Falcons fall to Wayne State, 3-1, in CHA semifinals
3/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
March 15, 2002
A deflection off of an Air Force player scored the game-winning goal as Wayne State defeated the Falcons, 3-1, in the semifinals of the College Hockey America Tournament, Friday, March 15, at Dwyer Arena in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
With less than six minutes left in a 1-1 game, WSU forward Dusty Kingston took a shot from the top of the circle that hit Falcon goalie Mike Polidor in the chest. The puck bounced out in front of the crease and hit AFA forward Derek Olson in the back of the leg. The puck changed direction and trickled over the goal line as Olson reached back and tried to sweep it away. The eventual game-winner was credited to Kingston. WSU's Jack Redwood added an insurance goal two minutes later.
"This was a great game," head coach Frank Serratore said. "I couldn't be more proud of our team. We kept the game close and I can't say enough about our goaltender, Mike Polidor. The way the game was going, we knew that a bounce either way would decide it. It just didn't go our way."
Fifth-seeded Air Force and top-seeded Wayne State battled for 54 minutes of dead-even hockey. The scored was tied at 1-1 with less than six minutes left and the shots were nearly even as well. Wayne State out-shot Air Force, 16-11, in the third period and 32-26 for the game.
After a scoreless first period, Warrior freshman Nathan Rosychuk opened the scoring at 8:15 of the second period. Rosychuk redirected a shot by Jason Durbin for a 1-0 WSU lead. AFA tied the game four minutes later. After a rush up ice, Kyle Fransdal tried a wrap-around shot that was stopped by WSU goalie David Guerrera. Justin Hamilton collected the rebound and went top shelf for his third goal of the season. The score remained tied until Kingston's goal with 5:39 remaining. After a Falcon turnover in their own end, Redwood scored on a rebound for a 3-1 lead. The Falcons pulled Polidor from the net with 2:22 remaining, but could not get one past the Guerrera, the CHA Player of the Year.
The loss ended Air Force's season at 16-16-2 overall and clinched the second non-losing season in three years. AFA's unbeaten streak, the second longest in the nation and the longest all-Division I streak in school history, also came to an end. The Falcons finished the season with a 6-1-2 record in the final nine games. AFA's six seniors played their final game. The class of 2002 won 66 games, the most in 24 years
"Our team became a family this season," Serratore said. "It kills me the way we lost. They worked so hard and played so well. It was an amazing run at the end of the season and it was a privilege to coach them. This was one of the most enjoyable experiences in my 20 years of coaching."
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