Five different players scored goals as Air Force beat American International, 5-1, in a nonconference Saturday night at the Academy’s Cadet Ice Arena.
Air Force won its third straight game and improved to 4-2 overall. The winning streak ties as the longest since the end of the 2001-02 season. American International fell to 0-6 on the season.
The Falcons used a steady offensive attack that mounted a season-high 57 shots, with 19 in the first period, 20 in the second and 18 in the third. Meanwhile, AIC was held to just 22 shots.
Freshman Brian Gineo scored his first career goal just one minute into the game when Shane Saum’s shot was saved and Gineo put back the rebound. Seven minutes later, the Falcons struck again for a 2-0 lead.
Freshman Theo Zacour used some nifty stickhandling to score his second of the season, taking the puck down the left wing through traffic, making a spin move and lighting the lamp from Brandon Merkosky and Gineo.
Next was sophomore Matt Bader’s second goal of the season. At the 8:57 mark, Andrew Ramsey made a pass from behind the net to the slot and Bader gave the Falcons a three-goal lead.
The Falcons’ next two goals, one in the second and one in the third, both came on the power play. Saum’s fifth of the season came at 14:49 from Tom Starkey and Seth Pelletier. Pelletier fed Starkey, whose shot was saved, but the puck trickled near the goal line. Saum punched it into the open net for a 4-0 lead.
Nearly five minutes into the third period, Ryan Wiggins scored on the power play from Mike Knaeble and Spanky Leonard. Wiggins’ third of the season came on a rebound right in front of the net.
AIC got on the board at the 7:51 mark on the power play. Troy Johnston scored on a flurry in front from Guillame Caron and Andy Walbert. Air Force had killed 20 straight opponent power plays prior to the goal.
Falcon goaltender Mike Polidor played the first 49:35 of the game. He stopped 19 shots. After allowing a goal in the first minute of Friday’s game, Polidor held the Yellow Jackets scoreless for 106 minutes and 52 seconds. Freshman Peter Foster made his first regular-season appearance and stopped both shots he faced in 10 minutes of action.
Yellow Jacket netminder Frank Novello made 52 saves. The Falcons were 2-for-8 on the power play while AIC was 1-for-8.
