Army West Point Athletics
Army Hockey Concludes Regular Season With AIC Series
February 26, 2009 | Hockey
THE MATCHUP: Army will conclude its regular season with a home and home Atlantic Hockey Association series against American International College.
The Black Knights will honor their seven seniors Friday night at 7 p.m. at Tate Rink and then wrap up the regular season in Springfield, Mass., with a 7 p.m. face-off at the Olympic Ice Center.
Dave Horvath, Mark Tilch, Zach McKelvie, Matt Hickey, Will Ryan, Bill Leahy and Josh Kassel will be recognized prior to Friday’s game, commemorating their stellar four-year careers.
Army is 10-17-5 overall entering the weekend and in sixth-place in the conference standings with 23 points off of a 9-12-5 record.
American International, which split with Sacred Heart last weekend, is 5-26-1 overall and 5-21-0 in conference games.
Army and AIC split a pair of games earlier this season with Army posting a 3-1 win at home but losing 4-3 in Massachusetts.
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS: If Army earns at least three points this weekend, it will be the sixth seed in the upcoming playoffs. Army enters the weekend is sixth place with 23 points, two in front of Holy Cross and four in front of Sacred Heart and cannot finish higher than sixth.
If Holy Cross wins both of its games with Sacred Heart and Army lost one of its games, Holy Cross would be the No. 6 seed because of a conference wins tie-breaker and Army would be No. 7.
RIT and Air Force are tied atop the league standings with 40 points and will play a two-game series in Rochester, N.Y., this weekend to determine the regular season champion. Both teams will earn a first round bye and host a quarterfinal series.
Mercyhurst is currently the No. 3 seed with 33 points and plays a two-game series with Canisius, which enters the weekend with 28 points, two behind Bentley. Bentley concludes its regular season against Connecticut.
The playoffs will begin next weekend with the No. 7 seed hosting the No. 10 seed and the No. 8 seed hosting No. 9.
TIEBREAKERS: The Atlantic Hockey Association uses the following tie-breakers to determine seeding for the conference tournament: 1) points head-to-head; 2) goal differential head-to-head; 3) conference wins; 4) goal differential, conference games; 5) goals allowed, conference games; 6) goals scored, conference games.
PLAYOFF FORMAT: The Atlantic Hockey Association has revamped its playoff format for this season. This year, the first round will be a single-elimination game played on Saturday, March 7. The No. 7 seed will host the No. 10 seed while the No. 8 squad hosts No. 9. The winners will then be reseeded for the quarterfinals, a best-of-three format that will take place the next weekend (March 12-15) with the top seed facing the lowest winning seed while the No. 2 seed will host the other first round winner. In addition, No. 3 will host No. 6 and No. 4 will host No. 5. All quarterfinal winners will be reseeded for the semifinals on Friday, March 20, at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. The finals will take place the next day at the Blue Cross Arena.
50 TIMES: Junior Owen Meyer scored his 50th career goal against RIT on February 20. Meyer scored on the power play two minutes into the contest and netted his 50th goal in his 97th game.
SKATE WITH THE BKs: The Army Athletic Association offered a unique opportunity to skate with members of the Army hockey team on Feb 21 and a few hundred fans turned out for a 20-minute skate with the Black Knights. Future events are expected to be scheduled during the 2009-2010 season.
HOCKEY HOSPITALITY: The Army Athletic Association will offer its hospitality area for Friday’s regular season final home game.
The hospitality area is located in the Northwest corridor of Holleder Center and offers fans a bevy of food and beverage options for select home games.
Army hockey fans can purchase hospitality packages for single games at $15, plus the price of a ticket.
UP NEXT: Army has qualified for playoffs and its opponent, date and time will be determined by this weekend’s games.
GET THE BROOM: Army has swept the weekend series against conference opponents twice this season. Army beat Mercyhurst 2-1 and 4-3 Jan. 9 and 10 at Tate Rink and then handed Sacred Heart 4-3 and 3-1 losses. Army scored four second-period goals on Feb. 13 in Milford, Conn., and then three times in the second period the next night at Tate Rink.
IRONMEN: Senior Will Ryan, junior Eric Sefchik and freshman Marcel Alvarez are the only players who have competed in all 32 games for the Black Knights.
HOME ICE: Army is 6-4-4 at Tate Rink and averaging more than 2,000 fans per contest, including one sellout.
FIRSTS: Zach McKelvie scored the game-winning goal to beat Sacred Heart on Valentine’s Day, his first game-winning goal of the season and third of his career ... Matt Hickey scored the game-winning goal Feb. 13 in Milford, Conn., to beat Sacred Heart, the first of his career ... Eric Sefchik’s three game-winning goals this season are the first of his career ... Will Ryan’s short-handed goal on Feb. 14 against Sacred Heart was the first of his career ... Joey Ammon’s short-handed goal against Canisius (2/6/09) was the first of his career and his second game-winning tally this season.
Z HAS SKILLS: Army senior hockey captain Zach McKelvie is a finalist for the NCAA Frozen Four Skills Competition. The skills challenge will be held April 10 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., as part of the Frozen Four weekend of activities. The East vs. West skills competition is among the “Friday Night at the Frozen Four” events. The presentation of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, the Hockey Humanitarian Award and the announcement of the American Hockey Coaches Association All-American teams will also take place on the day between the national semifinals and national championship game.
Fan voting for the team was open to the public and fans helped select six position players and two goalies for each gender of the East team and each gender of the West team. The original list of 140 players was trimmed to 68 by the selection committee. The final lineup will include 16 spots on each team. The selection committee will take all voting into consideration prior to making its announcement of the final rosters by the end of February.
SHORT-HANDED SCORES: Army leads the Atlantic Hockey Association with nine short-handed goals, one more than Air Force and RIT. Owen Meyer has scored three short-handed goals, Cody Omilusik and Eric Sefchik scored two each and Joey Ammon and Will Ryan each have one.
HONORS FOR CLARK: Army goalie Jay Clark has been named the Atlantic Hockey Association Goalie of the Week three times.
The sophomore from Baudette, Minn., made 56 saves in a 3-2 win against #2 Miami and earned AHA honors, was the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week and was named the New England Hockey Journal Player of the Week. In a weekend sweep of Mercyhurst, Clark turned away 60 of 64 shots to repeat as the conference Goalie of the Week.
Clark established a new Ohio Hockey Classic record for saves in a game, surpassing the 43 set by Chris Clark of Minnesota State in 2004 against Miami. He also tied the tournament record for saves in joining Brandon Crawford-West of Miami (2004), Dustin Carlson of Ohio State (2007) and Kyle Richter of Harvard (2007). Clark is the first Army goalie to make at least 50 saves since Brad Roberts turned away 51 shots against Bentley on March 11, 2006.
