Air Force Academy
Findlay
Falcons beat Findlay, 5-2
12/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Hockey
Dec. 6, 2003
Freshman Theo Zacour had one goal and two assists in leading Air Force to a 5-2 win over the University of Findlay in a College Hockey America game Saturday night, Dec. 6, at the Clauss Ice Arena in Findlay, Ohio.
The win ended Air Force's 20-game winless skid in conference play. The Falcons' last CHA win was against Findlay, Nov. 24, 2002. Air Force took three of four points in the CHA series, marking the best road series since getting three points from Niagara in February of 2002.
Air Force improved to 7-8-1 overall and 1-4-1 in the CHA. Findlay fell to 4-10-2 overall and 1-4-1 in the CHA. The Falcons are tied with Findlay for fourth place in the league with three conference points.
"We have played hard a lot this season and tonight we were rewarded by scoring goals", head coach Frank Serratore said. "We played better tonight than we did last night. We had our legs tonight, we got up and down the ice and the better team won."
Air Force never trailed in the game. The Falcons scored first when Shane Saum found the net at 7:36 of the first period. Spanky Leonard made a pass in front of the net and Saum netted his sixth of the season.
Findlay tied the game early in the second period with a short-handed goal from Mike Batovanja. His unassisted goal came at 6:26. The Falcons answered as Zacour scored his fifth of the season from Matt Bader and Brandon Merkosky at 10:05. Merkosky took a shot that was saved and Zacour cleaned up the rebound. Late in the period, the teams skated four on four and each team lit the lamp. Air Force took a 3-1 lead when Bader scored from Zacour at 16:38. Bader's wraparound goal was his seventh of the season. Seventeen seconds later, Findlay's Justin Perry scored to make the score 3-2.
AFA's biggest goal of the game came midway through the third period. Merkosky scored from Zacour on a rush up ice. Zacour's shot was saved and Merkosky put back the rebound. In the third period, Findlay had two power plays and had several scoring opportunities, but AFA goaltender Mike Polidor was there to make 16 saves in the final 20 minutes. Falcon senior Tom Starkey tallied an empty-netter with 43 seconds remaining to make up the final margin.
"The game got a little helter-skelter in the third period, but Mike Polidor was great in the net" Serratore said. "They probably should have scored a goal in that third period."
Air Force out-shot Findlay, 37-35, in the game but the Oilers had a 16-11 advantage in the third period. Neither team scored on the power play as the Falcons had three chances and the Oilers had four. Polidor made 33 saves for the Falcons and Will Hooper made 32 for the Oilers.
"I believe in this team," Serratore said. "They work hard every day and they come to play every night. This is a fun and focused group to be around. This is the most enjoyable group I have coached in a long, long time. I have a blast coaching them."
Air Force faces the U.S. National Under-18 team in an exhibition game Sunday, Dec. 7, at 1:35 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Falcons are then idle until the UConn Tournament, Dec. 28-29, in Storrs, Conn.
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