Army Black Knights men's ice hockey
The Army Black Knights men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the United States Military Academy. The Black Knights are a member of Atlantic Hockey and play at the Tate Rink in West Point, New York.
Army Black Knights men's ice hockey | |
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Current season | |
University | United States Military Academy |
Conference | AHA |
First season | 1903–04 |
Head coach | Brian Riley 17th season, 189–294–81 (.407) |
Captain(s) | Zach Evancho |
Alternate captain(s) | Dominic Franco, Alex Wilkinson |
Arena | Tate Rink Capacity: 2,746 Surface: 200' x 90' |
Location | West Point, New York |
Colors | Black, Gold, and Gray[1] |
Conference regular season championships | |
AHA: 2007–08 | |
Current uniform | |
History
The men's ice hockey program at West Point has been in existence since the 1903–04 season. The team played outdoors until 1930 when the Smith Rink opened.[2] The team competed as independent members of NCAA Division I from the inaugural season through the 1960–61 season.[3] In 1961 the program became a founding member of the ECAC.[3] The team, known at the time as the Army Cadets, played as members of the ECAC from 1961 to 1962 season through the 1972–73 season before dropping their program to Division II status when the NCAA instituted numerical divisions. The Cadets would remain there until 1980 when they rejoined the ECAC as an associate member. Army became a full ECAC member in 1984 in the aftermath of the Hockey East schism but the Cadets wouldn't remain for long and left the conference in 1990. The Cadets joined the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), which began sponsoring men's hockey at the time, in 1999 and in 2001 the team name was changed to Army Black Knights along with the other athletic programs at the Academy.[3] In 2003, the MAAC's ice hockey division split off and became the Atlantic Hockey Association, a hockey-only NCAA Division I conference.[4]
In 2007–08 season the Black Knights won their only conference title to date, the Atlantic Hockey Regular Season Championship. In that season the Knights finished with an overall record of 19 wins, 14 losses, and 4 ties and went 17–8–3 in conference play.[5] Took the No. 1 seed into the Atlantic Hockey playoffs and swept (#10) American Int'l two games to none in the three game first round series.[4] The Black Knight's season came to an end in the semifinal game when they lost to (#5) Mercyhurst 2–4.[6]
Since 1950, the Cadets/Black Knights have been coached by a member of the Riley family. Jack Riley, best known for leading the United States to the gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics, coached at West Point from 1950 to 1986. He handed the reins to his son Rob in 1986, who in turn handed coaching duties to his younger brother Brian in 2004.
Army–RMC rivalry
The Army Black Knights have a long-standing rivalry with the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Paladins. It is considered one of the longest-running annual international sporting events in the world.[7][8]
The tradition originated when the commandant of RMC, Sir Archibald McDonnell, and the superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy, Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur, suggested a game of ice hockey between the two schools in 1921.[9] After two years of exchanging ideas, the first game was played on February 23, 1923, at West Point. The Redmen won that first game 3–0.[10] In 1924 the series moved to Kingston, Ontario (the location of RMC), thus beginning the tradition of rotating venues. This was Army's first away game and up until 1941, the West Point Game was the only time that Army played away from the Academy.[7][8]
From 1923 to 1935 RMC ran up a record of 14–0–1, the only blemish being a 4–4 tie in 1935. 1939 saw Army win its first game, 3–1. As a result of World War II, only one game was played, a 3–1 Army win in 1942, over the next 10 years.[7]
In the 1950s and 1960s Army won 15 of 20 games, bringing the series close with RMC holding a 21–18–1 advantage. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the teams played fairly closely. In 1986 the record stood at 26–25–4 in favor of RMC.[7]
From 1988 to 1999, Army dominated the rivalry, going undefeated. RMC last won in 2002 by a score of 3–0 and Army won in 2004, 3–2.
The 2006 game was a 3–3 tie in front of 3100 fans in Kingston. Currently Army leads the Series 39–29–7.
The game was played continually after the World War II years, from 1949 until 2007.[11] The 2007 edition of the rivalry was to take place on Saturday Feb 10, at Tate Arena in West Point, New York, but was cancelled due to regular season scheduling conflicts and for 2008 the teams will not play a competitive game but instead the Paladins will travel to New York to spend 3 days practicing, playing and socializing with the West Point cadets. [12]
The series was re-established on February 4, 2011, with Army hosting the Paladins at West Point. This rivalry will continue on an annual basis, counting as an exhibition game for both teams.
