Holy Cross scored five consecutive goals and held on for an 8-4 win over Air Force in nonconference action Friday at the Cadet Ice Arena.
Holy Cross improved to 16-6-3 overall. Air Force fell to 11-16-2 overall this season.
Air Force drew first blood when Andrew Ramsey scored at 13:39 of the first period. Theo Zacour and Matt Bader assisted on the play as Ramsey put back a rebound for his sixth of the season.
But the Crusaders scored the next five goals of the game to take charge. James Sixsmith scored at 15:41 to tie the game and then took a lead at 16:15 on Pierre Napert-Frenette’s goal. Jonas Tomiuck scored at 4:07 of the second period for a 3-1 lead.
After that goal, Falcon goaltender Peter Foster was pulled from the game and replaced by Mike Polidor. Andrew McKay then scored the next two goals for a 5-1 advantage.
The Falcons answered with 35 seconds left in the second period as Seth Pelletier scored, and AFA cut the lead to two goals twice in the third period, but the Crusaders answered both times.
Tom Starkey scored from Brooks Turnquist at 1:58 of the third period to make the score 5-3. Four minutes later, Tyler McGregor scored to retake a three-goal advantage for HC.
Senior Shane Saum got the Falcons back in the game with his ninth of the season. Saum’s goal, from Steve Mead and Pelletier, came at the 12:13 mark. Twenty-seven seconds later, Blair Bartlett scored from McKay and Napert-Frenette for a 7-4 lead.
After the goal, Foster returned to the nets for Air Force, and Greg Kealey’s short-handed, empty-net goal made for the final margin.
The Crusader line of McKay, Napert-Frenette and McGregor dominated the game. The trio scored four goals and had eight assists.
Holy Cross outshot Air Force, 39-31, in the game. Air Force was 0-for-4 on the power play while Holy Cross was 0-for-1. Crusader Tony Quesada made 27 saves in the game and earned his 12th win of the season. Foster made 14 saves and Polidor, who was tagged with the loss, 17.
“They were a much better team tonight than we were,” Air Force head coach Frank Serratore said. “They are a polished, mature, opportunistic team. They proved why they have the record … they have.”
Air Force and Holy Cross conclude the two-game series Saturday at the Cadet Ice Arena.
