Needing a statement game to stop a four-game losing streak and re-insert itself into the Atlantic Hockey playoff bye conversation, Air Force got just that Saturday night.

Guy Blessing stopped all 18 shots he faced, and Brendan Gibbons and Will Gavin scored goals in the Falcons’ 2-0 victory over Sacred Heart at Cadet Arena.

The win put Air Force (15-16-1, 12-9-1 AHA) back into fifth place, one point ahead of AIC. The top five teams receive a first-round bye in the AHA playoffs starting three weeks from now.

Count Your Blessings

One night after a game he’d probably like to forget (three goals allowed on 13 shots), Blessing was sharper than a set of Ginsu knives on Saturday. Every time he was tested, he was up to the task. That was especially so in the third period when the Pioneers (14-15-2, 14-8-1) launched 11 shots at him, several from in close. They had just seven in the first two periods combined.

The shutout was Blessing’s second of the season. The first came on Veteran’s Day when he blanked, appropriately enough, Army West Point.

Air Force, meanwhile, came out firing for the second night in a row but had nothing to show for it after a 15-5 SOG edge in the first.

Gibbons changed that with a laser-beam shot from the right dot with 3:54 to go in the second period. Defenseman Chris Hedden sent Gibbons in down the right wing with a blueline-to-blueline stretch pass. Linemate Owen Dubois skated right down the slot, likely drawing some of Justin Robbins’ attention. Gibbons fired a shot into the far upstairs corner.

The Falcons strike first with this a goal from Brendan Gibbons⚡️ pic.twitter.com/sLix66k4uU

— Air Force Hockey (@AF_HKY) February 11, 2024

His goal came on Air Force’s 26th shot on a night it fired 38 at Robbins.

Unlike Friday, the Falcons built on their 1-0 lead. Gavin gathered a rebound right on Robbins’ doorstep, then another to the goalie’s left and put the puck in 3:07 into the third. It was the senior’s league-high 19th goal and 34th point, tying him with Hedden for the team lead.

The News Gets Better

The Falcons head to Rochester, N.Y., to play AHA leader RIT next weekend before finishing against 10th-place Robert Morris two weeks from now. They have two games in hand on fourth-place Bentley, which they trail by one point. Finish ahead of the “other” Falcons, and Air Force will host a quarterfinal series after a bye.

Let up, and not only AIC but Niagara (three points back) are right on AFA’s heels.

Falcons Fall Short on Friday

Air Force surrendered three consecutive goals after Parker Brown staked it to a 1-0 lead in a dominant first period. Clayton Cosentino’s goal with 3:38 to play cut the final margin to 3-2. Brown’s goal was his career-high eighth and came in his 100th NCAA game, while Cosentino’s was his 10th, furthering his career high.

The Falcons held the Pioneers to 13 shots on goal and won the faceoff battle, 33-23. Both teams killed off all four of their penalties.

Air Force killed off all five of its penalties on Saturday and has killed 49 of its past 57 (86 percent)

©First Line Editorial 2024