Air Force Academy
American International
Falcons drop AIC, 8-2
1/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
WATCH: Highlights | WATCH: Serratore post-game | Box Score
By Meredith Yeoman
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Senior captain Ben Carey finished with four points and junior defenseman Johnny Hrabovsky added three as Air Force defeated the AIC Yellow Jackets, 8-2, Friday, Jan. 8, in an Atlantic Hockey Conference game at the Academy's Cadet Ice Arena. The two veteran Falcons combined for four goals and three assists.
Air Force and AIC close out the two-game series on Saturday, Jan. 9, at 5:05 p.m. MT at the Cadet Ice Arena.
The Yellow Jackets (5-14-1, 5-9-1 AHC) jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 1:39 of the first period, when freshman center Marc Dubeau skated the puck into the Air Force zone and sent a wrist shot from the right circle that beat Falcons' goaltender Billy Christopoulos. Despite the early score, Air Force (8-9-2, 6-5-2 AHC) outshot AIC, 23-2, in the frame and drew even on a Hrabovsky goal at 9:57, two seconds after the Falcons' first power play of the evening expired. The junior defenseman stickhandled the puck along the blue line before snapping home a long blast, his fifth of the year, to extend his point streak to three games.
Just 32 seconds into the middle frame on another Falcons' power play, Tyler Ledford found Ben Kucera, who was charging the slot, and Kucera buried the puck in the back of the net to give the Falcons the lead.
Hrabovsky added his second tally of the night at 14:03 of the second, again showing off his stickhandling ability. Hrabovsky drew the defense out of position before sniping another long shot past AIC netminder Alex Murray who was screened on the play. Carey and sophomore winger Jordan Himley registered the assists on the goal.
Himley and Carey linked up again just 2:43 later, while Air Force was on the penalty kill, to give the home team a 4-1 advantage. Himley raced into the Yellow Jackets' zone and fed Carey who put the finishing touches on a shorthanded Falcons' breakaway.
In the third period, sophomore winger Erik Baskin added two goals and Carey one just 44 seconds apart to push the Air Force lead to 7-1. Baskin beat Murray on a solo breakaway at 6:17 of the frame and again bested the sophomore netminder at 6:52. Jacob Caffrey replaced Murray in net for the Yellow Jackets, but could not fend off the Falcons' attack, allowing Carey his fifth goal of the season just nine seconds after stepping onto the ice.
AIC's Chris Porter lifted a wrist shot from the left circle past Christopoulos at 7:28 of the frame, to cut the Air Force lead to 7-2 and end the Air Force goaltender's night. Christopoulos, who was replaced by Shane Starrett in net, finished with eight saves. Starrett made three saves in almost seven minutes of relief. Chris Dylewski finished the game in goal for the Falcons. In his first collegiate appearance, the senior netminder stopped both shots he faced in 7:58 of play.
Tyler Rostenkowski added a late goal for Air Force to close out the 8-2 Falcons' victory.
Hunter Leisner finished the contest in net for AIC. He stopped one shot in 4:12 of play. Caffrey finished 2-of-4 in 8:56 of action, and Murray took the loss with six goals allowed on 40 shots. The Falcons were 1-for-2 on the power play, and the Yellow Jackets were 0-for-1.
"I'm proud of the guys the way they executed the game plan," head coach Frank Serratore said. "But the big question is can we close the deal and get the sweep tomorrow. We have had chances to get sweeps this season and haven't gotten it done. Not only do we need the two points tomorrow in the standings, but we need to go into Army with some momentum."
