College Hockey:

Starkey Nets Winner As Air Force Edges UConn

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Tom Starkey’s early third-period goal stood up as the game-winner as Air Force edged Connecticut 2-1 at the Cadet Ice Arena on Saturday night.

UConn scored first, as Travis Wood shot the puck into the upper right corner of the net after he received a cross-ice pass from Ciro Longobardi just 2:58 into the game.

But Air Force opened the second period with a power-play goal by Scott Zwiers to knot the game at one.

The two teams played scoreless hockey for the remainder of the stanza despite Air Force outshooting Connecticut, 21-7, but the Falcons notched a quick goal in the third period for the victory as Starkey shot a rebounded puck over UConn keeper John Chain, caught down after the original save.

For the game, Chain recorded 35 saves in net, while Air Force’s Marc Kielkucki stopped 18 Connecticut shots.

The loss was UConn’s third straight, dropping its overall record to 6-11-2, while Air Force improved to 11-8-1.