Air Force Academy

Dec. 8, 2007

Box Score in PDF Format

For the second straight night, Air Force and Canisius skated to a 3-3 overtime tie in an Atlantic Hockey Association game Saturday night, Dec. 8, at the Cadet Ice Arena.

After back-to-back ties, Air Force enters the holiday break with a 9-4-3 overall and a 7-4-3 mark in the AHA. With the two points on the weekend, Air Force remains in first place in Atlantic Hockey. Canisius is 3-10-4 overall and 3-6-3 in the league.

Air Force has struggled scoring goals early in games, but not tonight as the Falcons scored the first two. Brent Olson and Eric Ehn combined on both goals. The first came at the 8:29 mark when Greg Flynn made a pass down low to Ehn on the right side. Ehn passed to Olson in the slot who went high to beat Andrew Loewen for a 1-0 lead. The same two guys combined for AFA's second goal at the 14:08 mark. Olson intercepted a pass in the Air Force zone and gave the puck to Ehn. Ehn skated through the neutral zone and gave it back to Olson on the right wing who scored his second of the night and his seventh of the season.

Canisius came back to tie the game with two goals in the last 2:30 of the period. Chris Forsman scored on the power play at the 17:30 mark. Forsman brought the puck out of the corner that led to a give-and-go with Vincent Scarsella as Forsman scored his fourth of the year. With four seconds left in the first period and Canisius on the power play, David Kasch scored from Scarsella and Josh Heidinger. Scarsella made a cross-ice pass from the left boards and Kasch was crashing the net to tie the game at 2-2.

AFA regained the lead when Jeff Hajner scored at 3:58 of the second period. Canisius started the period on the power play and out-shot Air Force, 5-0, in the first three minutes. Then, Frank Schiavone's long outlet to Matt Fairchild in the neutral zone started a rush. Fairchild banked the puck off the boards to Hajner who was all alone down the left wing. His wrister gave AFA a 3-2 lead on the Falcons' first shot of the period.

Canisius tied the game with 1:49 left in the period on Jason Weeks' fifth of the season. Air Force turned over the puck deep in its own end and the result was a goal for the Golden Griffins. Carl Hudson took a shot that was saved, and Weeks put back the rebound to tie the game.

Neither team scored in the final 25 minutes, despite the Falcons having a 23-7 shot advantage. Loewen had 20 saves in the third period. The best scoring chance of the overtime period came with 50 seconds remaining and the Falcons had a 4-on-2 rush that was broken up by Loewen.

Air Force out-shot Canisius, 43-24, in the game. The Falcons were 1-for-6 on the power play while Canisius was 2-for-8. Loewen made 40 saves in the game. Andrew Volkening had 21 for Air Force.

"We played much better tonight than we did last night," head coach Frank Serratore said. "We had good energy and gave a great effort. They didn't generate much offense, put they did get two power play goals and we gave them some chances on turnovers."

Air Force is now off until Dec. 29-30 when the Falcons travel to Minneapolis, Minn., for the annual Dodge Holiday Classic at Mariucci. Air Force will play Boston College in the first game, Dec. 29.

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