Air Force hockey coach Frank Serratore said his young team gains confidence with each win it earns. 

The Falcons got a huge boost to their morale on Saturday night. 

Air Force erased two one-goal leads at Sacred Heart University, and junior defenseman Nolan Cunningham scored a game-winning goal with under three minutes remaining in the third period to defeat the Pioneers 3-2. The win makes four straight for the Falcons (5-4-1, 2-2), who have swept their last two series and are above .500 for the first time this season, picking up a full six points toward the Atlantic Hockey America standings.

Prior to Cunningham’s second goal of the weekend and his third of the season, sophomore defenseman Jake Peterson scored his second goal of the season to knot the game at two goals at the 3:40 mark of the third period. 

Defensemen were key to the Falcons’ success this weekend, accounting for six of Air Force’s seven goals on the weekend. Entering Saturday, five of Air Force’s six defensemen were in the top-10 on the team in scoring. 

Serratore knew that Sacred Heart would play with urgency on Saturday, following the Falcons’ 4-1 win on Friday night when the seasoned coach said he didn’t think the hosts took Air Force seriously. 

True to Serratore’s words, the Pioneers scored the first goal of the game on Saturday. Forward Gavin Bryant gave his team the lead at 11:58 of the first period. 

Falcons senior captain Holt Oliphant answered for Air Force in the second period with a goal at the 17:02. Of note, fellow senior captain Mason McCormick, who returned from a broken fibula on Friday, earned his first point of the season with the assist. 

Pioneers senior Ethan Wolters put his team back ahead to begin the third period, scoring at 1:44. 

Air Force’s junior goaltender Dominik Wasik has been a blessing for the Falcons since taking the starting role on Oct. 25. The netminder out of Superior has been between the pipes in all four of the Falcons’ recent wins. On Saturday, he made a career-high 35 saves as the Pioneers outshot Air Force 37-24.

“If he’s not Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week this week, there should be an investigation,” Serratore said in a radio interview. “It’s a good old-fashioned road win. Again, it doesn’t happen unless the best player on the ice is in our net, and he was. 

“Our guys really had to dig deep. They tried to knock us out, but they couldn’t.”

Air Force returns to Cadet Ice Arena next week to host Holy Cross.