AFA hockey: Three things to watch vs. Bentley

Three things to watch as Air Force hosts Bentley this weekend in hockey:

1. WHO DRAWS FIRST BLOOD?
Scoring first is big in any sport, but with senior goalie Andrew Volkening playing well of late, a 1-0 lead would be huge. “Good goalies thrive when their teams give them leads because they can dictate the game,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore said.

2. MINIMIZING DEFENSIVE LAPSES AND BREAKDOWNS
Even though Air Force (3-5, 3-1 Atlantic Hockey Association) won 4-1 Sunday at Canisius, three Griffins breakaways in the third period because of individual mistakes cast a pall over the league win. Volkening was up to making the stops, but it’s a crutch the Falcons can’t lean on too much to succeed consistently.

3. SCORING MORE DURING 5-ON-5 PLAY
Three of Air Force’s five goals this past weekend came on the power play, which leads the AHA at 27 percent (10-for-37). Even-strength goals would take a lot of pressure off the Air Force penalty kill (five goals allowed), which has been good so far. Bentley’s power play is a solid 20 percent (6-for-30).