Falcons fall at Canisius, 3-1

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Canisius scored two goals in the second period for a 3-1 win over Air Force in an Atlantic Hockey game Friday, Nov. 24, at the Harborcenter in Buffalo, N.Y.

Air Force (7-8-0, 4-3-0 AHA) killed two penalties midway through the first period and then Parker Brown drew a penalty on the Griffs. On the power play, Owen Baumgartner gave the puck to Chris Hedden on the right side. Hedden's pass through the slot was redirected by Will Gavin at 16:03. Gavin scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season. Air Force outshot the Griffs, 11-4, in the first period.

Just as the Falcons dominated the first period, the second period was all Canisius. The Griffs tied the game just 2:26 into the second period. The Falcons turned a puck over at the blue line and led to a rush for the Griffs. Jack Budd tipped in a pass from Randy Hernandez on the back door. With the Falcons on the power play, another turnover in the neutral zone led to a short-handed breakaway by Matt Vermaeten at 4:46. Late in the second period, the Falcons had 1:03 of a 5-on-3 and had three shots on goal, but could not find the back of the net.

Midway through the third period, a major penalty was called on Falcon forward Parker Brown giving the Griffs a five-minute power play. The Falcons allowed just one shot on goal, blocked three shots and had three short-handed shots on the kill. Late in the period, Owen Dubois drew his second penalty of the game and the Falcons had a power play. The Griffs blocked three shots and killed the man-advantage. With 2:12 left in the game, the Falcons pulled the goalie for the extra attacker. Canisius sealed the win as Matteo Giampa scored an empty netter with 59 seconds left.

Air Force outshot Canisius, 25-24. The Falcons were 1-for-7 on the power play and killed all four of the Griff power plays. David Fessendon made 24 saves for the Griffs. Guy Blessing made 17 saves for the Falcons.

"We had a fantastic first period," head coach Frank Serratore said. "We played well enough in that first period to get two or three goals, but we only got one. Canisius pushed back in the second period, but it wasn't fatal. We had an opportunity to win that game in the third period and we didn't get it done. It is difficult to overcome your opponent, but to overcome your opponent and yourself is almost impossible. We were great in that first period and it is hard to keep up that pace. But we need to be good for a full 60 minutes."

Air Force and Canisius (4-7-1, 4-3-1 AHA) will conclude the two-game league series Saturday, Nov. 25, at 1 pm ET in Buffalo, N.Y.

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Team Stats

Will Gavin

Chris Hedden

Owen Baumgartner

Austin Schwartz

Players Mentioned

Owen Baumgartner

Guy Blessing

Parker Brown

Owen Dubois

Will Gavin

Chris Hedden

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