Air Force Academy
Niagara University
Falcons swept Niagara with 3-1 win
1/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
WATCH: Highlights | WATCH: Serratore post-game interview | Box Score 
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Sophomore defenseman Phil Boje netted the game-winner late in the third period, as the Air Force Falcons swept their weekend series with the Niagara Purple Eagles with a 3-1 victory over the visitors in an Atlantic Hockey Conference matchup Saturday, Jan. 23, at the Academy's Cadet Ice Arena.
Boje broke a 1-1 deadlock with 7:52 to play to give Air Force the edge in the contest and preserve the team's fourth-place conference standing. His fourth of the year came on an odd-man rush led by freshman winger Matt Serratore. Freshman Evan Feno broke up a Niagara rush in the Air Force end and Serratore transitioned the puck into the offensive zone. Serratore then threaded a pass to Boje and the streaking defenseman drilled it from the high slot to put Air Force on top for good.
The Falcons are unbeaten in their last six games and will look to carry that momentum on the road with them as they face a weekend set at Canisius Jan. 29 and 30, in Buffalo, N.Y.
After a slow start, the Falcons and Eagles traded rebound goals late in the second period. Air Force struck first on a 5-on-3 advantage. Sophomore forward Tyler Ledford fired a sharp-angled shot from just above the goal line, and after the puck bounced off the skate of Kyle Haak, linemate Erik Baskin slipped the rebound behind Niagara goaltender Jackson Teichroeb at 15:57 of the frame to open scoring. Baskin finished with two goals on the night - his sixth and seventh during the Falcons' six-game unbeaten streak. The winger from Minnetonka, Minn., leads the team with nine goals this season.
TJ Sarcona answered for the Eagles at 18:36. Falcons' goalie Shane Starrett made the initial save on Stephen Pietrobon's shot from the slot but could not fend off a second effort by Sarcona who slipped the puck underneath the diving netminder to knot the contest at 1-1. The score came during 4-on-4 play in a game that saw 16 combined penalties.
After Boje's late-game tally drew Air Force ahead, Niagara chose to pull Teichrob in lieu of an extra attacker with 1:51 to play. Ben Kucera collected a loose puck and chipped it high off the glass. Baskin won the race to the puck at the Niagara blue line and capitalized on the open net with 25 seconds remaining in the contest.
Starrett stopped 29-of-30 shots faced, taking the win in net for Air Force - his fourth in his last five starts. Teichrob went 23-of-25.
The Falcons were 1-for-5 on the power play, while the Eagles were blanked on three attempts. The Air Force defense has allowed just one power play goal in the Falcons' last ten games and has killed 19 straight opponent power plays.
"Our young team is finding a way to win," said head coach Frank Serratore. "This time of year, teams find a way to win and others a way to lose. It's great to see such a young team on the right side of that. Out guys just played with patience and things were pretty calm on the bench. I like our competitive patience. We dodged a bullet in that first period. We never trailed the entire series and that was in large part due to Shane's play.