Clark won his third straight game in goal and picked up his second consecutive honor from the league for his performance against Mercyhurst. He made 35 saves in a 2-1 victory on Friday and then turned away 25 shots in a 4-3 win on Saturday to complete the sweep. He made 60 saves during the weekend while allowing four goals.
Against Canisius, Clark made double-digit saves in all six periods of regulation and posted a goals against average of 1.44 for the weekend as well as a .962 save percentage for his third honor.
TAKING IT OUTSIDE: The Army hockey team had an unusual practice prior to the Canisius series. Instead of the warm locker rooms of Tate Rink, the team traveled to Bear Mountain State Park for a workout. The 90-minute skate on the outdoor rink featured intense 4-on-4 games.
100 TIMES: Army seniors Will Ryan, Matt Hickey and Zach McKelvie have all played in at least 100 games. Hickey and Ryan passed the century mark against Canisius and each scored points as Ryan had an assist and Hickey twice on Feb. 6. McKelvie has played in a team-high 132 games.
WELCOME BACK CC: Former Army hockey defenseman Chris Colvin has returned to West Point and will serve as the team’s athletic intern for the remainder of the season. A bruising defenseman, Colvin earned 16 points during his four-year career. He replaces Chase Podsiad who ironically was Colvin’s defensive partner during their careers. Podsiad is now pursuing his military career.
AHA ADDITIONS: The Atlantic Hockey Association will expand to 12 teams beginning with the 2010-11 season with the addition of Robert Morris and Niagara.
For the 2010-11 season, the teams in the AHA will be split into geographic scheduling pods. Teams in each of the “regions” will play three games against teams in their own “region”, while playing two cross-over games against the other “regions” squads. Each team will play a total of 27 conference games with the standings including all 12 members. Playoffs for the 2010-11 season will be determined prior to the start of that season.
Robert Morris is a private school near Pittsburgh, Pa., with an enrollment of 5,000 and competes in College Hockey America.
Niagara is a private liberal arts university located on the Niagara River overlooking the Canadian province of Ontario. More than 3,800 students are enrolled in the universities undergraduate and graduate programs. The team presently competes in the CHA.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION: Tony Morino will have the radio call for both games. The games will be carried in the Hudson Valley on WBNR (1260AM), WLNA (1420AM) and WGHQ (920AM) and on-line as part of the ITT Knight Vision subscription package.
The B2 Networks will also have both games available through its subscription package.
EXPERIENCE WINNER: Mark Aikman, the winner of an on-line auction, participated is his hockey experience last weekend in a game against Bentley. Aikman received a personalized game-worn jersey, a tour of the hockey facilities, two game tickets, passes to the hospitality area, an autographed media guide and a game puck. He was also interviewed on the Army Sports Network and watched warm-ups from the Army bench. A similar experience is expected to be offered next season.
APPROACHING A HUNDRED: Junior forward Owen Meyer is approaching the 100-point mark for his career. In 97 games, the left wing from Dundee, Ill., has 50 goals and 48 assists for 98 points. He is on course to become the 54th player in Army hockey history to top the milestone and first since Luke Flicek did it a season ago.
LEAGUE LEADERS: Army leads the conference in fewest penalty minutes, drawing just 368 minutes. The team averages 11.5 penalty minutes per game which ranks as the second lowest average in the country to Princeton (10 minutes per contest). Mercyhurst is the most penalized team in the AHA with 643 minutes and an average of 18.5 per game while Ferris State draws 21.0 penalty minutes per game, the most in the country.
PP IN CHECK: While Army lost a pair of games at Air Force, it did keep the nation’s top power play unit in check. Air Force was 0-13 on the power play during the weekend but still leads the country with a 23.3 conversion percentage. All three of Army’s goals scored during the weekend came on the power play.
SLEDDING ALONG: For the second consecutive season, the Army hockey team competed in a sled hockey game against the Long Island Rough Riders. Long Island won both 20-minute games, although Cody Omilusik did score for Army in a 7-1 loss this season.
SEEING WHITE: The Army Athletic Association continued its aggressive marketing approach with a “white out” for the television game against Holy Cross. The first 2,000 ticketed fans were given a commemorative white t-shirt.
HONORS FOR MEYER: After racking up four points in a weekend sweep of Mercyhurst (Jan. 9-10), Army junior forward Owen Meyer earned a pair of honors. Meyer scored the game-winning goal in back-to-back games to help the Black Knights sweep the Lakers and was lauded as the Atlantic Hockey Association Player of the Week and the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week.
Meyer was the Co-Player of the Week in the AHA, along with Dustin Cloutier of Bentley. He was the first Army skater to be honored by the league this season. He netted the game-winner in the second period of a 2-1 Army victory (1-9-09) and then tallied the deciding goal in a 4-3 victory the next night. Both of his goals on Jan. 10 came in the third period as Army recorded its first weekend sweep of the season.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TIME: Army forward Cody Omilusik was named to the Ohio Hockey Classic All-Tournament team. The sophomore from Traverse City, Mich., scored two goals against #2 Miami to stake the Black Knights to a 2-0 lead. One of the goals came shorthanded. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Clarkson’s Bryan Rufenach and Ohio State’s Corey Elkins, Shane Sims, Hunter Bishop and goalie Dustin Carlson. Elkins was named the MVP.
CLASS ACT: Army senior hockey player Zach McKelvie was among the 20 players who were candidates for the 2008-09 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. The award is presented annually to the NCAA Division I student-athlete in nine sports based on the four c’s of classroom, character, community and competition. CLASS is an acronym for celebrating loyalty and achievement for staying in school. Despite his many accomplishments, McKelvie was not among the final 10 nominees.
HOMECOMING: Army’s trek to the Ohio Hockey Classic was a homecoming for the three Ohio players on the roster. Eric Sefchik (Brooklyn), Kyle Maggard (Cleveland) and Marcel Alvarez (Cleveland) played in front of large groups of family and friends in the two-day tournament and used a day to visit with family.
BOBBLEHEADS: The Army Athletic Association honored former hockey coach Jack Riley with a bobblehead giveaway to the first 1,000 ticketed fans prior to a 2-1 win against Mercyhurst.
Jack Riley -- the father of head coach Brian Riley and former head coach Rob Riley -- won 542 games during his 36 years behind the Army bench. He was also the head coach of the 1960 U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team that won a gold medal after being Russia and Canada.
