Black Knights Show Improvement But Drop Fifth Straight Despite Dominant Second and Third Periods
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point men’s hockey battled back from an early deficit and pushed Air Force to overtime Saturday night at Tate Rink, but the Falcons’ Nick Sajevic scored 2:17 into the extra session to give Air Force a 3-2 victory and a weekend sweep.
The loss extended Army’s winless streak to five games (0-4-1) and marked the first time in two seasons the Black Knights have been swept at home by Air Force. Army (6-10-2 overall, 4-6-2 Atlantic Hockey) has not won a game in regulation in nearly a month.
Despite the result, Army showed significant improvement from Friday’s 6-1 loss, outshooting Air Force 33-24 and dominating possession in the second and third periods while returning to the defensive structure and forechecking identity that brought early-season success.
McKelvie: “We Played a Lot Better Than Last Night”
Army head coach Zach McKelvie was pleased with his team’s effort despite the disappointing result.
“I think we played a lot better than last night. We definitely out-chanced them. We had a lot more scoring chances,” McKelvie said. “I had a great scoring chance in the second [that] hit the crossbar, but I thought the third, like shots were 15 to nine. I think the second period they were eight to four, both in our favor. And I thought we got it going, and we just, you know, we weren’t able to find the back of the net, but I did like the way our guys competed. Like they sold out tonight, and that happens in hockey. Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve.”
Army outshot Air Force 15-9 in the third period and 8-4 in the second, controlling possession for long stretches and wearing down the Falcons with sustained offensive pressure.
“We felt if we worked the puck low, they would get worn out, and I thought they did,” McKelvie said. “I thought we started to tire them out in the second. Like we had so much possession. And then the third, they got a little tired. They had a couple of good flurries. They had a couple of really good shifts too. But that was a point of emphasis this morning—just making sure we worked the puck low, keeping them 200 feet away from our net. That’s a good way to play defense too.”
Sajevic Wins It in Overtime
Air Force (10-7-1, 6-3-1 AHA) secured the extra point when Sajevic beat Army goaltender J.J. Cataldo 2:17 into overtime with assists from Will Staring. The game-winner came on Air Force’s first shot of the overtime period after Army had dominated the extra frame with four shots, including one on goal.
The Falcons completed the series sweep despite being outshot 33-24 on the night and 73-52 for the weekend. Air Force goaltender Dominik Wasik made 31 saves to earn the victory, including several key stops in the second and third periods when Army controlled play.
Vlasich, Ivey Score for Army
Army’s goals came from senior defenseman Sean Vlasich and sophomore forward Ben Ivey, both of whom provided key offensive sparks in a much-improved performance from Friday’s opener.
Vlasich opened the scoring late in the first period with his first goal of the season and second of his career, crashing the net on a heads-up play. Forward Nik Hong drove wide on the entry before cutting to the middle, and Vlasich deflected a pass to the net. Jon Bell and Nik Hong assisted on the goal.
“I just saw Honger driving wide. He made a nice play coming in the middle or going to the outside on the entry. And I just saw a little bit of an opening, so I just shouted at him to throw it,” Vlasich said. “Good heads-up play by him, just throwing it there, and we got a good bounce out of that.”
McKelvie emphasized the importance of the late first-period goal, which prevented Army from entering the intermission trailing.
“Huge. I mean, because they were up one nothing, so you don’t want to go into the intermission down one,” McKelvie said. “It’s huge, huge momentum for us. Talked about, you know, making sure we have a good net drive, and he did a good job getting to the net there. And I don’t know who it was, but someone funnelled it to the net, and it was a nice play.”
The goal was particularly meaningful for Vlasich, who scored his first collegiate goal as a freshman against the Falcons at Tate Rink in 2023.
Ivey tied the game 2-2 in the third period on the power play after a faceoff win from Barron Woodring, who assisted on the goal. Ivey fired the puck over Wasik’s glove and into the back of the net with 14:30 remaining in regulation, giving Army momentum heading into the final minutes.
“Ben Ivey came across the slot and ripped, I think it was high glove, and that was a great shot,” McKelvie said. “And it got us back in the game.”
“I mean, it’s kind of just off the faceoff. Coach is telling us to shoot right off,” Ivey said. “I didn’t really see anything in particular. They have a very strong PK and like to front-puck. Kind of hesitated a second, waiting for the goalie to get screened by them.”
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Wholesale Line Changes Spark Improved Performance
McKelvie made wholesale changes to his lineup Saturday, altering every forward line and keeping only one defensive pairing intact from Friday’s loss.
“We’ve been a little flat the last three games, so we just needed to change some things up and kind of a fresh start for the guys, get them some new looks,” McKelvie said. “And I thought they, for the most part, played pretty well tonight, and the combo has worked pretty well. The D pairs worked pretty well, and our guys did a good job of resetting from last night.”
