Wild night here in Bridgeport. Quick blog. Here's a link to my game story on the New Haven Register website. Got a chance to speak with Chad Ziegler in the locker room. He said it's easily the biggest goal he's ever scored. Check out what he has to say...pretty touching stuff.
Air Force coach Frank Serratore said his team executed its game plan to perfection. Knowing his cadets are as physically fit as anyone in the world, they wanted to "rope-a-dope" Yale for the first two periods to wear them down, then take it to them in overtime. Again, check out the story. Serratore said Yale needed to knock his team out in the first period, and if they didn't he knew Air Force would have a real chance to win.
Keith Allain didn't quite agree with the part about Yale being worn down. He credited Yale's strength and conditioning coach Joe Maher, whom he called the best at his job in the country, with having the Bulldogs up to the task to skate with anyone.
Serratore bristled at the suggestion – real or perceived – that the Atlantic Hockey League is not a perennial quality representative in NCAA tournament play.
“You know what we are? In football terms, BCS terms, we’re not the SEC. We’re not the Pac-10. We’re not Big 12. We don’t have the depth that Hockey East has. We don’t have the depth that the WCHA has. But our best team is a good team and we’ve proven that every year. We’re the Boise State , we’re the TCU of the NCAA tournament, and to be honest with you, I don’t think there’s enough of those teams in the field. I think the Cinderellas make it interesting.
“Don’t think that around the country that everyone who wasn’t a Yale fan watching on TV, wasn’t rooting for Air Force. Holy Cross beat Minnesota , we beat Michigan right here a couple of years ago, RIT last year beat New Hampshire and Denver .
Keep in mind, that our teams have to get here the old fashioned way. They have to earn their way here. The Atlantic champion has to win its tournament. And keep in mind, we don’t get 4 seed. We don’t get a 3 seed. We don’t get a second seed. We’re playing No. 1 or No. 2 in the country, and when you look at our record, down goes Minnesota , down goes Michigan , down goes New Hampshire , down goes Denver . Yeah, we’ve had some heartbreaking losses, but we’re there at the end. And there ain’t a more relieved guy in the building right now than Keith Allain because he knows he got a heck of a game from the boys from Air Force.”
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