Friday, November 25
Erie, PA
5:05 pm MT
Air Force Academy
6-7-2, 2-4-1
3
at
5
Mercyhurst University
4-10-2, 3-2-2
1
2
3
F
Air Force
1
0
2
3
Mercyhurst
3
1
1
5
Lakers score early and beat Air Force, 5-3
11/25/2022 9:14:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
ERIE, Pa. – Merchyhurst scored two goals in the first six minutes of the game and held off Air Force for a 5-3 win in an Atlantic Hockey Association game Friday, Nov. 25, in Erie, Pa.
Mercyhurst (4-9-2, 3-2-2 AHA) took a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game. Riley St. Onge opened the scoring on the rush at 3:43. Two minutes later, with the Falcons on the power play, the Lakers won a faceoff and St. Onge carried the puck out of the zone. St. Onge fired the puck off the back wall and Garrett Dahm put the rebound back short-handed at 5:54. On that same power play, the Falcons cut the Laker lead in half as freshman defenseman Chris Hedden scored the first of his career. Mitchell Digby and Clayton Cosentino assisted as Hedden scored with a wrister from the left point. The Lakers took a 3-1 lead after the Falcons turned the puck over at the blue line and Keanan Stewart scored at 15:02.
Air Force (6-7-2, 2-4-1 AHA) pressured Mercyhurst early in the second period and had a 5-1 shot advantage. On the power play with about nine minutes left in the period, Luke Rowe's slap shot hit the post. Late in the period, the Lakers took a 4-1 lead on the power play as Dustin Geregach scored with a wrister from the center point at 16:48.
Late in the third period, the Falcons cut the Laker lead to 4-2. Killing a penalty, Austin Schwartz forced a turnover in the neutral zone, skated down the left side and scored with a backhanded at 15:18. The goal was even strength, coming just two seconds after a penalty expired.
With 4:20 left in the third, the Falcons pulled the goalie for the extra attacker. In the first 50 seconds of the extra attacker situation, the Falcons had five shots on goal that were all turned away by Laker goalie Owen Say. With 1:19 left, Steven Agriogiannis scored an empty-netter for a 5-2 Laker lead. The Falcons pulled the goalie again and Parker Brown scored from Jacob Marti and Nate Horn with 47 seconds left to make up the final margin.
Air Force outshot Mercyhurst, 15-6, in the third period and 37-30 in the game. The Falcons were 1-for-2 on the power play and the Lakers were 1-for-4. Guy Blessing started the game for the Falcons and made 20 saves in the first two periods. Maiszon Balboa played the third period and made five saves. Say made 34 saves for the Lakers.
"We had very little grit and snarl in our game tonight," head coach Frank Serratore said. "We got into a track meet with them and that is not good for us. Give Mercyhurst credit, we played their game in the first period. It was really all about that first period and the way we started. We had a pretty good second period. We competed better, but we needed that from the beginning. Then we get a couple goals in the third, but it was too little too late."
The Falcons and Lakers conclude the two-game league series on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 4:05 pm ET in Erie, Pa.
--30--
Mercyhurst (4-9-2, 3-2-2 AHA) took a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game. Riley St. Onge opened the scoring on the rush at 3:43. Two minutes later, with the Falcons on the power play, the Lakers won a faceoff and St. Onge carried the puck out of the zone. St. Onge fired the puck off the back wall and Garrett Dahm put the rebound back short-handed at 5:54. On that same power play, the Falcons cut the Laker lead in half as freshman defenseman Chris Hedden scored the first of his career. Mitchell Digby and Clayton Cosentino assisted as Hedden scored with a wrister from the left point. The Lakers took a 3-1 lead after the Falcons turned the puck over at the blue line and Keanan Stewart scored at 15:02.
Air Force (6-7-2, 2-4-1 AHA) pressured Mercyhurst early in the second period and had a 5-1 shot advantage. On the power play with about nine minutes left in the period, Luke Rowe's slap shot hit the post. Late in the period, the Lakers took a 4-1 lead on the power play as Dustin Geregach scored with a wrister from the center point at 16:48.
Late in the third period, the Falcons cut the Laker lead to 4-2. Killing a penalty, Austin Schwartz forced a turnover in the neutral zone, skated down the left side and scored with a backhanded at 15:18. The goal was even strength, coming just two seconds after a penalty expired.
With 4:20 left in the third, the Falcons pulled the goalie for the extra attacker. In the first 50 seconds of the extra attacker situation, the Falcons had five shots on goal that were all turned away by Laker goalie Owen Say. With 1:19 left, Steven Agriogiannis scored an empty-netter for a 5-2 Laker lead. The Falcons pulled the goalie again and Parker Brown scored from Jacob Marti and Nate Horn with 47 seconds left to make up the final margin.
Air Force outshot Mercyhurst, 15-6, in the third period and 37-30 in the game. The Falcons were 1-for-2 on the power play and the Lakers were 1-for-4. Guy Blessing started the game for the Falcons and made 20 saves in the first two periods. Maiszon Balboa played the third period and made five saves. Say made 34 saves for the Lakers.
"We had very little grit and snarl in our game tonight," head coach Frank Serratore said. "We got into a track meet with them and that is not good for us. Give Mercyhurst credit, we played their game in the first period. It was really all about that first period and the way we started. We had a pretty good second period. We competed better, but we needed that from the beginning. Then we get a couple goals in the third, but it was too little too late."
The Falcons and Lakers conclude the two-game league series on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 4:05 pm ET in Erie, Pa.
--30--
Team Stats
AF
MU
Shots
37
30
PPG
1
1
SHG
0
1
Penalties
5
3
Penalty Mins
10
6
Faceoffs Won
36
32
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
-1
Goals
1
Sh
8
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
2
A
0
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
2
A
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Ice Hockey
G
/ Men's Ice HockeyF
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
D
/ Men's Ice HockeyD
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
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