After a lopsided loss at the hands of Marist on the road last weekend, the Army ACHA D2 hockey team bounced back with a shutout win against the Red Foxes at home. This weekend, Army turns its attention to Central Connecticut State. Army and the CCSU Blue Devils are two of three teams tied for 2nd place in the SECHL. A win for either team will put the victor ahead in league standings.
Recap – Marist
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.
Army did tack on another goal in the third period, but three more goals solidified the 10-2 victory for Marist. Five Black Knights landed on the score-sheet, with Martin McDonald and Jaxon Jones tallying Army’s two goals, and Harry Hernberg, Will Kiley, and Bobby Carroll registering assists. Nick Schultz and Jack Kraus split time for Army, with Schultz turning away 20 of 26 shots and Kraus turning away 16 of 20 shots faced.
Sunday’s meeting between the two squads was a completely different affair. Kraus was a brick wall and pitched a shutout for Army in a low-scoring, 2-0 victory for the Black Knights. Kraus’ 35 saves and first shutout of the season earned him the game’s 1st Star honors. Jones tallied his second goal of the weekend, with Tim Bitsberger also scoring for Army. McDonald, Bitsberger, and Hernberg all also found the score-sheet for a second time with assists.
Bitsberger’s two point effort earned him the game’s 2nd Star, with McDonald being named 3rd Star of the game.
Preview – Central Connecticut State
As mentioned previously, Army’s game this Saturday against CCSU has rather big implications in the SECHL race. Both teams are tied with RPI for 2nd place at 7.5pts. A win over the Blue Devils would put Army firmly in 2nd place with an improved 3-8-1 record (3-3-1 in SECHL play).
Army will be looking for continued production from across the roster as the team is currently without last year’s point leader, Calvin McKee, who is out for several weeks withan injury. Kiley is currently leading the way for the Black Knights with 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists). In net, Kraus has posted a 2-5-1 record along with a 3.20 GAA and .907 SV%. Meanwhile, Schultz is sitting at 0-2-0 with a 6.15 GAA and .867 SV%.
CCSU is led by Kevin Murphy who has 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists) for the Blue Devils. The Blue Devils have a trio of goaltenders with game experience. Michael Adorno leads the group with a 3.45 GAA and .901 SV% – good enough for two wins. Jared Apfelbaum sits at a 4.81 GAA and .871 SV%. Matthew Beckoff has had no starts, but has posted a 3.34 GAA and .750 SV%.
The last meeting between Army and CCSU was a close, 2-1 victory for the Blue Devils. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another low-scoring affair, but hopefully the Black Knights can pull out another win and build some momentum in the latter part of the first semester. Saturday’s game is rumored to be at Tate Rink on West Point, giving Army home ice advantage. Puck drops at 5pm ET.
Go Army!
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