Sometimes it pays to have a short memory.

One night after absorbing an 8-1 loss, Air Force bounced back in dramatic fashion to take a 4-3 overtime victory against No. 20 Arizona State.

Clayton Cosentino scored his second goal of the game and third of the weekend on a one-timer from between the circles with 2:44 to play in the extra period.

Brendan Gibbons, who also had two goals, tied the score for the Falcons with 27 seconds left after a scramble in front of the Sun Devils net. That offset a go-ahead goal by ASU’s Ryan Kirwin with 58 seconds to play.

“I don’t care what happened last night. This was magical,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said on AM 1300 after the game. “We lost one of the all-time great Falcons, Chad Demers (this week). I wore his ring tonight. He fought for his life and outlived what doctors said. This was just a hockey game, but the boys showed perseverence.

“This was one of the most remarkable jobs of perseverence I’ve ever seen and I”ve coached thousands and thousands of games.”

Blessing Bounces Back For Air Force

The game featured some wild momentum swings, but both goaltenders — Air Force’s Guy Blessing and Arizona State’s Luke Pavicich — kept their teams in it.

“We had to have that (from Blessing),” Serratore said. “(Defenseman Chris) Hedden bounced back, we had to have that. We put (Andrew) DeCarlo back at center, we had to have that.”

ASU came out on fire, scoring twice in the first five minutes on strikes by Bennett Schimek and Kyle Smolen. The duo combined for five goals on Friday night.

“A young group like ours after getting fed last night, (ASU) scores two in the first five minutes. What are you thinking? Are they going to get 10, 12?” Serratore asked. “The boys stuck with it. That might be one of the greatest bounce back victories in the history of Air Force hockey.”

Blessing made 13 of his 32 saves in the first period, and Gibbons’ first goal came with 1:01 left in the period. That was one thing that seemed to energize the Falcons. Serratore pointed to another.

“(Associated head coach) Joe Doyle’s command on the bench and between periods, giving the boys just what they need and not too much, I couldn’t be more proud,” Serratore said.

Falcons Fight Back Twice

The Falcons took control in the second period, outshooting the guests 19-6. Cosentino’s first goal came after a back-and-forth sequence with fellow captain Austin Schwartz with 9:24 to go.

But Arizona State came back in the third and took the air out of Cadet Arena on Kirwan’s rush down the right wing. He finished with a nice move around Blessing’s extended right skate. But the Falcons weren’t finished either. Gibbons’ next goal just after Blessing had been pulled for an extra attacker. He, Cosentino and Mason McCormick (two assists) all had cracks at the puck before Gibbons’ second chance eluded Pavicich.

“When they score at the end of the game we have no timeouts left,” Serratore said. “(Assistant Josh Holmstrom) had to get everyone organized. What a remarkable job by him.”

Cosentino’s winner came on a 4-on-3 power play and was the first time the Falcons led all night. Hedden initiated the winning play by getting the puck to Nick Remisson on the right dot. The left shot then sent the puck to Cosentino, who had slipped in between the circles.

Notes

One night after allowing goals on both ASU power plays, the Falcons blanked the Sun Devils’ on three tries. … Air Force led in blocked shots (17-8) and faceoff wins (32-29). … Freshmen Anthony Yu and Nick Sajevic made their NCAA debuts. … The Falcons travel to Las Vegas to play in the Ice Breaker Tournament next weekend. They open against Minnesota next Friday night.

©First Line Editorial 2024