Air Force Academy
Niagara University
Falcons blank Niagara, 4-0
12/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
U.S AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Kyle Haak scored two goals and Shane Starrett earned his fifth career shutout as Air Force beat Niagara, 4-0, in an Atlantic Hockey Conference game Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Academy's Cadet Ice Arena. The Falcons swept the two-game series and improved to 9-6-3 overall and 5-3-1 and in fifth place in Atlantic Hockey. Niagara fell to 2-13-3 overall and 2-8-2 in league.
Less than two minutes into the game, a five-minute major for tripping was called on Air Force freshman Pierce Pluemer. The Falcon penalty killers did not give up a single shot on goal in those five minutes. Through the first 15 minutes of the period, the teams combined for just four shots on goal. With less than three minutes left in the period, junior Jordan Himley created some space skating down the left wing and took a shot that was saved. As Niagara tried to clear the puck, Kyle Mackey knocked it down and chipped it to Kyle Haak who skated to the top of the right circle and snapped a shot through a Matt Serratore screen and over the glove of Guillaume Therien.
Late in the second, after Matt Koch drew a penalty, the Falcons capitalized as Haak scored his second of the game. Jordan Himley carried the puck into the zone and left it for Dan Bailey at the center point. Bailey's point shot was saved, but Haak put back the rebound at 17:52.
With a two-goal lead, the Falcon penalty kill came up big in the third, killing three and scoring a short-handed goal. With just under 12 minutes left in the third, Evan Feno charged a tumbling puck and created an odd-man, short-handed rush. Feno's spin-around shot was saved, but in a flurry in front, Erik Baskin punched it in at 11:32. Air Force took a 4-0 lead at 15:44 on the power play when Koch's shot was saved, but Evan Giesler put back the rebound at 15:44.
Air Force outshot Niagara, 36-19, in the game. Air Force was 2-for-5 on the power play while Niagara was 0-for-6. Starrett made 19 saves for the Falcons while Guillaume Therien made 32 for the Purple Eagles.
"There was a lot to feel good about tonight," head coach Frank Serratore said. "Our penalty kill answered the bell tonight. We had to kill seven minutes in the first period alone and still won the period. We out-played them, out-goaltended them and out-special-teamed them. Being a plus-3 on special teams and having Shane Starrett in net, we will win a lot of games. This is a great way to close out the first half of the season."
Air Force is not off until Dec. 30-31 when the Falcons travel to Sacred Heart for a two-game series in Bridgeport, Conn.
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