MIAMI FOLLOW UP: Army’s 3-2 win against #2 Miami in the consolation game of the Ohio Hockey Classic on Jan. 3, 2009, marked several milestones. It was the Black Knights’ first win against a nationally ranked opponent since sweeping #20 Air Force at Tate Rink Jan. 25 and 27, 2008.
The victory was Army’s first non-conference win since beating Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y., 3-2, on Oct. 30, 2004 and the Black Knights’ first victory against a Central Collegiate Hockey Association opponent since a sweep of Nebraska-Omaha Nov. 6-7, 1998.
HELLO, MR. BUSH: When former President George W. Bush visited West Point in December, he spoke to the freshmen, sophomore and junior classes as well as faculty and staff for 30 minutes. Following that speech, he joined the senior class members for what turned out to be a two-hour question-and-answer session. Among the many hands the 43rd President shook during his visit, was Army hockey captain Zach McKelvie, who had a front row seat for the Q and A because of his role as the Brigade Athletics Officer.
COMMUNITY HERO: Chief Warrant Officer 5 Dan Jollota, who serves as one of the team’s Officer Representatives and as the President of the Army Hockey Parents’ Association, was honored by the Philadelphia Flyers as a community hero. Between the second and third periods, a 90-second video montage was shown on the scoreboard while portions of Jollota’s biography were read. A huge ovation from the crowd, as well as the both the Flyers and Penguins tapping their sticks, followed after learning about the distinguished career of the pilot. A trip to the Comcast Sportsnet studio in the Wachovia Center was followed by a visit to the Flyers locker room after the win over the Penguins.
NATIONALLY RANKED: Army is now 1-3 against nationally ranked opponents. Army beat #2 Miami 3-2 at the Ohio Hockey Classic in Columbus, Ohio. The Black Knights also lost to #20 Air Force twice (5-1, 3-2) and to #20 Dartmouth (5-4 in overtime).
ABOUT THE BLACK KNIGHTS: Army enters the weekend in sixth place in the conference standings with a chance to earn a first-round bye.
The Black Knights are 2-1-1 in their last four games and are averaging 2.6 goals per game. They have scored 25 power play goals in 177 chances (14.1%) while allowing opponents 23 goals in 150 opportunities (15.3%).
Owen Meyer leads the team in scoring with 30 points and a team-high 16 goals. Eric Sefchik tops the team with 18 assists and also has eight goals while Cody Omilusik has 13 goals and 12 assists. Mike Hull is credited with 12 assists and four goals while Zach McKelvie has five goals and 10 assists, one of 11 players with double-digit point totals.
Army has utilized all three of its goalies this season. Jay Clark is 8-7-5 with a 2.83 goals against average and .918 save percentage. Josh Kassel is 2-10-0 with a 4.16 goals against average and .867 save percentage while Joe Spracklen has played in three games with a 4.52 goals against average and .875 save percentage.
ABOUT THE YELLOW JACKETS: AIC halted an 18-game winless streak last weekend with a 2-1 win against Sacred Heart.
AIC is averaging 1.7 goals per contest and surrendering 4.2. The team has scored 11 power play goals in 139 chances (.79%) while allowing 39 goals in 162 opponents’ power play chances (24.1%).
Chris Campanale leads the team in scoring with seven goals and 10 assists. Steve McLeod also has 10 assists to go with six goals while Nielsson Arcibal leads the team with 11 assists and also has three goals.
Dan Ramirez has played in 22 games in goal and has a 4.07 goals against average and .872 save percentage. Tom Fenton has played in 14 games with a 3.99 goals against average and .871 save percentage.
SEEING DOUBLE: AIC is the fifth team Army has played four times this season. Army won the season series with Sacred Heart (3-0-1) and Canisius (2-1-1) and split with Mercyhurst (2-2) while losing the series against RIT (1-2-1).
HISTORIC WIN: The Army hockey program recorded its 1,050th win with a 6-3 victory over Sacred Heart at Tate Rink on Oct. 31, 2008. Army began playing hockey in 1904.
BANNERS: Prior to its season-opening game against Merrimack, Army unveiled its 2007-08 Atlantic Hockey Association banner, commemorating last year’s regular season championship. The banner now hangs in the South end of Tate Rink.
Head coach Brian Riley, Dean of the Academic Board at West Point Brig. Gen. Patrick Finnegan, Chief of Staff of the Army Athletic Association Col. Sam Johnson, two-year captain Zach McKelvie and Ken Rowe, a former player who exhausted his eligibility last year and is now assisting the team, were part of the brief ceremony.
CHANGES AT TATE: Tate Rink underwent some upgrades prior to the 2008-09 season. First, the dasher boards were replaced and new seamless glass was installed. In addition, the month-long project also included new flooring around the rink, a new ice surface, including new lines and new logos and new benches in both team areas. Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities Mike Rubbino oversaw the project.
FRESHMEN DEBUTS: Army has 10 freshmen on its roster and all have seen ice time through 32 games. Marcel Alvarez has played in all 32 games while Mike Hull and Bryant Skarda have competed in 29. Kyle Maggard has made 27 appearances. Danny Colvin has played in 26 contests with Bill Day (21), Alex McRae (18), Mark Dube (17), Jack Barnes (8) and Bret Larson (6) also earning ice time.
HOCKEY BROTHERS: Army seniors Matt Hickey and Zach McKelvie also have brothers playing Division I hockey. Chris Hickey is a freshman defenseman at Wisconsin while Chris McKelvie is a junior alternate captain at Bemidji State as a forward.
WEST POINT CONNECTIONS: Three hockey players are following in their father’s footsteps as West Point graduates. Senior Will Ryan’s father, Jack, is a 1970 graduate of the Academy and Will was born at West Point. Sophomore Joey Ammon’s father, Craig, is a 1984 USMA graduate while Bill Day’s father, Tom, is a member of the Class of 1978.
LAST TIME OUT (2-21-09) WEST POINT, N.Y. Mark Dube scored the game-tying goal and Jay Clark made 42 saves as Army skated to a 1-1 overtime tie with league-leading RIT, Saturday night in front of more than 2,600 fans in an Atlantic Hockey Association matchup at Tate Rink.
RIT held a 43-36 advantage in shots on goal and led 1-0 after the second period but Dube scored early in the final period to knot the game and Clark protected the tie.
Army, wearing its gold alternate jerseys for the third time this season, improved to 10-17-5 overall and 9-12-5 in conference play. The Black Knights have 23 points and were in sixth-place prior to the Holy Cross at Air Force game late Saturday night.
