WEST POINT, N.Y. — The Army West Point Black Knights delivered a commanding 5-2 victory over the Holy Cross Crusaders on Thursday night at Tate Rink, with five different goal scorers and a stellar performance from goaltender JJ Cataldo leading the way in front of 1,257 fans.
The win improved Army to 3-1-1 overall and 1-1-0 in Atlantic Hockey play, while Holy Cross dropped to 1-5-0 overall and 1-1-0 in conference action. The Black Knights will look to complete the weekend sweep when the teams meet again Saturday night at Tate Rink.
First Period: Nolan Opens Scoring
Army wasted little time establishing control, outshooting Holy Cross 7-6 in the opening frame and taking a 1-0 lead on Owen Nolan’s first goal of the season at 7:36.
Nolan’s even-strength tally came off assists from Nils Forselius and Lukas McCloskey, giving the Black Knights the momentum they would carry throughout the night.
The Crusaders had two power-play opportunities in the first period but couldn’t capitalize, managing just two shots with the man advantage. Cataldo was sharp when tested, turning away all six Holy Cross shots to preserve the one-goal lead heading into the intermission.
Second Period: Black Knights Take Command
Army exploded for three goals in the second period to seize control of the game, with the offensive outburst beginning just 22 seconds into the frame.
Vincent Salice struck quickly, converting a feed from Adam Marshall to double the Black Knights’ lead to 2-0. The goal was Salice’s third of the season and set the tone for a dominant middle period.
At 10:53, McCloskey delivered what would prove to be the game-winning goal, his second of the season. Nik Hong and Sam Groebner assisted on the even-strength marker that made it 3-0 and prompted a Holy Cross goaltending change, with Connor MacKenzie replacing starter Louden Hogg.
“I think the guys are just playing together as a team, they know what our identity is. It’s turned out to some wins early on, but we gotta make sure that we’re continuing to improve because everybody’s gonna improve every night,” head coach Zach McKelvie said after the game.
Army West Point forward Nik Hong (#19) controls the puck during the Black Knights’ 5-2 victory over Holy Cross at Tate Rink on October 24, 2025. Hong recorded one assist and four shots on goal in the win, helping Army improve to 3-1-1 overall and 1-1-0 in Atlantic Hockey play. Mandatory Credit: Army Athletics
Army West Point defenseman Ben Ivey (#4) plays defense during the Black Knights’ 5-2 victory over Holy Cross at Tate Rink on October 24, 2025. Ivey scored an empty-net goal late in the third period to seal the win, finishing with three shots and solid two-way play. Mandatory Credit: Army Athletics
Army West Point players celebrate after scoring during the Black Knights’ 5-2 victory over Holy Cross at Tate Rink on October 24, 2025. Visible players include #19 (Nik Hong), #28 (Brent Keefer), and #2 (Lukas McCloskey), with linesman Josh Cleary officiating. Army scored five goals from five different players in the dominant performance. Mandatory Credit: Army Athletics
Holy Cross finally broke through on the power play at 16:32 when Connor Welsh scored his fourth goal of the season, assisted by William Elias and Noah Eyre, cutting Army’s lead to 3-1.
But the Black Knights answered immediately, with Barron Woodring scoring a power-play goal with just 11 seconds remaining in the period. Pierce Patterson and Forselius assisted on Woodring’s first goal of the season, sending Army into the second intermission with a commanding 4-1 advantage.
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Holy Cross showed fight in the third period, with Dax Williams scoring at 5:19 off assists from Jack Seymour and Matt DeBoer to make it 4-2 and give the Crusaders a glimmer of hope.
But Cataldo and the Army defense locked things down from there, limiting Holy Cross to just seven shots in the final frame.
“Yeah, he was good. I thought we were good in front of him. He saw most of the shots that were coming at him. Our guys had a good number of blocks tonight, so that was good. But JJ, he’s just a calming presence and very confident back there. When he makes a big save like he did in the first, our guys just kind of feed off that,” McKelvie said of his goaltender.
Cataldo finished with 25 saves on 27 shots, continuing his stellar start to the season.
“Well, in the first few games so far, the team’s kept it pretty simple for me in all the games we’ve played, even when we lost versus Canisius. Yeah, I think our team’s buying into how we’ve got to play defensively, and luckily I’m on the beneficial side of that,” Cataldo said.
Ben Ivey sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 17:30, assisted by Marshall and Groebner, to make the final score 5-2.
Physical Play and Discipline
The game featured a physical edge, particularly in the third period, with both teams combining for seven penalties totaling 14 minutes. Army was whistled for five penalties for (10 minutes), while Holy Cross took two penalties (4 minutes).
Offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were assessed to Army’s Forselius and Holy Cross’ Mack Oliphant at 12:25 of the third period as tensions rose.
