2022–23 Army Black Knights men's ice hockey season
The 2022–23 Army Black Knights men's ice hockey season was the 120th season of play for the program, the 113th at the Division I level, and the 20th in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Black Knights represented the United States Military Academy and were coached by Brian Riley , in his 19th season.
Season
The start to Army's season could hardly have been worse. While the offense was still trying to cope with the loss of star forward Colin Bilek , the defense collapsed and allowed a barrage of shots to reach Gavin Abric. The worst came when the Black Knights were swept by Lindenwood , a first-year program, at home and dropped to the bottom of the national rankings. The team had a week off after that debacle but seemed to have figured out a few things upon return. The most obvious change was the implementation of a goal-tending rotation between Abric and senior, Justin Evanson. That tactic paid instant dividends as the team allowed just 5 goals over a 5-game span and didn't lose a single match. The offense too began to improve and Joey Baez began taking over as the team's primary scorer.
By the midpoint of the season, the Black Knights were still recovering from their early-season woes but the team appeared to be on the right track. Army slowly moved up the Atlantic Hockey standings and had put themselves into a position for a potential home game in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the defense began playing inconsistently at the end of the season. Army split its final three weekend series and finished just 2 points behind Canisius for the final home site. Because of that, the team had to travel up to Buffalo, New York and the instability on the back end followed the Knights. After a poor performance in the first game, Army rebounded with an overtime shutout victory to push the series to a deciding third game. The offense was completely absent in the final game of the season and Army was sent packing with a 0–3 loss.[ 1]
Departures
Recruiting
Player
Position
Nationality
Age
Notes
Jude Brower
Defenseman
United States 21
Mahopac, NY
Joey Dosan
Forward
United States 21
Bloomington, MN
John Driscoll
Defenseman
United States 21
Eagle, ID
Reese Farrell
Forward
United States 21
Auburn, ME
Max Itagaki
Forward
United States 20
Glenview, IL
Lucas Kanta
Forward
United States 21
Grand Forks, ND
Owen Nolan
Defenseman
United States 22
Mahopac, NY
Trevor Smith
Forward
United States 21
Raleigh, NC
Sean Vlasich
Defenseman
United States 21
Upper Saddle River, NJ
Stephen Willey
Forward
United States 21
Shelton, CT
Roster
As of August 16, 2022.[ 2]
No. Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Gavin Abric Junior
G 6' 3" (1.91 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2001-01-11
Hayward, Wisconsin Jersey (NCDC )—
2
Thomas Farrell C Senior
D 6' 1" (1.85 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1999-01-18
Mettawa, Illinois Youngstown (USHL —
3
Kendrick Frost Senior
F 6' 4" (1.93 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1999-04-01
Lee's Summit, Missouri Brookings (NAHL —
4
John Driscoll Freshman
D 6' 4" (1.93 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
2001-08-19
Littleton, Colorado Green Bay (USHL —
7
Andrew Gilbert Sophomore
D 6' 5" (1.96 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
2000-05-02
Fairfield, Connecticut Jersey (NCDC )—
8
Ricky Lyle Junior
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2000-08-21
Duluth, Minnesota Madison (USHL —
9
Reese Farrell Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
2001-02-21
Auburn, Maine Maine (NAHL —
10
Jake Felker Junior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2000-03-19
Omaha, Nebraska Youngstown (USHL —
11
Josh Bohlin Sophomore
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2000-02-10
Wausau, Wisconsin Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL —
12
John Keranen A Senior
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1998-08-31
Delano, Minnesota Minnesota Magicians (NAHL —
13
Michael Sacco Sophomore
F 5' 8" (1.73 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1999-11-16
Syosset, New York Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (NAHL —
14
Owen Nolan Freshman
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2000-03-10
Mahopac, New York Lone Star (NAHL —
15
Lucas Kanta Freshman
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2001-04-20
Grand Forks, North Dakota Minnesota Magicians (NAHL —
14
Hunter McCoy Sophomore
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2000-08-01
Newburyport, Massachusetts Maryland (NAHL —
17
Anthony Firriolo C Senior
D 5' 11" (1.8 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
1998-07-03
Montville, New Jersey Corpus Christi (NAHL —
18
Max Itagaki Freshman
F 5' 5" (1.65 m)
155 lb (70 kg)
2002-06-18
Glenview, Illinois Nanaimo (BCHL —
19
Brett Abdelnour Senior
