Blessing blanks Army as Falcons sweep Black Knights

Team	1	2	3	F
Army West Point	0	0	0	0
Air Force	1	1	2	4

Army West Point

Air Force

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Guy Blessing's second career shutout and a pair of goals from Clayton Cosentino led Air Force to a 4-0 win over Army in an Atlantic Hockey game Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Cadet Ice Arena. The Falcons swept the Black Knights for the first time since the AHA Quarterfinals in West Point in 2022 and the first time at the Cadet Ice Arena since 2017.

In the first 10 minutes of the first period, each team had just one shot on goal. Air Force's Andrew DeCarlo and Chris Hedden each drew penalties with under seven minutes left and the Falcons had 74 seconds of a 5-on-3. Despite not capitalizing on the man-up advantages, Air Force did light the lamp late in the period as Will Gavin fed Hedden at the right point. His shot was blocked by a defenseman, but Clayton Cosentino put back the rebound with 1:44 left in the opening period.

Air Force (6-6-0, 3-1-0 AHA) took a 2-0 lead in the second period on the power play after Mitchell Digby drew a penalty. It took just four seconds for the Falcons to capitalize. Cosentino won the faceoff and Gavin set up Owen Baumgartner at the center point. Cosentino redirected Baumgartner's shot for his second of the game at 7:34. With the assist, Gavin has a point in four straight games.

The Falcons took a 3-0 lead early in the third period on a strong individual effort from Parker Brown. Brown took a pass from Hedden and Luke Rowe and skated down the slot, dragging a pair of Black Knights. The senior from South Carolina scored his third of the season at 5:43. Midway through the period, DeCarlo won a faceoff in the offensive zone and Lucas Coon collected the puck in the circle. Coon went straight to the net, scoring this third goal in as many games for a 4-0 lead at 11:38. Trailing 4-0, Army had 1:43 of a 5-on-3, but the Falcons killed it with four blocked shots, three clears and three saves from Blessing.

Air Force outshot Army, 34-20. The Falcons were 1-for-3 on the power play while Army (0-8-0, 0-4-0 AHA) was 0-for-3. Evan Szary made 30 saves for the Black Knights.

"I really didn't like that first period," head coach Frank Serratore said. "It was too helter skelter and we were fortunate to get out of there with a lead. We needed good, hard, honest hockey and we got that in the final 40 minutes. We were connected for those final 40 minutes and we broke their will. That is us. That is how we have to play. We need to bottle that type of effort and take it on the road next week because we will be playing two very experienced teams in Mercyhurst and Canisius."

Air Force plays its next four games on the road with a series at Mercyhurst, Nov. 18-19, and then at Canisius, Nov. 24-25.

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