Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
6-11-3
Providence College
11-5-6
Hockey Wins Shootout Against No. 11 Providence
January 08, 2023 | Hockey
WEST POINT, NY – Army West Point hockey (6-11-3, 5-6-1 Atlantic Hockey) battled No. 11 Providence (11-5-6, 6-5-2 Hockey East) to a 3-3 tie through regulation and overtime, before winning the shootout 2-1. The Black Knights erased three separate one-goal deficits to eventually force the overtime period.
Gavin Abric made 36 saves in net, with multiple important stops down the stretch to keep Army within striking distance. Abric was pulled for an extra skater with 1:44 remaining and Army trailing 3-2, as Joey Baez scored his second goal of the contest to tie the game at three with 80 seconds remaining.
Abric showed his good form early, as the Friars opened the game with multiple opportunities that were turned away by the Army goalie. Providence eventually got on the board first, with an even strength goal with 7:16 to play in the first period. Providence outshot Army 13-7 in the opening frame, as Army took a penalty with six seconds remaining in the period. Army was able to kill off the penalty including two more in the period, before heading to its third power-play of the contest.
Taking advantage, Anthony Firriolo fed Joey Baez who lasered a wrist shot into the back of the cage to tie the score at the 13:43 mark. Providence once again outshot Army, this time 13-3 in the period, but Abric continued to limit the Friars.
Brett Berard tallied his tenth goal of the season six minutes into the third period, giving Providence a 2-1 lead. Army responded once again, with Brett Abdelnour threading a perfect pass to Ricky Lyle in front of net to tie the score. It marked Lyle's seventh goal of the season and gave Firriolo his second assist of the contest.
The scoreline was short-lived with Providence quickly capitalizing on a power-play opportunity with just under ten minutes to now perserve the new lead. As the Friars took a penalty with 2:30 remaining, Army utilized a six-on-four opportunity to tie the score with 80 seconds remaining. Joey Baez tucked home a loose puck for his second of the contest to send the game into overtime. Abric two key saves in the overtime as either team was able to score in the three-on-three format. Itagaki came the closest for Army, but the game eventually was sent to a shootout. Baez and Kendrick Frost scored goals in the shootout for Army, while Abric's save on Liam Valente provided the difference for Army to claim the shootout, 2-1.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Anthony Firriolo logged assists on all three goals while manning the top power-play unit for Army. His 15 assists this ranks third in Atlantic Hockey.
- Joey Baez scored twice on the power-play, bringing him to a team-high nine goals this season. His nine goals ranks second in the conference while his six tallies on the man advantage ranks first.
- Junior Gavin Abric made 36 saves in goal for the Black Knights, and has tabbed 30+ save efforts in three of four starts.
- Max Itagaki collected two more assists, and has collected points in 14 of 17 games for the Black Knights. His 17 assists this season is the most in Atlantic Hockey.
- Ricky Lyle scored his seventh goal of the season while spearheading Army's penalty kill.
Hear from @Coach_BRiley following this afternoon's shootout thriller against Providence, as the team continued to overcome adversity and battle back#GoArmy pic.twitter.com/87HR6Kgv1f
— Army Hockey (@ArmyWP_Hockey) January 8, 2023
Cadet's Corner
Gavin Abric was stellar today, making 36 saves and then two in the shootout - hear from the Army netminder ??#GoArmy pic.twitter.com/SECSKgWKkD
— Army Hockey (@ArmyWP_Hockey) January 8, 2023
?? Joey Baez scored a pair in regulation before finding the back of the net again in the shootout - his thoughts postgame ??#GoArmy pic.twitter.com/urPZzFT0eE
— Army Hockey (@ArmyWP_Hockey) January 8, 2023
Up Next
Army will host Canisius for an Atlantic Hockey series on Jan. 13-14.
