WORCESTER, Mass. — The Holy Cross men's ice hockey team defeated Air Force Academy, 5-2, in Atlantic Hockey Association action Friday night at the Hart Center.
 
Air Force falls to 6-13-2 (2-8-1 AHA), while the Crusaders improve to 6-13-2 (5-7-1 AHA).
 
THE GOALTENDERS:

• Crusaders: junior Jason Grande - 5-3-1, 29 saves, .935 save percentage.
• Falcons: Austin Park – 0-1-0, 27 saves, .844 save percentage.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Junior Jack Ricketts opened the scoring with a power play goal at the 11:49 mark of the first period. Junior Alec Cicero and sophomore Matt Shatsky assisted on the play.
• Air Force tied the game on a strike by Will Gavin 36 seconds later.
• Freshman Devin Phillips picked up his first collegiate goal with 38 seconds remaining in the first frame, on a play set up by freshman Matt DeBoer and junior Jake Higgins.
• Senior Alex Peterson continued the scoring in the second period, finding the back of the net 12 minutes into the period. Junior Tyler Ghirardosi collected the puck against the boards, finding senior Nick Hale, who took a slapshot. Park made the initial save before the puck snuck loose and Peterson knocked it in.
• Sophomore Liam McLinskey tallied his third power play goal of the year with 9:13 remaining in the second period. Junior Matt Guerra sent a stretch pass up the ice, finding McLinskey in stride, who was able to send it in.
• Ricketts recorded his second goal of the game, an unassisted strike off a turnover, with just under eight minutes remaining in the contest.
• Air Force scored a power play goal with just over two minutes remaining to bring the score to 5-2.

 
BEYOND THE BOX:

• Holy Cross went on a 4-0 scoring run spanning from the end of the first through the halfway point of the third period.
• The Crusaders held the Falcons to just 1-for-6 on the man-up advantage.
• This was Grande's sixth-straight game with 20+ saves.

UP NEXT:

• The two teams will face off again on Sunday, Jan. 15.
• Sunday's matchup will be Salute to Service Night, which offers discounted tickets for military members and their families.
• Puck drop is set for 4 p.m.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross men's ice hockey team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
Twitter - @HCrossMHockey | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrossmhockey | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Men's Ice Hockey | Holy Cross Athletics
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