U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colorado - The American International College ice hockey team fell to the Air Force Academy, 3-0, in Atlantic Hockey Conference action on Friday, February 2.

FAST FACTS:
Final score: AIC 0, Air Force 3
Records: AIC moves to 10-16-3 and in Atlantic Hockey; Air Force is now 14-11-3 and 9-9-2 in Atlantic Hockey.
Location: Cadet Ice Arena

STATS LEADERS:
AIC:
Zackarias Skog (15 saves)
Martin Mellberg (five shots on goal)
Brennan Kapcheck (three shots on goal, one blocked shot)

Air Force:
Billy Christopoulos (29 saves, shutout)
Evan Geisler (one goal)
Pierce Pluemer (one goal)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Air Force got on the board early with a goal from Pierce Pluemer at the 2:51 mark of the first period.
• At 13:12 of the first period, sophomore left wing Blake Christensen was awarded a penalty shot, but he was unable to convert, leaving the score at 1-0.
• AIC outshot the Falcons 15-5 in the first period and 26-11 by the end of the second period, but the score remained at 1-0 headed into the final intermission.
• The Falcons had a 7-3 advantage in shots in the third period.
• Evan Geisler extended Air Force's lead to 2-0 at 7:40 of the third period, and the team added an empty netter with 1:40 to go to seal the 3-0 victory.

BUZZWORTHY:

• Junior alternate captain Shawn McBride appeared in his 100^th career NCAA game on Friday.
• This is just the second time this season that AIC has been shut out, with the other shutout coming on November 17 against Robert Morris University.

COACH'S CORNER:

• "Hockey is a funny game," said AIC ice hockey head coach Eric Lang."I thought we had the opportunity to get three or four goals in the first two periods. We didn't however...credit number 44 in net for them. Some nights you're the bug; some nights you're the windshield. I thought we did some really good things. We still have to remain process-based, and think we played a fairly good game tonight."
• "Air Force played a strong third period, and we never really threatened the hockey game," Lang added. "That's what elite teams do, and make no mistake - Air Force is an elite team."

NEXT UP:

• AIC and the Falcons conclude the weekend series on Saturday, February 3, with puck drop set for 5:05 p.m. MT.

STAY CONNECTED:

• For more updates about the AIC ice hockey team, follow @AIC_Hockey on Twitter and Instagram, and like American International College Ice Hockey on Facebook. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow @AICAthletics on Twitter and Instagram, and like AIC Yellow Jackets on Facebook.