The common thinking is college hockey games become tighter during the second half of the season.
There are many reasons for that. Goals are harder to come by because goaltenders and the defenses in front of them play better. Special teams are of paramount importance.
However, the second part held because goaltending and special teams played a huge role in the Falcons’ fourth AHA triumph in five games this month.
Guy Blessing stopped a career-high 40 shots, and Air Force got five goals from its special teams. The Falcons (12-12-1, 9-5-1) defeated the Black Knights (7-16-1, 5-11-1) for the time in three games this season.
Blessing’s Play In Net Sparks AFA
Strange as it may sound given the final score, Blessing was crucial at several junctures when Army generated prime scoring chances as it tried to overcome a 3-1 first-period deficit.
“When we had breakdowns they were major,” Air Force coach Frank Serratore told AM1300 postgame. “Our special teams were special and our goalie was the best player on the ice.”
Blessing’s 40 saves eclipsed the 37 he had against RIT in October 2022. They also bettered the 35 he had against both Lindenwood and Wisconsin this season.
Isn’t That Special
While Blessing did his thing, the Falcons capitalized on three of their four power plays … and two of Army’s.
Luke Rowe scored the first of his two man-advantage goals 2:36 into the game. Rowe got his second — a first in his NCAA career — in the final five minutes. Freshman Brendan Gibbons also struck on the power play to make it 5-1 with 36 seconds to go in the second.Meanwhile, center Clayton Cosentino scored the first shorthanded goal of his AFA career with 7:29 to go in the first. Wing Austin Schwartz got his third shortie of the season with 3:29 left in the period, staking Air Force to a 3-1 lead. The Falcons killed off all four Army power plays.
Mason McCormick, who scored 4:09 into the third on a beautiful backdoor pass from Nate Horn, assisted on the Gibbons goal and Rowe’s second. That gave him a career-high three points.
Seniors Parker Brown and Jacob Marti also struck at even strength. Marti’s tally was his first of the season.
Scores Can Be Deceiving?
Add it up and AFA scored six or more goals for the third time in four games.
Impressive as the Falcons’ win was, Serratore cautioned against anyone bringing up service academy domination.
“We did a pretty good job defending the good ice,” he said. “I don’t think it was an 8-1 game. Everything went our way and nothing went their way.
“I’d like to see us do a better job covering away from the puck. We were the better team, but I don’t think we were 8-1 better.”
Notes: Army outshot Air Force 41-39. … The Falcons dominated the face-off dot, winning 39 of 67 draws (58.2 percent). … The teams meet for the final time of the regular season on Saturday at 2 p.m. MST.
