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Canisius defenseman Dominic Payne battles with Ben Gibbons during game action vs Air Force on Nov. 10, 2024
1
Canisius CAN 3-8-0, 3-2-0
2
Winner Air Force AF 6-6-0, 3-1-0
Canisius CAN
3-8-0, 3-2-0
1
Final
2
Air Force AF
6-6-0, 3-1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Canisius CAN 0 1 0 1
Air Force AF 1 0 1 2

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Late Goal Spells Doom for Hockey at Air Force

Austin Schwartz's power-play goal in the final minute of regulation broke a 1-1 tie and lifted Air Force to a 2-1 victory over Canisius in Atlantic Hockey America action Sunday at the Cadet Ice Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.
 
Sam Stitz accounted for the opening goal for the Falcons (6-6-0, 3-1-0 AHA), who completed a sweep of the weekend series with Sunday's victory. Guy Blessing notched his sixth win of the season as he stopped 27 shots.
 
Sophomore Trey Funk tallied the lone goal for the Golden Griffins (3-8-0, 3-2-0 AHA). Freshman Ben Bonisteel finished with 22 saves between the pipes for Canisius.
 
With the score tied late in the third period, Air Force took advantage of a power-play opportunity as Schartwz deposited a centering feed from Will Staring under the glove of Bonisteel with 54 seconds to play to lift the Falcons to victory.
 
Earlier in the contest, Stitz opened the scoring with less than two minutes to play in the first period when he redirected Nolan Cunningham's point shot past Bonisteel for his first of the campaign.
 
Funk brought the Griffs level at the 6:42 mark of the second with a power-play goal, deflecting home a shot from fellow sophomore Matteo Giampa to make it a 1-1 contest, setting the stage for Schwartz's game-winning goal.   HEAD COACH TREVOR LARGE'S POSTGAME COMMENTS
"That was a good hockey game. Obviously, it stings when you take a penalty late, although it was the right call. We did a good job on a penalty kill late in the game, but they get one near the end of it. It's tough to win games with one goal on a weekend. There were not a lot of scoring chances either way and we lost the battle. So, we will lick our wounds on the way back to Buffalo and try to figure out how to win close hockey games, because we haven't been able to do that yet this year.
 
"Air Force is a good team that is very competitive. They make you earn it. It's tough to get around their net. (Guy) Blessing had a solid weekend, although I wish we tested him more today. We get one power play goal, but we got nothing five-on-five and it wasn't a special teams kind of weekend, it was more five-on-five and I like our team at five-on-five. I take that all the time. It just so happens that we got out-competed by an opponent and our guys need to learn that unless you're checking that box for most of the periods you're going to play, this is what happens in Atlantic Hockey. We've played five games in conference. The three of them that went our way we're lopsided and we just played two good hockey games where we came out on the wrong side. So, we must find a way to do more.
 
"Boni (Ben Bonisteel) was solid. He's a first-class kid. He's a very good goalie. He accepts challenges immediately. He did it again tonight. I could tell when he went in and it's a tough spot, right? Ethan (Robertson) leaves the game and can't get back in net, so you got to go in and be ready right away and he was. I knew he was ready based on the way he looked and obviously his play was very solid. So, I was very happy for him. I was also disappointed that we couldn't get him a win, because he had earned it, but all in all, a good performance in a tough spot for Ben."
 
GAME NOTES
• Air Force outshot Canisius by a 30-28 margin for the contest. The Griffs held a 21-16 edge over the first two periods before the Falcons enjoyed a 14-7 advantage in the third.
• Canisius was 1-for-1 on the power play while Air Force was 1-for-2.
• Sophomore Ethan Robertson got the start between the pipes for Canisius and stopped all six shots he faced before leaving the game late in the first period.
• Giampa's assist on Funk's second-period tally was his team-leading ninth helper of the season.
• Funk's power-play goal in the second period was the first of his career.
• Bonisteel's 22 saves represented a season high for the freshman netminder.
• Canisius finished the contest with 13 blocked shots. Freshman Carter Patterson led the way for the Griffs individually with three blocks.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius wraps up its four-game road swing Nov. 22-23 with an AHA series versus longtime rival Mercyhurst at the Mercyhurst Ice Center in Erie, Pa. The series opener is slated for a 7 p.m. contest while the finale is scheduled for 5 p.m.  
 
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