Consider it a lesson well learned.
One night after nearly blowing a three-goal, third-period lead, Air Force responded by hanging tough with a big, aggressive and determined Arizona State team and emerged with a second consecutive one-goal victory.
That means the No. 19 Falcons will enter this week’s series against Bemidji State, which should be highly ranked after defeating and tying Minnesota Duluth, unbeaten (3-0-1) and with an opportunity to enhance their upward mobility.
Here are some takeaways from the hard-fought sweep of the Sun Devils:
Adjustments
Say this for the Falcons’ coaching staff. They hit the right buttons this weekend. They had the team prepared both nights. Friday night the Falcons came out firing and built a 4-1 lead after two periods before fatigue set in in the third. Saturday, they made some adjustments to the lineup and re-emphasized winning small battles and making simple hockey plays on Saturday – huge factors in that victory.
Special teams
A hallmark of AFA’s success in recent times has been a great penalty kill,
Ben Kucera
and for the most part that was the case vs. the Sun Devils. The Falcons killed off 9 of 10 ASU chances (90 percent) and have stopped 23 of 25 chances through four games (92 percent). The defense in particular was strong in this area, constantly blocking shots and getting pucks out of scoring areas. … The power play scored in each game, and both nights it was the first goal of the game – a huge momentum generator. And both times it was scored by a right wing to the left of the slot (Ben Kucera on Friday and Erik Baskin on Saturday). The Falcons were 2 of 7 for the weekend (28.6 percent) and now stand at 4 for 17 overall (23.5 percent). … The magic number many coaches adhere to for special teams is 100, as in if your power play and PK numbers exceed that, you’re doing all right. The Falcons are at 115.5 right now.
Offensively defensive
Another Air Force trademark is offense from defense. Dylan Abood‘s goal Friday and Matt Koch‘s on Saturday meant the Falcons have one from the blue line in all four games. Koch and freshman Zack Mirageas had assists as well.
Depth is a must
Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for injuries to turn into an issue for the Falcons. However, they have a deeper roster this season, and it was on display vs. Arizona State. Eight defensemen (including Joe Tyran, himself an injury casualty last season) played this weekend and 13 forwards saw action, including freshmen Walker Sommer and Max Harper, each of whom picked up their first NCAA points (assists). Harper also had a goal disallowed Saturday after the officials determined the scoring play was offsides. Getting freshmen acquainted with the NCAA game now is important because the type of injuries the Falcons have sustained are impactful. Every situation center Evan Feno (ACL) is out for the season. Every situation wing Matt Serratore remains in concussion protocol, though he told me Saturday he’s feeling better and hopeful of returning. Freshman wing Marshall Bowery has an upper body injury that may keep him out for an extended period. Forward Trevor Stone took a heavy hit to the head Saturday and left the game late in the third period. And defenseman Kyle Mackey also left that game after the second period. Developing depth isn’t just a luxury, it’s a necessity.
A recap of Friday’s game can be found here, and one of Saturday’s game can be found here
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