Dominik Wasik recorded his second career shutout as the Air Force men’s ice hockey team defeated Sacred Heart 2-0 in an Atlantic Hockey America matchup at Cadet Ice Arena on January 31. The win completed a two-game sweep of Sacred Heart and marked Air Force’s fourth victory over the Pioneers this season.
Mason McCormick scored late in the first period, capitalizing on a turnover behind the net to give Air Force a 1-0 lead. The Falcons controlled much of the opening period, outshooting Sacred Heart 20-5 and winning 15 of 21 faceoffs.
Neither team managed to score in the second period, with both teams recording nine shots on goal. Air Force successfully killed off five minutes of Sacred Heart power-play time during that frame.
In the third period, Sacred Heart’s Stephane Huard received a major penalty for a hit on Jake Peterson, but his team killed off the ensuing five-minute power play. Later, Peterson drew another penalty with three minutes left, but again Sacred Heart’s penalty kill held firm.
With time running out and their goalie pulled for an extra attacker, Sacred Heart turned over the puck near their blue line. Holt Oliphant set up McCormick for his second goal of the game with just 12 seconds remaining, securing the win for Air Force.
Air Force finished with a 32-21 advantage in shots. Both teams were unable to convert on their power plays; Air Force went 0-for-4 while killing all three of Sacred Heart’s opportunities. Teagan Kendrick made 30 saves for Sacred Heart.
“This was such a hard-fought game,” said head coach Frank Serratore. “This felt like a 15-round fight and we were winning a decision until we got that TKO goal at the end with the empty-netter. This was a playoff type of game. Give them credit, their penalty kill put a lot of pressure on us. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys to hang in there and stay with it. The two best players in the game were the two goalies. Wasik was terrific in beating a really good team twice this weekend.”
The victories moved Air Force into sixth place in Atlantic Hockey with 28 points—just two points shy of fourth place and potential home ice advantage for quarterfinals play.
Air Force (13-11-2 overall, 9-8-1 AHA) will next travel to Niagara Falls for a two-game league series against Niagara from February 6–7.
