Air Force Academy
Robert Morris
No. 20 Robert Morris beat Air Force, 5-2
1/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Cody Wydo and Zach Lynch each scored two goals as No. 20 Robert Morris beat Air Force, 5-2, in an Atlantic Hockey Conference game, Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Academy's Cadet Ice Arena. Robert Morris improved to 19-5-4 overall and 16-3-3 and in first place in the AHC. Air Force fell to 11-15-3 overall and 10-8-2 in the league, tied for sixth place.
In the first minute of the game, Robert Morris' top line scored. After a Falcon turnover in its own end, Scott Jacklin took a shot that was wide and Zac Lynch passed the puck through the goal mouth to Cody Wydo on the weak side. Wydo's team-leading 17th of the season came 41 seconds into the game. Air Force tied the game when Ben Carey led the forecheck and fed Alex Halloran at the right point. Halloran's blast through traffic tied the game at 13:33. In the final minute of the period, the Colonials took a 2-1 lead as the top line struck again. Tyson Wilson fed Wydo from behind the net. Wydo's shot was saved, but Lynch put back the rebound with 29 seconds left in the period.
Ninety seconds into the second period, Robert Morris took a 3-1 lead. Greg Gibson took a shot from the center point that hit hard off the back wall and Brandon Denham stuffed the rebound in on the short side for his eighth of the season. After the goal, Air Force pulled goaltender Connor Girard and Chris Truehl came into the game. Air Force answered on the rush with a power-play goal. Erik Baskin started the play in his own end and Tyler Ledford's centering pass was right on the tape of A.J. Reid. Reid netted his sixth of the season at 8:12. The Colonials answered with a power-play goal at 9:39. On the rush, Jacklin gave the puck to Wydo on the half boards. Wydo made a diving cross ice pass to Lynch who was wide open on the back door and Lynch scored his second of the night at 9:39 to give RMU a 4-2 lead
The Falcons continued to battle into the third period, but the Colonials held the two-goal lead. Girard returned to the net for the Falcons to start the third period. Air Force pulled its goalie with 2:30 remaining, but was unable to tie the game. Instead, Cody Wydo scored an empty-net goal with 29 seconds left to seal the win for the Colonials.
Air Force outshot RMU, 28-20, in the game. AFA was 0-for-6 on the power play while RMU was 1-for-2. Girard made 12 saves in 39 minutes. Truehl made three saves in 18 minutes. Terry Shafer made 26 for the Colonials.
"Our play tonight was much better than last night," head coach Frank Serratore said. "We got what we deserved last night, but tonight we deserved a better fate. We knew they would come out strong and they did by scoring the first goal. But we pushed back. They backside of Robert Morris' game is very good. They blocked a lot of shots and they are opportunistic."
Air Force travels to Milford, Conn., for a two-game league series with Sacred Heart, Friday-Saturday, Feb. 6-7, at 7:05 pm ET each night
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