Army Black Knights men's ice hockey

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Army Black Knights men's ice hockey
Current season
Army Black Knights men's ice hockey athletic logo
UniversityUnited States Military Academy
ConferenceAHA
First season1903–04
Head coachBrian Riley
18th season, 204–300–82 (.418)
Captain(s)Zach Evancho
Alternate captain(s)Dominic Franco, Alex Wilkinson
ArenaTate Rink
Capacity: 2,746
Surface: 200' x 90'
LocationWest Point, New York
ColorsBlack, gold, and gray[1]
     
Conference regular season championships
AHA: 2007–08
Current uniform
AHA-Uniform-USMA.png

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[]

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[]

See also: Royal Military College Paladins § West Point Weekend

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[]

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

[13]

All-time coaching records[]

As of April 10, 2021

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
2004–Present Brian Riley 17 204–300–82 .418
1988–2004 Rob Riley 18 257–288–33 .473
1950–1986 Jack Riley 36 542–343–20 .610
1945–1950 5 33–35–2 .486
1944–1945 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 2 6–4–1 .591
1917–1918 1 6–3–0 .667
1914–1917 3 9–10–1 .475
1912–1914 2 7–6–0 .538
1910–1912 2 3–4–1 .438
1907–1910 3 5–7–4 .438
1904–1907 3 15–8–0 .652
1903–1904 Edward Leonard King 1 5–1–0 .833
Totals 16 coaches 118 seasons 1192-1131-156 .512

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)

NCAA[]

Individual Awards[]

All-Americans[]

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

MAAC[]

Individual Awards[]

All–MAAC Teams[]

First Team[14]

  • Brad Roberts (2003)

Second Team

  • Joe Dudek (2003)

Rookie Team[15]

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

Atlantic Hockey[]

Individual Awards[]

All-Atlantic Hockey Teams[]

First Team[18]

  • 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)

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)

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)
  • John Zimmerman (2018)
  • Anthony Firriolo (2020)
  • Lincoln Hatten (2021)

Statistical Leaders[]

[19]

Career Scoring leaders[]

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

Player Years GP G A PTS PIM
1973–1977 104 226 330
1976–1980 118 169 287 284
1971–1975 153 113 266
Jim Knowlton 1978–1982 90 172 262
David Merhar 1966–1969 112 117 229
1980–1984 86 135 221
1979–1983 93 104 197
1978–1982 65 131 196
1979–1983 61 133 194
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
Trevin Kozlowski 2017–2021 65 3865 36 21 6 142 3 .911 2.18
1960–1963 .920 2.20
1961–1964 .896 2.28
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 2017-18 season.

Roster[]

As of August 23, 2021.[20]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Wisconsin Gavin Abric Sophomore G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-01-11 Hayward, Wisconsin Jersey (NCDC) —
2 Illinois Thomas Farrell (A) Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-01-18 Mettawa, Illinois Youngstown (USHL) —
3 Massachusetts Brad Zona Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-08-01 Auburn, Massachusetts New Jersey (NAHL) —
4 South Dakota Coby Mack Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 213 lb (97 kg) 1997-10-07 Rapid City, South Dakota Northern (NCDC) —
5 Ohio Andrew Quetell Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-06-21 Cleveland, Ohio Johnstown (NAHL) —
6 Michigan Colin Bilek (C) Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-06-04 Brighton, Michigan Northeast (NAHL) —
7 Connecticut Andrew Gilbert Freshman D 6' 5" (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2000-05-02 Fairfield, Connecticut Jersey (NCDC) —
8 Minnesota Ricky Lyle Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2000-08-21 Duluth, Minnesota Madison (USHL) —
9 Alaska Daniel Haider (A) Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1997-12-19 Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks (NAHL) —
10 Nebraska Jake Felker Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2000-03-19 Omaha, Nebraska Youngstown (USHL) —
11 Texas Lincoln Hatten Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-03-01 Allen, Texas Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (NAHL) —
12 Minnesota John Keranen Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-08-31 Delano, Minnesota Minnesota Magicians (NAHL) —
13 New York (state) Michael Sacco Freshman F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-11-16 Syosset, New York Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (NAHL) —
14 Massachusetts Hunter McCoy Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-08-01 Newburyport, Massachusetts Maryland (NAHL) —
15 Wisconsin Marshal Plunkett Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-10-31 West Salem, Wisconsin Coulee Region (NAHL) —
16 Massachusetts Eric Butte (C) Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-05-28 Belmont, Massachusetts Langley (BCHL) —
17 New Jersey Anthony Firriolo Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1998-07-03 Montville, New Jersey Corpus Christi (NAHL) —
19 Michigan Brett Abdelnour Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 167 lb (76 kg) 1998-10-23 Macomb, Michigan Amarillo (NAHL) —
20 Colorado Brody Medeiros Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-01-25 Littleton, Colorado New Jersey (NAHL) —
21 Wisconsin Josh Bohlin Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-02-10 Wausau, Wisconsin Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) —
22 Wisconsin Noah Wilson Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1998-12-21 Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Fairbanks (NAHL) —
23 Florida Joey Baez Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-01-12 Tampa, Florida Lone Star (NAHL) —
24 Michigan Andrew Garby Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2000-09-17 Canton, Michigan Fairbanks (NAHL) —
25 Ohio Patrick Smyth Junior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1999-04-23 Toledo, Ohio Dubuque (USHL) —
26 Minnesota Mitch Machlitt Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-01-15 Robbinsdale, Minnesota New Jersey (NAHL) —
27 Rhode Island Chris Konin Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 2000-01-04 West Kingston, Rhode Island Minnesota Magicians (NAHL) —
28 Missouri Kendrick Frost Junior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-04-01 Lee's Summit, Missouri Brookings (NAHL) —
29 Texas Eric Huss Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1999-03-16 Dallas, Texas Lone Star (NAHL) —
31 Tennessee Evan Szary Freshman G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-02-29 Nashville, Tennessee South Shore (NCDC) —
34 Minnesota Justin Evenson Junior G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1999-08-20 Minnetonka, Minnesota Amarillo (NAHL) —

Black Knights in the NHL[]

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