The Colorado College hockey team treated a sold-out crowd in the brand new Ed Robson Arena to some early fireworks, but a pair of second-period goals by Air Force helped the Falcons claim a 2-1 victory Saturday night.
 
CC's Logan Will poked the puck into the net during a scrum in front of AFA goaltender Alex Schilling just 1:17 into the contest. The ruling on the ice was no goal, but after a review the officials determined the puck fully cleared the goal line and the 3,502 fans in Robson Arena were on their feet.
 
The Tigers outshot Air Force, 30-25, but could not convert again, mostly because of Schilling's antics in the third period.
 
Before that, the Falcons evened the game when Parker Brown collected his own rebound and beat Tiger goalie Dominic Basse at the 2:09 mark, then Jacob Marti notched the game winner as his shot from the left point eluded CC's Matt Vernon, who replaced Basse midway through the second stanza.
 
Schilling took over in the third period, stopping all 12 shots the Tigers put on net, including point-blank shots by Danny Weight and Stanley Cooley midway through the frame, and another on Hunter McKown in the final five seconds. The Tigers pulled Vernon and employed an extra attacker for the final three minutes.
 
Schilling finished the game with 29 saves, while Basse had nine and Vernon 14 for CC, which hosts St. Lawrence on Friday, Oct. 8, at 7:30 p.m., at Robson Arena in the first regular-season game played on the Colorado College campus.