Air Force battled back from an early deficit and then did it again in the third period to emerge with a 3-3 tie against defending Atlantic Hockey champion AIC on Saturday afternoon at Springfield, Mass.

The Yellowjackets (6-6-3, 4-5-1-1 AHA) picked up the extra point in the shootout, scoring in the sixth round after goalies Jarrett Fiske (29 saves) and Guy Blessing combined to stop the first 11 shots in the bonus session.

In addition to Blessing’s 25 saves, Air Force received goals from Nate Horn, Luke Rowe and Willie Reim. The Falcons (6-5-2, 2-2-1 AHA) picked up at least a point for the fifth time in their past six games.

Here are three areas that stood out about Saturday’s game:

Both teams are among Atlantic Hockey’s best

The game featured plenty of flow and plenty of chances by both teams. AIC controlled the first period, and it looked like the same skilled deep outfit that has won four consecutive conference titles despite considerable roster turnover this season.

Air Force hung tough on the road and has a point to show for its efforts. A Saturday afternoon-Sunday series two time zones away isn’t an easy ask for creatures of (service academy) habits. AIC and RIT are two of the presumptive league favorites, and both have looked every bit the part. But so have the Falcons in their games against both programs.

Air Force gets the best from its best players

When the chips are down in a game, you need your best players to be your best players, and such was the case for Air Force.

All three goal scorers among the Falcons’ top scorers, and the final two came from co-captains. Horn got the Falcons on the board 6:46 into the second, and Rowe tied it five minutes later on (ironically enough – more on this in a bit) a power play.

Then, after Alexander Malinowski re-established AIC’s lead with 7:12 to play, Reim’s redirection of Brandon Koch’s point shot tied it again with 5 minutes left.

In between and especially afterward, Blessing made several point-blank stops, including a few on odd-man rushes.

The Falcons’ resilience shows up

There were a couple of opportunities for the game to get away from the Falcons, but to their credit they didn’t let that happen.

Trailing 2-0 at the first intermission on goals by Malinowski and Brian Kramer, the latter of which was reviewed, on the road is a tall order. But Air Force didn’t let its frustrations get the better of it, and it methodically battled back.

The Falcons had been 2-4-1 when surrendering the first goal of the game, and correspondingly, 2-4 in first games of the weekend.

After giving up 11 first-period shots on goal, Air Force kept AIC to 17 over the next 45 minutes, a stretch that included nine minutes of power-play time; a questionable five-minute major to Rowe among them. A hard check along the boards was ruled interference and consideration for an ejection was given during a subsequent review. Rowe appeared to check an AIC player in the chest just after he’d passed the puck.

The Falcons expended plenty of juice to tie the score, but then to battle back a second time after AIC scored in the final 8 minutes of the game to re-take the lead temporarily shows a lot of backbone.

Given that Air Force has been a stronger team in Game 2 of weekends, Sunday’s rematch promises to be another doozy.

Notes: Rowe also had an assist on Reim’s goal, his second consecutive multi-point game. … The Falcons won 28 of 50 face-offs (56 percent). … They also killed off all three of their penalties, moving their success rate up to 25 of their past 27.

©First Line Editorial 2022