COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Alex Tonge's power-play goal in the third period gave the Robert Morris University men's hockey team life, but Air Force ground out enough offense to take home a 3-1 decision Friday night at Cadet Ice Arena.

Late-period goals by Kieran Durgan (17 seconds left in first) and Evan Feno (1:16 left in second) proved pivotal as the Falcons handed RMU (9-15-1, 8-10-1 Atlantic Hockey) its second consecutive road defeat and eighth in 10 games overall.

Junior Colonials goaltender Francis Marotte put up a solid 23-save performance to give the Colonials a chance to complete a two-goal comeback, an effort that went for naught when Air Force's Kyle Haak hit an empty net in the final minute of regulation, ending a five-game winless skid for the Falcons.

Ultimately, despite a couple of early prime chances, the Colonials didn't test Falcons senior netminder Billy Christopolous (14 saves) enough to expect a better result. Particularly at even strength, there wasn't persistent starch in the attack. RMU head coach Derek Schooley pointed to puck management, physicality, work ethic and shot volume as areas that weren't there as often as they were in this weekend opener.

"We have to be consistent in everything we're doing, but we're not," Schooley concluded. "When we play well, we're good. We were good in the third. ... There wasn't a lot going on at certain points of the hockey game. That was a game that was there for the taking. Consistently inconsistent, is how consistent we are right now."

On the plus side for RMU, special teams were effective in keeping second-place Air Force (12-9-4, 10-6-3 AHA) within striking distance the whole game.

The Colonials were consistently dangerous on the power play while going 1 for 4 against the nation's second-best penalty kill. Before he assisted on RMU's icebreaker, junior Luke Lynch was denied what seemed to be a sure goal by sliding Air Force defenseman Dan Bailey late in the second period. Lynch made up for the missed conversion at 7:47 of the third, shaking free to pump a wrister on net that Justin Addamo shuffled over to Tonge to lift high into the cage. Tonge's team-best 12th tally extended his goal streak to a season-long three games.

"They pressure a lot," Lynch said of Air Force's PK strategy. "It's tough to make plays when they're coming at you hard, but you've just got to move the puck quick. We did that for the power plays we had, and we had success."

RMU also killed all four Air Force power plays, including two clutch kills in the latter half of the third with the margin still just one goal. That marked a rebound from the previous game, when Canisius scored three times on the advantage to help neutralize RMU's late rally.



The Colonials put together a similar push in the final frame Friday, but not enough to make up for a earlier missteps. Freshmen wingers Addamo and Nick Lalonde each had good looks on the backhand side in the opening 10 minutes, but Christopolous ranged over to kick out both.

Then, in the final minute of the first, Durgan took advantage of RMU junior defenseman Sean Giles' stick exploding while he tried to play a puck in the neutral zone. Moments later, Durgan had a clear lane to the net and snapped a shot between Marotte's legs from close range. After the game, the Colorado Springs-born Giles lamented his luck on the rink he used to call home while playing with Air Academy High School several years ago.

But there was more bad fortune to come in the second, when senior Colonials forward Michael Louria was smashed into the boards from behind by Air Force's Evan Geisler, freeing the puck for Geisler to feed Feno for an important two-goal lead.

RMU actually caught an officiating-related break in the third, as Geisler's apparent goal at 10:09 was wiped out when replay review helped referees rule that a hand pass triggered the Air Force attack. Overall, though, the home stretch of the game was delayed frequently by discussions between the men in stripes, the coaching staffs and the players.

"Too much controversy in that game," Schooley said. "I'm not going to go any further, but that was rough."

What came out in the wash at the end of the spin cycle was Air Force's first win in six games, albeit not in the most glamorous fashion. Then again, if that's the kind of game that resurfaces for Saturday's rematch, the no-frills Falcons won't complain too much.

The Colonials and Falcons will meet for the second and final time this regular season at 7:05 p.m. Eastern time Saturday, with RMU needing a win to stay within four points of one of its longest-standing rivals.

"Overall, we've got to commit to winning stick battles and foot races," Lynch said. "They're a team that likes to shut down offense quickly and we let them do that too much tonight."