Army Welcomes Mercyhurst This Weekend

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army hockey team will look to keep pace in the standings for a home playoff series with Mercyhurst coming to West Point for a pair of games this weekend.

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GAME NOTES • Army Notes
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THIS WEEK: BACK AT TATE TO FACE MERCYHURST
Army's final home two-game regular season series is this weekend as the Black Knights host Meryhurst. The Lakers swept Army in the first league weekend of the season in late October. Mercyhurst has had an up-and-down season and sits 14-13-3 overall and 12-9-3 in Atlantic Hockey. The Lakers have gone unbeaten in five of their last six games, but settled for a pair of 2-2 ties against Niagara in a home-and-home series last weekend.

NEXT WEEK: FINAL WEEKEND OF THE REGULAR SEASON
The Black Knights take on Bentley in a home-and-home series next weekend for its final two games of the regular season. The first game will take place at West Point as the Black Knights host Senior Night at Tate Rink. The following night, Army heads to Watertown, Mass., for the second game against the Falcons. The two teams met earlier this season and Bentley took three of the four points, including a 6-2 win at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Nov. 1. The Falcons have dropped their last three games and sit one point ahead of the Black Knights in the league standings as both teams fight for a home playoff series.

LAST WEEK: SERIES SPLIT AT RMU
The Black Knights increased their unbeaten streak to six games with a 3-1 win at Robert Morrs on Friday night, but the streak ended on Saturday with the Colonials winning by a 3-0 score. Parker Gahagen continued his great goaltending play with 82 saves in the two games and allowed only three goals on the weekend with one of RMU's goals coming as an empty-netter. Brendan McGuire led the way on the offensive side with two points on a goal and an assist in the 3-1 win on Friday. The Black Knights had three different goal scorers in game one, including Blake Box, who tallied his first of the season to put Army up in early in the victory.

POSTSEASON RACE HEATING UP
The Black Knights are in the thick of a race to host a first-round playoff series in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament. All 11 teams in the league earn a spot in the tournament with top five earning a first-round bye. The Black Knights sit in eighth for the final spot to host with 21 points and they are two points clear of Sacred Heart. Bentley is a point ahead and Canisius is three points clear of Army with four games to go in the season. Sacred Heart heads to Canisius this weekend and then has a home-and-home series with Holy Cross.

GAHAGEN CLIMBING RANKINGS
Junior Parker Gahagen continues to be solid in net for the Black Knights and has solidified his spot as the primary goaltender. He has not allowed more than two goals in eight of his last nine games and continues to add to his career best total in single season wins at nine. Gahagen pushed aside 39 shots in Friday's win over Robert Morris and then recorded a season high 43 in Saturday night's loss. He ranks in the top four in the league in goals against average and save percentage.

OVERTIME GRINDERS
The Black Knights have played in 11 overtime games this season, which is the most under head coach Brian Riley and the most since the 2001-02 season. If Army goes to another extra frame this season, it will be the most in the 113 seasons of Army hockey. The Black Knights are 1-3-7 in overtime this season with the last game coming as a 2-2 tie with Holy Cross on Feb. 5 at Tate Rink.

REMEMBERING JACK RILEY
The Army hockey program will honor its former legendary coach Jack Riley for the rest of the season with a helmet decal. In addition, Army West Point played a video tribute prior to the Holy Cross game on Feb. 5, along with a moment of silence. Coach Riley was the head coach of the Army hockey team for 36 years and compiled 542 victories. He is a member of the U.S. Hockey and International Hockey Hall of Fame and coached USA Olympic Hockey Team to its first gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Squaw Valley. He passed away at the age of 95.

SCOUTING THE LAKERS
Mercyhurst comes to West Point with a 14-13-3 record overall and a 12-9-3 mark in Atlantic Hockey play. The Lakers settled for a pair of 2-2 ties with Niagara in last week's home-and-home series. The season has seen its ups and downs for Mercyhurst. They have had four unbeaten streaks of three games this year, but have a four-game losing streak and a three-game winless on their ledger as well. The Lakers can score as they are averaging over three goals a game, but they are allowing 3.37 per game.

Derek Barach is one of the top rookies in the league and leads the conference among first-year players with 27 points. He has 10 goals and 17 assists and 22 of the points have come in league competition. Sophomore Jack Riley continues to have a stellar second season with 26 points on eight goals and 18 assists. Head coach Brian Riley's son leads the Lakers with five power play goals on the year and has already hit the 50-point career milestone. Lester Lancaster is the top point-getting defensemen in the league with 25 points on seven goals and 18 helpers.

In goal, Brandon Wildung and Adam Carlson have split time. Wildung has earned 16 starts and is 8-7-1 with a 3.23 goals against average, while Carlson is 6-6-2 and has a 2.98 GAA and a .916 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY
Army and Mercyhurst have met 50 times since 2000 with the Lakers holding a 37-9-4 advantage in the series. The Lakers have been unbeaten in the last 22 games and are riding a nine-game winning streak heading into the weekend. Mercyhurst swept Army in a two-game series in October.

Army Welcomes Mercyhurst This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Blake Box

Parker Gahagen

Brendan McGuire

Army West Point Athletics