The Tigers are now 20-10-2 overall and 19-5-2 in conference competition. With 40 points, RIT is two in front of Air Force for the regular season championship. Air Force is scheduled to play a series at RIT next weekend.
A loud and boisterous crowd of 2,621 was on its feet for most of the game and wasn’t disappointed as the two teams combined for 79 shots on goal, just 11 penalties and some spectacular goaltending.
Following the contest, members of the hockey team participated in a 20-minute skate with the fans. A few hundred people turned out as players posed for photos and signed autographs with fans young and old.
Dube scored an even strength goal with assists from Mike Hull and Mark Tilch that knotted the game in the final period.
RIT goalie Louis Menard made 35 saves in the tie.
2008-09 vs. AIC:
(11/7/09) SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Owen Meyer scored two goals but American International netted two goals in the second period and held off an Army comeback attempt for its first win of the season, 4-3, Friday night in an Atlantic Hockey Association matchup at the Olympia Ice Center.
Army fell behind 1-0 but battled back to take a 2-1 lead. AIC answered with three goals and then withstood a late Army push.
American International stopped a nine-game losing streak and improved to 1-6-0 on the season with a 1-4-0 mark in conference play. Army fell to 1-4-1 overall and 1-3-1 in league competition and stopped its two-game unbeaten streak.
The Black Knights held a 35-25 advantage in shots on goal but was 0-5 on the power play.
Army goalie Jay Clark, playing in his third consecutive game, made 21 saves.
Meyer, Army’s leading scorer, netted two goals while Kyle Maggard also scored. Eric Sefchik had a pair of assists while Danny Colvin, Mark Tilch, Matt Hickey and Cody Omilusik were credited with assists.
AIC goalie Dan Ramirez made 32 saves.
(11/8/09) WEST POINT, N.Y. Zach McKelvie and Eric Sefchik scored their first goals of the season and Josh Kassel turned away 24 shots for his first win of the season as Army beat American International, 3-1, Saturday night in an Atlantic Hockey Association matchup in front of more than 2,000 fans at Tate Rink.
Owen Meyer also scored -- a short-handed tally -- and Army killed off six power play opportunities to improve to 2-4-1 overall and 2-3-1 in conference competition. AIC, which beat Army on Friday, falls to 1-7-0 and 1-5-0 in league games.
Kassel, who did not play in three straight games, made 10 saves in the first period and allowed the Black Knights to jump ahead with two second-period goals. Kassel made six saves in the second and eight in the final period.
Army won for the first time in November and for the first time while holding an advantage in shots on goal, 38-25.
Meyer was also credited with an assist, as was Bryant Skarda.
STAFF CHANGES: Head coach Brian Riley made a pair of changes to his coaching staff. Rob Haberbusch was promoted to associate head coach and Trevor Large was added to the staff as an assistant coach. Haberbusch was an assistant coach for five years before the promotion. Large, who played at Ferris State and coached at American International, replaced Brian Sherry.
NATIONAL TV: Army made a pair of national television appearances this season. Coming off of a 4-3 win against Mercyhurst on the CBS College Sports Network, Army tied Holy Cross 4-4 in overtime on ESPNU. Army is 3-0-1 in its last four national television contests.
RULE CHANGES: College hockey has made several rule changes for the 2008-09 season. The most obvious will be the switch to four on-ice officials. Two referees will join the two linesmen after several years of study. Army played in the two-referee system last year at Merrimack as Hockey East experimented with the system. The increase is expected to put officials in the best position to positively enforce the committee’s rule and points of emphasis.
Other rule changes include:
Faceoff locations that will take place at one of nine locations, including “after a stoppage of play to administer a penalty, the faceoff will be located in the defending zone of the offending team.”
All players, including backup goalkeepers, must wear an approved helmet and facemask while in the bench area.
If the net is dislodged by a defending player without a penalty being assessed, the defensive team is not allowed to change players.
The offending team is not allowed to alter its personnel when icing is called.
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS: Three hockey players have switched numbers this season. Andrew Maxwell is now wearing #3, after being #8 as a freshman while Eric Sefchik has switched from #15 to #13. Chris Spracklen, who was ineligible to compete a year ago after playing major juniors, will wear #16.
YOUNGER SPRACKS RETURN: A sophomore forward, Chris Spracklen was forced to sit out all of last season and the first eight games this year because he played major juniors. Chris competed for the Oswego Admirals of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League where he was the team MVP and leading scorer. Chris’ brother, Joe, also played major juniors and sat out his freshman campaign and 11 games a year ago.
DEAR DIARY: Senior Mark Tilch has chronicled the Army hockey season with a diary available at www.goARMYsports.com. Tilch took over the diary responsibilities from Chase Podsiad and will provide an inside look at Army hockey and the life of a cadet-athlete at West Point. Tilch is a defenseman from Silesia, Md.
DEAR DIARY PART TWO: Senior Matt Hickey is writing a blog for the NCAA, similar to Mark Tilch’s (see above). A defenseman from Saint Paul, Minn., Hickey’s first post detailed his summer trip to Tanzania and his quest to hike Mount Kilimanjaro. Hickey’s blog can be found at: http://www.ncaa.com/blog/matt-hickey-blog.html.
THE CAPTAIN: Senior Zach McKelvie was chosen as the team captain. An alternate captain a year ago, McKelvie has played in at least 32 games in each of his first three seasons. Senior Will Ryan is the alternate captain.
NHL AT WEST POINT: Once again, an NHL squad spent part of its training camp at West Point. This year, the Philadelphia Flyers utilized the mammoth O’Meara, Dawkins, Malek Class of 1959 Strength Development Center, skated at Tate Rink and ate lunch with the Corps of Cadets.
It marked the fourth straight season an NHL team trained at West Point. In addition to the Flyers, the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, U.S. Junior National Team and Polish National Team have worked out at West Point.
BROTHERLY LOVE: Joe and Chris Spracklen are the lone pair of brothers on the Army roster.
ED SNIDER HOCKEY FOUNDATION: The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation stopped by West Point this summer on the way to the Durham Hockey Institute in Oshawa, Ontario.
A group of 30 children and six chaperons including Jim Britt, the executive director of the ESYHF, stopped by in early August. Maj. John Bryan, Executive Officer, Commandant of Cadets, spoke to the group about West Point’s rich history and the admission requirements and answered a slew of questions. A quick trip around West Point led the group to Tate Rink and a tour of the hockey locker rooms and the team room where Associate Head Coach Rob Haberbusch showed the team’s highlight video. After a group photo, it was back on the bus. The group was headed to a camp run by Keith Primeau, a former Flyer. Primeau was with the Flyers three years ago when the team spent part of its training camp at West Point and is highly thought of by the coaching staff.
