Unfortunately, Army ACHA D2’s skid continues, but there are two match-ups this weekend against SECHL foe Marist to help get the Black Knights back in the win column.
Recap – @CCSU and @SHU
Last weekend, Army ACHA D2 hit the road against Central Connecticut State and Sacred Heart, both SECHL opponents.
On Friday evening, the Black Knights struck first against CCSU – taking a 1-0 lead after the first period. Unfortunately, Army’s attack fizzled out from that point on while the Blue Devils finally sparked. CCSU scored two unanswered goals, one each in the second and third periods, while holding Army scoreless.
Plebe Martin McDonald scored the lone Army goal, assisted by Yearlings Sam Hepola and Tim Bitsberger. William McKinley and Mason Boyhen scored for CCSU in the 2-1 defeat of Army. Black Knights’ goaltender, Firstie Jack Kraus, turned away 34 of 36 shots which earned him recognition as the games 3rd Star.
On Saturday night, Army took on Sacred Heart and battled to a 1-1 tie about midway through the first period behind a goal from Hepola (assist by Will Kiley). Unfortunately for the Black Knights, Sacred Heart responded with two powerplay goals in the first period, followed by another powerplay goal in the second. Despite a handful of penalties in the third period, neither team scored as the SHU Pioneers took home a 4-1 victory over Army.
Despite being outshot by a ratio of almost 2 to 1, Black Knights’ goalie Nick Schultz still managed 45 saves on 49 shots.
Preview – Marist
Army and Marist have yet to meet in SECHL thus far in the 2019-20 season. Army will visit Marist Friday night, followed by a Sunday game at Ice Time Sports (Army’s home away from home). The Red Foxes are firing on all cylinders, bringing a 5-1-0 record into the weekend. Meanwhile, Army is struggling to turn things around at 1-7-1.
Marist is led by forwards Brendan Buckley and Eric Schweitzer who lead the team with 5 goals and 4 goals, respectively, along with defenseman Brian Hogan (4 goals). Forward Garrett Mast leads the team the Red Foxes with 12 points (1 goal and 11 assists. Marist’s top goaltender, Zack Rogers, has posted a 2.04 goals against average (GAA) and .951 save percentage (SV%) in his five wins this season.
Meanwhile, the Black Knights are looking for greater offensive production. Yearling defenseman Will Kiley currently leads the team with 4 goals and 4 assists. He is closely followed by forwards Daniel Walker (6 points) and Keller Conrow (5 points). Army’s goaltending stats currently sit at a combined GAA of 3.59 and a SV% of .913 between Kraus and Schultz.
The Black Knights will need to step up in a big way if they are to come away with points this weekend and move up in the SECHL standings. Faceoff on Friday is at 9:15pm ET, followed by a 5pm ET puck drop on Sunday. Marist will be live-tweeting both games.
Go Army!
Black Knights - Rams Hockey 
[…] Army and Marist tangled twice last weekend, with a combined total of 14 goals scored between the two games (12 of which came in the first game). Army traveled to Marist on Friday night, and managed to keep things close early on. Army only trailed 2-1 after the first period, but a five-goal burst from the Red Foxes effectively put the game out of reach for the Black Knights. […]
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