TEMPE, Ariz. - Coming off a 6-3 loss at home last weekend to Robert Morris, allowing four goals in the second period, Air Force needed to rebound.

It’s safe to say that the Falcons did so.

The Air Force Falcons (10-7-2) used a five-goal first period, with the first three goals coming within the first three minutes, to power their way to an 8-2 victory against the Michigan Tech Huskies (11-8-2) in Day 1 of the Desert Hockey Classic at Mullett Arena on Jan 2, 2026.

The Falcons used offensive contributions from multiple players, with two players – sophomore forward Sam Stitz and sophomore forward Nick Sajevic – recording four points on the day.

Stitz had two goals and two assists and Sajevic had one goal and three assists.

For the Huskies, junior goaltender Owen Bartoszkiewicz got the start but was pulled within the first 10 minutes of the game, allowing four goals on eight shots. He was replaced by sophomore goaltender Ryan Manzella, who didn’t start badly but faltered in the third period.

On the flip side, the Falcons, it was a different story as junior goaltender Dominik Wasik stopped 29 of 31 shots, recording a .931 save percentage, recording the win.

Air Force dominated Michigan Tech in most statistics during the game, including shots on goal (38-31), faceoffs (39-37) and blocks (28-13). The Huskies took five penalties, with the Falcons converting on the first two, and Michigan Tech went 0-for-3 on its power-play opportunities.

The Falcons struck first with a goal just 45 seconds into the game with a snapper by Sajevic. Moments later, he found Stitz on a pass backhand style before his teammate snapped it home to make it 2-0.

Air Force continued its offensive prowess with goals by senior forward Mason McCormick, followed by one by senior defenseman Chris Hedden. It was not as quickly as the first three goals but it was still before the halfway mark of the first period.

To cap off what was nothing short of a dominant period, Stitz tipped in a shot that dribbled over Manzella and into the back of the net to make it 5-0.

The second period was rather uneventful, with the only scoring of the period coming from Michigan Tech. Sophomore forward Elias Jansson tipped in a pass from freshman forward Reid Daavettila to cut the deficit to four heading into the final period.

But Air Force embarked on another scoring run in the third period, not as deadly as the one it had in the first period, but it was enough to put any hopes of a comeback out of reach.

Sophomore forward Carson Latimer scored one more goal for Michigan Tech in the final minutes of the game to potentially give the Huskies some hope for the opponent they’ll play in Day 2 of the tournament.

Air Force waits to see the final of tonight’s game between Alaska Anchorage and Arizona State and plays the winner of that game Saturday, Jan. 3, at 7 p.m. at Mullett Arena.

As for Michigan Tech, it also plays tomorrow but will play the loser of tonight’s game at 3 p.m.