The Black Knights will honor their seven seniors Friday night at 7 p.m. at Tate Rink and then wrap up the regular season in Springfield, Mass., with a 7 p.m. face-off at the Olympic Ice Center.
Dave Horvath, Mark Tilch, Zach McKelvie, Matt Hickey, Will Ryan, Bill Leahy and Josh Kassel will be recognized prior to Friday’s game, commemorating their stellar four-year careers.
Army is 10-17-5 overall entering the weekend and in sixth-place in the conference standings with 23 points off of a 9-12-5 record.
American International, which split with Sacred Heart last weekend, is 5-26-1 overall and 5-21-0 in conference games.
Army and AIC split a pair of games earlier this season with Army posting a 3-1 win at home but losing 4-3 in Massachusetts.
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS: If Army earns at least three points this weekend, it will be the sixth seed in the upcoming playoffs. Army enters the weekend is sixth place with 23 points, two in front of Holy Cross and four in front of Sacred Heart and cannot finish higher than sixth.
If Holy Cross wins both of its games with Sacred Heart and Army lost one of its games, Holy Cross would be the No. 6 seed because of a conference wins tie-breaker and Army would be No. 7.
RIT and Air Force are tied atop the league standings with 40 points and will play a two-game series in Rochester, N.Y., this weekend to determine the regular season champion. Both teams will earn a first round bye and host a quarterfinal series.
Mercyhurst is currently the No. 3 seed with 33 points and plays a two-game series with Canisius, which enters the weekend with 28 points, two behind Bentley. Bentley concludes its regular season against Connecticut.
The playoffs will begin next weekend with the No. 7 seed hosting the No. 10 seed and the No. 8 seed hosting No. 9.
TIEBREAKERS: The Atlantic Hockey Association uses the following tie-breakers to determine seeding for the conference tournament: 1) points head-to-head; 2) goal differential head-to-head; 3) conference wins; 4) goal differential, conference games; 5) goals allowed, conference games; 6) goals scored, conference games.
PLAYOFF FORMAT: The Atlantic Hockey Association has revamped its playoff format for this season. This year, the first round will be a single-elimination game played on Saturday, March 7. The No. 7 seed will host the No. 10 seed while the No. 8 squad hosts No. 9. The winners will then be reseeded for the quarterfinals, a best-of-three format that will take place the next weekend (March 12-15) with the top seed facing the lowest winning seed while the No. 2 seed will host the other first round winner. In addition, No. 3 will host No. 6 and No. 4 will host No. 5. All quarterfinal winners will be reseeded for the semifinals on Friday, March 20, at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. The finals will take place the next day at the Blue Cross Arena.
50 TIMES: Junior Owen Meyer scored his 50th career goal against RIT on February 20. Meyer scored on the power play two minutes into the contest and netted his 50th goal in his 97th game.
SKATE WITH THE BKs: The Army Athletic Association offered a unique opportunity to skate with members of the Army hockey team on Feb 21 and a few hundred fans turned out for a 20-minute skate with the Black Knights. Future events are expected to be scheduled during the 2009-2010 season.
HOCKEY HOSPITALITY: The Army Athletic Association will offer its hospitality area for Friday’s regular season final home game.
The hospitality area is located in the Northwest corridor of Holleder Center and offers fans a bevy of food and beverage options for select home games.
Army hockey fans can purchase hospitality packages for single games at $15, plus the price of a ticket.
UP NEXT: Army has qualified for playoffs and its opponent, date and time will be determined by this weekend’s games.
GET THE BROOM: Army has swept the weekend series against conference opponents twice this season. Army beat Mercyhurst 2-1 and 4-3 Jan. 9 and 10 at Tate Rink and then handed Sacred Heart 4-3 and 3-1 losses. Army scored four second-period goals on Feb. 13 in Milford, Conn., and then three times in the second period the next night at Tate Rink.
IRONMEN: Senior Will Ryan, junior Eric Sefchik and freshman Marcel Alvarez are the only players who have competed in all 32 games for the Black Knights.
HOME ICE: Army is 6-4-4 at Tate Rink and averaging more than 2,000 fans per contest, including one sellout.
FIRSTS: Zach McKelvie scored the game-winning goal to beat Sacred Heart on Valentine’s Day, his first game-winning goal of the season and third of his career ... Matt Hickey scored the game-winning goal Feb. 13 in Milford, Conn., to beat Sacred Heart, the first of his career ... Eric Sefchik’s three game-winning goals this season are the first of his career ... Will Ryan’s short-handed goal on Feb. 14 against Sacred Heart was the first of his career ... Joey Ammon’s short-handed goal against Canisius (2/6/09) was the first of his career and his second game-winning tally this season.
Z HAS SKILLS: Army senior hockey captain Zach McKelvie is a finalist for the NCAA Frozen Four Skills Competition. The skills challenge will be held April 10 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., as part of the Frozen Four weekend of activities. The East vs. West skills competition is among the “Friday Night at the Frozen Four” events. The presentation of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, the Hockey Humanitarian Award and the announcement of the American Hockey Coaches Association All-American teams will also take place on the day between the national semifinals and national championship game.
Fan voting for the team was open to the public and fans helped select six position players and two goalies for each gender of the East team and each gender of the West team. The original list of 140 players was trimmed to 68 by the selection committee. The final lineup will include 16 spots on each team. The selection committee will take all voting into consideration prior to making its announcement of the final rosters by the end of February.
SHORT-HANDED SCORES: Army leads the Atlantic Hockey Association with nine short-handed goals, one more than Air Force and RIT. Owen Meyer has scored three short-handed goals, Cody Omilusik and Eric Sefchik scored two each and Joey Ammon and Will Ryan each have one.
HONORS FOR CLARK: Army goalie Jay Clark has been named the Atlantic Hockey Association Goalie of the Week three times.
The sophomore from Baudette, Minn., made 56 saves in a 3-2 win against #2 Miami and earned AHA honors, was the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week and was named the New England Hockey Journal Player of the Week. In a weekend sweep of Mercyhurst, Clark turned away 60 of 64 shots to repeat as the conference Goalie of the Week.
Clark established a new Ohio Hockey Classic record for saves in a game, surpassing the 43 set by Chris Clark of Minnesota State in 2004 against Miami. He also tied the tournament record for saves in joining Brandon Crawford-West of Miami (2004), Dustin Carlson of Ohio State (2007) and Kyle Richter of Harvard (2007). Clark is the first Army goalie to make at least 50 saves since Brad Roberts turned away 51 shots against Bentley on March 11, 2006.