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1998-10-23
Macomb, Michigan Amarillo (NAHL —
20
Sean Vlasich Freshman
D 5' 9" (1.75 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
2001-04-20
Hillsdale, New Jersey North Iowa (NAHL —
21
Stephen Willey Freshman
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2001-03-26
Shelton, Connecticut New Jersey (NAHL —
22
Noah Wilson A Senior
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1998-12-21
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Fairbanks (NAHL —
23
Joey Baez Sophomore
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
2000-01-12
Tampa, Florida Lone Star (NAHL —
24
Andrew Garby Sophomore
D 5' 9" (1.75 m)
160 lb (73 kg)
2000-09-17
Canton, Michigan Fairbanks (NAHL —
25
Patrick Smyth Senior
F 6' 4" (1.93 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1999-04-23
Toledo, Ohio Dubuque (USHL —
26
Joey Dosan Freshman
D 6' 6" (1.98 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
2001-03-20
Bloomington, Minnesota Springfield (NAHL —
27
Trevor Smith Freshman
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2001-03-02
Raleigh, North Carolina Boston Advantage (NCDC )
—
28
Jude Brower Freshman
D 6' 1" (1.85 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
2001-06-11
Mahopac, New York Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC )—
29
Eric Huss Junior
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1999-03-16
Dallas, Texas Lone Star (NAHL —
31
Evan Szary Sophomore
G 5' 11" (1.8 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
2000-02-29
Nashville, Tennessee South Shore (NCDC )—
34
Justin Evenson Senior
G 6' 1" (1.85 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1999-08-20
Minnetonka, Minnesota Amarillo (NAHL —
Standings
Conference record
Overall record
GP
W
L
T
OW
OL
SW
PTS
GF
GA
GP
W
L
T
GF
GA
RIT †26
18
7
1
1
3
0
57 85
55
39
25
13
1
127
100
American International 26
14
8
4
2
0
3
47 87
62
39
18
14
7
124
98
Sacred Heart 26
14
9
3
2
0
2
45 87
72
37
17
17
3
107
112
Canisius *26
13
10
3
3
1
1
41 76
71
42
20
19
3
118
119
Army 26
12
12
2
3
3
1
39 72
81
37
14
19
4
98
119
Niagara 26
10
13
3
0
3
2
38 73
86
40
19
18
3
119
129
Holy Cross 26
12
12
2
3
1
1
37 73
71
41
17
21
3
98
119
Mercyhurst 26
9
14
3
1
5
1
35 77
80
36
10
23
3
98
122
Bentley 26
8
16
2
1
1
1
27 61
89
34
11
21
2
81
124
Air Force 26
8
17
1
1
0
0
24 63
87
36
12
22
2
95
128
Championship : March 18, 2023 † indicates conference regular season champion (DeGregorio Trophy) indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy ) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Schedule and results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Regular Season
October 2
4:00 PM
Union *
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Abric
T 2–2 OT
1,463
0–0–1
October 7
7:00 PM
at RIT
Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York FloHockey
Abric
L 2–3 2,325
0–1–1 (0–1–0)
October 8
5:00 PM
at RIT
Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York FloHockey
Abric
L 1–4 1,760
0–2–1 (0–2–0)
October 15
7:00 PM
at Rensselaer *
Houston Field House • Troy, New York ESPN+
Abric
L 4–7 2,085
0–3–1
October 21
7:00 PM
at New Hampshire *
Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire ESPN+
Abric
L 1–3 5,608
0–4–1
October 23
2:00 PM
USNTDP *
Tate Rink • West Point, New York (Exhibition)
Evenson
L 6–7 OT
1,948
October 28
7:00 PM
American International
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Abric
L 2–8 1,492
0–5–1 (0–3–0)
October 30
2:00 PM
Dartmouth *
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Abric
W 8–3 1,230
1–5–1
November 4
7:00 PM
Lindenwood *
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Abric
L 1–2 1,133
1–6–1
November 5
4:00 PM
Lindenwood *
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Abric
L 3–5 1,214
1–7–1
November 18
7:00 PM
Bentley
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Evenson
W 2–0 1,286
2–7–1 (1–3–0)
November 19
7:00 PM
Bentley
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Abric
W 5–2 1,347
3–7–1 (2–3–0)
November 25
1:00 PM
at Canisius
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York FloHockey
Evenson
T 2–2 SOL
589
3–7–2 (2–3–1)
November 26
1:00 PM
at Canisius
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York FloHockey
Abric
W 3–1 627
4–7–2 (3–3–1)
December 2
7:00 PM
Niagara
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Evenson
W 3–0 1,846
5–7–2 (4–3–1)
December 3
4:00 PM
Niagara
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Abric
L 2–4 1,319
5–8–2 (4–4–1)
December 9
7:00 PM
at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey
Evenson
L 3–4 1,184
5–9–2 (4–5–1)
December 10
7:00 PM
at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey
Abric
W 3–2 OT
-
6–9–2 (5–5–1)
January 2
7:00 PM
at Yale *
Ingalls Rink • New Haven, Connecticut ESPN+
Evenson
L 1–5 1,200
6–10–2
January 5
7:00 PM
at Sacred Heart
Total Mortgage Arena • Bridgeport, Connecticut FloHockey
