Air Force Academy
Denver
Falcons knock off No. 5 Denver, 5-4, in overtime
10/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Highlights: 1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period and OT
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. Johnny Hrabovsky notched the game-winner in overtime as the Air Force Falcons clipped the No. 5 Denver Pioneers, 5-4, to open the 2015-16 college hockey season Friday, Oct. 9, in front of a sellout crowd at Cadet Ice Arena.
The Falcons were led by a corps of freshmen, who accounted for seven points on the night, but it was junior defenseman Hrabovsky who found the net in the extra period to give Air Force the top-10 upset and just its fourth victory over the in-state rival Pioneers in series history. The win marked the seventh time in the last nine years that Air Force has defeated a team ranked in the top five in the nation.
Hrabovsky's rocket from the left circle at 2:11 of the overtime session slipped short-side past Denver goaltender Tanner Jaillet, who was screened the play, to give the Falcons the win in the first game of a home-and-away series with the Pioneers. Air Force will head to Denver tomorrow night for game two of the series at Magness Arena. Puck is set to drop at 7:07 p.m. MT.
Five first-year Falcons, including Evan Feno, Kyle Haak, Matt Koch, Matt Serratore and Zach Yoder, registered points in the contest. Haak scored twice and Feno added two assists in their respective collegiate debuts, while Falcons' freshman goaltender Billy Christopoulos finished the night with 28 saves.
In a back and forth contest, senior captain Max Hartner opened the scoring just 3:30 into the first period, firing home the rebound on a Phil Boje shot from the high slot. Emil Romig quickly responded for the visitors, beating Christopoulos glove-side to cap a Denver breakaway at 7:27 of the frame. Air Force edged ahead again at 10:29 on the first of Haak's two goals. A.J. Reid won the battle for the puck along the end boards and fed Feno who gifted Haak the rebound goal to give Air Force a 2-1 advantage at the first intermission.
A penalty-filled second period shifted the momentum briefly in the Pioneers' favor. Quentin Shore caught a net-front tip on the power play to draw Denver even at 7:24 of the frame. Danton Heinen added a goal at 14:38 - just seconds after Denver's third power play of the period expired - to put the Pioneers on top 3-2. The Falcons countered late in the frame. The team's top returning scorer, A.J. Reid, tallied his second assist of the night on a blast from the left circle that deflected off Ben Carey's stick and into the net to knot the contest at three goals apiece.
Haak's second score of the night drew Air Force ahead in the third. Zach Yoder skated around a defender in the left circle, luring Jaillet out of position before feeding Haak who buried the puck from the slot. The 4-3 Falcons' advantage was short-lived, however, as Shore claimed his second goal of the night on a goal-line tap in to send the game to overtime.
"I am really proud of the guys," head coach Frank Serratore said. "We had a lot of juice in the first period. We were pitching and they were catching in the first period. Then in the second, they were pitching and we were catching. We were fortunate to get that goal late in the second to tie the game. The third period was pretty even. In overtime, it was a matter of who was going to get the bounce and fortunately we did."
Jaillet finished 23-of-28 in net for Denver.
Both teams capitalized on the man-advantage. The Falcons went 1 for 1, and the Pioneers 1 for 3.