Season-by-season results
All-time coaching records
As of April 10, 2020
Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
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2004–Present | Brian Riley | 16 | 189–294–81 | .407 |
1988–2004 | Rob Riley | 18 | 257–288–33 | .473 |
1950–1986 | Jack Riley | 36 | 542–343–20 | .610 |
1945–1950 | Len Patten | 5 | 33–35–2 | .486 |
1944–1945 | Robert Lutz | 1 | 7–2–1 | .750 |
1943–1944 | John Hines | 1 | 5–4–0 | .556 |
1923–1943 | Ray Marchand | 20 | 76–106–9 | .421 |
1920–1923 | Talbot Hunter | 3 | 12–12–2 | .500 |
1918–1920 | Philip Day | 2 | 6–4–1 | .591 |
1917–1918 | Joseph Viner | 1 | 6–3–0 | .667 |
1914–1917 | Frank Purdon | 3 | 9–10–1 | .475 |
1912–1914 | Philip Gordon | 2 | 7–6–0 | .538 |
1910–1912 | LeRoy Bartlett | 2 | 3–4–1 | .438 |
1907–1910 | George Russell | 3 | 5–7–4 | .438 |
1904–1907 | Robert Foy | 3 | 15–8–0 | .652 |
1903–1904 | Edward Leonard King | 1 | 5–1–0 | .833 |
Totals | 16 coaches | 117 seasons | 1177-1127-155 | .510 |
Awards
U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
The following individuals have been inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
- Jack Riley (1979, 2000†)
† As the coach of the 1960 Olympic team.
IIHF Hall of Fame
The following individuals have been inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.
- Jack Riley (1998)
Army Sports Hall of Fame
The following individuals have been inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame.
- Jack Riley (2004)
Lester Patrick Award
The following individuals have been awarded the Lester Patrick Award.
- Jack Riley (1986, 2002)
Individual Awards
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AHCA All-Americans
The following Army Black Knights men's ice hockey players have been chosen as Second Team Division I All-Americans by the American Hockey Coaches Association.[14]
- Josh Kassel (2008)
Individual Awards
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All–MAAC Teams
First Team[15]
- Brad Roberts (2003)
Second Team
- Joe Dudek (2003)
Rookie Team[16]
- Chris Casey (2002)
- Brad Roberts (2003)
Individual Awards
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Individual Sportsmanship Award
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Regular Season Goaltending Award
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All-Atlantic Hockey Teams
First Team[19]
- Josh Kassel (2008)
- Zach McKelvie (2008, 2009)
- Luke Flicek (2008)
- Owen Meyer (2009)
- Alexander Wilkinson (2018)
Second Team
- Brad Roberts (2006)
- Tim Manthey (2006, 2007)
- Josh Kassel (2007)
- Owen Meyer (2008)
- Marcel Alvarez (2010, 2011)
- Cody Omilusik (2010)
- Parker Gahagen (2016, 2017)
- Michael Wilson (2018)
- Dalton MacAfee (2019)
Third Team
- Luke Flicek (2007)
- Cody Omilusik (2011)
Rookie Team
- Tim Manthey (2006)
- Owen Meyer (2007)
- Marcel Alvarez (2009)
- Joe Kozlak (2013)
- C. J. Reuschlein (2014)
- Tyler Pham (2015)
- Alexander Wilkinson (2017)
- Dominic Franco (2017)
- Jon Zimmerman (2018)
Statistical Leaders
Career Scoring leaders
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player | Years | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
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Dave Rost | 1973–1977 | 104 | 226 | 330 | ||
Tom Rost | 1976–1980 | 118 | 169 | 287 | 284 | |
George Clark | 1971–1975 | 153 | 113 | 266 | ||
Jim Knowlton | 1978–1982 | 90 | 172 | 262 | ||
Dave Merhar | 1966–1969 | 112 | 117 | 229 | ||
Robbie Craig | 1980–1984 | 86 | 135 | 221 | ||
Ed Collazzo | 1979–1983 | 93 | 104 | 197 | ||
Frank Keating | 1978–1982 | 65 | 131 | 196 | ||
Dan Cox | 1979–1983 | 61 | 133 | 194 | ||
Biff Shea | 1981–1985 | 68 | 120 | 188 | ||
Career Goaltending Leaders
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Minimum 35 games
Player | Years | GP | MIN | W | L | T | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
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Jack Sheppard | 1960–1963 | .920 | 2.20 | |||||||
Neil Meiras | 1961–1964 | 5 | 2.28 | |||||||
Parker Gahagen | 2013–2017 | 110 | 6372 | 41 | 49 | 16 | 255 | 10 | .926 | 2.40 |
Josh Kassel | 2005–2009 | 77 | 4415 | 37 | 31 | 7 | 181 | 8 | .909 | 2.46 |
Ron Chisholm | 1959–1962 | 8 | .905 | 2.53 | ||||||
Statistics current through the start of the 2017-18 season.
