Falcons hockey team drops two to Niagara

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) --  The Air Force Academy hockey team was swept by the Niagara University Purple Eagles, losing 3-2 Jan. 21 and 3-0 Jan. 22. The two losses dropped the Falcons to 11-11-2 overall and 3-7 in the College Hockey America league. Niagara improved to 10-13-0 and 5-5 in the CHA. With the sweep, Niagara moved into fourth place in the CHA with 10 points while Air Force went to fifth with six points.

In the first match, the Falcons scored first at 4:03 in the first period. The Purple Eagles tied the score at the 16:15 mark. In the second period, the Falcons retook the lead at the 7:36 mark, but Niagara tied the score again with just 32 seconds left in the period.

With the score tied at 2-2 early in the third period, the Purple Eagles scored a short-handed goal to take the lead. Air Force had a chance late in the game as Niagara was whistled for a penalty with 3:09 remaining but the Falcons did not mount much offense and the Purple Eagles held on for the 3-2 win.

Niagara out-shot Air Force, 21-18, in the game. Niagara goalie Jeff Van Nynatten made 16 saves. Falcon goalie Peter Foster made 18 for the Falcons. Niagara was 2-8 on the power play and also had a short-handed goal. Air Force was 0-6 on the power play.

In the second match, held the following evening, both teams played a fast-paced first period, but the two combined for just nine shots on goal. Air Force had six of the shots, but neither team scored in the opening period.

The Purple Eagles scored twice in the second period and then clung to that two-goal lead until the end of the third period when they scored an empty-net goal after the Air Force coach pulled the goalie for the man advantage.

Air Force outshot Niagara in two of the three periods, but the Purple Eagles held a huge advantage in the second period. Niagara out-shot the Falcons, 13-4, in the second period and held a 20-15 advantage in the game. The Falcons were 0-for-6 on the power play and 0-for-12 in the series. Niagara was 1-for-5 on the power play and 3-for-13 in the series. Niagara goalie Jeff Van Nynatten made 15 saves and improved his career record against Air Force to 9-1. Goalie Ian Harper made 17 saves for the Air Force.

The shutout was Air Force’s second of the season. It was the first shutout of the Falcons by Niagara since the Purple Eagles beat the Falcons, 4-0, in 2002.

“You would think this was a trapping kind of game since the score and shot numbers were low, but it wasn’t,” head coach Frank Serratore said. “There was good end-to-end action and some good hitting. There were a lot of good things for us this weekend. We only gave up five goals (minus the empty-netter), and we only gave up 40 shots in two games at Niagara. Defense has to be the foundation of our game, and right now we are playing pretty well defensively. We just need to expand our game and grow a little more offensively. I really like this team. We have good depth, and we work very hard. Sometimes I have to take a step back and remember how far we have come in the last couple years.”