In some ways, the Air Force hockey team has mirrored its power-play unit.  Falcons coach Frank Serratore said often he’ll see a team go on a dry run on the power play and then all of a sudden, that team will start scoring on the man advantage. The Falcons began 2026 with a 1-4 record and en tered their game on Jan. 17 on a four-game skid. During the losing streak, the team was 0-for-15 on the power play. Air Force snapped the skid and a seven-year winless streak against Holy Cross on Saturday, scoring twice on the power play, in a 5-2 victory.  “The biggest thing with me when I’m evaluating our power play is, ‘Are we getting opportunities? Are we getting scoring chances?’ And I believe we have been, and we finally got some to fall,” Serratore said.  Just as Air Force’s 0-for 15 run on the power play didn’t tell the full story of its recent performance, the 1-4 slump didn’t either. While the Falcons are off this weekend, Serratore believes his team can maintain the mentality it showed at Holy Cross to secure four of six points in the Atlantic Hockey America standings and make a run to finish the regular season and in the conference tournament.  “(That mentality) needs to become a part of what we are, and I think it has been for the most part all season,” he said. “The road to the championship is going to go through one of three places, maybe two of three places, and those places are called Bentley, Sacred Heart and Holy Cross. “So far, we’ve won two games at Sacred Heart, and we won the series at Holy Cross. The last series of the year is at Bentley, and, hopefully, we can prove to ourselves that we can win there as well. We’re on track right now.” Air Force (11-11-2, 7-8-1) sits in fifth place in the 10-team AHA. Following the bye, the Falcons host Sacred Heart, which they swept earlier this season, before traveling to Niagara in New York.  But this week’s focus is rest, the head coach said.  “We’re practicing enough to keep sharp and prepare for what lies ahead, but also we’re not practicing too much where we’re not getting the rest we need. We’re making sure the players are using this week to get ahead in the classroom,” Serratore said.  ...read more read less