Clark won his third straight game in goal and picked up his second consecutive honor from the league for his performance against Mercyhurst. He made 35 saves in a 2-1 victory on Friday and then turned away 25 shots in a 4-3 win on Saturday to complete the sweep. He made 60 saves during the weekend while allowing four goals.
Against Canisius, Clark made double-digit saves in all six periods of regulation and posted a goals against average of 1.44 for the weekend as well as a .962 save percentage for his third honor.
TAKING IT OUTSIDE: The Army hockey team had an unusual practice prior to the Canisius series. Instead of the warm locker rooms of Tate Rink, the team traveled to Bear Mountain State Park for a workout. The 90-minute skate on the outdoor rink featured intense 4-on-4 games.
100 TIMES: Army seniors Will Ryan, Matt Hickey and Zach McKelvie have all played in at least 100 games. Hickey and Ryan passed the century mark against Canisius and each scored points as Ryan had an assist and Hickey twice on Feb. 6. McKelvie has played in a team-high 132 games.
WELCOME BACK CC: Former Army hockey defenseman Chris Colvin has returned to West Point and will serve as the team’s athletic intern for the remainder of the season. A bruising defenseman, Colvin earned 16 points during his four-year career. He replaces Chase Podsiad who ironically was Colvin’s defensive partner during their careers. Podsiad is now pursuing his military career.
AHA ADDITIONS: The Atlantic Hockey Association will expand to 12 teams beginning with the 2010-11 season with the addition of Robert Morris and Niagara.
For the 2010-11 season, the teams in the AHA will be split into geographic scheduling pods. Teams in each of the “regions” will play three games against teams in their own “region”, while playing two cross-over games against the other “regions” squads. Each team will play a total of 27 conference games with the standings including all 12 members. Playoffs for the 2010-11 season will be determined prior to the start of that season.
Robert Morris is a private school near Pittsburgh, Pa., with an enrollment of 5,000 and competes in College Hockey America.
Niagara is a private liberal arts university located on the Niagara River overlooking the Canadian province of Ontario. More than 3,800 students are enrolled in the universities undergraduate and graduate programs. The team presently competes in the CHA.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION: Tony Morino will have the radio call for both games. The games will be carried in the Hudson Valley on WBNR (1260AM), WLNA (1420AM) and WGHQ (920AM) and on-line as part of the ITT Knight Vision subscription package.
The B2 Networks will also have both games available through its subscription package.
EXPERIENCE WINNER: Mark Aikman, the winner of an on-line auction, participated is his hockey experience last weekend in a game against Bentley. Aikman received a personalized game-worn jersey, a tour of the hockey facilities, two game tickets, passes to the hospitality area, an autographed media guide and a game puck. He was also interviewed on the Army Sports Network and watched warm-ups from the Army bench. A similar experience is expected to be offered next season.
APPROACHING A HUNDRED: Junior forward Owen Meyer is approaching the 100-point mark for his career. In 97 games, the left wing from Dundee, Ill., has 50 goals and 48 assists for 98 points. He is on course to become the 54th player in Army hockey history to top the milestone and first since Luke Flicek did it a season ago.
LEAGUE LEADERS: Army leads the conference in fewest penalty minutes, drawing just 368 minutes. The team averages 11.5 penalty minutes per game which ranks as the second lowest average in the country to Princeton (10 minutes per contest). Mercyhurst is the most penalized team in the AHA with 643 minutes and an average of 18.5 per game while Ferris State draws 21.0 penalty minutes per game, the most in the country.
PP IN CHECK: While Army lost a pair of games at Air Force, it did keep the nation’s top power play unit in check. Air Force was 0-13 on the power play during the weekend but still leads the country with a 23.3 conversion percentage. All three of Army’s goals scored during the weekend came on the power play.
SLEDDING ALONG: For the second consecutive season, the Army hockey team competed in a sled hockey game against the Long Island Rough Riders. Long Island won both 20-minute games, although Cody Omilusik did score for Army in a 7-1 loss this season.
SEEING WHITE: The Army Athletic Association continued its aggressive marketing approach with a “white out” for the television game against Holy Cross. The first 2,000 ticketed fans were given a commemorative white t-shirt.
HONORS FOR MEYER: After racking up four points in a weekend sweep of Mercyhurst (Jan. 9-10), Army junior forward Owen Meyer earned a pair of honors. Meyer scored the game-winning goal in back-to-back games to help the Black Knights sweep the Lakers and was lauded as the Atlantic Hockey Association Player of the Week and the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week.
Meyer was the Co-Player of the Week in the AHA, along with Dustin Cloutier of Bentley. He was the first Army skater to be honored by the league this season. He netted the game-winner in the second period of a 2-1 Army victory (1-9-09) and then tallied the deciding goal in a 4-3 victory the next night. Both of his goals on Jan. 10 came in the third period as Army recorded its first weekend sweep of the season.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TIME: Army forward Cody Omilusik was named to the Ohio Hockey Classic All-Tournament team. The sophomore from Traverse City, Mich., scored two goals against #2 Miami to stake the Black Knights to a 2-0 lead. One of the goals came shorthanded. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Clarkson’s Bryan Rufenach and Ohio State’s Corey Elkins, Shane Sims, Hunter Bishop and goalie Dustin Carlson. Elkins was named the MVP.
CLASS ACT: Army senior hockey player Zach McKelvie was among the 20 players who were candidates for the 2008-09 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. The award is presented annually to the NCAA Division I student-athlete in nine sports based on the four c’s of classroom, character, community and competition. CLASS is an acronym for celebrating loyalty and achievement for staying in school. Despite his many accomplishments, McKelvie was not among the final 10 nominees.
HOMECOMING: Army’s trek to the Ohio Hockey Classic was a homecoming for the three Ohio players on the roster. Eric Sefchik (Brooklyn), Kyle Maggard (Cleveland) and Marcel Alvarez (Cleveland) played in front of large groups of family and friends in the two-day tournament and used a day to visit with family.
BOBBLEHEADS: The Army Athletic Association honored former hockey coach Jack Riley with a bobblehead giveaway to the first 1,000 ticketed fans prior to a 2-1 win against Mercyhurst.
Jack Riley -- the father of head coach Brian Riley and former head coach Rob Riley -- won 542 games during his 36 years behind the Army bench. He was also the head coach of the 1960 U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team that won a gold medal after being Russia and Canada.