Roster
As of August 31, 2020.[21]
No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
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1 | Gavin Abric | Freshman | G | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2001-01-11 | Hayward, Wisconsin | Jersey (NCDC) | — | |
2 | Thomas Farrell | Sophomore | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 1999-01-18 | Mettawa, Illinois | Youngstown (USHL) | — | |
3 | Cody Fleckenstein (A) | Senior | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1997-03-31 | Fredonia, New York | Corpus Christi (NAHL) | — | |
4 | Coby Mack | Junior | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 213 lb (97 kg) | 1997-10-07 | Rapid City, South Dakota | Northern (NCDC) | — | |
5 | Andrew Quetell | Junior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1998-06-21 | Cleveland, Ohio | Johnstown (NAHL) | — | |
6 | Colin Bilek (A) | Junior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1997-06-04 | Brighton, Michigan | Northeast (NAHL) | — | |
7 | Jake Felker | Freshman | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2000-03-19 | Omaha, Nebraska | Youngstown (USHL) | — | |
8 | Ricky Lyle | Freshman | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2000-08-21 | Duluth, Minnesota | Madison (USHL) | — | |
9 | Daniel Haider | Junior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1997-12-19 | Anchorage, Alaska | Fairbanks (NAHL) | — | |
10 | John Laurito | Senior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1996-04-19 | Johnston, Rhode Island | Jersey (USPHL) | — | |
11 | Lincoln Hatten | Freshman | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2000-03-01 | Allen, Texas | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (NAHL) | — | |
12 | John Keranen | Sophomore | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1998-08-31 | Delano, Minnesota | Minnesota Magicians (NAHL) | — | |
13 | Tucker DeYoung | Senior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 1996-03-23 | Lake Bluff, Illinois | Jersey (USPHL) | — | |
15 | Marshal Plunkett | Junior | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1998-10-31 | West Salem, Wisconsin | Coulee Region (NAHL) | — | |
16 | Eric Butte | Junior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1997-05-28 | Belmont, Massachusetts | Langley (BCHL) | — | |
17 | Anthony Firriolo | Sophomore | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 1998-07-03 | Montville, New Jersey | Corpus Christi (NAHL) | — | |
18 | Mitch Machlitt | Freshman | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1999-01-15 | Robbinsdale, Minnesota | New Jersey (NAHL) | — | |
19 | Brett Abdelnour | Sophomore | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 167 lb (76 kg) | 1998-10-23 | Macomb, Michigan | Amarillo (NAHL) | — | |
20 | Brody Medeiros | Freshman | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 1999-01-25 | Littleton, Colorado | New Jersey (NAHL) | — | |
21 | John Zimmerman (C) | Senior | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1996-05-02 | Arlington, Texas | Lone Star (NAHL) | — | |
22 | Noah Wilson | Sophomore | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 1998-12-21 | Fond du Lac, Wisconsin | Fairbanks (NAHL) | — | |
23 | Mason Krueger | Senior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1996-07-21 | Bettendorf, Iowa | Corpus Christi (NAHL) | — | |
24 | Kevin Dineen | Senior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1996-04-02 | Faribault, Minnesota | Coulee Region (NAHL) | — | |
25 | Patrick Smyth | Sophomore | F | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 1999-04-23 | Toledo, Ohio | Dubuque (USHL) | — | |
26 | Matt Berkovitz (C) | Senior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1996-02-16 | Green Bay, Wisconsin | Green Bay (USHL) | ANA, 123rd overall 2014 | |
27 | Chris Konin | Freshman | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | 2000-01-04 | West Kingston, Rhode Island | Minnesota Magicians (NAHL) | — | |
28 | Kendrick Frost | Sophomore | F | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1999-04-01 | Lee's Summit, Missouri | Brookings (NAHL) | — | |
29 | Eric Huss | Freshman | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | 1999-03-16 | Dallas, Texas | Lone Star (NAHL) | — | |
33 | Trevin Kozlowski | Senior | G | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 1997-03-27 | Los Angeles, California | Salmon Arm (BCHL) | — | |
34 | Justin Evenson | Sophomore | G | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | 1999-08-20 | Minnetonka, Minnesota | Amarillo (NAHL) | — |
Black Knights in the NHL
See alsoReferences
External links |