Air Force got the start it wanted and had the energy it needed, but it didn’t get the result it hoped for.

AIC overcame a 2-0 first-period deficit to take a 3-2 decision on Saturday night and sweep the teams’ Atlantic Hockey quarterfinal at Cadet Arena.

Senior defenseman Nico Somerville picked the short-side corner on Guy Blessing off a rush with 7:42 left in overtime.

“For whatever reason, it wasn’t meant to be,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said. “You’ve got to give AIC credit. You can’t say they weren’t the better team. They found a way to win two games.

“We didn’t beat ourselves, we forced them to beat us. That’s the way it needs to be this time of the season. This group deserved a better fate. … We played winning hockey, and we played to win.”

Goaltenders Steal the Show

It says something that of the 78 shots on goal in an intense playoff game, just five found the back of the net. Nearly 94 percent were stopped. Blessing and Yellowjackets counterpart Nils Wallstrom were superlative for the second night in a row. Blessing made 35 saves, while Wallstrom stopped 38.

“Wallstrom was great, and oh, by the way, Bless was pretty darn good, too,” Serratore added

Austin Schwartz and Chris Hedden scored in the first period for Air Force. AIC, which will play Holy Cross in an AHA semifinal, countered with goals from Brett Callahan and John Lundy in the third.

The game was one of ebbs and flows. Each team could claim advantages, Air Force in the first and AIC in the second. From there, it was more back and forth.

The outcome ultimately came down to inches for the Falcons. They hit four cross-bars and narrowly missed an empty-net goal when Wallstrom was pulled for an extra attacker late in the third

“The difference in the series all weekend, without question, was Wallstrom,” Serratore said. “We had some terrific looks and missiles, but we didn’t beat him with a straight-on shot the entire weekend. Everything was either we had to move east-west or there was a backdoor. The one where the guy covered it up in the crease if he wouldn’t have covered it up, it would have been a goal.”

AIC Built Momentum

Air Force dominated the first period in building its 2-0 lead, but the Yellowjackets came storming out in the second, outshooting the hosts 19-7. Yet the margin remained the same due to some exceptional goaltending by Blessing and an airtight Falcons penalty kill. The PK was busy, outlasting three AIC man advantages that extended Air Force’s successful penalty-kill streak to 13.

AIC rode its momentum to a goal 33 seconds into the third. Defenseman Brett Callahan scored after a scramble by the net. The play was reviewed for offsides but the goal stood.

The next review in a game full of them was pivotal.

The officials ruled an AIC player covered the puck in the crease, earning the Falcons a penalty shot. Mitchell Digby’s try at the top shelf missed, again, by mere inches.

The Yellowjackets tied it with 1:31 left in regulation when co-captain Brian Kramer’s shot-pass found leading scorer John Lundy on Blessing’s back door for a nice redirect. Blessing had no chance on the play. Nor did he on Somerville’s shot, which perfectly picked a top corner.

AIC outshot the Falcons 28-14 over the second and third periods, but AFA had a 15-7 edge in OT.

Dominant Start Stakes Falcons to 2-0 Lead

One of the issues the Falcons struggled to overcome on Friday was AIC packing the front of the net. They made a concerted effort to get more traffic in front of Wallstrom, and it paid off 5:20 into the game. Andrew DeCarlo battled to keep the puck alive on the goalie’s doorstep, eventually working it free to Schwartz, who buried it for his 10th of the season.

Falcons strike first with a goal from Austin Schwartz with 14:40 left in the first period. pic.twitter.com/DL6vd1J8AB

— Air Force Hockey (@AF_HKY) March 10, 2024

The Falcons kept the heat on, and after killing off an offensive zone penalty by Hedden, the defenseman scored on a power play with 2:46 to go in the first. The Yellowjackets inexplicably left AFA’s leading scorer alone between the circles, where he received a pass from Cosentino after the Falcons had controlled the puck for the first 1:23 of the man advantage.

Hedden nearly had a hat trick. He later hit a crossbar during a 3-on-1 on a penalty kill in the second and rang the horizontal pipe again in the third period.

Loss Caps Careers of Eight Seniors

The defeat ended the Falcons careers of eight seniors — left wings Will Gavin, Nate Horn and Brian Adams, center Jake Marti, right wing Parker Brown, goalie Maiszon Balboa and defensemen Sam Brennan and Luke Robinson. The season of a ninth, defenseman Luke Rowe, ended two weeks ago upon completion of the regular season.

“We played winning hockey all weekend. We’ve come a long way,” Serratore said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better coaching job by my staff — Joe Doyle and Josh Holmstrom, Andy (Berg), Chuck (Delich) and Steve (Jennings). They had a great classroom. We were playing our best hockey at the right time of the year. We played to win all weekend. I admire that and I respect that.

“What a great, passionate group of young men. What committed coaches. I don’t know if people realize all the work that goes in, the blood, sweat and tears. What we do is not easy. … It’s tough when you have a group like this that wanted it so bad. My heart aches for them. They’re all in on everything.”

Elsewhere in AHA Quarterfinals

The other three quarterfinal series also were sweeps. No. 2 Holy Cross defeated No. 8 Canisius in double overtime, 2-1. Top-seeded RIT defeated Robert Morris, 5-1. … No. 7 Niagara upset No. 2 Sacred Heart for the second night in a row, 5-1. RIT will host Niagara, while AIC will head to Holy Cross.

©First Line Editorial 2024