Air Force Academy
Canisius
Falcons edge Canisius, 3-2
1/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Box Score | Highlights
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Air Force's unbeaten streak reaches seven games as the Falcons defeated Canisius, 3-2, in an Atlantic Hockey Conference game Friday, Jan. 29, at the HarborCenter in Buffalo, N.Y. Air Force improved to 13-9-3 overall and 11-5-3 in the league, moving into a tie for third place. Canisius, in sixth place in the league, fell to 8-15-4 overall and 8-9-4 in the AHC.
Air Force opened the scoring at 2:32 of the first period on a line rush. Kyle Haak fed Evan Feno in the slot and the freshman from Morrison, Colo., scored the first goal of his career. Feno's goal was also assisted by defenseman Phil Boje, his ninth assist of the season. Air Force outshot Canisius, 10-3, in the first period.
Early in the second period, Canisius' leading scorer Shane Conacher had a breakaway and was taken down on the play by Falcon defenseman Dylan Abood. Conacher was awarded a penalty shot with 15:54 left in the second period. Conacher, the fifth-leading scorer in the nation, drifted to his right with the puck on his forehand, but his shot from the hash marks was saved by Falcon goalie Shane Starrett. Just 11 seconds later, the Falcons took a 2-0 lead on an unassisted goal by freshman Matt Serratore. The winger from Bemidji, Minn., picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, skated down the left wing and zipped a shot over the shoulder of Simon Hofley for a 2-0 lead. Canisius got on the board at 11:17 after the Falcons turned the puck over at the Canisius blue line and the Griffs had a 2-on-1. Nolan Sheehan's shot was saved but Felix Chamberland put back the rebound to make the score 2-1.
Early in the third period, Canisius outshot Air Force by a margin of 9-2, but Starrett was there to make all the saves for the Falcons. Late in the third period, Falcon sophomore Tyler Ledford collected a loose puck in the neutral zone and skated down the right side. His shot was saved, but the Colorado Springs native retrieved the puck and found Ben Kucera skating down the slot. Kucera netted his ninth goal of the season at the 16:14 mark. With 2:30 left in the game, Canisius pulled its goaltender in favor of the extra attacker. For the first 60 seconds, the Griffs were not able to set up, but Canisius made the game interesting down the stretch. Ralph Cuddemi scored on a flurry in front with 19 seconds left to make the score 3-2. In the final seconds, Cuddemi and Conacher nearly teamed up again to tie the game when a puck slid right across the top of the crease just before time expired.
Air Force outshot Canisius, 31-25, in the game. Air Force had a 24-13 shot advantage after two periods, but the Griffs outshot the Falcons, 12-7, in the third period. Air Force was 0-for-1 on the power play while the Griffs did not have a man-advantage. Starrett made 23 saves for the Falcons. Hofley made 28 for the Griffs.
"This was a good game, but I thought it was all about us for most of it," head coach Frank Serratore said. "It is so tough to score goals, but the good thing for us is that we had the lead the whole game. The turning point was Shane making that save on the penalty shot and then Matt Serratore scoring. It could have been tied a 1-1, but instead we were up 2-0. We have been playing some pretty darn good winning hockey and we found a way to win a big road game."
The same two teams conclude the two-game league series on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 7:35 pm ET in Buffalo, N.Y.
