ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Once again, goaltender Jason Torf was virtually perfect. Once again, Air Force is headed to the NCAA Tournament.
The Falcons dominated Rochester Institute of Technology in the Atlantic Hockey Association title game Saturday night. The 4-0 victory sends the Falcons to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The 16-team bracket will be announced this morning.
Last season, Torf shut out RIT 1-0 in the title game in a tense, down-to-the-wire battle. This time, the sophomore goaltender led a breezy, precise effort by the Falcons.
“I try to play the game like it’s always a 0-0 game,” Torf said. “I try to keep that state of mind.”
When the game opened, the crowd was chanting mild obscenities at the Falcons. RIT’s campus is a 7-mile drive from the downtown Blue Cross Arena.
The Falcons quickly silenced the orange-clad fans late in the first period. First, Paul Weisgarber directed a pass to Cole Gunner, who responded with a point-blank backhand shot past RIT goaltender Shane Mandolora. Air Force led 1-0 after the power-play goal.
Then, 70 seconds later, Kyle De Laurell found John Kruse skating alone down the middle. Kruse expertly lured Mandolora out of the goal mouth by faking a shot before slipping a backhand into the net.
The 2-0 lead inspired a few dozen Air Force fans to cheer. Otherwise, it was virtually silent in the arena.
“That was kind of a dagger,” Weisgarber said of Kruse’s goal.
Jason Fabian added to RIT’s woes with 10:37 left in the second period. A shot by Tony Thomas rebounded off Mandolora and ended up at Fabian’s feet. He flicked the shot past a lunging Mandolora. Air Force led 3-0, and RIT was reeling.
