USAF Academy, Colo. - The Canisius College hockey team lost a close game with host Air Force on Saturday night, falling by a score of 3-2. The loss drops the Griffs to 8-12-6 on the season and 7-7-5 in Atlantic Hockey play, while the Falcons improve to 11-9-5 and 9-5-5 against league foes.
"It was a real good game," said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. "We played very, very well. The loss hurts and the effort tonight was great. We just came up one short."
Senior Cory Conacher and freshman Taylor Law both scored for the Griffs on the night.
Freshman Tony Capobianco recorded 23 saves to anchor the Canisius defense.
The Falcons struck first in the contest, connecting 2:18 into the first period. Scott Mathis one-timed a shot in from the blue line as Air Force grabbed an early 1-0 advantage.
Canisius responded quickly, scoring just 1:37 later on the power play. The Falcons turned the puck over in their defensive zone and Law took advantage, firing a shot in from the low slot to knot the game at one.
After a scoreless second, Air Force reclaimed its advantage early in the third. A second after a full two minutes of 5-on-3 action expired, Jacques Lamoureux scored for the 2-1 lead 2:01 into the period. Lamoureux added another power-play goal 1:56 later for a 3-1 Falcons lead.
Canisius pulled to within one when Conacher scored on a 5-on-3 power play with 7:22 remaining in regulation. The senior one-timed a shot in off a pass from freshman Kyle Gibbons for his 15th goal of the season. Freshman Ben Danford also recorded an assist for the 3-2 score.
The Griffs had another power-play opportunity to pull even but couldn't convert due to strong goaltending. With just over four minutes remaining in regulation, freshman Ryan Bohrer had an open goal but Jason Torf made a diving save to preserve the lead. Torf finished the game with 32 saves to earn the victory for the Falcons.
Canisius outshot Air Force, 34-26 on the night, including a 15-8 edge in the third period. The Griffs were 2-for-6 with the extra-man advantage, while the Falcons converted 1-of-3 power-play chances.
The Griffs return to action on Thursday, hosting Robert Morris in Atlantic Hockey action. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. at Buffalo State Sports Arena.
Game Notes: Senior Pat Kenney appeared in his 100th career game with the Griffs ...Conacher now has 131 career points, pulling within one point of Josh Heidinger's school record ... Law has scored five goals in his last seven games after recording one in his first 16 collegiate games ... The loss for Capobianco was his first in Atlantic Hockey action ... He entered the game with a 3-0-1 record in league action ... Canisius is now 2-7-0 on the season in one-goal games.
