Air Force Academy
Holy Cross
Falcons hold off Holy Cross, 4-3
2/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Feb. 20, 2009
Air Force held off a late Holy Cross rally for a 4-3 win over the Crusaders in an Atlantic Hockey Association game, Friday, Feb. 20, at the Academy's Cadet Ice Arena. A crowd of 2,790 extended AFA's school-record sellout streak to seven consecutive games. The sellout was also the 10th of the season, setting an Academy record for all sports.
Air Force improved to 21-8-2 overall and 18-5-2 in the AHA. RIT defeated Army, 3-2, so the Falcons remain one point behind RIT in the league standings. Holy Cross fell to 10-16-6 overall and 9-13-3 in the league.
After a couple of early penalties, Air Force took the early lead as Josh Frider scored his 14th of the season. Brent Olson's wrap-around attempt was saved, but Frider batted the rebound out of the air for a 1-0 lead at the 7:59 mark of the first period. Less than three minutes later, Holy Cross tied the game with a rebound goal by Jordan Cyr. Matt Clune's shot from the left side was saved and Cyr put back the rebound from the slot for his 15th of the year. The Falcons regained the lead at the 14:08 mark as Tim Kirby scored his second career goal, and second in his last three games. Jacques Lamoureux won a faceoff in the offensive zone and Kirby collected the puck at the center point. He made a move past a Crusader, and fired a wrister high, stick side. With 1:56 left in the first period, Lamoureux scored his nation-leading 26th of the season. Scott Kozlak fired a slap shot from the top of the right circle that hit the left post. Greg Flynn kept the puck in the zone and threw the puck toward the net. Lamoureux was on the weak side and slid the puck into the open net for a 4-1 Falcon lead.
Air Force spent much of the second period on the penalty kill, but the Falcons scored the only goal of the middle period. Jeff Hajner chased down a long outlet pass behind the Holy Cross net and made a centering pass to Matt Fairchild. Fairchild's shot was saved, but Holy Cross forward Ryan Driscoll knocked the puck into his own net. Fairchild was credited with the unassisted goal for a 4-1 Air Force lead.
Holy Cross made the game very interesting with two goals in the third period. Andrew Cox scored with a wrister from the right circle just after a Crusader power play ended at the 11:36 mark. Than less than three minutes, Kyle Atkins put back a rebound on an odd-man rush to make the score 4-3 with 5:39 left in the third. Holy Cross pulled their goaltender with 64 seconds left in the third, put were unable to score. Late in third Scott Kozlak, blocked a slap shot from the point and the Falcons held on for a 4-3 win.
The shots were even as each team had 28 shots in the game and all seven goals in the game were even-strength. AFA was 0-for-6 on the power play while Holy Cross was 0-for-7. Volkening made 25 saves as Dams made 24 for the Crusaders.
"As long as we continue to take the penalties we are taking, and not capitalize on the chances we have to put the game away, this will be life as we know it," head coach Frank Serratore said. "Sometimes we will be on the good end of these one-goal games and sometimes we will be on the bad end. Our third and fourth lines won this game for us tonight. Our top two lines took some horrible penalties that kept them in it and they also didn't capitalize on the power play. I am really pleased with three-fourths of our guys in the locker room. I am very disappointed with some of our guys. The guys we are counting on to win games for us and really hurting us." Air Force and Holy Cross conclude the series on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7:05 MT at the Cadet Ice Arena. Saturday's game is a sellout and will be Senior Night at the Academy. The game will be the final regular-season home contest for five seniors: Greg Flynn, Josh Frider, Michael Mayra, Brent Olson and Mike Phillipich.
