# 2023–24 Army Black Knights men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 Army Black Knights men's ice hockey season was the 121st season of play for the program, the 114th at the Division I level, and the 21st in Atlantic Hockey. The Black Knights represented the United States Military Academy, played their home games at the Tate Rink and were coached by Brian Riley in his 20th season.

## Season

Army could have hardly started their season worse, losing their first nine games and allowing at least 3 goals in every game. The Black Knights were not terrible on the offensive side but it was nowhere near good enough to overcome the poor performance they were seeing in net. Neither Gavin Abrin nor Evan Szary showed any signs of being able to keep the puck out of the net and, as the losses mounted, any hope for the season faded.
Just before Thanksgiving, Szary provided the first decent game in goal, enabling Army to win its first game of the year. Afterwards, the goaltending remained inconsistent for the rest of the season, alternating between decent outings and subpar performances. By season's end the Black Knights had the 3rd-worst goals against average in the nation, surrendering almost 4 goals per game. The team's offense remained consistently average all season long, capitalizing in the matches where the goaltending was at least respectable. In games where Army allowed three goals or fewer, the Black Knights went 10–2–2, on matches where they allowed at least four goals, the team went 0–20–0.
The defensive troubles resulted in the team finishing 10th in the conference and having to face Niagara in the First Round of the Atlantic Hockey tournament. The Black Knights fired 43 shots on goal, nearly double the total from the Purple Eagles, but they were let down by goaltending once more. Abric allowed 3 goals on just 20 shots while Army was stymied time and again by Niagara's netminder. The 1–4 loss followed the pattern that had been laid out all season long and ended a rather forgettable year for Army.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Brett Abdelnour | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Jude Brower | Defenseman | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Justin Evenson | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Reese Farrell | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Thomas Farrell | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Toledo Walleye) |
| Anthony Firriolo | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Jacksonville Icemen) |
| Kendrick Frost | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| John Keranen | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Patrick Smyth | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Noah Wilson | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Jon Bell | Defenseman | United States | 21 | St. Cloud, MN |
| Mac Gadowsky | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Fairbanks, AK |
| Jacob Hewitt | Forward | United States | 21 | Ashburnham, MA |
| Gus Holt | Forward | United States | 20 | Bowling Green, OH |
| Nik Hong | Forward | United States | 21 | Minneapolis, MN |
| Dayne Hoyord | Forward | United States | 21 | Scandinavia, WI |
| Brent Keefer | Forward | United States | 22 | Colorado Springs, CO |
| Pierce Patterson | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Valrico, FL |
| Vincent Salice | Forward | United States | 20 | Commerce Township, MI |
| Barron Woodring | Forward | United States | 21 | Chicago, IL |
| Easton Zueger | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Sioux Falls, SD |

## Roster

As of September 14, 2023.

