Air Force lost to Robert Morris, 5-2, in the deciding third game of the Atlantic Hockey America quarterfinal series on March 8 at Clearview Arena in Pittsburgh. With this win, Robert Morris advances to the conference semifinals.
The outcome marks the end of Air Force’s season, which finished with an 18-15-4 record. The Falcons scored two goals early in the third period but could not overcome a three-goal deficit. Head coach Frank Serratore said, “I thought we were in control early. But then they found their way to that first goal. They didn’t have the energy that they did last night, but their goalie Schenkel was outstanding. We took some avoidable penalties that certainly didn’t help. We were chasing the scoreboard most of the game and they navigated the chaos of the game better than we did.”
Robert Morris opened scoring during a four-on-four situation and added two more goals late in the second period for a 3-0 lead. Air Force responded with goals from Jake Peterson and Dubois early in the third period, narrowing the gap to one goal before Robert Morris pulled away again with two more scores.
Despite outshooting Robert Morris by a wide margin—62 shots to 17—Air Force was unable to convert on five power play opportunities while successfully killing all four of Robert Morris’s man advantages. Colonial goaltender Charlie Schenkel made 60 saves.
Reflecting on his team’s performance throughout the season, Serratore said, “There was no quit in this group. This young group found a way to win 18 games. This group played above its pay grade all season long. We started the season with an unproven goalie and we lost some key guys from last season. This could have been a rebuilding year, but this group willed themselves into a contender. I’m real proud of this group. They have a lot of substance.”
