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AIC Gets Point Across
Click here to read Allen Lessels' story on the New England Hockey Journal website.
In the end, the Air Force Academy and American International College each collected its first win of the season last weekend in Colorado Springs.
But it took a winding and twisted road to reach their Atlantic Hockey split.
After falling behind 2-0 early in the second period on Friday night, AIC roared back with four straight goals on the way to a 5-3 win, its first ever over the Falcons in 21 attempts. Sophomore goalie Ben Meisner stopped 41 shots.
“This was a big win for us,” AIC coach Gary Wright told The Gazette of Colorado Springs after the game. “They came at us pretty hard at the end, and we battled. We got some timely goals, and our goaltender played with a lot of poise down the stretch. For us to be down like that on the road against a team with the stature of Air Force and to battle back and get back in, it was big.”
The Falcons got their revenge -- big-time -- the next night and rolled to a 12-0 win. Senior forward Jacques Lamoureux, junior forward Paul Weisgarber, sophomore forward John Kruse, freshmen forwards Jason Fabian and Tony Thomas, and junior goalie Stephen Caple were among the many Falcon standouts.
Lamoureux, who did not have a goal through the first four games, notched his third career hat trick. Weisgarber had a career-high two goals and Kruse had a career-high five points with two goals and three assists. Thomas had a goal and three assists. Caple, in his first action of the season and his first career start, stopped all 23 shots he faced. He had 19 career saves entering the game.
Fabian had a couple of first period goals that helped the Falcons to a 5-0 lead after 20 minutes. This time, there was no letting up and Air Force extended the rout with six unanswered goals in the second period.
“We have such better depth and personnel than we did last year and when everyone is difficult to play against, we can have some success,” said Air Force coach Frank Serratore afterwards. “This team has been through hell the last couple weeks losing our first four games. Some of that was self-inflicted, but it was sure nice to get this one tonight.”
AIC is off this weekend and plays its next game at Sacred Heart on Nov. 6.
NEHJ Player of the Week
Dan Morrison, jr., Canisius
Morrison stopped 37 of 38 shots to lead Canisius to a 4-1 win over Sacred Heart on Friday night, and then added 32 saves in a 3-3 tie on Saturday night. He has a 2.34 goals-against average and .942 save percentage so far for the season. At 2-0-1 in the league, Canisius is a point behind first-place Robert Morris.
Looking Ahead
Robert Morris at Niagara, Saturday
The two longtime rivals in the CHA meet for the first time as Atlantic Hockey opponents. Robert Morris plays its first league game on Friday night at RIT. The Robert Morris game opens the Atlantic Hockey portion of the schedule for Niagara.
Around Atlantic Hockey
AIC
Junior forward Michael Penny, sophomore forward Richard Leitner, sophomore forward AdamPleskach, senior defenseman Tomas Benovic and junior forward Nielsson Arcibal scored the goals in AIC’s first-ever win over Air Force on Friday night. Arcibal and Pleskach also had assists and senior forward Steve McLeod had a pair of assists.
Air Force
A 10th straight Cadet Ice Arena crowd of 2,774, which is 300 over capacity, watched Friday night’s 5-3 loss to AIC. The sellout streak was snapped the next night when 2,168 came out for a 12-0 Air Force win. … How about these numbers for senior standout Jacques Lamoureux: 58 goals and 45 assists for 103 points in 83 career games with the Falcons. Lamoureux transferred in after spending his freshman year at Northern Michigan.
Army
The Black Knights are 0-3-3 overall and 0-2-0 in Atlantic Hockey, and have lost their three games by a total of four goals. Two of the losses, one in overtime, were by a goal and the third ended up 3-1 when Colgate scored into an empty net. … After three straight weekends with one game to play, Army faces its first two-game set at Canisius on Friday and Saturday.
Bentley
The Falcons rallied for three goals in the third period to salvage a 3-3 tie at Clarkson on Saturday. Freshman Brett Gensler, sophomore Brett Hartung and junior Herbie Kent (Amesbury, Mass.) got the Bentley goals. … The Falcons play at Northeastern on Saturday night and play their first league game at home against Sacred Heart on Nov. 3.
Canisius
At 2-0-1, the Golden Griffins are off to their best league start as a Division I program. … A little R&R -- senior classmates Phil Rauch and Eric Rex-- has helped Canisius to a 3-1-1 overall start. Rauch, a defenseman, has five assists. He had five points total in his first 94 games over three years at the school. Rex, a forward, is at 2-3-5and a point away from matching the career-best six points he put up as a sophomore.
UConn
Senior defenseman Brian Reagan figured in each goal in UConn’s 3-2 win at Army on Saturday. Freshman Cole Schneider scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner, in the first two-goal game for a Husky in exactly a year. … UConn plays at Union on Thursday night. The Huskies are winless in eight games -- 0-7-1 -- against the Dutchmen.
HolyCross
The Crusaders travel to Boston to take on Northeastern on Friday night. They are 0-3-0 against Northeastern and lost the last meeting, 7-2, on Dec. 30, 2006. … Senior Everett Sheen leads the Crusaders at 2-6-8. … Holy Cross plays its first home games of the year against Atlantic Hockey newcomer Robert Morris on Nov. 5 and 6.
Mercyhurst
The Lakers, winless in their last seven games dating to last season, head to Niagara on Friday night at 0-3-1 overall and 0-1-0 in Atlantic Hockey. … Niagaraholds a 5-4-1 edge in the series, but this is the first time the teams have played in nine years. … Coach Rick Gotkin’s next win will be No. 400 for his career. He’s at 399-275-53.
Niagara
Freshman forward Scott Arnold scored two of Niagara’s four goals in a 6-1 loss to Unionand 4-3 overtime loss to RPI. … Senior defenseman Ryan Annesley leads the Purple Eagles in scoring at 1-4-5 and senior forward David Ross is next at 1-3-4. … Niagara plays its inaugural Atlantic Hockey games at home on Friday against Mercyhurst and Saturday against Robert Morris.
Robert Morris
The Colonials, who were off last weekend, are the only team in the country that has played at least one game and does not have a loss or tie. … Robert Morris, 4-0-0 overall and 3-0-0 in the league, is at RIT on Friday and at Niagaraon Saturday. The Colonials are 1-0-1 against RIT. The teams tied 5-5 and the Colonials won, 4-2, when they met in Pittsburgh in November of 2005. … Robert Morris is 3-11-2 all-time at Niagara.
RIT
The Tigers started more slowly last year than they have this. Then, they were 0-5-0 and now they are 0-4-1. Last year, they rebounded from the tough opening with a 10-game unbeaten run (9-0-1) and kept rolling all the way to a league title and the Frozen Four. … The Tigers will celebrate that finish when they unveil Atlantic Hockey championship and Frozen Four banners on Friday night at Ritter Arena with Robert Morris in town.
Sacred Heart
Freshman Tye Lewis potted his first collegiate goal midway through the third period to lift the Pioneers to a 3-3 tie with Canisius for their first point of the season on Saturday night. . . . Canisius won Friday night’s game, 4-1. … Sacred Heart went 0-for-7 on the power play for the weekend and is now 1-for-15 for the season. Opposing teams have nine goals in 23 power-play attempts.
