Hockey: Falcons blank Bemidji State, 6-0

  • Published
Seniors Mike Phillipich and Greg Flynn each scored two goals and goaltender Andrew Volkening stopped all 15 shots to lead Air Force to a 6-0 win over Bemidji State in a non-conference college hockey game Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Cadet Ice Arena. 

The Falcons swept the two-game series and improved to 4-0 on the season. The Bemidji State Beavers fell to 0-4. Air Force is 4-0 to start the season for the first time since the 1975-76 season and for just the fourth time in school history. It is the first time in school history the Falcons have started the season with all four wins over Division I opponents. 

The scoreboard lights were tested early as Jacques Lamoureux scored 30 seconds into the game on a 3-on-2 rush. Brent Olson carried the puck down the left wing and fed Lamoureux who was skating down the slot. Josh Frider also assisted on the play. The Falcons took a 2-0 lead on the power play as Greg Flynn scored from Derrick Burnett and Scott Mathis. Flynn's shot from the left point got through traffic for his first goal of the season. 

Nine minutes into the second period, Flynn scored again for a 3-0 lead. Again from the left point, Flynn's shot knuckled through for his second of the season from Lamoureux and Brent Olson. Phillipich's first of the season came with 1:28 left in the second period on the power play. Mathis and Olson assisted as Phillipich skated down the right wing and stuffed it past the goalie just before crashing into the net for a 4-0 lead. 

Phillipich gave the Falcons a 5-0 lead at the 8:42 mark of the third period. After winning a faceoff in the Bemidji zone, Scott Kozlak and Blake Page battled for the puck in the corner. Page gave the puck to Phillipich right in front who beat BSU goalie Orlando Alamano on the short side. With 3:58 left, the Falcons took a 6-0 lead when Lamoureux skated the puck down the left side and fed freshman Greg Burgdoerfer in the slot who was all alone. Burgdoerfer scored his first career goal as Brad Sellers also assisted on the play. 

Air Force out-shot Bemidji State, 37-15, in the game and 69-33 in the series. The Falcons were 2-for-11 on the power play while BSU was 0-for-5. Volkening recorded his first shutout of the season and the sixth of his career stopping all 15 shots and not seeing more than six shots in any period. Alamano stopped 31 for BSU. 

"I am very proud of our guys," head coach Frank Serratore said. "It is a players' game. Players win games and players win championships. Hopefully we can maintain the level we are playing at right now. Our biggest problem the last couple years has been our consistency. It will be interesting to see if we can be more consistent this year." 

The Falcons return to conference action Oct. 24 and 25 with a two-game series at American International College in Springfield, Mass.  

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