This one was there for the taking.

Niagara scored two goals in the final 7:17 – the last with 1:11 to play – to edge Air Force, 4-3, in the Falcons’ Atlantic Hockey opener at Niagara Falls, N.Y., on Friday.

The Falcons (2-5, 0-1 AHA) had held a one-goal lead for nearly 20 minutes after they dominated the second period, but they could not close it out and fell to 1-4 on the road.

Freshman Austin Schwartz scored his first NCAA goal to give the Falcons that 3-2 lead, and sophomores Nate Horn and Will Gavin continued their fast starts with first-period goals. Alex Schilling made 29 saves for Air Force.

Schwartz’s goal came on a rebound of Mitchell Digby‘s shot from the right point with 5:42 to go in the second period. Schwartz found plenty of open real estate to the left of Niagara goalie Chad Veltri (25 saves).

The strike punctuated a period in which the Falcons outshot the hosts 14-6.

Niagara turned the tables in the third period, however, outshooting its guests 11-4 and cashing in twice late.

Albin Nilsson, who opened the scoring 46 seconds into the game, tied it with 7:17 to on a shot that Schilling didn’t appear to see through traffic in the slot. Luke Edgerton clinched it with a third-effort goal on Schilling’s doorstep with 1:11 to play.

Flying start

The teams combined for four goals in the first 7:46. Nilsson struck first, but Horn evened things just 45 seconds later on the power play. It was the second game in a row Horn has scored, and the goal was his third of the season.

Gavin, who had three goals last Friday, got his team-leading fourth 4:01 into the first on a breakaway. However, Ryan Naumovski evened it at 2 with a power-play goal.

Things settled down after that until the furious finish by the Purple Eagles (2-5, 2-1).

Positive signs

While the ending wasn’t what Air Force wanted, it still accomplished some things that bode well.

• It was the third time the Falcons have hit three goals, which meant wins the previous two times they did it this season.
• They twice took leads on the road, something they had not done since overtime of Game 1 at Michigan State.
• And they dominated in the face-off circle, winning 40 of 66 (61 percent). Freshman Andrew DeCarlo was particularly strong, winning 15 of 20 draws, an astounding 75 percent.

Notes

Digby had two assists for Air Force. … The teams conclude the series at 3 p.m. MDT on Saturday.

©First Line Editorial 2021