Men's Hockey | 12/6/2008 12:43:08 AM

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COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – The RIT men's hockey team (5-9-1, 4-4-1 Atlantic Hockey Association) put up a valiant effort and played one of their better games of the year, but fell to #10 Air Force Academy (14-1-0, 11-0-0 Atlantic Hockey Association), 2-0 in front of 2,178 fans at Cadet Ice Arena on Friday evening.

RIT out-shot Air Force 30-24, including 8-1 in the first period, and 15-5 in the final stanza.  The one shot allowed in the first period set a Division I team record for fewest shots allowed in one period.  The previous record was two, allowed in the first period against Canisius on Jan. 9, 2007.

Leading 1-0 late in the third period, Air Force tallied the insurance marker on a 2-on-0 break, as Jacques Lamoreaux fed Josh Frider at the side of the net for the tap in.  It was one of RIT's lone 5-on-5 defensive miscues of the game.

Andrew Volkening was strong in net for Air Force, stopping all 29 shots he faced to earn his third shut-out of the year.  Jared DeMichiel (Avon, Conn./Chicago Steel) (Avon, CT) was solid in net for RIT, stopping 22 shots, including 17 in the second period.

Air Force was 1-for-6 with the man-advantage, while RIT was 0-for-5. 

It was the first time RIT has out-shot Air Force in Colorado Springs.  It was also the first time Air Force was out-shot at home this season.  

RIT Head Coach Wayne Wilson thought that despite the unfavorable outcome, his team played very well.

“You have to play really hard, a full 60-minutes when you come here (to Air Force) and we did that tonight,” said Wilson.  “I thought the effort was there, we had some good opportunities and had them (Air Force) running around.  We just couldn't get the puck in.  Both goalies had really strong games.  I was very happy with the way Jared (DeMichiel) played tonight.”

RIT played a nearly flawless first period defensively, allowing just the one shot on goal, while killing off 1:03 of a Falcons 5-on-3 early on, allowing nothing in the way of good opportunities.

The Tigers had a handful of good chances in the period, but could not score.  Taylor McReynolds (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Green Bay Gamblers) (Sherwood Park, Alberta) stripped an Air Force player of the puck at center ice late in the period and came streaking in alone on Volkening.  McReynolds tried to go far side, but Volkening was there to make an arm save and keep the game scoreless.

Air Force rebounded and held an edge in play in the second period, thanks to three power-plays.  The Falcons scored the only goal of the frame to go into the second intermission with a 1-0 lead.

Mike Phillipich scored the only goal of the period, at the 15:21 mark, on the power-play, tipping in a point shot from Greg Flynn after Jacques Lamoreaux won a face-off.  DeMichiel was screened and never saw the shot.  Air Force received the power-play on a questionable hitting from behind call while RIT was in the Falcons offensive zone, seconds after Matt Crowell (Kelowna, British Columbia/Williams Lake Timberwolves) (Kelowna, British Columbia) was also hit from behind without a call being made.

Both #Tyler Brenner (Linwood, Ontario/Elmira Sugar Kings)# (Linwood, Ontario) and Jesse Newman (Kelowna, British Columbia/Trail Smokeeaters) (Westbank, British Columbia) came close to giving RIT the lead in the frame, hitting goal-posts from the right face-off circle.  Brenner's shot beat Volkening from 20-feet out, but glanced wide off the right post.  Newman circled and fired a puck through a maze of players that Volkening never saw but hit the right post as well.

DeMichiel was brilliant in the second period, making a handful of key saves, especially while Air Force was on the power-play.  The Tiger defense also blocked several Air Force attempts from up top.

The Falcons out-shot RIT 18-7 in the second period.

Air Force leads the all-time series between the two teams 9-8-2.  It is the 14th meeting between the two schools since RIT moved to Division I in 2005.  Air Force has a 7-5-2 edge since then.  It is the sixth meeting in the last 13 months. 

Air Force came into tonight's contest as the highest scoring (4.79 goals per game) and top defensive (1.43 goals per game) team in all of Division I.  The Falcons also entered this weekend with the nation's best power-play (26.7 percent).  They opened the season with 13 straight wins.

RIT and Air Force wrap-up the weekend series on Saturday night, with the puck dropping at 9:05 EST.