Perhaps a quick turnaround was just what the doctor ordered for Air Force.
Roughly 18 hours after the Falcons suffered a shocking 7-6 loss to Lindenwood, they regrouped impressively pick up their first victory of the young season on Saturday afternoon, 5-3, over the pesky Lions in suburban St. Louis.
Unlike Friday, when Lindenwood, which is off to a 1-5 start in its inaugural Division I season, built momentum and scored the game’s final five goals, Air Force had an answer for every Lions attack on Saturday.
After the Falcons scored two goals in the first 4:26 by Adams and Reim, the latter on a power play, the Lions got one back late in the first and another by Adam Conquest just 2:49 into the second to tie it. Conquest’s strike came when he held and shot the puck from the left circle on a two-on-one rush.
Gavin, however, pulled the Falcons ahead again with a blast from the right circle on a three-on-two AFA zone entry with 10:39 to go in the second. It was the junior’s third goal of the weekend. But Lindenwood (1-5) again proved it wouldn’t quit, and Coltan Wilkie’s right-circle shot on a power play just beat Blessing as the goalie went post to post about five minutes later.
Reim, one of the Falcons’ co-captains, provided an emphatic answer only 34 seconds later when he scored his third goal of the weekend to give Air Force the lead for good. Brown added an insurance goal 4:28 into the third and gave three of the four lines a goal, the type of balance the Falcons must receive to sustain success.
Win buoys Air Force head of AHA opener
The victory, on the heels of giving up substantial leads in their previous two games, provides a boost to the Falcons as they enter Atlantic Hockey play this week. They play host to RIT, which swept Army West Point last weekend and played a non-conference game against Union later Saturday, on Thursday and Friday at Cadet Ice Arena.
The Tigers figure to be one of the conference’s better teams this season, as do the Falcons, so bringing some positive vibes into that series is helpful to say the least.
Air Force also was boosted by the return of a handful of players to its lineup, chief among them Blessing. The goalie withstood several challenges and had to make a highlight reel stop with 4:23 left and Lindenwood buzzing his net. In addition, junior center Jake Marti and sophomore defenseman Drake Usher returned from injuries as well. If history tells us anything about series vs. RIT, the Falcons will need this depth against one of their biggest rivals.
Notes: The Falcons outshot the hosts 35-28 – seven of them by Gavin – and won the face-off battle 36-28 (56 percent). … Air Force went 1 for 7 on power plays and killed 2 of 3 of its penalties. … Defensemen Sam Brennan and Mitchell Digby each had two assists. Brennan had three helpers on the weekend. … This weekend’s games two of the four – yes, only four – the Lions will have at home this season. Their independent schedule has them playing 28 road games.
©First Line Editorial 2022