U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Brian Wilson made 36 saves and Ludwig Stenlund accounted for three points to lift the Niagara men's hockey team to a 3-2 overtime victory in the first game of the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals against Air Force. After letting through a tying goal just 1:48 into the second period, Wilson played phenomenally, making one ludicrous save after another to stifle an unrelenting Falcon attack.
 
Game Recap

• Air Force struck less than two minutes into the game, but the Falcons committed a hold to draw the game's first penalty. On the man advantage, the Purple Eagles set up their offense with Noah Delmas at the blue line and Ludwig Stenlund to his right. Delmas fed Stenlund, who pounded a one-timer in towards the net that got blocked, but Eric Cooley was there to pick up the loose puck and nudge it into the net to level the score at 1-1.
• Niagara opened the second period with a quick strike to take a 2-1 lead. Kris Spriggs took a shot from the right of Air Force's Billy Christopolous, missed his target but had the puck bounce out the other side, where Stenlund was all alone and able to swat the puck into the cage for the lead.
• Air Force responded quickly to tie the game once again, but were it not for the nimble agility of Brian Wilson who made three huge saves point blank – the last of which was a flailing effort to cover the open side – to quash the Falcons' chance.
• A two-minute minor 12 minutes into the second put the Purple Eagles shorthanded for the first time all evening. The next two minutes saw Wilson make one jaw-dropping save after another. The sophomore stuffed several opportunities from inside the paint, denied a big breakaway chance, and then stopped a couple more pucks before Niagara sealed the penalty kill.
• With the Falcons once again supplying heavy pressure, Tyler Hayes laid down in front of a shot from the point and sent it back over the blue line to end the offensive chance.
• Neither team scored in the third, as Wilson made 27 stops between the second and third periods to repeatedly deny Air Force a go-ahead goal.
• Seven minutes into the extra frame, Stenlund squeaked a shot through Christopolous for his second of the night to end the game. A heavy shot from Niko Kovachis went in behind the Falcons' net, where Johnny Curran tried to scoop it up before an Air Force player put it right on Stenlund's stick.

 
Up Next

• Game two of this best-of-three series will take place in Cadet Ice Arena tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET.

 
 
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