Complete Box Score

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Predicted to finish seventh in the Atlantic Hockey Association standings this season, not a lot was expected from the Mercyhurst men's hockey team during the 2011-12 campaign.

But, Mercyhurst had an opportunity to get to the conference championship on Friday at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. However, the Lakers' run would come to an end, as Mercyhurst suffered a 5-2 setback against top-seeded, and 17th-ranked, Air Force. Mercyhurst finishes its fine season with a 20-16-4 record, while Air Force moves on to the title game on Saturday with a 20-10-7 overall mark.

“I would like to first, and foremost, congratulate Air Force,” said head coach Rick Gotkin in a post-game press conference. “They are a great, great team and I thought today that the better team, from top to bottom, won the hockey game.”

Air Force jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 1:40 into the opening period. Freshman Cole Gunner snapped a shot from the right wing circle that appeared to change direction off of a Mercyhurst defenseman in front of senior goaltender Max Strang. The shot snuck under the pads of Strang, giving the Falcons an early lead. George Michalke had the lone assist on the goal.

But, Strang and the Lakers regrouped. During a Mercyhurst power play shortly after Air Force took the lead, the Falcons' Casey Kleisinger broke loose in the neutral zone and went one-on-one with Strang. The senior netminder made the breakaway stop, which seemed to lift the Lakers.

Moments after, sophomore Daniel O'Donoghue roofed a shot past Falcon netminder Jason Torf, tucking it just under the crossbar from between the circles, tying the game at 1-1 at the 6:22 mark. The sophomore's eighth goal of the season was assisted by freshmen Matthew Zay and Ryan Misiak.

Both teams had opportunities to take a one-goal lead later in the period. Torf stopped senior Derek Elliott and freshman Nardo Nagtzaam on a 2-on-1 opportunity, while Strang made successive saves on Carew – once on a one-timer and then another on a wraparound attempt on the rebound.

The Falcons would, however, retake a one-goal lead on the power play. Paul Weisgarber was the beneficiary of some excellent puck movement inside the Laker zone, snapping a shot past Strang at the 13:28 mark. Carew and Gunner had the assists.

The Lakers thought they had tied the game at 2-2 with 3:56 left, when Zay appeared to have beaten Torf on a wraparound. The Lakers believed the puck had crossed the goal line completely, but the goal light never came on. A conference among the on-ice officials and the goal judge took place and the apparent goal was waved off.

Air Force outshot Mercyhurst 16-10 in the first period.

The Falcons would score the only goal of the second period when Paul Kruse ripped a snapshot past Strang from between the circles just 3:49 into the middle stanza. Kruse's shot was perfectly placed over the shoulder of Strang and just under the crossbar, giving Air Force a 3-1 advantage. Kyle DeLaurell had the lone assist.

The rest of the period was relatively quiet, with the only other good scoring opportunity coming on another shorthanded breakaway for the Falcons. With Mercyhurst on the power play, Carew got behind the Lakers defense and made a move to the backhand on Strang. But, the senior netminder slid over to make the save, keeping the Lakers within striking distance. It was Strang's second shorthanded breakaway stop on the afternoon.

Shots on goal in the second period favored Air Force by a 16-8 count.

Mercyhurst would make things interesting to start the third period as senior Derek Elliott cut the lead to 3-2 with his 12th goal of the season just 2:01 into the final period. Junior Paul Chiasson intercepted a clearing attempt by the Falcons and found a wide open Elliott in front for the goal.

The Lakers had some excellent opportunities to get the equalizer, but Torf stood his ground, making brilliant saves on Zay from point-blank range, and moments later, on sophomore Trent Frey after a rebound.

Air Force would seal the victory with two goals, including an empty-netter, in a 57-second span in the closing moments. Jason Fabian ripped a shot past Strang, tucking it in the top left corner of the net, giving Air Force a 4-2 advantage with 1:47 left. Kleisinger and Tim Kirby had the helpers. Weisgarber would put the icing on the cake with an empty-net goal at the 19:10 mark, with assists going to Ryan Timar and Scott Mathis.

“Had we played the whole game like we did in the third period, maybe it would have been a different story,” continued Gotkin. “But, we didn't, and you have to give a lot of credit to Air Force and the way they came out.”

Strang was sensational in defeat, stopping 37-of-41 shots. But, a lot of those shots were quality scoring opportunities for the Falcons that the senior denied. Torf, meanwhile, stopped 23-of-25 shots in the win.

The game was virtually penalty-free, with each team being assessed two minor penalties for the contest. Air Force was 1-for-2 on the power play, while the Lakers went 0-for-2.

The Lakers finished the season with 20 victories and a trip to the Atlantic Hockey semifinals, both of which hadn't occurred since the 2008-09 season. “I wasn't totally surprised,” said Gotkin afterwards. “Our program was down and out last year and I told the team after the game that every guy in the locker room helped to restore the pride of Mercyhurst men's hockey.”

“Our freshmen all the way up to our four seniors were unbelievable this season,” finished Gotkin. “We are extremely disappointed that we aren't moving on past today, but we are awfully, awfully proud of everyone on our team this year that helped to restore our program. Now the key is to continue to move forward.”