Hockey Drops 3-1 Contest at UNH

Friday, October 21

Durham, NH

7:00 PM

Army West Point

0-4-1

University of New Hampshire

3-2-0

Army West Point

New Hampshire

Photo by: China Wong

Hockey Drops 3-1 Contest at UNH

October 21, 2022 | Hockey

Box Score

DURHAM, NH – Army West Point hockey (0-4-1, 0-2-0 AHA) fell by a score of 3-1 to the University of New Hampshire (3-2-0, 0-2-0 HE) from Whittemore Center on Friday night. The Wildcats scored a pair of goals in the first ten minutes, which proved to be the difference as the final two periods were highlighted by the defensive efforts and goaltending.

Joey Baez extended his point streak to five games to begin his sophomore campaign, with a power play goal in the first period.

New Hampshire had its dream start to the contest, scoring on their first shot attempt on goal. Ryan Black found room in front of goal and gave the Wildcats the lead just 62 seconds into the game. Army quickly found itself in trouble again but eventually killed off a pair of penalties, with UNH having 48 seconds of a 5-on-3 opportunity.

The Wildcats would keep up the pressure, extending the lead to 2-0 with a goal at the midway point of the first period. UNH would take its first penalty a couple of minutes later, eventually giving the Cadets a 5-on-3 chance of their own. Army took advantage, with Max Itagaki sliding a pass from the center of the ice over to Joey Baez, who fired home another one-timer on the power play for his fourth goal of the season.

It's another snipe on the power play from Joey Baez to get Army back within a goal ??

?? https://t.co/IsDu5aQLD5 #GoArmy pic.twitter.com/X1JKdtbXAo
— Army Hockey (@ArmyWP_Hockey) October 21, 2022

The score remained 2-1 headed into the second period, with both teams digging into a defensive battle for the second frame. The Black Knights came close to tying the score after a good spell of play with Baez hitting pipe. Army went back to the power play with 3:20 remaining in the period but produced just one shot as the Wildcats got their first successful penalty kill of the night. The Black Knights received another man advantage opportunity with 46 seconds remaining, taking the power play into the final period.

The Army power play to begin period three also produced just one shot on target, with UNH scoring just 19 seconds after getting back to even strength with Cy Leclerc's second goal of the contest. The goaltending was the story for the remainder of the tilt, with Gavin Abric doing his best work in the late stages to keep Army within striking distance. The Cadets were unable to get another past David Fessenden in the UNH goal, with the result being a 3-1 scoreline as Army closed a four-game road sretch.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

The Wildcats outshot the Black Knights in every period.
Joey Baez scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season and second on the power play.
Plebe Max Itagaki continued to contribute, adding the fourth asisst to his ledger this season.
Gavin Abric recorded 26 saves, marking the third time this season that Abric has hit that exact mark.
With his assist in the first period, Brett Abdelnour collected his fifth point of the season which ties Baez for the team-lead.
Army scored on the power play for the fourth consecutive contest. 50-percent of Army goals this season have been scored on the power play.
John Keranen continued his stellar play in the faceoff cirlce, posting 18 wins.
The Black Knights have yet to score the first goal in a game this season.

Up Next
Army will return home for an exhibition with the US National Team Development Program U18 team on Sunday at 2 PM on Tate Rink. TICKETS.

For complete coverage of Army West Point hockey follow the Black Knights on Twitter & Instagram @ArmyWP_Hockey and at www.goarmywestpoint.com.