MIAMI FOLLOW UP: Army’s 3-2 win against #2 Miami in the consolation game of the Ohio Hockey Classic on Jan. 3, 2009, marked several milestones. It was the Black Knights’ first win against a nationally ranked opponent since sweeping #20 Air Force at Tate Rink Jan. 25 and 27, 2008.
The victory was Army’s first non-conference win since beating Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y., 3-2, on Oct. 30, 2004 and the Black Knights’ first victory against a Central Collegiate Hockey Association opponent since a sweep of Nebraska-Omaha Nov. 6-7, 1998.
HELLO, MR. BUSH: When former President George W. Bush visited West Point in December, he spoke to the freshmen, sophomore and junior classes as well as faculty and staff for 30 minutes. Following that speech, he joined the senior class members for what turned out to be a two-hour question-and-answer session. Among the many hands the 43rd President shook during his visit, was Army hockey captain Zach McKelvie, who had a front row seat for the Q and A because of his role as the Brigade Athletics Officer.
COMMUNITY HERO: Chief Warrant Officer 5 Dan Jollota, who serves as one of the team’s Officer Representatives and as the President of the Army Hockey Parents’ Association, was honored by the Philadelphia Flyers as a community hero. Between the second and third periods, a 90-second video montage was shown on the scoreboard while portions of Jollota’s biography were read. A huge ovation from the crowd, as well as the both the Flyers and Penguins tapping their sticks, followed after learning about the distinguished career of the pilot. A trip to the Comcast Sportsnet studio in the Wachovia Center was followed by a visit to the Flyers locker room after the win over the Penguins.
NATIONALLY RANKED: Army is now 1-3 against nationally ranked opponents. Army beat #2 Miami 3-2 at the Ohio Hockey Classic in Columbus, Ohio. The Black Knights also lost to #20 Air Force twice (5-1, 3-2) and to #20 Dartmouth (5-4 in overtime).
ABOUT THE BLACK KNIGHTS: Army enters the weekend in sixth place in the conference standings with a chance to earn a first-round bye.
The Black Knights are 2-1-1 in their last four games and are averaging 2.6 goals per game. They have scored 25 power play goals in 177 chances (14.1%) while allowing opponents 23 goals in 150 opportunities (15.3%).
Owen Meyer leads the team in scoring with 30 points and a team-high 16 goals. Eric Sefchik tops the team with 18 assists and also has eight goals while Cody Omilusik has 13 goals and 12 assists. Mike Hull is credited with 12 assists and four goals while Zach McKelvie has five goals and 10 assists, one of 11 players with double-digit point totals.
Army has utilized all three of its goalies this season. Jay Clark is 8-7-5 with a 2.83 goals against average and .918 save percentage. Josh Kassel is 2-10-0 with a 4.16 goals against average and .867 save percentage while Joe Spracklen has played in three games with a 4.52 goals against average and .875 save percentage.
ABOUT THE YELLOW JACKETS: AIC halted an 18-game winless streak last weekend with a 2-1 win against Sacred Heart.
AIC is averaging 1.7 goals per contest and surrendering 4.2. The team has scored 11 power play goals in 139 chances (.79%) while allowing 39 goals in 162 opponents’ power play chances (24.1%).
Chris Campanale leads the team in scoring with seven goals and 10 assists. Steve McLeod also has 10 assists to go with six goals while Nielsson Arcibal leads the team with 11 assists and also has three goals.
Dan Ramirez has played in 22 games in goal and has a 4.07 goals against average and .872 save percentage. Tom Fenton has played in 14 games with a 3.99 goals against average and .871 save percentage.
SEEING DOUBLE: AIC is the fifth team Army has played four times this season. Army won the season series with Sacred Heart (3-0-1) and Canisius (2-1-1) and split with Mercyhurst (2-2) while losing the series against RIT (1-2-1).
HISTORIC WIN: The Army hockey program recorded its 1,050th win with a 6-3 victory over Sacred Heart at Tate Rink on Oct. 31, 2008. Army began playing hockey in 1904.
BANNERS: Prior to its season-opening game against Merrimack, Army unveiled its 2007-08 Atlantic Hockey Association banner, commemorating last year’s regular season championship. The banner now hangs in the South end of Tate Rink.
Head coach Brian Riley, Dean of the Academic Board at West Point Brig. Gen. Patrick Finnegan, Chief of Staff of the Army Athletic Association Col. Sam Johnson, two-year captain Zach McKelvie and Ken Rowe, a former player who exhausted his eligibility last year and is now assisting the team, were part of the brief ceremony.
CHANGES AT TATE: Tate Rink underwent some upgrades prior to the 2008-09 season. First, the dasher boards were replaced and new seamless glass was installed. In addition, the month-long project also included new flooring around the rink, a new ice surface, including new lines and new logos and new benches in both team areas. Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities Mike Rubbino oversaw the project.
FRESHMEN DEBUTS: Army has 10 freshmen on its roster and all have seen ice time through 32 games. Marcel Alvarez has played in all 32 games while Mike Hull and Bryant Skarda have competed in 29. Kyle Maggard has made 27 appearances. Danny Colvin has played in 26 contests with Bill Day (21), Alex McRae (18), Mark Dube (17), Jack Barnes (8) and Bret Larson (6) also earning ice time.
HOCKEY BROTHERS: Army seniors Matt Hickey and Zach McKelvie also have brothers playing Division I hockey. Chris Hickey is a freshman defenseman at Wisconsin while Chris McKelvie is a junior alternate captain at Bemidji State as a forward.
WEST POINT CONNECTIONS: Three hockey players are following in their father’s footsteps as West Point graduates. Senior Will Ryan’s father, Jack, is a 1970 graduate of the Academy and Will was born at West Point. Sophomore Joey Ammon’s father, Craig, is a 1984 USMA graduate while Bill Day’s father, Tom, is a member of the Class of 1978.
LAST TIME OUT (2-21-09) WEST POINT, N.Y. Mark Dube scored the game-tying goal and Jay Clark made 42 saves as Army skated to a 1-1 overtime tie with league-leading RIT, Saturday night in front of more than 2,600 fans in an Atlantic Hockey Association matchup at Tate Rink.
RIT held a 43-36 advantage in shots on goal and led 1-0 after the second period but Dube scored early in the final period to knot the game and Clark protected the tie.
Army, wearing its gold alternate jerseys for the third time this season, improved to 10-17-5 overall and 9-12-5 in conference play. The Black Knights have 23 points and were in sixth-place prior to the Holy Cross at Air Force game late Saturday night.
The Tigers are now 20-10-2 overall and 19-5-2 in conference competition. With 40 points, RIT is two in front of Air Force for the regular season championship. Air Force is scheduled to play a series at RIT next weekend.
