Air Force Heads to Frontier Airlines Face-Off Classic
2/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Feb. 20, 2014
The Air Force lacrosse team is back in action this weekend, Feb. 22-23, as it heads to the Frontier Airlines Face-Off Classic, hosted by the University of Denver.
GAME INFORMATION
Live Stats: denverpioneers.com
Live Video: N/A
TV: Canisius - N/A; Marist - Altitude
Series History: Canisius - Air Force leads, 2-0; Marist - First Meeting
Last Meeting: Canisius - Air Force 10, Canisius 8 (2/23/13 - Denver, Colo.); Marist - N/A
LAST TIME OUT...
Nine different Falcons scored as Air Force rolled to a 15-6 victory over first-year program Furman on Saturday at the Academy. Senior Erik Smith led the Falcons with a career-high-tying four goals, while classmates Kyle Cassady, Mike Crampton and Tommy McKee added two goals each.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS...
Air Force enters this weekend with a 1-1 mark record following its home victory over Furman on Saturday. Senior captain Erik Smith leads the Falcons with five goals on the season, while senior Tommy McKee (4g, 1a) and junior Keith Dreyer (2g, 3a) have each registered five points as well. Meanwhile, senior Bryan Price has picked up a team-leading 10 ground balls on the season.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS...
Canisius, receiving votes in this week's Warrior Media Poll, enters this weekend's tournament with a 1-0 record. The Golden Griffins opened the season with a 9-3 victory over Boston University on Saturday.
Against the Terriers, sophomore Vince Gravino was the leading scorer for Canisius, tallying four goals and an assist, while Tim Edwards added a goal and three assists. Edwards also won 11-of-13 face-offs against Boston, while junior netminder Alex Govenettio recorded 11 saves.
SCOUTING THE RED FOXES...
Marist enters this weekend with a 1-0 record on the season, and will play sixth-ranked tournament host Denver on Saturday before facing the Falcons on Sunday.
The Red Foxes opened the season last Friday with a 13-12 road victory over Stony Brook. Leading Marist's offense was Colin Joka with seven goals, while Drew Nesmith added four tallies.
DOMINANT FIRST HALF...
The Falcons were dominant in the opening half versus Furman last week, earning an 8-1 advantage after one period and extending their lead to 12-1 at the intermission. Air Force's pushed its advantage to 14-1 before the Paladins started to come back against the Falcons' reserves.
HAT TRICKS...
In its first two games of the season, Air Force has had two different players record a hat trick. Senior Tommy McKee notched a hat trick in the Falcons' season opener versus Denver, finishing with three goals, while classmate Erik Smith added four goals against Furman last weekend. McKee now has 11 career hat tricks, ranking second on the team, while Smith registered the third hat trick of his career.
BALANCED OFFENSE...
Through the first two games of the season, 10 different players have scored goals for Air Force, including seven players who have tallied at least two scores.
STILL STREAKING...
Senior Tommy McKee has scored at least one goal in 23 straight games, dating back to the 2012 season. His goal scoring streak ranks as the second-longest in the nation, behind Colgate's Ryan Walsh. Meanwhile, his 26-game point scoring streak is currently the 13th-longest in the nation.
SCORING WITH A LONG POLE...
Junior Kyle O'Brien ranks among the national leaders in career points by an LSM/defenseman. O'Brien currently has 12 career points (4g, 8a), which is tied for the fifth-most in Division I.
UP NEXT...
The Falcons head to Lexington, Va., next Sunday, March 2, as they visit VMI for a 12:00 p.m. (ET) contest.
