Saturday night’s comeback victory against No. 20 Arizona State unquestionably was one for the ages for the Air Force hockey program.

The Falcons’ 4-3 overtime win came after ASU thumped them 8-1 on Friday and then scored two goals in 5:31 on Saturday. After that 10-1 deficit, Air Force scored four of the next five goals to tie the score twice before winning on Clayton Cosentino’s one-timer in overtime.

But how does the result compare to other one-game reversals in recent Falcons history. I’ve written about the program for going on 10 years, and only two other such instances came to mind.

Evening a Score with Colorado College

Two seasons ago (almost two years to the day), Air Force got drilled 8-0 in the first game of a home-and-home against Colorado College. The Falcons handed the Tigers nine power plays, and CC scored on four of them. There were few, if any positives for AFA after that game.

The next night, the Falcons played with more disciple and flipped the script on special teams, scoring on three power plays, to win 6-3. Will Gavin scored early in the game to give Air Force an important confidence boost, and the Falcons absorbed the loss of top defensemen Luke Rowe and Luke Robinson due to injury.

>>READ: Air Force Flips the Script on CC

The verdict: This was an impressive turnaround, and that it came in a Pikes Peak matchup adds some weight to it. This was a veteran Air Force team, and senior defenseman Brandon Koch played a big role in this one with two goals. Koch, then-freshman Chris Hedden, then sophomore Mitchell Digby and senior Andrew Kruse did yeoman’s work on defense.

Pulling Rank on Army

On Jan. 28, 2022, Air Force scored the first two goals, then watched their fiercest Atlantic Hockey rival score eight of the final nine in a 8-3 loss. Major penalties to Gavin and Parker Brown were major contributors to the Black Knights’ surge. It was the Falcons’ worst loss to Army since the mid-1990s and their lowest shot total (15) of the season. There was plenty not to like.

>>READ: Army Capitalizes on Air Force’s Mistakes

One night later, Air Force sounded the victory Horn, as in Nate Horn. The sophomore left wing scored the tying and winning goals in a 3-2 overtime victory. This was more of what you’d expect in a rivalry game, including excellent goaltending. It also was huge in terms of the Atlantic Hockey standings because it allowed Air Force to keep pace with a Black Knights team it would eventually face in the playoffs.

>>READ: Horn’s Goals Lift Air Force over Army

The verdict: Given the conference stakes and the service academy rivalry, this was a monumental win. The real key was Air Force played aggressive enough to generate more than 40 shots on goal without crossing the line as it did the preview night.

The Final Verdict

The Army ending was somewhat similiar in terms of drama to this past weekend’s against Arizona State. The difference was Army wasn’t ranked No. 20, and this season’s edition of the Falcons is far less experienced. On that basis, there is an excellent case that yes, Saturday’s 4-3 victory marked the most compelling turnaround by Air Force in at least the past decade.

©First Line Editorial 2024