Ice hockey players with the Air Force Falcons celebrate after scoring a goal in their game with the Army Black Knights at Cadet Ice Arena on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (U.S. Air Force Academy)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Tribune News Service) — The biggest of rivalries come down to the smallest of margins.
One goal was the difference between Air Force hockey and rival Army in both of the teams’ contests last month and that remained the case on Friday.
Bolstered by a pair of goals from freshman forward Nils Forselius, the Black Knights bested the Falcons at Cadet Ice Arena by a 2-1 margin on Friday night.
The Falcons (13-19-1, 10-13-0) may have a lightning bolt as part of their logo, but it was Forselius who had the quick strike. The Black Knights (13-16-1, 13-9-1) winger netted his first score just 24 seconds into the game.
Forselius doubled his tally and his team’s lead at 7:58 of the middle frame.
Air Force freshman Sam Stitz, who had a two-goal, three-point evening last week at Canisius, stepped up for the Falcons again on Friday scoring at 18:21 of the second period.
But Air Force could not find an equalizer in the remaining minute, 40 seconds or the 20-minute third period that followed.
A large part of Army’s defensive success was Black Knights goalie J.J. Cataldo who held the Falcons to a lone score despite a massive 34-12 shot advantage for the hosts.
“We gave up a goal on the first shift of the game and chased the scoreboard the whole way,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said in a postgame radio interview. “The goal that our freshman line scored at the end of the second was massive. Cataldo was by far the No. 1 star of the game. If you don’t win a period, you can’t win the game and that was the case tonight.”
Falcons senior goaltender Guy Blessing finished with 10 saves.
The Falcons and Black Knights conclude the series on Saturday at 5 p.m.
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