(Tribune News Service) — Special teams play was a Herculean strength for Air Force last season. For the Falcons’ season opener Friday night, special teams was the Achilles heel.

Visiting No. 20 Arizona State scored three short-handed goals in a 8-1 rout of Air Force at Cadet Ice Arena.

Arizona State winger Bennet Schimek scored twice on the penalty kill and center Kyle Smolen scored the third. The visitors added five even-strength goals, including four in the third period, from Cullen Potter, Cole Gordon and Dylan Jackson, a second goal from Smolen and a hat trick from Schimek.

“You’re going to make some mistakes. But they can’t be nuclear, and we made some nuclear mistakes. But there’s no question about it special teams, they were much better than us,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said during a postgame radio interview.

A season ago, the Falcons were dangerous on the penalty kill, leading Atlantic Hockey America in short-handed scores with nine. Senior Austin Schwartz — who was a junior last year — tied for the lead in the country with four short-handed goals.

The National Collegiate Hockey Conference newcomers left the door open for Air Force to score a big win to begin the season with the Sun Devils going to the penalty box six times Friday night.

Despite the visitors’ undisciplined play, the man advantage was anything but an advantage for the Falcons who routinely left opposing skaters open up ice, leading to easy goals on the ensuing breakaways against senior netminder Guy Blessing.

“You sure don’t want to blame your goalies in a situation like this. We gave up some breakaways, but goalies still should stop some breakaways,” Serratore said.

Blessing made nine saves on the evening before he was pulled for sophomore Carter Clafton in the third period. Clafton finished with seven saves.

With his team trailing 3-0, Falcons’ captain Clayton Cosentino gave Air Force a spark with its only goal at 11:44 of the middle frame. Cosentino took a first shot from the right circle but it was blocked by a sliding Sun Devils’ skater. He regained control of the puck and beat Arizona State goaltender Gibson Homer with a backhand shot from the circle.

The Falcons played with a renewed sense of purpose following the Cosentino goal, looking for a quick score. But Smolen’s short-handed score at 4:40 of the period ended any chance of a Falcons’ comeback.

“It was a great time to get a goal. But at that point in time it was 3-1 and the next goal is the big goal in the game and Arizona State got it,” Serratore said.

Friday served as a tough welcome to college hockey for a young Falcons team who had five freshmen among the 19 skaters who played. The roster has just nine upperclassmen.

“What I told them? ‘Hey we’re gonna go in, get some clips, we’re going tidy some things up and we gotta come back and we gotta take our swings again tomorrow,” Serratore said.

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