Air Force Set Back at Boston U, 15-7

BOSTON, Mass. – Air Force dropped at 15-7 non-conference contest against undefeated Boston U, 15-7, Saturday afternoon at Nickerson Field. The Falcons remain in the hunt for their first win of the season (0-4) while the Terriers improved to 4-0.

SIGNIFICANT STATS:
-Junior attack man Caelan Driggs tallied three goals in the second half, marking his second straight hat trick performance. He took a game high eight shots with five attempted on goal. Driggs leads AF with 11 goals this season and has scored a goal in every appearance.
-Senior team captain Josh Yago, the Falcons' assists leader (9), had his second straight three-point performance with two helps and a goal. Yago averages 3.5 PPG and has at least a goal and assist in every game this season.
-Junior defender Cole Cunningham, a linchpin defender, scooped up a game high seven ground balls and caused a turnover. Cunningham leads the squad in ground balls (20) and CTOs (6).
-Senior faceoff man Daniel Haimes was victorious at the center dot, winning 11 of 21 attempts with five ground balls and a CTO. Haimes has won at X for two games straight and in three of four appearances this season.
-Senior Wes Peene scored a pair of goals on three shots to up his season total to seven. Peene boasts a .714 SOG-percentage and has scored in three straight games.
-Senior goalie Jake Marek made nine saves and collected three ground balls in his fourth start this season. Freshman teammate Matt Deedy made his collegiate debut in goal where he made two saves.
-Boston U was led by Timothy Shannehan and Mike Rooney who scored five and four goals, respectively. Shannehan dished two assists for a seven-point game while Jimmy O'Connell led the squad with three assists.
-Terrier goalie Will Barnes made 11 saves for a .611 save percentage on the game.
-BU was perfect in man-up attempts (4-4) while AF was .500 (3-6). The Falcons were 3-3 in man-up opportunities in the fourth quarter.

GAME NOTES:
-Boston U is 3-0 in the all-time series against Air Force; the Falcons have yet to break into double-digit scores against the Terriers.
-Air Force is off to a 0-4 start for the first time since 2022, a season that was finalized with an 8-7 overall record.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Quarter:
Wes Peene was first to light the scoreboard in an unassisted attack at the 9:10 mark. BU responded with a pair of goals from Andrew Pape and Shannehan after the six-minute mark to close the first quarter with a 2-1 lead.

Second Quarter:
The Terriers outscored the Falcons 4-2 in the second quarter, scoring just 14 seconds out of the break. AF goals were scored by Ryan Stadelmaier (11:57) and Josh Yago (3:29)—both in unassisted attacks. BU's Mike Rooney put up two in the quarter while Shannehan and Jimmy Khor tallied one each.

Third Quarter:
The going got tough for Air Force out of the halftime break as the Terriers outscored the Falcons 5-1 in the third quarter. O'Connell and Kohr scored back-to-back to start. Driggs broke the BU score streak with an unassisted goal at the 8:51 mark. Shannehan responded with two straight goals between 7:44 and 1:45, with teammate Mike Rooney scoring the final goal of the quarter with 40 seconds remaining.

Fourth Quarter:
The Falcons got some lift in the fourth quarter as the BU subs made their way onto the field. Driggs scored his second goal with help from Yago 1:05 into the quarter. James Corcoran scored his first goal of the season in response, followed up by Rooney's fourth and final goal of the game. Driggs notched his hat trick goal at the 8:41 mark and was met in response by Shannehan's fifth and final goal of the game. Cole Rassas assisted Wes Peene in his second goal with 5:23 remaining in regulation. BU's Tommy Garofalo capped the game with a score at 1:35 remaining.

COMING UP:
Air Force returns to the home turf for a pair of games next weekend. The Falcons will host Quinnipiac in non-conference action, Friday (Feb.28), and welcome Marist to USAFA for a non-conference meeting on Sunday (Mar. 2). Action at Falcon Stadium is slated for noon on both days.

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Team Stats

Caelan Driggs

Wes Peene

Josh Yago

Ryan Stadelmaier

Players Mentioned

Cole Cunningham

Matt Deedy

Caelan Driggs

Daniel Haimes

Jake Marek

Wes Peene

Cole Rassas

Ryan Stadelmaier

Josh Yago

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