USAF Academy, Co. – The Purple Eagles hockey team was shut out 4-0 by the Air Force Falcons Saturday night at the Cadet Ice Arena in their final game of the fall semester. Guillaume Therien made 32 saves in his second start of the weekend, and Nicolas Carrier led the Purple Eagles at the offensive end with four shots on goal.
Game Summary
· Final Score: Air Force 4, Niagara 0
· Niagara Goal Scorers: n/a
· Niagara Assists: n/a
· In Goal: Guillaume Therien (1-5-0) – 4 GA, 32 SV
· Power Plays: Niagara – 0-for-6 (3 SOG); Air Force – 2-for-5 (11 SOG)
· Records: Niagara – 2-13-3 (2-8-2 AHC); Air Force – 9-6-3 (6-3-1 AHC)
· Location: Cadet Ice Arena – USAF Academy, Co.
· Attendance: 1,906
Game Recap
· Niagara opened the game with a five-minute power play after a major and game misconduct for kneeing was issued to Air Force’s Pierce Pluemer for a hit on Tyler Hayes, but the Purple Eagles were unsuccessful on the long attempt.
· Around the 16-minute mark of the first period, Niagara generated two strong chances from Nicolas Carrier and Tanner Lomsnes, but both were turned away by Air Force’s Shane Starrett.
· With 3:32 left in the opening period, the Falcons opened the scoring. Guillaume Therien made a stop against Jordan Himley on the rush, but Air Force retained possession and Kyle Haak sent a long shot over the glove of Therien to make it 1-0.
· Niagara opened the second period with another early power play. Stanislav Dzakhov had a chance to slam home a Niagara goal from right at the Air Force crease, but Starrett made the pad save.
· The Purple Eagles yielded three power plays to the Falcons in the middle stanza, and Air Force cashed in on the third of those. Therien made the initial stop on a point shot from Phil Boje, but Haak corralled the rebound for his second goal of the night.
· Niagara went scoreless on three power-play chances in the third period. Air Force extended its lead to three at the 11:32 mark of the third period when Erik Baskin sent a shorthanded mark home as the Falcons got multiple shots at a rebound in front of Therien.
· Air Force secured the 4-0 win with their second power-play tally of the night from Evan Giesler with 4:18 to play in the game.
Coach’s Corner
· Head coach David Burkholder: “It wasn’t a great start to the night with the knee check on Hayes. We just couldn’t get any sustained offensive zone time. It’s been a really tough stretch for our guys being on the road three of the last four weekends. We will regroup, get some rest, and get some bodies healthy for a strong second semester.”
Up Next
· Niagara is off from game action until January, when the Purple Eagles return to action at Holy Cross at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6. Niagara’s next home series will be on Jan. 13 and 14 against the Bentley Falcons.
