Complete Box Score

ERIE, Pa - Mercyhurst built a 3-0 lead against the Air Force Saturday night before holding on for a 3-2 win in front of a loud and partisan crowd at the Ice Center. The Lakers rebounded from  a disappointing 4-3 setback to Robert Morris Friday in handing the Falcons their second successive conference loss. Air Force bowed 3-1 at Rochester Institute of Technology Friday. The win was Mercyhurst's fourth in five home contests this season and improved its overall and conference marks to 5-5-0 and 4-1-0 respectively. Air Force, now 1-4-1 away from home, fell to 5-4-2 and 4-2-1 in the Atlantic Hockey Association. 

The Lakers broke a scoreless tie by cashing two scoring chances, 35 seconds apart, late in the first period. Freshman defenseman Tyler Shiplo's blast from the right point eluded Air Force goaltender Stephen Caple at 16:04 and freshman winger Chris Bodo banged home a rebound from in tight at 16:39. Shiplo's second goal of the campaign was helped by Bodo and junior forward Grant Blakey. Bodo's lamplighter came on a rebound of a backhand shot in front by freshman forward Daniel Bahntge. Blakey also helped. Air Force outshot Mercyhurst 11-7 in the first period.

Both teams had chances in the middle frame but Mercyhurst senior netminder Max Strang and Caple stood tall, stopping a combined 21 shots, 13 by Air Force. That set the stage for an exciting final period.

Mercyhurst expanded the lead to 3-0 at 4:27 when sophomore Nick Jones beat Caple with a shot through a screen from the right point. Jones' second of the season was aided by freshman Nardo Nagtzaam and junior winger Paul Chiasson and came nine seconds after an Air Force penalty. The power play goal was the first allowed by Air Force in the last 20 opponent chances.

But the Falcons refused to fold and, helped by three successive Mercyhurst penalties, scored a pair of power play goals of their own, both by senior defenseman Tim Kirby. The first came at 8:38 and the second, with the Air Force net empty, at 17:20 to keep the fans on the edges of their seats until the final whistle. Air Force was able to pull Caple a second time late in the game, but Strang and the Lakers prevented the tying goal.

Both teams had apparent goals disallowed in the third. Air Force came up empty when the Mercyhurst goal was dislodged and the referee's whistle denied Mercyhurst a fourth goal that could have put the game away. In that instance, the referee ruled the whistle came before the puck crossed the line.

Air Force outshot Mercyhurst 10-8 in the third period and 34-23 for the sixty minutes. The Falcons finished 2 of 5 with the man advantage while the Lakers ended 1 of 3.   

Mercyhurst will end a six-game homestand next weekend when another team of Falcons visits the Ice Center. Bentley comes to town for 7:05 conference games Friday and Saturday. Bentley and Mercyhurst are currently tied for second in the conference with identical 4-1 records and eight points. The two teams are a point behind first-place Air Force but each has two games in hand.

The Lakers will then take to the highway for five consecutive games: two at perennial power Wisconsin (November 25 and November 26), two at conference-rival Army (December 2 and 3), and the last at AHA-member Canisius (December 9).