled back to a goal on Gibbons’ strike with 7:18 to go in the second it couldn’t even things because the Spartans struck twice in a row midway through the third period.

Those goals, by Gavin O’Connell and Larson, took the air out of the Falcons’ comeback designs. Blessing was better, but he allowed 10 goals in the series. Granted, he won’t face a team with Michigan State’s level of skill in Atlantic Hockey play, but he will have to tighten up.

Encouraging Signs in Air Force’s Details

The Falcons showed some improvement on special teams, notching a power-play goal on four chances and holding Michigan State to only Larson’s third-period goal. Maybe the biggest improvement was not giving a skilled Spartans group more than two power plays after giving them six in Friday’s win.

Defenseman Chris Hedden, who has displayed a markedly improved all-around game during the first two weekends, got the Falcons’ PPG on a great individual effort. He took a pass from Cosentino above the circles, wheeled to his left and beat Trey Augustine (25 saves) with 4:30 to go. That gave Air Force some life but despite generating several scoring chances with Blessing pulled for an extra attacker, the Falcons couldn’t finish.

The Falcons also owned the faceoff dot for the second night in a row. After winning 57.5 percent of the draws Thursday, the Falcons improved that to 60.3 percent (41 of 68) on Friday. Cosentino and Mason McCormick did the bulk of the heavy lifting.

Last Word on the Series

There was a lot to like about this series from Air Force’s perspective. It showed it can play with any time if it plays its best. The Falcons used their pressure game to generate chances both nights. They also received encouraging play from their underclassmen, depth they will need to continue to emerge.

And Air Force is never out of a game. Its two losses were in overtime and by two goals to the eighth-ranked team in Division I. That might be the most encouraging building block.

Next series: Air Force travels to play at Alaska Anchorage next weekend.

©First Line Editorial 2023

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