Army Hockey Falls to LIU in Exhibition Finale Before Season Opener

West Point, NY — First-year head coach Zach McKelvie experienced both the excitement and challenges of leading Army West Point hockey as the Black Knights dropped their final exhibition game to LIU on Friday night at Tate Rink. The loss exposed areas needing improvement as Army prepares to open the regular season Saturday against Union in Schenectady.

Offensive Struggles Plague Opening Frame

The Black Knights struggled to establish rhythm in the first period, managing just two shots on goal while surrendering 10 to the Sharks. Junior forward Brent Keefer, who leads the roster with 20 career goals, failed to make an impact in the opening frame as Army’s young squad showed its inexperience.

Despite strong goaltending from JJ Cataldo, who handled multiple 2-on-1 cross-crease attempts, Army couldn’t capitalize on offensive opportunities. The Black Knights squandered a breakaway and a 3-on-1 chance late in the period, highlighting the offensive concerns McKelvie and his staff must address.

Second Period Collapse

The second period proved disastrous for Army as LIU peppered the net relentlessly, scoring three unanswered goals. The Sharks’ offensive onslaught began just 41 seconds into the period when Nick Bernardo found the back of the net at even strength, assisted by Brett Rylance.

At the 2:54 mark, Anthony Lucarelli extended LIU’s lead with a goal assisted by Heath Armstrong and Onni Leppānen. The final blow came at 6:27 when Luca Leighton capitalized on an Army turnover, completing the three-goal barrage that left Cataldo isolated by his defense and forwards.

“The first and third were pretty good periods,” McKelvie said after the game. “Second period, I don’t know if it’s because we didn’t score in the first and we had some chances that we changed our game, but we just did a lot of things that aren’t a part of our identity and got away from it.”

Third Period Response Falls Short

Army came out aggressively in the third period, generating quality scoring chances in high-value areas. Jacob Biron, son of former NHL goaltender Martin Biron, entered the game and faced a number of shots but couldn’t be beaten despite the pressure by LIU.

“Even in the third, I thought the goalie they put in at the halfway mark, I thought he was phenomenal,” McKelvie noted. “He made some big saves. So our guys gotta stay with that.”

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Biron Embraces Family Legacy, Military Path

The younger Biron, who made two appearances last year, discussed the unique advantages of having an NHL veteran as a personal goalie coach while forging his own path at West Point.

“It’s incredible. It’s having a personal goalie coach. No matter whatever I do, he’s always there giving me notes and stuff like that,” Biron said. “So he’s been so helpful to help me get to this point, so I’m very, very thankful for him.”

His decision to attend a service academy was influenced by his maternal grandfather’s Vietnam service. “My grandfather served during Vietnam, and he tells me stories about it all the time when I was growing up. So I always kind of had the idea of maybe going to an academy,” Biron explained.

McKelvie’s First Game as Head Coach

For McKelvie, a West Point graduate himself, the game marked a significant milestone in his coaching career.

“West Point’s just near and dear to my heart. It gave me an opportunity to excel as a hockey player, as a person,” McKelvie said. “For us to be able to be back here and give back to the cadets like this place gave to us is really special.”

The new head coach emphasized the importance of learning from the loss, particularly regarding early-period goals that plagued Army last season. “We were 1-11 when we let up a goal in the first two minutes of a period last year and obviously that happened tonight,” he said. “So I think that was a huge momentum shift for them.”

Freshman Class Shows Promise

Despite the loss, McKelvie found positives in the performance of Army’s freshman class. Defenseman Lucas McCloskey made his debut on the back end after playing forward last year, while Billy Batten, Liam Chapman, and Jacob Ligi all impressed in their first collegiate action.

“All three of those guys were pretty good tonight, so I was pleasantly surprised with their effort,” McKelvie said.

Injury Update and Looking Ahead

The Black Knights will be without Ben Ivey for two to three weeks due to a preseason injury. “He makes a huge difference in our lineup,” McKelvie noted.

Army set a team goal not to lose consecutive games this season, adding urgency to Saturday’s regular-season opener at Union’s newly opened facility.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s exhibition or if it’s the conference finals. We’re ready to play every game to win every game,” Biron said. “Tomorrow, going into Union, it’s a big party for them opening the rink. We want to play spoiler a little bit, have some fun with that, but it’s all focus, game face on tomorrow, ready to get the win.”

Key Takeaways

McKelvie identified neutral zone turnovers and power play execution as areas requiring immediate improvement. The Black Knights’ forecheck showed promise when executed properly, and their ability to generate high-danger chances in the third period provides a foundation to build upon.

“Our forecheck was pretty good when we committed to it and got pucks below the goal line,” McKelvie said. “That’s kind of our bread and butter, but we gotta do it for 60 minutes.”

As Army transitions from exhibition to regular-season play, the young squad must quickly learn from Friday’s mistakes while maintaining the positive elements of their performance. With Union celebrating their new arena Saturday night, the Black Knights have an opportunity to spoil the party and start the McKelvie era with a statement victory.

Army faces Union in their regular-season opener Saturday in Schenectady, New York.

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