Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
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Union College
Hockey Returns Sunday at Tate Rink
October 06, 2023 | Hockey
WEST POINT, NY - Â Army West Point hockey will begin its 2023-24 campaign this Sunday on post at Tate Rink as the Black Knights host Union College at 2:00 p.m. It marks consecutive seasons that Army opens with the Garnet Chargers, after playing to a 2-2 tie to begin this past season.Â
Tickets for the game can be purchased HERE, with live coverage also on FloHockey (video) and the Varsity Network (audio) with Nikolai Busko on the call.
The Black Knights enter as one of the youngest teams in the country, trailing only Atlantic Hockey's recent addition, Robert Morris in terms of number of freshman on the roster with 11. With just four seniors, the Black Knights 20 underclassmen marks the second-highest total in the country.
Among those underclassmen is reigning Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year Max Itagaki. Itagaki proved the most lethal passer in the conference this past season, leading the AHA with 29 assists in the regular season, which also marked the highest total from a freshman in the conference's 20-year history. Itagaki was named to the Atlantic Hockey Preseason All-League team as Army's lone representative and the lone underclassman.
Out of Itagaki's 29 helpers this past season, 10 came from the stick of Joey Baez. Despite not playing on a line together, the duo were the catalyst's of Army's power-play with all ten connections coming with the man advantage. Baez scored 12 goals in total on the power-play which ranked second in the country on his way to second team All-Atlantic Hockey recognition. He became the first Black Knight to reach 20 goals in a a season since 2007-08 with 21 to his ledger.Â
Baez was also named an assistant captain this season, while senior Ricky Lyle and junior Michael Sacco will don the "C' this season. Lyle was among the top two-way forwards in the season this past season, and is the lone returner to log over 20 points and 20 blocked shots in 2022-23. Sacco was consistent as the second-line center for Army, posting eight goals and eight assists while having at least six faceoff wins in 23 contests. He was also one of five AHA players to record multiple shorthanded goals last season.
Army's defensive unit returns John Driscoll who logged 12 points and 53 blocked shots during his plebe campaign, along with juniors Andrew Gilbert and Andrew Garby who each logged over 30 games in 2022-23.Â
Gavin Abric returns as the team's top netminder, as the senior boasts the ninth-most career saves with 1,609 among active goaltenders while his six career shutouts ranks fifth in the nation. Abric ranked third in Atlantic Hockey this past season with 28.12 saves per game. Junior Evan Szary and plebe Gus Holt round out the goaltending corps for the Black Knights this season.
The new season also brings change to the coaching staff, as the service academies were each granted permission for an additional coaching position. Chris Azzano and Taylor Ward each were brought aboard as assistant coaches, while Jack Riley was promoted to assistant coach. The trio joins Associate Head Coach Zach McKelvie who enters his tenth season on staff and four-time AHA Coach of the Year Brian Riley in his twentieth season behind the bench.
Union and Army battled to a 2-2 draw in 2022-23, with Baez and Sacco providing the Army goals while Abric totaled 21 saves. The Garnet Chargers boasted a (14-19-2, 8-13-1 ECAC) record before exiting in the first round of the ECACÂ Tournament. Army and Union have played to a 17-17-3 record all-time with the first meeting dating back to 1924.
Army was picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic Hockey preseason poll, after landing in fifth-place this past season with a 12-12-2Â record in the conference. Following the season opener, the Black Knights will head west next week to compete in annual Ice Breaker Tournament with matchups set against North Dakota (Oct. 13) and Bemidji State (Oct. 14).
SUMMER READING LIST:
Army Welcomes 11 Plebes to Roster
Color of Hockey: Max Itagaki
Color of Hockey: Joey Baez
Thomas Farrell signs with Toledo Walleye
Anthony Firriolo signs with Atlanta Gladiators
Atlantic Hockey Media Day
Atlantic Hockey Season Preview
College Hockey Media Kit
Max Itagaki Named to AHA Preseason All-League Team
Army Announces 2023-24 Schedule
Brian & Jack Riley on College Hockey West Live
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