Niagara won the consolation game of the College Hockey America Final Five as the Purple Eagles defeated the Air Force Falcons, 2-1.
Niagara, the second seed in the tournament, concludes the season with a 14-19-5 overall record. Air Force, the fifth seed, finished fourth in the tournament and ended the season with a 16-17-4 overall mark.
Purple Eagle freshman winger Chris Welch opened the scoring at 11:54 of the first period as he tipped in a shot by Dave Hominuk. Hominuk fired a slapshot from the point and Welch tipped it in for his 12th goal of the season.
Niagara took a 2-0 lead midway through the second period on another tip-in goal. Nick Kormanyos, another freshman winger for the Purps, scored his fifth goal of the season as he redirected a shot by Thomas Clayton.
Air Force made the game interesting late in the period as Billy O’Reilly tipped in a shot by Brian Gornick to make the score 2-1 at 9:59, but it wasn’t enough as the Purple Eagles took home the third-place trophy after winning the inaugural title last season.
