As Air Force’s Parker Brown took the puck into the attacking zone on a rush in overtime against Mercyhurst, only one thought went through his mind.

“Don’t turn this puck over,”

Brown said.

Brown didn’t let that thought get the best of him.

The junior raced past the blue line, weaved between two Lakers defenders and twisted a puck past Mercyhurst’s goalie, clinching the Falcons’ 4-3 win.

The acrobatic goal was a fitting conclusion to Friday’s back-and-forth battle.

“That goal alone was worth the price of admission,” Air Force coach Frank Serratore said. “If this was the NHL, that would be the play of the day on ESPN.”

Brown added, “I happened to make a nice move and found the back of the net.”

Air Force took an early lead when Brandon Koch scored less than four minutes into the game.

That lead, however, quickly went away. The Lakers scored two goals just minutes after Koch’s, snatching the lead away from the Falcons.

Sophomore goalie Maiszon Balboa struggled early for the Falcons, mishandling a couple of pucks and allowing a

goal that Serratore called a “stinker.”

From there, it turned into a jab-for-jab bout, and Air Force never let the game spiral in the wrong direction.

Willie Reim scored less than a minute into the second period to make it 2-2. But once again, Mercyhurst had an answer to reclaim the lead.

It was frustrating for Serratore and company, as they felt they were playing well enough to be leading.

“The game didn’t seem to be going our way,” Serratore said.

“We had lots of opportunities around the net. I liked our physicality, but it just had that feeling that it wasn’t going to be our night.”

But the Falcons never let their frustrations boil over.

Mason Mccormick scored the equalizing goal midway through the third period. Air Force then held Mercyhurst scoreless for the final 10 minutes of regulation, sending the game to overtime.

After that, the Falcons needed just 53 seconds of OT to earn the win.

“It’s a big win,” Koch said. “Brown made an unbelievable save there.”

While Balboa struggled early, he stepped up in crunch time. The netminder made several key saves in the final minutes of regulation to keep the game tied and give Air Force a chance in the extra period.

He finished the game 29 saves.

“After that rough start, I thought he was good,” Serratore said. “It’s not the big saves. it’s the timing of the big saves. He did come through for us when we had breakdowns.”

Because they won in overtime, the Falcons earn just two points from Friday’s win. They would have collected three if they won in regulation.

But step in the it’s still a right direction.

Air Force has won three of its last five games after a ninegame losing streak from November to mid January. The Falcons moved closer to the AHA playoff picture, as ninthplace Bentley and eighthplace Canisius each lost on Friday.

At this point in the season, there are no moral victories. Air Force still has its back against the wall and needs to consistently earn points — like it did on Friday.

The Falcons’ next chance to do so is Saturday, when they go for the sweep of Mercyhurst.

“At the end of the day, we have more points in front of us,” Koch said. “We’re going to celebrate for five minutes, but it’s a quick turnaround for tomorrow.”