McKelvie addressed the physical nature of the contest and the importance of maintaining discipline heading into Saturday’s rematch.
“I really like the way Holy Cross plays. They play a tough, hard-nosed game. We try to play that way too. You just gotta be careful that it doesn’t go over the line. I didn’t really think tonight went over the line, but you could see how if that carries over to tomorrow it could. You don’t want to be in the box for penalties like that,” McKelvie said.
Army’s special teams units were a difference-maker, with the power play converting 1-of-1 opportunities and the penalty kill holding Holy Cross to 1-of-4.
“I’ve really liked both units. I think the power play has two goals this year. The power plays have been weird. We got charted for two against a couple games ago, but there was only 17 seconds of power play time. I don’t know if their numbers or percentage-wise is really indicative of what they are as a group, but they got a huge goal tonight, and that was a great net presence, great shot by Patty,”McKelvie said, referring to Pierce Patterson’s role in Woodring’s power-play goal.
On the penalty kill, McKelvie praised his team’s commitment to the system.
“I think the penalty kill has been really good. There’s always stuff you need to clean up early in the year, but they’re dialed in, they’re committed to it, and overall, they’ve been pretty good this year so far,” the coach said.
Cataldo echoed that sentiment from the goaltender’s perspective.
“Our penalty kill has been great, and yeah, I think the big part of that is guys, like I said, just really willing to buy into our systems. Our coach has put together a really good PK for us, and we’ve played the system well. As long as we execute, get 200-foot clears and stuff, we’re doing great,” he said.
Unsung Heroes
While the goal scorers grabbed the headlines, McKelvie was quick to praise players who contributed in ways that don’t show up on the stat sheet.
“I think there were some individuals that really stepped up who have felt that they haven’t played their game, and I thought they really stepped up tonight. One guy that wasn’t on the score sheet was Brent Kiefer. I don’t think he was on the score sheet tonight, but he was excellent. He was really, really good tonight, and he did so many things that you don’t see in the box score, but he was a big contributor to this win,” McKelvie said.
Army’s defensive corps recorded 13 blocked shots, with Forselius and Jones each blocking two. The Black Knights also won the faceoff battle 35-26, with Woodring going 15-for-23 (65.2%) in the circle.
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With the first game of the back-to-back series in the books, both teams will turn their attention to Saturday’s rematch at Tate Rink.
McKelvie emphasized the challenges of playing consecutive games against the same opponent and the need for his team to maintain their edge.
“Just fatigue, but everybody does it. You can’t really use that as an excuse. The other thing is you have to go into the second game, if you win the first game, like you lost the night before because you have to play with that sense of urgency, because there’s so much parity in this league and that team has a lot of pride. They’re gonna play hard tomorrow. If we’re not ready for it, the result’s gonna be different,” McKelvie warned.
“Tomorrow’s gonna be a harder battle than it was tonight. It’s really hard in this league to win twice, so we need to make sure that our team game is even better than it was tonight,” he added.
Cataldo, who will likely get the start again Saturday, expressed confidence in his preparation for the rematch.
“I prepare the same way for every game. I actually like playing on the Saturday game because I’ve already got my feet wet with them. I know kind of who they are and where they’re looking to make plays and stuff, so for me it’s the same. And our team’s got to take that same approach because we just got to do that again,” the goaltender said.
The Black Knights will look to complete the sweep and improve to 4-1-1 on the season when they host Holy Cross again Saturday night.
Game Summary
Final Score: Army West Point 5, Holy Cross 2 Date: October 24, 2025 Venue: Tate Rink, West Point, N.Y. Attendance: 1,257 Officials: Referees: Aaron Townsend, Mark Dungan; Linesmen: Josh Cleary, Cameron Carlson
19:48 — Army: Barron Woodring (Pierce Patterson, Nils Forselius) PP — 4-1 Army
Third Period
5:19 — Holy Cross: Dax Williams (Jack Seymour, Matt DeBoer) EV — 4-2 Army
17:30 — Army: Ben Ivey (Adam Marshall, Sam Groebner) EN — 5-2 Army
Team Stats
Stats Categories
Holy Cross
Army Black Knights
Goals
2
5
Shots
27
29
Power Play
1-4
1-1
Penalty Minutes
4
10
Faceoffs Won
26
35
Blocked Shots
10
13
Goaltending
Holy Cross
Louden Hogg (L): 8 saves on 11 shots (30:53)
Connor MacKenzie: 16 saves on 17 shots (29:03)
Army Black Knights
JJ Cataldo (W): 25 saves on 27 shots (60:00)
Goal Scorers For Army
Owen Nolan (1), Ben Ivey (1), Vincent Salice (1), Lukas McCloskey (1), Barron Woodring (1)
Army Black Knights Multi-Point Players
Adam Marshall: 2 assists
Nils Forselius: 2 assists
Sam Groebner: 2 assists
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