ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As is often the case in playoff hockey, getting the first goal is key.
That’s been especially true for Canisius this season. The Golden Griffins came into the Atlantic Hockey semifinals against defending champions Air Force with a 17-1-1 record when getting the first goal, but just 2-15-2 when not scoring first.
That was the case tonight as Air Force scored twice in the second period and once in the third for a 3-0 victory.
Canisius came close to opening the scoring early in the second period, but Falcons goaltender Billy Christopoulos made a terrific glove save on Canisius’ Felix Chamberland to keep the game scoreless.
“That was the turning point and it ain’t even close,” said Air Force coach Frank Serratore. “We lost a guy on the back door and Christopolous made the huge glove save. Who knows where the game goes if that puck goes in and they get momentum.”
Christopoulos stopped all 24 shots he faced for his second consecutive shutout. The junior has gone 177 minutes without allowing a goal, dating back to a 1-0 loss to Army West Point on March 10.
“Billy’s been our best player all year,” said senior forward Erik Baskin, who scored the Falcons’ second goal. “We draw a lot of energy from him. When he made that huge save, we looked at ourselves and said, ‘Here we go.'”
Minutes after Christopoulos’ key save, Air Force took a 1-0 lead on Kyle Haak’s fourth goal of the season. Haak was able to redirect a shot from Zack Mirages at 6:12 of the second period.
Baskin made it 2-0 ten minutes later, putting home a rebound off a scramble in front of Canisius goaltender Daniel Urbani.
“I thought we got progressively better,” said Serratore. “We got stronger as the game went on.”
“We couldn’t find any offense tonight, and that was the story of the game,” said Canisius coach Trevor Large.
“They play hard and they block shots. We couldn’t get pucks through. We had zone time, but we couldn’t generate chances. They made it tough.”
Air Force got an insurance goal from Matt Serratore at 5:51 of the third period, and like the other two Falcons’ goals, it came off a rebound from a shot from a defenseman, again this time by Miregeas.
Air Force outshot Canisius 16-7 in the final period and 37-24 for the game.
The win sets up a rematch of last year’s title game, when Air Force defeated Robert Morris, 2-1. The Colonials advanced with a 5-4 overtime win over Mercyhurst.
Air Force will be looking for its seventh Atlantic Hockey title since joining the league in 2007. The Falcons are 13-2 all-time at Blue Cross Arena, including six shutouts.
“It’s not this building as much as we’ve had a knack and tendency of playing our best hockey in January, February and March,” said Serratore.
“Our road record (12-7-4) is outstanding. If you can win on the road, you can win at a neutral site.”
The Falcons have overcome some adversity this season, and are still shorthanded due to injury.
“To be honest, I don’t know how this team is doing this,” said Serratore. “You liked the team on the ice? You should see the one in the stands. We’ve got eight guys with season-ending injuries. We have two defensemen playing on our fourth line right now.”
But the Falcons, who came up a goal short of reaching the Frozen Four last season, are a game away from returning to the NCAA tournament.
“We’re a really solid team right now,” said Serratore. “I’ve never been so calm before a game at Blue Cross Arena than I was tonight. We’re playing our best hockey.”
