Air Force's Ehn grateful for shot to skate

WORCESTER, Mass. - For Air Force senior center Eric Ehn, just having the chance to play in another NCAA Tournament was more than he could have asked.

Ehn, who broke his left fibula and suffered ligament damage to his left ankle Jan. 19 at Colorado College, wasn't sure he'd be able to play again before graduation.

"Just having my teammates go out there and win an (Atlantic Hockey Association) championship and keep our season going has been a dream come true," Ehn said. "The guys have kept us in it, and I was just glad to be able to get out there and skate with them."

Ehn started Saturday's game against Miami (Ohio) and accounted for four of the team's 25 shots.

Volkening's strong play

In the past nine games, sophomore goaltender Andrew Volkening has recorded a 1.27 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.

With four shutouts in his past eight starts, Volkening has been a force for the Falcons and Saturday was no different.

"He was unreal today," senior Josh Print said. "He kept us in it more than a couple times."

AHA's solid showing

In only its fourth year as a conference, the AHA is establishing itself as a national contender and Air Force is doing its part to help.

The Falcons have faced top seeds the past two years in NCAA regionals.

In 2007, the Falcons took a 3-1 lead against Minnesota before losing 4-3. Against Miami, which boasts the top-ranked offense and the second-best defense in the nation as well as six NHL draft choices, the Falcons grabbed a 2-1 lead before the RedHawks rallied to win 3-2 in overtime.

"We knew how good a team Air Force was coming into this game," Miami coach Rico Blasi said. "It was a tight hockey game, and they gave us all we could handle."

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