Schwartz nets hat trick in 4-2 win at Robert Morris

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Senior captain Austin Schwartz's first career hat trick led Air Force to a 4-2 win over Robert Morris, Friday, Feb. 21, at Clearview Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa. With the win, Air Force clinched home ice for the first round of the playoffs and will host a home game on Saturday, March 1.

Early in the first period, Schwartz created a turnover deep in the RMU end and skated to the front of the net. Schwartz took his backhand high for a 1-0 lead at 3:56.

Robert Morris (10-19-4, 7-15-3 AHA) tied the game early in the second period. Luke Van Why's shot from the center point bounced off the back wall and Michael Felsing tucked it in on the short side just 1:25 into the period. Air Force (14-19-2, 11-13-1AHA) regained the lead at 9:42 of the second. Ren Morque's shot from the left point was tipped in by Brendan Gibbons for a 2-1 lead. Freshman Jake Peterson collected his first career point with an assist on the play. The Colonials again tied the game when Cody Monds scored from Patrick Johnson and Thomas Haynes at 13:58.

Schwartz completed his first career hat trick with two goals in a span of 25 seconds in the third period. At 5:20 of the third period, Nolan Cunningham set up Schwartz for a rocket from the left circle for a 3-2 lead. Gibbons also assisted on the play for a two-point night. On the next shift, Clayton Cosentino and Anthony Yu won a puck on the back wall and Schwartz scored on a rebound of his own shot at 5:45.

With 3:31 left in the third, RMU's Luke Van Why scored an apparent goal. However, after a coaches' challenge, Colonial Walter Zacher was called for a major penalty before the goal was scored and it was disallowed. The major penalty gave the Falcons a power play for the remainder of the game in the 4-2 win.

Air Force outshot RMU, 39-21. The Falcons were 0-for-6 on the power play and killed both of RMU's power plays. Guy Blessing made 19 saves for the Falcons while Croix Kochendorfer made 35 for the home team.

"We won two of the three periods tonight and I thought we were the better team," head coach Frank Serratore said. "This was a huge win for us because we cliched home ice in the first round. We played a good game and we showed a lot of discipline. I liked the way we competed. Now we have a chance tomorrow to gain more momentum going into the playoffs."

Air Force and Robert Morris conclude the series, and the regular season, on Saturday, Feb. 22, in Pittsburgh, Pa.

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