A loud and boisterous crowd of 2,621 was on its feet for most of the game and wasn’t disappointed as the two teams combined for 79 shots on goal, just 11 penalties and some spectacular goaltending.
Following the contest, members of the hockey team participated in a 20-minute skate with the fans. A few hundred people turned out as players posed for photos and signed autographs with fans young and old.
Dube scored an even strength goal with assists from Mike Hull and Mark Tilch that knotted the game in the final period.
RIT goalie Louis Menard made 35 saves in the tie.
2008-09 vs. AIC:
(11/7/09) SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Owen Meyer scored two goals but American International netted two goals in the second period and held off an Army comeback attempt for its first win of the season, 4-3, Friday night in an Atlantic Hockey Association matchup at the Olympia Ice Center.
Army fell behind 1-0 but battled back to take a 2-1 lead. AIC answered with three goals and then withstood a late Army push.
American International stopped a nine-game losing streak and improved to 1-6-0 on the season with a 1-4-0 mark in conference play. Army fell to 1-4-1 overall and 1-3-1 in league competition and stopped its two-game unbeaten streak.
The Black Knights held a 35-25 advantage in shots on goal but was 0-5 on the power play.
Army goalie Jay Clark, playing in his third consecutive game, made 21 saves.
Meyer, Army’s leading scorer, netted two goals while Kyle Maggard also scored. Eric Sefchik had a pair of assists while Danny Colvin, Mark Tilch, Matt Hickey and Cody Omilusik were credited with assists.
AIC goalie Dan Ramirez made 32 saves.
(11/8/09) WEST POINT, N.Y. Zach McKelvie and Eric Sefchik scored their first goals of the season and Josh Kassel turned away 24 shots for his first win of the season as Army beat American International, 3-1, Saturday night in an Atlantic Hockey Association matchup in front of more than 2,000 fans at Tate Rink.
Owen Meyer also scored -- a short-handed tally -- and Army killed off six power play opportunities to improve to 2-4-1 overall and 2-3-1 in conference competition. AIC, which beat Army on Friday, falls to 1-7-0 and 1-5-0 in league games.
Kassel, who did not play in three straight games, made 10 saves in the first period and allowed the Black Knights to jump ahead with two second-period goals. Kassel made six saves in the second and eight in the final period.
Army won for the first time in November and for the first time while holding an advantage in shots on goal, 38-25.
Meyer was also credited with an assist, as was Bryant Skarda.
STAFF CHANGES: Head coach Brian Riley made a pair of changes to his coaching staff. Rob Haberbusch was promoted to associate head coach and Trevor Large was added to the staff as an assistant coach. Haberbusch was an assistant coach for five years before the promotion. Large, who played at Ferris State and coached at American International, replaced Brian Sherry.
NATIONAL TV: Army made a pair of national television appearances this season. Coming off of a 4-3 win against Mercyhurst on the CBS College Sports Network, Army tied Holy Cross 4-4 in overtime on ESPNU. Army is 3-0-1 in its last four national television contests.
RULE CHANGES: College hockey has made several rule changes for the 2008-09 season. The most obvious will be the switch to four on-ice officials. Two referees will join the two linesmen after several years of study. Army played in the two-referee system last year at Merrimack as Hockey East experimented with the system. The increase is expected to put officials in the best position to positively enforce the committee’s rule and points of emphasis.
Other rule changes include:
Faceoff locations that will take place at one of nine locations, including “after a stoppage of play to administer a penalty, the faceoff will be located in the defending zone of the offending team.”
All players, including backup goalkeepers, must wear an approved helmet and facemask while in the bench area.
If the net is dislodged by a defending player without a penalty being assessed, the defensive team is not allowed to change players.
The offending team is not allowed to alter its personnel when icing is called.
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS: Three hockey players have switched numbers this season. Andrew Maxwell is now wearing #3, after being #8 as a freshman while Eric Sefchik has switched from #15 to #13. Chris Spracklen, who was ineligible to compete a year ago after playing major juniors, will wear #16.
YOUNGER SPRACKS RETURN: A sophomore forward, Chris Spracklen was forced to sit out all of last season and the first eight games this year because he played major juniors. Chris competed for the Oswego Admirals of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League where he was the team MVP and leading scorer. Chris’ brother, Joe, also played major juniors and sat out his freshman campaign and 11 games a year ago.
DEAR DIARY: Senior Mark Tilch has chronicled the Army hockey season with a diary available at www.goARMYsports.com. Tilch took over the diary responsibilities from Chase Podsiad and will provide an inside look at Army hockey and the life of a cadet-athlete at West Point. Tilch is a defenseman from Silesia, Md.
DEAR DIARY PART TWO: Senior Matt Hickey is writing a blog for the NCAA, similar to Mark Tilch’s (see above). A defenseman from Saint Paul, Minn., Hickey’s first post detailed his summer trip to Tanzania and his quest to hike Mount Kilimanjaro. Hickey’s blog can be found at: http://www.ncaa.com/blog/matt-hickey-blog.html.
THE CAPTAIN: Senior Zach McKelvie was chosen as the team captain. An alternate captain a year ago, McKelvie has played in at least 32 games in each of his first three seasons. Senior Will Ryan is the alternate captain.
NHL AT WEST POINT: Once again, an NHL squad spent part of its training camp at West Point. This year, the Philadelphia Flyers utilized the mammoth O’Meara, Dawkins, Malek Class of 1959 Strength Development Center, skated at Tate Rink and ate lunch with the Corps of Cadets.
It marked the fourth straight season an NHL team trained at West Point. In addition to the Flyers, the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, U.S. Junior National Team and Polish National Team have worked out at West Point.
BROTHERLY LOVE: Joe and Chris Spracklen are the lone pair of brothers on the Army roster.
ED SNIDER HOCKEY FOUNDATION: The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation stopped by West Point this summer on the way to the Durham Hockey Institute in Oshawa, Ontario.
A group of 30 children and six chaperons including Jim Britt, the executive director of the ESYHF, stopped by in early August. Maj. John Bryan, Executive Officer, Commandant of Cadets, spoke to the group about West Point’s rich history and the admission requirements and answered a slew of questions. A quick trip around West Point led the group to Tate Rink and a tour of the hockey locker rooms and the team room where Associate Head Coach Rob Haberbusch showed the team’s highlight video. After a group photo, it was back on the bus. The group was headed to a camp run by Keith Primeau, a former Flyer. Primeau was with the Flyers three years ago when the team spent part of its training camp at West Point and is highly thought of by the coaching staff.
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Wednesday, November 07