Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
5-7-2, 4-3-1
Niagara University
8-4-1, 4-4-1
Lyle & Evenson Lead Hockey to 3-0 Victory at Home Over Niagara
December 02, 2022 | Hockey
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army West Point hockey (5-7-2, 4-3-1 AHA) continued its good form with a 3-0 shutout victory over Niagara (8-4-1, 4-4-1 AHA) from Tate Rink on Friday night.
Justin Evenson made 24 saves to post his second shutout of the season while Ricky Lyle scored two goals and assisted on the third to propel Army to the victory and three points.
Army gave Niagara an early advantage, taking a protocol violation penalty in warmups which gave the Purple Eagles a power-play to begin the contest. Army was able to kill off the penalty and stayed out of the box for the majority of the game, taking just one penalty in the 60 minutes of gameplay.
The Black Knights would go on to outshoot Niagara in the first period and were rewarded with 4:32 to go with the opening goal. Anthony Firriolo flicked the puck in deep, where Ricky Lyle worked hard between two defenders to collect and place a perfect pass to John Keranen. From the left circle, Keranen fired a wrister into the back of the cage to give Army an early lead.
Army took the one-goal lead into the second period and had a pair of power-play opportunities to extend the lead, but Niagara was able to get the back-to-back successful kills. Heading into the third period with the score still 1-0, Army's top line once again produced a goal that gave Army a two-goal cushion.
At the 6:28 mark, Max Itagaki pressured Niagara behind the net, forcing an errant pass into the path of Keranen. Returning the favor from earlier, Keranen slipped a pass over to Ricky Lyle who fired home his third goal of the campaign. Evenson continued his stellar play, making nine saves in the third period that gave Niagara no way back into the game.
Pulling the goalie with over four minutes to play, Army eventually secured the empty-netter, with Lyle scoring from the defensive zone with assists coming from Itagaki and Thomas Farrell. Securing a 3-0 victory, Army extends its unbeaten streak to five games, collecting 13 out of a possible 15 points in the conference over that span to catapult up the Atlantic Hockey standings.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Ricky Lyle logged a career-high three points, assisting on Army's first goal and scoring the next two. It marked the second multi-goal effort of the junior's career (vs. Sacred Heart, 2-26-22).
- Justin Evenson made 24 saves to blank the Purple Eagles. It marked the second shutout in three games played this season for the senior, who has yet to allow a goal at home through six periods.
- John Keranen recorded his third multi-point game of the season with a goal and assist. He continued to dominate in the faceoff circle, winning 13 of 19 draws.
- Anthony Firriolo registered his tenth assist of the season while blocking two shots.
- Max Itagaki tabbed his 12th assist of the season, featuring 11 in his past 11 contests.
- The Lyle-Keranen-Itagaki line skated to a +3 rating, accounting for each goal. Anthony Firriolo also registered the +3 rating, while Sean Vlasich was +2.
- Army outshot Niagara in each period, featuring a 32-24 advantage altogether.
Coach's Corner
?? @Coach_BRiley postgame reaction to another shutout victory at home to earn three points #GoArmy pic.twitter.com/PkF6Ylt01p
— Army Hockey (@ArmyWP_Hockey) December 3, 2022
Cadet's Corner
?? Following his 3-point night, hear from Ricky Lyle on the team's performance and recent turnaround #GoArmy pic.twitter.com/rT3K1eq1mS
— Army Hockey (@ArmyWP_Hockey) December 3, 2022
Up Next
Army will take on Niagara for game two of the series tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.
