Hockey Takes Streak on the Road

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army hockey team takes its five-game unbeaten streak on the road to Robert Morris for a pair of games against the top team in Atlantic Hockey.

Army's final regular season road trip begins on Friday night with a 7:05 p.m. faceoff, followed by another puck drop of 7:05 p.m. on Saturday.

HOW TO FOLLOW
TELEVISION • None
RADIO • 1420 WLNA-AM/1260 WBNR-AM
VIDEO • EverSport.tv ($)
AUDIO • Knight Vision ($)
LIVE STATISTICS • sidearmstats.com/rmu/mhockey
GAME NOTES • Army Notes
TWITTER • @ArmyWP_Hockey

THIS WEEK: HEADING WEST TO PITTSBURGH
Army jumps back out on the road this weekend and the season doesn't get easier with a visit to Robert Morris for a pair of games in the Black Knights' final road series of the year. The Colonials have been at the top of the conference standings all season long and are 14-4-4 for 32 points, three points clear of second-place Air Force. They are 17-7-4 overall and have won six of their last eight games. Last weekend, Robert Morris helped Army gain ground on Sacred Heart with a pair of wins on the road. The Colonials escaped Connecticut with a pair of 2-1 victories. They have an impressive power play that is third in the nation at 29 percent with 36 goals in 124 chances.

NEXT WEEK: BACK AT TATE TO FACE MERCYHURST
Army's final two-game regular season series is next 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 14-13-1 overall and 12-9-1 in Atlantic Hockey. The Lakers have won three of their last four games with a sweep of AIC and a split with Bentley. They take on Niagara in a home-and-home series this weekend.

LAST WEEK: TAKING THREE OUT OF FOUR POINTS FROM HOLY CROSS
In both games last weekend, Army was able to jump out to early leads against Holy Cross. On Friday, the Crusaders rebounded with two goals in the third period to force a 2-2 tie. The next night, Army held off Holy Cross after tallying three goals in the first period to earn a 3-1 win on Saturday night to take three of four league points. Parker Gahagen was impressive in net once again with 38 stops on Friday night, followed by 28 saves in his eighth victory of the season. The Black Knights got goals from C.J. Reuschlein, Taylor Maruya and Brendan McGuire in the win, while Blake Box tallied a career-high two assists.

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.

ON THE RADIO
Both games will be live on the radio in the Hudson Valley on 1260 WBNR-AM in Beacon and 1430 WLNA-AM in Peekskill. NIkolai Busko will have the call for both nights in Pittsburgh.

LIVE STREAM THROUGH EVERSPORT
EverSport is back as the web stream provider of the Atlantic Hockey Association. Games throughout the season, both home and away, will be live on EverSport.tv by searching Atlantic Hockey. EverSport allows payment per game and season. Both contests at Robert Morris will be live online.

JERSEY RETIREMENT
The Black Knights honored three greats last weekend at Tate Rink as Army retired the jerseys of Dave Merhar (USMA '69), George Clark (USMA '75), Dave Rost (USMA '77). The event was all-weekend long with the ceremony and banner reveal on Saturday night prior to the Holy Cross game. The three are the first skaters to have their jerseys retired.

A BRICK WALL
Junior netminder Parker Gahagen has been solid in net for the Black Knights over the last nine games. He has a 1.63 goals against average and a 4-2-3 record. He has allowed two or less goals in eight of the nine starts and has stopped 30 or more shots in five of the nine games, including a 38-save performance in the 2-2 tie last Saturday against Holy Cross.

OVERTIME GRINDERS
The Black Knights played their 12th overtime game of the season against Holy Cross last Friday. The 11 overtime contests are the most played under head coach Brian Riley and the most since 2001-02 when Army played 11 games that went an extra frame. The Black Knights were 1-4-6 that year and are 1-3-7 this year.

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Robert Morris continues to be at the top of the Atlantic Hockey standings at 14-4-4 and has a record of 17-7-4 overall. The Colonials have gone unbeaten in their last four games and seven of their last eight. Last weekend, they had a hand in Army jumping up to a tie for eighth as they swept Sacred Heart by a pair of 2-1 scores. Robert Morris is one of the highest scoring teams in the nation at 4.11 goals per game. The Colonials power play is third in the country at 29 percent with 36 goals in 124 chances. The 36 tallies are the most in college hockey.

The senior class of the Colonials lead the way as the team's top four scorers are in their final year at Robert Morris. Zac Lynch has 40 points for tops on the team with 20 goals and 20 assists and has a 141 points in 141 games in his career. Amazingly, six of his 20 goals are shorthanded and four have come on the power play. Greg Gibson isn't far behind with 38 points on 20 goals and 18 helpers. Brandon Denham has recorded 30 points and has a team-high seven power play goals.

In goal, senior Terry Shafer has played in 20 games with 19 starts and is 12-6- overall. He has posted a 2.36 goals against average and a .933 save percentage. Shafer has three shutouts this season. Junior Dalton Izyk has played in 10 games and is 5-1-1 overall with a 3.45 goals against average.

SERIES HISTORY
Robert Morris and Army have played 15 games since their first meeting back in 2011. The Colonials own an 8-3-4 series lead. Earlier this season, the Black Knights settled for a 4-4 tie on Nov. 20 after having a 4-3 lead in the third period. Robert Morris fired back the next night with a 5-2 victory. The Black Knights have earned a tie in two of the last four meetings.

Hockey Takes Streak on the Road

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Players Mentioned

Blake Box

Parker Gahagen

Taylor Maruya

Brendan McGuire

C.J. Reuschlein

Army West Point Athletics