"The key to the game tonight was that during a really tough second period for us, our team - led by goaltender Tony Capobianco - kept us within two goals," said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. "We rebounded nicely with character and being on the same page as a team to get a tie. We had a little puck luck as well, but we showed a lot of fight after a rough period."

Sophomore Kyle Gibbons and freshman Doug Beck each netted extra-attacker goals to help lead the Griffs to the draw. Gibbons started the comeback with his team-leading third goal of the 2011-12 campaign. Junior Preston Shupe found the sophomore open, and Gibbons finished from the top of the face-off circle. Freshman Doug Jessey also registered an assist on the tally as Canisius pulled to within one, 3-2.

Beck then knotted the game with just 6.0 seconds remaining in regulation for his first collegiate goal. Gibbons knocked a shot toward goal and the freshman snuck the puck in at the near post to send the contest into overtime. Shupe recorded his second assist of the night on the game-tying goal.

Junior Torrey Lindsay added a tally for the Griffs in the draw, with sophomore Tony Capobianco playing outstanding in net, recording a career-high 45 saves in the contest.

Defense was the story of the first half of the contest - especially the play of Capobianco - as neither team was able to get on the scoreboard until 4:42 left in the second frame. Capobianco stopped the first 31 shots on goal that he faced, which included a run of four-straight power plays in the second stanza and two 5-on-3 extra-man chances for the Falcons.

Air Force finally got one past Capobianco with less than five minutes left in the second frame. Scott Mathis found the back of the net from the blue line as the Canisius netminder was screened by a pair of Air Force forwards. The Falcons added a second tally just 54 seconds later as Kyle DeLaurell roofed a shot from an open position in the left face-off circle for the 2-0 lead after two.

The Griffs faced a 35-7 deficit in shots after two periods with Capobianco keeping Canisius in the contest with 33 saves.

Canisius pulled to within one with 6:23 remaining in the third period when Lindsay netted his first goal of the season. On the penalty kill, the junior skated in on a breakaway only to have an Air Force defender catch up to him. Both players fell to the ice and the puck went past the Falcons netminder off a sliding Lindsay.

The Falcons reclaimed their two-goal advantage just 1:23 later. Just after the Air Force power play expired, Chad Demers knocked in a loose puck in the crease for the 3-1 lead, setting up Canisius' last heroics.

After Gibbons and Beck sent the game into overtime, the Griffs nearly won the contest in the extra session. Gibbons centered a pass in the closing seconds and Shupe knocked the puck into the back of the net a fraction of a second after the final horn had sounded.

After being outshot in the first two periods, Canisius held a 17-13 advantage in shots during the third and overtime periods. Overall, the Falcons finished with a 48-24 advantage. Neither team scored on the power play, with Canisius killing all six Air Force extra-man chances and going 0-for-2 with its power play opportunities.

Stephen Caple recorded 21 saves in net for the Falcons.

Canisius returns to action next Saturday, hosting Bentley for the first of two contests. Game time at the Buffalo State Sports Arena is set for 6:05 p.m.

Game Notes: Canisius last netted two-extra attacker goals to force a tie against Sacred Heart on Jan. 30, 2009 ... Eight of the last nine games in the series have either resulted in a tie, been decided by one goal or decided by two goals that included an empty-net tally ... Capobianco's previous career high in saves was 42 against Quinnipiac on Jan. 17, 2011 ... The Griffs remain one of only two Atlantic Hockey teams to having a winning record at the Cadet Ice Arena, going 3-2-4 all-time at Air Force ... Beck and Jessey both registered their first collegiate points with their goal and assist, respectively.