Air Force Academy
Mercyhurst
Falcons fall at Mercyhurst, 3-1
11/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Mercyhurst goaltender Brandon Wildung made 32 saves to lead the Lakers to a 3-1 win over Air Force in an Atlantic Hockey Conference game, Saturday, Nov. 7, in Erie, Pa. The teams split the two-game series. Mercyhurst improved to 7-5-0 overall and 5-1-0 in the league. Air Force fell to 2-5-1 overall and 1-2-1 in the conference.
Early in the first period, freshman goaltender Shane Starrett made two big saves on the rush. With just under 15 minutes left, he stopped Anthony Mastrodicasa on a 2-on-1 rush and then about four minutes later, he stopped Derek Barach on a breakaway after Barach came out of the penalty box. Air Force took the early lead when senior Max Hartner scored his second of the season. The Falcons won a faceoff in the neutral zone and Evan Giesler sent the puck to the front of the net where Hartner put it in at 10:33.
Midway through the second period, the Lakers tied the game on the rush. Barach took the puck down the left wing and his first shot was saved. As he skated through the crease, he collected the loose puck and tied the game at 8:22 of the second period. Just after the Falcons had killed their third penalty of the period, and sixth of the game, the Lakers took their first lead. On the rush, Lester Lancaster scored with 28.7 seconds left in the second for a 2-1 Laker lead.
With 2:19 left in the third period, Air Force pulled its goalie for the extra attacker. The Falcons won the ensuing faceoff, but Laker forward Jack Riley sent a puck about 185 feet up the ice that found the net for an empty-netter with 1:53 left.
Air Force outshot Mercyhurst, 33-27. AFA was 0-for-4 on the power play while the Lakers were 0-for-6. Shane Starrett made 25 saves for the Falcons.
"We played with more control tonight," head coach Frank Serratore said. "Our penalty kill, as a team, was much improved and our power play gave us some energy. We played better in a lot of areas, tonight, but hockey is a funny game sometimes. When you only score one goal, it is hard to win. I love this team, they come to play every single night."
Air Force returns home for a two-game league series against Holy Cross, Thursday-Friday, Nov. 12-13, at 7:05 the Cadet Ice Arena.
