Hockey’s 2025-26 Campaign Closes After Gritty First Round Battle at Niagara

Tuesday, March 3

Niagara Falls, N.Y.

7:00 p.m.

Army West Point

12-17-6

Niagara

13-21-1

Army West Point

Niagara

Hockey’s 2025-26 Campaign Closes After Gritty First Round Battle at Niagara

March 03, 2026 | Hockey

Box Score

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Army West Point hockey (12-17-6, 7-15-4 Atlantic Hockey America) traveled out to face the Niagara Purple Eagles (13-21-1, 9-16-1 Atlantic Hockey America) in one of two Atlantic Hockey America Tournament First Round games taking place Tuesday night.

Despite a strong battle for 60 minutes of play from the Black Knights, the Purple Eagles eked out a 5-4 win with two goals in the third period.

JJ Cataldo stood in goal for the Black Knights for the 33^rd time this season where the sophomore goaltender put up 22 saves against Niagara's 27 shots on goal.

Niagara posted Deivs Rolovs at the other end of the ice where he tallied 31 saves against Army's 35 shots on goal.

The Purple Eagles controlled the pace of the first period as the Atlantic Hockey America Tournament First Round game began, jumping ahead to a 2-0 lead just six and a half minutes after the first puck drop to set a challenge for the remainder of the contest.

Niagara continued to dominate possession in the first period, expanding their lead to three with just over four minutes remaining in the first frame.

Niagara's lead held through the first intermission, but the Black Knights brought a new energy to the ice for the second period.

Army's squad worked hard to hold the Purple Eagles from expanding their score and found the back of the net for the first time Tuesday night eight minutes into the second frame as Jack Ivey completed a quick pass from Nils Forselius across the goal front.

Ivey's fellow sophomore Dylan Wegner brought Army within one goal of the Purple Eagles one minute later as he buried a shot off the faceoff win from Billy Batten to score his second goal of the season.

Both teams drew power play opportunities as the second period continued, but the Black Knights held the momentum as Jack Ivey scored his second goal of the game with six minutes left on the clock to tie the game at three goals each.

Army and Niagara both drew penalties as the second period wore down, but both defenses locked down to send the game into the third period on a 3-3 tie.

Army's momentum carried into the third period where the Black Knights controlled the puck in the frame's opening minutes, drawing a power play opportunity just shy of the four-minute mark that the Purple Eagles managed to kill off.

Army then shut down a power play opportunity for Niagara at the eight minute mark before turning the tide and taking its first lead of the night with 10:08 elapsed from the clock as JJ Cataldo cleared a puck from the crease onto the stick of Nik Hong who carried it the length of the ice and fired it past Rolovs and into the back of the net.

Niagara refused to go quietly in front of their home crowd, however, and the Purple Eagles evened the score at four apiece 14 seconds later.

The Purple Eagles then pushed into the lead once more with a power play goal with seven minutes remaining on the clock.

Army battled hard as the third period clock ticked down, forcing three saves from Rolovs and a blocked shot from the Purple Eagles' defense, but the score held through the final whistle to close the book on Army's 2025-26 campaign.