Abric
L 0–5 748
6–11–2 (5–6–1)
January 8
2:00 PM
#11 Providence *
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Abric
T 3–3 OT
2,214
6–11–3
January 13
7:00 PM
Canisius
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Abric
W 2–0 1,769
7–11–3 (6–6–1)
January 14
7:00 PM
Canisius
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Abric
L 4–5 1,564
7–12–3 (6–7–1)
January 17
7:00 PM
American International
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Abric
L 1–2 OT
977
7–13–3 (6–8–1)
January 27
7:00 PM
Air Force
Tate Rink • West Point, New York (Rivalry )FloHockey
Abric
W 3–1 2,600
8–13–3 (7–8–1)
January 28
4:00 PM
Air Force
Tate Rink • West Point, New York (Rivalry )FloHockey
Evenson
L 4–6 2,681
8–14–3 (7–9–1)
February 3
7:00 PM
at Niagara
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York FloHockey
Evenson
W 3–2 OT
678
9–14–3 (8–9–1)
February 4
5:30 PM
at Niagara
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York FloHockey
Abric
T 3–3 SOW
541
9–14–4 (8–9–2)
February 7
7:00 PM
at Sacred Heart
Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut FloHockey , SNY
Evenson
W 4–1 2,643
10–14–4 (9–9–2)
February 10
7:05 PM
Holy Cross
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Evenson
W 5–2 2,129
11–14–4 (10–9–2)
February 11
4:00 PM
Holy Cross
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Abric
L 0–7 1,976
11–15–4 (10–10–2)
February 17
7:00 PM
Mercyhurst
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Evenson
W 3–2 OT
1,441
12–15–4 (11–10–2)
February 18
4:00 PM
Mercyhurst
Tate Rink • West Point, New York FloHockey
Evenson
L 3–7 1,700
12–16–4 (11–11–2)
February 24
7:05 PM
at Bentley
Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts FloHockey
Evenson
W 5–3 1,555
13–16–4 (12–11–2)
February 25
4:05 PM
at Bentley
Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts FloHockey
Abric
L 4–5 OT
1,501
13–17–4 (12–12–2)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 3
7:00 PM
at Canisius *
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York (Quarterfinal Game 1)FloHockey
Evenson
L 2–5 231
13–18–4
March 4
7:30 PM
at Canisius *
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York (Quarterfinal Game 2)FloHockey
Abric
W 1–0 OT
361
14–18–4
March 5
5:00 PM
at Canisius *
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York (Quarterfinal Game 3)FloHockey
Abric
L 0–3 216
14–19–4
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time . [ 3]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Max Itagaki F 37
4
29
33 28
Anthony Firriolo D 36
5
24
29 18
Joey Baez F 37
21
7
28 40
John Keranen F 36
11
17
28 12
Ricky Lyle LW 37
13
11
24 43
Brett Abdelnour F 37
10
14
24 20
Thomas Farrell D 37
6
14
20 18
Michael Sacco F 34
8
8
16 30
Noah Wilson D 37
3
9
12 39
John Driscoll D 33
2
10
12 16
Lucas Kanta F 33
5
3
8 16
Patrick Smyth F 33
1
6
7 18
Jake Felker F 37
3
2
5 8
Reese Farrell F 16
2
2
4 2
Trevor Smith F 27
1
2
3 8
Andrew Garby D 34
1
1
2 16
Eric Huss F 26
1
1
2 4
Sean Vlasich D 32
1
1
2 4
Stephen Willey F 6
0
1
1 0
Owen Nolan D 8
0
1
1 2
Kendrick Frost F 11
0
1
1 0
Justin Evenson G 13
0
1
1 0
Hunter McCoy F 14
0
1
1 2
Jude Brower D 15
0
1
1 0
Evan Szary G 2
0
0
0 0
Josh Bohlin F 2
0
0
0 0
Joey Dosan F 12
0
0
0 4
Gavin Abric G 25
0
0
0 0
Andrew Gilbert D 32
0
0
0 8
Total
98
167
265
323
Source: [ 4]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut Outs
SV % GAA
Justin Evenson 13
769:27
7
5
1
34
347
2
.911
2.65
Gavin Abric 25
1428:36
7
14
3
77
703
2
.901
3.23
Evan Szary 2
30:40
0
0
0
3
10
0
.769
5.87
Empty Net
-
28:19
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
Total
37
2257:02
14
19
4
119
1060
4
.903
3.20
Rankings
Poll
Week
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27 (Final)
USCHO.com
NR
-
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
-
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
-
NR
USA Today
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26. [ 5]
Awards and honors
References
^ "SUNDAY, MARCH 5, 2023" . College Hockey Inc . March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023 .^ "2022–23 Hockey Roster" . Army West Point Athletics. Retrieved July 2, 2018 .^ "2022-23 Hockey Schedule" . USMA Athletic Department. Retrieved August 13, 2022 .^ "2022-23 Hockey Cumulative Statistics" . GoArmyWestPoint.com . USMA Athletics Department. Retrieved March 14, 2021 .^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll" . USCHO.com . Retrieved November 26, 2019 .^ "Noah Wilson Named 2023 HCA Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award Winner" . Army Black Knights . April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023 .^ "Atlantic Hockey Announces 2023-23 Regular Season Awards" . Atlantic Hockey . March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023 .^ a b c "Atlantic Hockey Announces 2022-23 All-Conference Teams" . Atlantic Hockey . March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023 .
