A suffocating defensive performance by Air Force meant goalie Billy Christopoulos needed to make only 15 saves on the night.
At the other end of the ice, Air Force kept Cole Bruns busy, firing 40 shots on net, but it took overtime for the Falcons to advance, as Bruns was outstanding.
Tyler Ledford scored the series-clinching goal at 6:38 of the extra session to send the Falcons to the Atlantic Hockey semifinals, where they will face Canisius on Friday in Rochester, N.Y.
