Thursday, October 12
USAFA, CO
7:05 pm MT
Air Force Academy
2-1-0
6
vs
5
Michigan State University
2-1-0
1
2
3
F
#8 Michigan St.
0
3
2
5
Air Force
3
2
1
6
Air Force knocks off No. 8 Michigan State
10/12/2023 10:47:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Air Force built an early 3-0 lead and then held off No. 8 Michigan State for a 6-5 win Thursday, Oct. 12, at the Cadet Ice Arena. The victory marked the highest ranked team the Falcons have beaten since No. 1 St. Cloud State in the 2018 NCAA West Regional. It was the highest ranked team the Falcons have beaten at home since a 5-4 overtime win over No. 5 Denver to open the 2015 season.
The freshman trio of Nick Remissong, Owen Dubois and Brendan Gibbons combined for three goals and seven points tonight.
Dubois put the Falcons up early as he finished a check, forced a turnover and then roofed a backhander at 3:10 of the first period. The goal was the first of Dubois' career, and then his second came less than five minutes later. Remissong won a puck on the wall in the neutral zone and Gibbons took the puck around the net, setting up Dubois in front at 7:49. Late in the opening period, the Falcons struck again as senior Parker Brown scored his second of the season at 19:44. Will Gavin set up Sam Brennan in the left circle. Brennan's shot was saved, but Brown cleaned up the rebound for a 3-0 lead.
Michigan State got on the board midway through the second period as Red Savage took a pass at the blue line, skated down the slot and scored with a wrister at 9:41. Air Force answered 11 seconds later as the rookies struck again. Remissong sent a puck up the left side and Dubois gained the zone on a 2-on-2. Dubois set up Gibbons with speed down the slot for his first career goal at 9:52. The Falcons took a 5-1 lead at 13:04 as Clayton Cosentino and Nate Horn worked a give-and-go to perfection. Cosentino scored his second of the season from Horn and Brown. Michigan State scored two goals in the final four minutes of the second period to cut into the Falcon lead. Nicolas Muller scored on the power play at 16:37 and then Gavin O'Connell scored on the rush with 1:36 remaining as the Falcons held a 5-3 lead after 40 minutes.
The Spartans cut the Falcon lead to 5-4 at 8:47 of the third with a power play goal from Reed Lebster. Michigan State kept the puck in the zone right at the blue line and Karsen Dorwart found Lebster wide open in the left circle. Trailing by a goal, the Falcons had to kill a Spartan power play with under five minutes left. Guy Blessing made several saves, but senior captain Luke Rowe blocked two big shots. Rowe finished with a career-high six blocked shots as the Falcons blocked 27 as a team.
With just over two minutes left in the third, Brown drew a tripping penalty putting the Falcons on the power play with 2:12 left. MSU pulled the goalie with 1:30 left and Holt Oliphant scored an empty-netter from the neutral zone with 1:26 left for a 6-4 lead. The Spartans pulled the goalie again and, after several saves by Guy Blessing, Daniel Russell scored on a flurry in front with 4.5 seconds left to make up the final margin.
Air Force (2-1-0) outshot Michigan State, 32-29, in the game, MSU was 2-for-6 on the power play while Air Force was 1-for-7. Blessing made 24 saves for the Falcons. MSU freshman goalie Trey Augustine started the game and allowed three goals on 16 shots. He was replaced by fellow freshman Luca DiPasquo who made 13 saves over the final 40 minutes.
"I'm never going to apologize for winning a game, but we made that ugly," head coach Frank Serratore said. "We bent, but we didn't break. We had that 3-0 lead, but they are No. 8 in the nation for a reason and we knew they would push back hard. And they did. We didn't give them anything easy in that first period, but then that second period went south. And with all that, we found a way to win that game."
Air Force and Michigan State (2-1-0) conclude the two-game series on Friday, Oct. 13, at 7:07 pm MT at the Cadet Ice Arena.
--30-
The freshman trio of Nick Remissong, Owen Dubois and Brendan Gibbons combined for three goals and seven points tonight.
Dubois put the Falcons up early as he finished a check, forced a turnover and then roofed a backhander at 3:10 of the first period. The goal was the first of Dubois' career, and then his second came less than five minutes later. Remissong won a puck on the wall in the neutral zone and Gibbons took the puck around the net, setting up Dubois in front at 7:49. Late in the opening period, the Falcons struck again as senior Parker Brown scored his second of the season at 19:44. Will Gavin set up Sam Brennan in the left circle. Brennan's shot was saved, but Brown cleaned up the rebound for a 3-0 lead.
Michigan State got on the board midway through the second period as Red Savage took a pass at the blue line, skated down the slot and scored with a wrister at 9:41. Air Force answered 11 seconds later as the rookies struck again. Remissong sent a puck up the left side and Dubois gained the zone on a 2-on-2. Dubois set up Gibbons with speed down the slot for his first career goal at 9:52. The Falcons took a 5-1 lead at 13:04 as Clayton Cosentino and Nate Horn worked a give-and-go to perfection. Cosentino scored his second of the season from Horn and Brown. Michigan State scored two goals in the final four minutes of the second period to cut into the Falcon lead. Nicolas Muller scored on the power play at 16:37 and then Gavin O'Connell scored on the rush with 1:36 remaining as the Falcons held a 5-3 lead after 40 minutes.
The Spartans cut the Falcon lead to 5-4 at 8:47 of the third with a power play goal from Reed Lebster. Michigan State kept the puck in the zone right at the blue line and Karsen Dorwart found Lebster wide open in the left circle. Trailing by a goal, the Falcons had to kill a Spartan power play with under five minutes left. Guy Blessing made several saves, but senior captain Luke Rowe blocked two big shots. Rowe finished with a career-high six blocked shots as the Falcons blocked 27 as a team.
With just over two minutes left in the third, Brown drew a tripping penalty putting the Falcons on the power play with 2:12 left. MSU pulled the goalie with 1:30 left and Holt Oliphant scored an empty-netter from the neutral zone with 1:26 left for a 6-4 lead. The Spartans pulled the goalie again and, after several saves by Guy Blessing, Daniel Russell scored on a flurry in front with 4.5 seconds left to make up the final margin.
Air Force (2-1-0) outshot Michigan State, 32-29, in the game, MSU was 2-for-6 on the power play while Air Force was 1-for-7. Blessing made 24 saves for the Falcons. MSU freshman goalie Trey Augustine started the game and allowed three goals on 16 shots. He was replaced by fellow freshman Luca DiPasquo who made 13 saves over the final 40 minutes.
"I'm never going to apologize for winning a game, but we made that ugly," head coach Frank Serratore said. "We bent, but we didn't break. We had that 3-0 lead, but they are No. 8 in the nation for a reason and we knew they would push back hard. And they did. We didn't give them anything easy in that first period, but then that second period went south. And with all that, we found a way to win that game."
Air Force and Michigan State (2-1-0) conclude the two-game series on Friday, Oct. 13, at 7:07 pm MT at the Cadet Ice Arena.
--30-
Team Stats
MSU
AF
Shots
29
32
PPG
2
1
SHG
0
0
Penalties
7
6
Penalty Mins
14
12
Faceoffs Won
31
42
Game Leaders
+/-
2
Goals
2
Sh
2
A
1
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
2
A
1
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
1
A
1
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
1
A
1
Players Mentioned
G
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