Air Force Academy
Alabama-Huntsville
Air Force falls to Alabama-Huntsville, 4-2
11/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 7, 2014
Air Force falls to Alabama-Huntsville, 4-2
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -Alabama-Huntsville's Josh Kestner scored the game-winner with 1:53 remaining as the Chargers beat Air Force, 4-2, in a non-conference college hockey game Friday, Nov. 7, at the Academy's Cadet Ice Arena. With 60 seconds remaining, Jack Prince scored an empty-netter to seal the win for the Chargers. Air Force fell to 2-6-0 overall while UAH improved to 1-7-1.
Midway through the first period, junior Max Hartner put the Falcons on the board. Johnny Hrabovsky flipped a puck up into the air and forwards Ben Carey and Hartner chased the puck into the UAH end. Charger goalie Carmine Guerriero came out of the crease to clear the puck at the hash marks, but the attempt hit his own defenseman. Hartner then slid the puck into the open net for his first of the season at 13:42. The Chargers tied the game on the power play with 1:43 left in the period. Air Force tried to kick the puck out of its own end, but Brennan Saulnier collected it near the blue line and sent it across to Cody Champagne at the left point. His first career goal tied the game at 1-1.
UAH scored the only goal of the second period when Frank Misuraca scored on the rush at 10:52. Matt Salhany and Alex Carpenter gained control in their own end and fed Misuraca in the neutral zone. Misuraca skated into the right circle and took a wrister that found the back of the net.
Air Force tied the game at the 10:09 mark as Dan Weissenhofer started the rush in his own end. Chad Demers fed Cole Gunner in the neutral zone who caught the pass with three Chargers around him at the blue line. Gunner ripped a wrister over the shoulder of Guerriero to tie the game at 2-2.
With under two minutes left in the third, the Chargers were controlled the puck in the Falcons' end. Brennan Saulnier sent the puck across to Josh Kestner in the left circle. Kestner's one-timer with 1:53 remaining gave the Chargers a 3-2 lead. With 1:37 left, Air Force pulled its goalie for the extra attacker. After the Falcons dumped the puck in the corner, Charger Jack Prince collected it at his own goal line and sent the puck 190 feet into the empty net to seal the win.
Air Force outshot UAH, 26-24, in the game. The Chargers were 1-for-5 on the power play while AFA was 0-for-5. Truehl made 20 saves for the Falcons while Guerriero made 24.
"This was a battle of two evenly-matched teams," head coach Frank Serratore said. "In these tight games, it comes down to special teams and goaltending. Tonight, they were better in both areas. We didn't quit. We got behind and we battled back. They capitalized on their chances and we failed to execute on our penalty kill in some critical moments."
The same two teams conclude the non-conference series on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 7:05 p.m. MT at the Cadet Ice Arena.
