WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass.-The Air Force Falcons used a big second period to top the American International College hockey team, 6-2, to earn a sweep of the Yellow Jackets at the Olympia Ice Center.

AIC falls to 3-18-5 on the year, 3-12-5 in Atlantic Hockey, while Air Force improves to 11-13-3, 10-6-2 in AHC play.

It only took 2:33 for Air Force to get on the board, as freshman right wing Erik Baskin (Minnetonka, Minn.) ripped a shot home for his fourth of the campaign.

Ultimately, Air Force would outshoot AIC 13-4 in the period, but they could not beat freshman Alex Murray (Burlington, Ont.) again in the opening stanza.

In the second, Murray helped his own cause as, on the power play, he passed the puck up to junior right wing Chris Porter (Stouffville, Ont.); Porter hit senior center Alexander MacMillan (Calgary, Alb.) with a pass over the blue line and MacMillan wound up and fired a shot that beat freshman Connor Girard (Edina, Minn.) at 5:55 of the frame for MacMillan's thirteenth of the year.

However, at 9:24, Baskin netted a power play goal to respond, his fifth of the season, and the Falcons controlled the period from there; freshman center Ben Kucera (Leawood, Kan.) scored his first of the season at 11:02, and then the top line for Air Force all had a hand in the team's fourth of the night as senior left wing Scott Holm (Plymouth, Minn.) tallied his team-best thirteenth at 18:44.

In the third, AIC climbed back in it as senior right wing Nathan Sliwinski (Castle Rock, Colo.) and freshman center Bryant Christian (Moorhead, Minn.) took the puck in the neutral zone and passed it to Porter; as he came over the blue line, he threw it at the net and it tickled the twine for his third of the season at 4:51.

However, Air Force would score the final two goals of the game; Holm added a power play tally at 13:26 to establish a 5-2 lead, and then, with the net empty, freshman defenseman Kyle Mackey (Derby, N.Y.) scored his first goal on the year at 18:04.

In goal, Murray took the loss, stopping 30 of 35 in 56:30 to fall to 2-12-4 on the year; freshman Jacob Caffrey (Bethesda, Md.) had one save in 2:46 of play. Girard improved to 3-0-0 with 18 saves on 20 shots.

AIC is back at home Friday, January 30 when they host Sacred Heart in the first of two on the weekend.