Army Black Knights men's ice hockey

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Army Black Knights men's ice hockey
Current season
Army Black Knights athletic logo
UniversityUnited States Military Academy
ConferenceAHA
First season1903–04
Head coachBrian Riley
21st season, 242–359–92 (.416)
Assistant coaches
  • Zack McKelvie
  • Chris Azzano
  • Jack Riley
Captain
  • Ricky Lyle
  • Michael Sacco
ArenaTate Rink
West Point, New York
ColorsBlack, gold, and gray[1]
     
Conference regular season championships
AHA: 2007–08
Current uniform

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.

History[edit]

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[edit]

Main article: Army–Royal Military College men's ice hockey 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]

Season-by-season results[edit]

Main article: List of Army Black Knights men's ice hockey seasons

[11]

All-time coaching records[edit]

As of March 5, 2024

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
2004–Present Brian Riley 20 242–359–92 .416
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 121 seasons 1230–1192–166 .507

Awards[edit]

U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame[edit]

The following individuals have been inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

† As the coach of the 1960 Olympic team.

IIHF Hall of Fame[edit]

The following individuals have been inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Army Sports Hall of Fame[edit]

The following individuals have been inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame.

Lester Patrick Award[edit]

The following individuals have been awarded the Lester Patrick Award.

NCAA[edit]

Individual awards[edit]

All-Americans[edit]

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

MAAC[edit]

Individual awards[edit]

All–MAAC teams[edit]

First Team[12]

  • Brad Roberts (2003)

Second Team

  • Joe Dudek (2003)

Rookie Team[13]

  • Chris Casey (2002)
  • Brad Roberts (2003)

Atlantic Hockey[edit]

Individual awards[edit]

All-Atlantic Hockey Teams[edit]

First Team[16]

  • Josh Kassel (2008)
  • Zach McKelvie (2008, 2009)
  • Luke Flicek (2008)
  • Owen Meyer (2009)
  • Alexander Wilkinson (2018)
  • Trevin Kozlowski (2021)
  • Thomas Farrell (2021)
  • Colin Bilek (2021, 2022)

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)
  • Dominic Franco (2020)
  • John Zimmerman (2021)
  • Gavin Abric (2022)
  • Anthony Firriolo (2022)
  • Joey Baez (2023, 2024)

Third Team

  • Luke Flicek (2007)
  • Cody Omilusik (2011)
  • John Keranen (2023)

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)
  • John Zimmerman (2018)
  • Anthony Firriolo (2020)
  • Lincoln Hatten (2021)
  • Max Itagaki (2023)
  • Mac Gadowsky (2024)

Statistical leaders[edit]

[17]

Career scoring leaders[edit]

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player Years GP G A PTS PIM
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
David 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[edit]

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
Trevin Kozlowski 2017–2021 65 3865 36 21 6 142 3 .911 2.18
Jack Shepard 1960–1963 .920 2.20
Neil Meiras 1961–1964 .896 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

Statistics current through the start of the 2022-23 season.

Roster[edit]

As of September 14, 2023.[18]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Wisconsin Gavin Abric Senior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-01-11 Hayward, Wisconsin Jersey (NCDC) —
2 Alaska Mac Gadowsky Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-01-10 Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks (NAHL) —
3 South Dakota Easton Zueger Freshman D 5' 8" (1.73 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-06-07 Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux City (USHL) —
4 Colorado John Driscoll Sophomore D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2001-08-19 Littleton, Colorado Green Bay (USHL) —
5 Minnesota Jon Bell Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2002-06-22 St. Cloud, Minnesota Wisconsin (NAHL) —
6 Florida Pierce Patterson Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2002-02-26 Valrico, Florida Amarillo (NAHL) —
7 Connecticut Andrew Gilbert Junior D 6' 5" (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2000-05-02 Fairfield, Connecticut Jersey (NCDC) —
8 Minnesota Ricky Lyle (C) Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-08-21 Duluth, Minnesota Madison (USHL) —
9 Minnesota Nik Hong Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-08-27 Minneapolis, Minnesota St. Cloud (NAHL) —
10 Nebraska Jake Felker Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-03-19 Omaha, Nebraska Youngstown (USHL) —
11 Wisconsin Josh Bohlin Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-02-10 Wausau, Wisconsin Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) —
12 Massachusetts Jake Hewitt Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-07-05 Ashburnham, Massachusetts Nanaimo (BCHL) —
13 New York (state) Michael Sacco (C) Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-11-16 Syosset, New York Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (NAHL) —
14 New York (state) Owen Nolan Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-03-10 Mahopac, New York Lone Star (NAHL) —
15 North Dakota Lucas Kanta Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-04-20 Grand Forks, North Dakota Minnesota Magicians (NAHL) —
16 Massachusetts Hunter McCoy Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-08-01 Newburyport, Massachusetts Maryland (NAHL) —
17 Michigan Vincent Salice Freshman F 5' 7" (1.7 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2003-02-28 Commerce Township, Michigan Omaha (USHL) —
18 Wisconsin Dayne Hoyord Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-03-19 Scandinavia, Wisconsin Odessa (NAHL) —
19 Illinois Max Itagaki Sophomore F 5' 5" (1.65 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 2002-06-18 Glenview, Illinois Nanaimo (BCHL) —
20 New Jersey Sean Vlasich Sophomore D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-04-20 Hillsdale, New Jersey North Iowa (NAHL) —
21 Connecticut Stephen Willey Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-03-26 Shelton, Connecticut New Jersey (NAHL) —
22 New York (state) Jude Brower Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-06-11 Mahopac, New York Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC) —
23 Florida Joey Baez Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-01-12 Tampa, Florida Lone Star (NAHL) —
24 Michigan Andrew Garby Junior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2000-09-17 Canton, Michigan Fairbanks (NAHL) —
25 Illinois Barron Woodring Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2002-07-05 Chicago, Illinois Sioux City (USHL) —
26 Minnesota Joey Dosan Sophomore F 6' 6" (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2001-03-20 Bloomington, Minnesota Springfield (NAHL) —
27 North Carolina Trevor Smith Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-03-02 Raleigh, North Carolina Boston Advantage (NCDC) —
28 Colorado Brent Keefer Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-09-28 Colorado Springs, Colorado Northeast (NAHL) —
29 Texas Eric Huss Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-03-16 Dallas, Texas Lone Star (NAHL) —
31 Tennessee Evan Szary Junior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-02-29 Nashville, Tennessee South Shore (NCDC) —
33 Ohio Gus Holt Freshman G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 2003-02-21 Bowling Green, Ohio Victoria (BCHL) —

Olympians[edit]

This is a list of Army alumni were a part of an Olympic team.

Name Position Army Tenure Team Year Finish
Larry Palmer Goaltender 1956–1959 United States USA 1960  Gold

Black Knights in the NHL[edit]

As of July 1, 2022.

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