## Standings

2023–24 Atlantic Hockey Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OW | OL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #17 RIT †* | 26 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 102 | 64 | 40 | 27 | 11 | 2 | 156 | 96 |
| Holy Cross | 26 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 46 | 78 | 62 | 39 | 21 | 14 | 4 | 116 | 93 |
| Sacred Heart | 26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 75 | 70 | 36 | 14 | 19 | 3 | 91 | 113 |
| Air Force | 26 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 44 | 88 | 75 | 38 | 18 | 19 | 1 | 115 | 119 |
| American International | 26 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 42 | 79 | 68 | 40 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 119 | 111 |
| Bentley | 26 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 69 | 58 | 35 | 16 | 17 | 2 | 95 | 82 |
| Niagara | 26 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 78 | 79 | 39 | 18 | 18 | 3 | 111 | 122 |
| Canisius | 26 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 73 | 87 | 37 | 12 | 21 | 4 | 103 | 126 |
| Mercyhurst | 26 | 7 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 77 | 91 | 35 | 9 | 22 | 4 | 98 | 126 |
| Army | 26 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 66 | 96 | 35 | 10 | 23 | 2 | 93 | 139 |
| Robert Morris | 26 | 7 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 60 | 95 | 39 | 11 | 25 | 3 | 94 | 142 |
| Championship: March 23, 2024 † 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$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 8 | 2:00 pm | Union* | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Abric | L 0–6 | 2,033 | 0–1–0 |
| Ice Breaker Tournament ||||||||||
| October 13 | 8:00 pm | at #7 North Dakota* | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota (Ice Breaker Game 1) | Midco | Abric | L 2–7 | 11,548 | 0–2–0 |
| October 14 | 7:07 pm | at Bemidji State* | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota (Ice Breaker Game 2) | | Szary | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 1,986 | 0–3–0 |
| October 31 | 7:05 pm | at Sacred Heart | Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut | FloHockey, SNY | Abric | L 1–6 | 2,127 | 0–4–0 (0–1–0) |
| November 3 | 7:00 pm | RIT | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Abric | L 2–4 | 1,795 | 0–5–0 (0–2–0) |
| November 4 | 4:00 pm | RIT | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Szary | L 3–5 | 1,638 | 0–6–0 (0–3–0) |
| November 10 | 9:05 pm | at Air Force | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) | FloHockey | Szary | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 2,629 | 0–7–0 (0–4–0) |
| November 11 | 7:05 pm | at Air Force | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry) | FloHockey | Szary | L 0–4 | 2,250 | 0–8–0 (0–5–0) |
| November 17 | 7:00 pm | Canisius | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Abric | L 4–6 | 1,600 | 0–9–0 (0–6–0) |
| November 18 | 7:00 pm | Canisius | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Szary | W 2–1 | 1,670 | 1–9–0 (1–6–0) |
| November 21 | 7:00 pm | at Holy Cross | Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Szary | W 3–2 | 807 | 2–9–0 (2–6–0) |
| Turkey Leg Classic ||||||||||
| November 24 | 4:00 pm | at Merrimack* | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts (Turkey Leg Game 1) | ESPN+ | Szary | L 3–7 | 2,034 | 2–10–0 |
| November 25 | 4:00 pm | at Massachusetts Lowell* | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts (Turkey Leg Game 2) | ESPN+ | Szary | W 4–2 | 3,741 | 3–10–0 |
| November 28 | 7:05 pm | at American International | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Szary | L 1–5 | 252 | 3–11–0 (2–7–0) |
| December 8 | 7:00 pm | at Mercyhurst | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Szary | W 4–3 | 1,017 | 4–11–0 (3–7–0) |
| December 9 | 4:00 pm | at Mercyhurst | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Abric | L 3–4 | 1,005 | 4–12–0 (3–8–0) |
| December 29 | 7:00 pm | #16 New Hampshire* | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Abric | W 6–3 | 2,610 | 5–12–0 |
| January 2 | 7:00 pm | Bentley | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Abric | L 2–5 | 1,533 | 5–13–0 (3–9–0) |
| January 6 | 6:00 pm | at #19 Penn State* | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Abric | L 6–7 | 6,078 | 5–14–0 |
| January 9 | 7:00 pm | at Sacred Heart | Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut | FloHockey | Abric | T 3–3 $^{SOL}$ | 2,634 | 5–14–1 (3–9–1) |
| January 12 | 7:00 pm | Holy Cross | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Szary | W 3–0 | 1,625 | 6–14–1 (4–9–1) |
| January 13 | 4:00 pm | Holy Cross | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Szary | L 1–3 | 2,269 | 6–15–1 (4–10–1) |
| January 16 | 7:00 pm | Sacred Heart | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Szary | W 5–3 | 800 | 7–15–1 (5–10–1) |
| January 19 | 7:00 pm | Air Force | Tate Rink • West Point, New York (Rivalry) | FloHockey | Szary | L 1–8 | 2,528 | 7–16–1 (5–11–1) |
| January 20 | 4:00 pm | Air Force | Tate Rink • West Point, New York (Rivalry) | FloHockey | Abric | L 6–7 | 2,548 | 7–17–1 (5–12–1) |
| January 27 | 7:00 pm | Royal Military College* | Tate Rink • West Point, New York (Rivalry, Exhibition) | FloHockey | Abric | W 6–1 | 2,365 | |
| January 30 | 7:00 pm | at Princeton* | Hobey Baker Memorial Rink • Princeton, New Jersey | ESPN+ | Abric | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 1,281 | 7–18–1 |
| February 2 | 7:00 pm | at Bentley | Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Szary | L 2–4 | 1,630 | 7–19–1 (5–13–1) |
| February 3 | 4:00 pm | at Bentley | Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Szary | W 2–1 | 1,515 | 8–19–1 (6–13–1) |
| February 9 | 7:00 pm | Robert Morris | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Szary | W 3–1 | 1,708 | 9–19–1 (7–13–1) |
| February 10 | 6:00 pm | Robert Morris | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Szary | L 3–4 | 1,734 | 9–20–1 (7–14–1) |
| February 16 | 7:00 pm | at Niagara | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | FloHockey | Abric | L 3–6 | 1,002 | 9–21–1 (7–15–1) |
| February 17 | 5:00 pm | at Niagara | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | FloHockey | Abric | W 3–0 | 1,004 | 10–21–1 (8–15–1) |
| February 23 | 7:00 pm | American International | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Abric | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 2,065 | 10–21–2 (8–15–2) |
| February 24 | 4:00 pm | American International | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Abric | L 1–5 | 2,019 | 10–22–2 (8–16–2) |
| Atlantic Hockey Tournament ||||||||||
| March 2 | 7:00 pm | at Niagara* | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York (First Round) | FloHockey | Abric | L 1–4 | 710 | 10–23–2 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Joey Baez | F | 32 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 14 |
| Max Itagaki | F | 34 | 6 | 19 | 25 | 31 |
| Brent Keefer | F | 34 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 30 |
| Mac Gadowsky | D | 28 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 8 |
| Michael Sacco | F | 34 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 54 |
| John Driscoll | D | 35 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 16 |
| Ricky Lyle | LW | 34 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 33 |
| Nik Hong | F | 35 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 14 |
| Jake Hewitt | F | 35 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 6 |
| Vincent Salice | F | 34 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 12 |
| Pierce Patterson | D | 31 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 |
| Barron Woodring | F | 31 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 16 |
| Hunter McCoy | F | 25 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| Jude Brower | D | 15 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 7 |
| Sean Vlasich | D | 28 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Owen Nolan | D | 21 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Easton Zueger | D | 21 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Lucas Kanta | F | 28 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Stephen Willey | F | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Andrew Garby | D | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Trevor Smith | F | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Eric Huss | F | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Evan Szary | G | 26 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Josh Bohlin | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Andrew Gilbert | D | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Joey Dosan | F | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Felker | F | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Gavin Abric | G | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jon Bell | D | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Total | | | 93 | 163 | 256 | 345 |
Source:

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Evan Szary | 26 | 1233:12 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 67 | 593 | 1 | .898 | 3.26 |
| Gavin Abric | 19 | 864:42 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 65 | 413 | 1 | .864 | 4.51 |
| Empty Net | - | 22:20 | - | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 35 | 2120:14 | 10 | 23 | 2 | 139 | 1006 | 2 | .8.79 | 3.93 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | 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 (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 Hockey | 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 11 and 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award | Ref |
| Joey Baez | Atlantic Hockey Second Team | |
| Mac Gadowsky | Atlantic Hockey Rookie Team | |