Air Force Academy
Mercyhurst
Reid scores two as Air Force beats Mercyhurst, 5-1
10/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - A.J. Reid scored two goals and the Falcon special teams carried Air Force to a 5-1 win over Mercyhurst in an Atlantic Hockey Association game, Friday, Oct. 10, at the Academy's Cadet Ice Arena.
Air Force, 1-0 overall and 1-0 in the league, drew first blood as Reid scored on the power play at 6:57 of the first period. Cole Gunner and Johnny Hrabovsky assisted on the Falcons' first goal of the season. The Lakers tied the game at 13:22 on a flurry in front of the Air Force net as Chris Bodo scored from Zac Frischmon and Alec Shields.
Early in the second period, back-to-back penalties on Reid and Gunner gave the Lakers a full two-minute, 5-on-3. The Falcons killed the penalties as Air Force defenders blocked six shots and goaltender Chris Truehl make one save. Later in the period, the Falcons scored three goals in a span of 78 seconds. The first two goals came on the power play in a span of 37 seconds. Reid's second of the game came on a 5-on-3 power play from Chad Demers and Gunner at 16:56. Gunner fed Demers down low who found Reid on the back door. On the ensuing 5-on-4 power play, freshman defenseman Phil Boje scored with a shot from the left point for a 3-1 lead at 17:33. George Michalke III and Max Hartner battled for the puck on the half boards and fed Boje at the point. Boje's shot snuck through a screen by Hartner in front for his first career collegiate goal. Another freshman joined the scoring as forward Erik Baskin scored on the rush at 18:14. Hrabovsky started the rush in his own end and Matthew Meier skated the puck into the zone. Meier fed Baskin on the right side and the freshman gave the Falcons a 4-1 lead.
Senior defenseman Mike McDonald gave the Falcons a 5-1 lead at 5:03 of the third period. Freshmen Jordan Himley and Ben Kucera battled for the puck along the boards behind the net and Himley sent the puck out to the right point where McDonald scored the fourth of his career.
Air Force outshot Mercyhurst, 25-20, in the game, AFA was 3-for-4 on the power play while Mercyhurst was 0-for-4. Falcon sophomore goalie Chris Truehl made 19 saves for the Falcons. Mercyhurst senior goalie Jimmy Sarjeant made 21.
"This was a great win for our guys, for our confidence, against a legit Division I opponent," head coach Frank Serratore said. "The momentum in this game changed on Mercyhurst's 5-on-3 in the second period. When you have a 5-on-3 and don't score it is demoralizing. Then when we had a chance on the 5-on-3, we scored. A credit to our guys for the way they played."
Air Force and Mercyhurst (0-1, 0-1 AHA) conclude the two-game AHA series on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 7:05 p.m. MT at the Cadet Ice Arena.
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