Moving On! Ice Hockey comes back, wins in OT to sweep Air Force

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - For 40 minutes, it looked as if the Air Force Academy was going to be hosting a Sunday afternoon winner-take-all game. The American International College ice hockey team had other plans for the final day of its weekend.

Scoring early and late in the third and then in overtime to win a 3-2 victory, the Yellow Jackets earned a 2-0 sweep of the Atlantic Hockey Association Championship Tournament Quarterfinal on Saturday, March 9.

AIC is now 18-14-4 on the 2023-24 season.

The game was all Air Force in the first. The Falcons outshot AIC 11-3, and Austin Schwartz banged in a rebound at 5:16 to put the hosts up 1-0. It went from bad to worse as Chris Hedden converted a power play at 17:16 to make it 2-0 Falcons before the break.

The second period also belonged to Air Force - specifically its goalkeeper. While the Yellow Jackets found holes in the Falcons defense to generate 20 shots, Guy Blessing was a curse at the end of every attempt, keeping the zero on the board through the frame, even as the home side conceded three power plays.

AIC was staring at a mountain that seemed steeper than the Rockies heading into the third, but the climb began quickly, as on the first shift, Julius Janhonen made a move at the line to enter the zone on the right side and swung the puck across to the left for Jordan Biro. The senior threw the puck back into the goalmouth, where team co-captain Brett Callahan was at the top of the paint for a redirect at 0:33 for his fourth of the year. The Falcons challenged for offside, but the officials ruled the entry was clean.

Less than a minute later, the Falcons took a risk with another challenge, claiming AIC had covered the puck illegally in the crease. This time, they won, drawing a penalty shot. However, Nils Wallstrom forced Mitchell Digby to shank his attempt, keeping it a one-goal game.

Still, the Yellow Jackets trailed. They had chances, but the line held, forcing AIC to vacate Wallstrom from the net for a sixth attacker as time ticked down.

It was in the final two mintues that AIC finally beat Blessing again. On the right side, Biro accepted a pass and then dished to Brian Kramer at the midpoint. He whipped the puck at the net, and John Lundy, who had scored the winner the night before, tipped the pass under the crossbar for his 14th of the season at 18:29.

In overtime, the Falcons put all sorts of pressure on Wallstrom, drawing a penalty and totaling 15 shots. The rookie netminder was up to the task each time, turning aside 15 overtime bids.

Finally, AIC ended things. Dustin Manz carried into the zone along the right side and crossed a pass to Nico Somerville. He one-timed it back across into the right side of the net, eluding Blessing with his third of the season at 12:18 to win the series.

Of the win, Head Coach Eric Lang said "We beat a really, really good hockey team. Both games could have gone either way. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Air Force, their players, and their staff. Our guys found a way." He added, "I'm just excited we get to coach these guys for another week."

Wallstrom made 38 saves in the win; he went 69-for-72 on the weekend for a .958 save percentage and earned his 17th win of the season. 

The win advances AIC to the AHA Semifinal for the fifth time in six seasons, and on the other side is a familiar foe: the College of the Holy Cross, the lone team to defeat AIC in an AHA playoff series in the last five years. Game one of the best-of-three series will be Friday, March 15 at the Hart Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a start time to be announced.