Air Force rally comes up short at West Point

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army built a 3-0 lead and then held off a Falcon rally for a 3-2 win over Air Force in an Atlantic Hockey America game Friday, Jan. 17, at Tate Rink in West Point, N.Y. Army won its third straight game and snapped a five-game losing skid to Air Force.

Army (8-15-0, 8-8-0) opened the scoring on the power play. Just nine seconds after a penalty on Air Force, Army took a 1-0 lead. Barron Woodring won a faceoff and defenseman Mac Gadowsky collected the puck and scored his team-leading ninth of the season at 4:28. With five minutes left in the period, Falcon defenseman Will Staring's blast from the point rang off the pipe as the Black Knights held the 1-0 lead.

Early in the second period, Army's Brent Keefer broke free down the right side and scored with a wrister at 6:18. Gadowsky and Sean Vlasich had the assists. Late in the period, Army capitalized on its second power play of the game for a 3-0 lead. Gadowsky and Nils Forselius set up Jack Ivey for a wrister from the right point at 15:07.

Air Force (11-13-1, 8-7-0 AHA) rallied in the final seven minutes with a pair of goals in a span of 16 seconds. Sophomore Nolan Cunningham scored his second power-play goal in his last two games with 6:51 remaining. Will Staring collected the assist as the Falcons cut the Army lead to 3-1. On the ensuing faceoff, Mason McCormick won the draw and Will Dawson gave the puck back to the Falcon center. McCormick scored with a wrister that went bar down for his fourth of the season. With 2:00 left, Air Force pulled the goalie for the extra attacker, but was unable to find the equalizer.

Air Force outshot Army, 33-20. AF was 1-for-5 on the power play while Army was 2-for-2. Guy Blessing made 17 saves for the Falcons. J.J. Cataldo made 31 for Army.

"The bottom line is we started too late," head coach Frank Serratore said. "We got out special-teamed and out goaltended. Chasing the scoreboard is not a sound formula. This one is on us, but Army had something to do with it too. They won two periods and we won one, that is not good enough. We need our play in the third period to carry over to tomorrow."

Up Next: Air Force and Army, Saturday, Jan. 18, 4:05 pm ET, West Point, N.Y.

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Team Stats

Nolan Cunningham

Mason McCormick

Nick Remissong

Will Dawson

Players Mentioned

Guy Blessing

Nolan Cunningham

Will Dawson

Mason McCormick

Will Staring

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