Trevor Stone tipped in Zack Mirageas‘ shot with 39 seconds left and an extra attacker on to lift Air Force into a 2-2 tie against Sacred Heart on Sunday in an Atlantic Hockey Conference game at New Haven, Conn.
The Falcons (11-9-4, 9-6-3 AHC) rallied to gain a point after trailing by two goals for the first time this season, and Stone scored both goals.
“We were tested and we took a step forward,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said. “That easily could have been a game we could have lost. A team with less substance, they don’t come back in that game. We showed some real substance.”
Goaltender Billy Christopoulos made 36 saves, the third most of his career, and time and again he kept the Pioneers (6-12-3, 6-8-2 AHC) from extending their lead with clutch stops.
“It’s hard to turn a game. Being down 2-0 we found a way to turn that game,” Serratore said. “Obviously the catalyst was Billy – he made some silly saves. That opened a crack in the door.”
Stone opened it wider midway through the second period. After Sacred Heart had scored a first-period goal on a pass from below the Falcons goal line that bounced into the net off a defender’s skate, the Pioneers struck again early in the second. Austin Magerus tallied for the second time in two games with a point shot at 1:14.
The Falcons ratcheted up their attack after that. Shortly after Kyle Haak was denied by Josh Benson (26 saves) on a breakaway, Stone struck on a rush after receiving a pass from Evan Giesler at 6:34.
Air Force then had to weather another storm when center Brady Tomlak was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding 1:22 after Stone’s first goal. A subsequent penalty on Mirageas gave the Pioneers 1:17 of a 5-on-3 power play, which the Falcons killed off.
That set the stage for the late-game heroics.
The tie gave the Falcons points in six of eight games (2-2-4) since the Christmas break. However, they’re 0-1-3 in AHC games since the break and are in a tie for second place with Niagara, four points behind AIC. But they’re also are just five points out of eighth place.
“In terms of ties, that was a good tie,” Serratore said. “We did a good job minimizing mistakes. Our guys showed some substance. We didn’t implode, we stayed with the game. We were trending badly in the wrong direction.
“We lost Brady, so we had to go with three centers. We had to kill a five-minute major that turned into almost a full-service 5-on-3. But we found a way to do it.”
Notes
Haak continued his strong play of late, winning 13 face-offs and blocking a couple of shots. … The Falcons shifted Kieran Durgan to center because Erich Jaeger was felled by illness. … Sacred Heart held a slight edge in face-offs, 38-37.
Air Force’s three stars
- Billy Christopoulos. The senior made 36 saves, including more than a couple of huge ones to keep the game close, in what was arguably his best game of the season.
- Trevor Stone. The junior scored both goals and fired a team-high six shots.
- Zack Mirageas. He went plus 2, blocked a couple of shots and assisted on the tying goal.
Up next
The Falcons play host to Robert Morris on Friday (7:05 p.m.) and Saturday (5:05 p.m.) at Cadet Arena. The Colonials are coming off a split at Canisius.
©First Line Editorial 2017-19