McKelvie praised his team’s ability to bounce back mentally from Friday’s disappointing loss.
“Like these games, when you play Air Force, they’re your biggest rival,” McKelvie said. “And it’s just a mental and physical grind. So you gotta be able to, after you lose, you gotta be able to reset, and our guys did a good job with that.”
Forward Jon Bell was particularly effective in his elevated role, assisting on Vlasich’s goal and creating havoc in front of the net throughout the night.
“We talk about that a lot, like getting to the net and playing hard, playing very direct,” McKelvie said. “And, you know, Beller has been a guy, he’s like an everyday guy. He just works hard and does his job. So it’s nice when guys that don’t get as much ice time are able to get on the score sheet. And he just does it every day, so he got rewarded tonight.”
Fast Start for Air Force, Strong Response from Army
Air Force set a blistering pace early, recording 11 shots in the first three and a half minutes before Army could register its first shot. But the Black Knights responded with a strong push, recording six of the game’s next seven shots.
The Falcons struck first just after the seven-minute mark of the opening period, scoring for the second consecutive game. But the Black Knights answered late in the first when Vlasich found the back of the net off assists from Bell and Hong, sending the teams into the first intermission tied 1-1.
Army came out of the break with urgency, tallying seven shots in the first five minutes of the second period. Both defenses battled throughout the frame to keep their service academy rival off the board, but Air Force eventually broke through on a power-play opportunity with just under two minutes left in the period to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.
The goal came after a defensive breakdown when four Army forwards were caught on the ice following a power play.
“So that was at the end of our power plays. We had four forwards on the ice, and there was a miscommunication of who was covering for D,” McKelvie said. “And that’s something we actually talk about often because it usually happens most. A lot of power plays have just four forwards and one D. So when they come out of the box and you get in your zone, one of those guys has to take D and we just didn’t sort it out quickly enough.”
Net-Driving, Cycling, and Forechecking Return
Army’s offensive improvement stemmed from a renewed commitment to net-driving, cycling the puck below the goal line, and forechecking—elements that were absent in Friday’s loss.
“I think it’s just something that’s been lacking in our game the past couple games,” Vlasich said. “A few goals that we’ve had in these past two or three games have come from a lot of net drives, and we just didn’t have that Friday. So that’s where a lot of our success comes from. So we preach that beforehand.”
The Black Knights generated more offensive zone time by working the puck low and wearing down Air Force’s defensemen with sustained pressure in the second and third periods.
“We talked in the locker room in between—getting pucks below their defensemen and then pounding on the forecheck,” Vlasich said. “Even in game one, we weren’t very good at getting pucks below the goal line, kind of turnovers on the blue line. In between periods, [head coach Zach McKelvie] just said, ‘We got to get back to our identity, get back to our game.’ Definitely a lot of success when we were good on the forecheck and taking pucks away from the D.”
McKelvie also emphasized the importance of resetting the puck when Air Force blocked shots, preventing the Falcons from generating rush opportunities.
“Well, they blocked a ton of shots. And then when they blocked the shots, they were always up in the rush,” McKelvie said. “So we just talked to our D about if you don’t have anything, just reset it. And we have to keep a guy anchored at the net. I think that just allowed us to get more room in the ozone, which led to a lot more possession.”
Third Period Push and Overtime Dominance
Army emerged from the second intermission on the hunt for any opportunity to close the gap. The Black Knights led shots and shots on goal in the third period, outshooting Air Force 15-9 while maintaining defensive discipline.
After Ivey’s power-play goal tied the game 2-2 off Woodring’s assist, a staunch defensive effort from both sides kept the score level and sent the game into overtime.
Army came out with a chip on their shoulder in overtime, dominating possession and recording four shots, including one on goal. But Air Force’s defense held strong to keep the game alive before Sajevic ended it on the Falcons’ first shot of the extra session.
Power Play Shows Flashes, Needs Improvement
The Black Knights finished 1-for-6 on the power play, with Ivey’s goal providing the crucial conversion. The Black Knights generated six shots on their six power-play opportunities but faced an aggressive Air Force penalty kill that fronted the puck and blocked shots effectively.
McKelvie acknowledged the need for improvement in power-play execution.
“We just got to clean up fundamentals. Like it’s, they’re going to, every team’s going to make adjustments after the first power play. And then certainly from night to night, their coaches are really, they’re smart guys. They’re really well coached. They’re going to make adjustments,” McKelvie said. “And, you know, we didn’t move the puck crisp in every, on our breakouts or in the zone. And I think that kind of played into their hands cause they were a little more aggressive. But you know, they did get us a big goal tonight, so we were happy with that.”
“Props to their penalty kill—they are very good at fronting pucks, blocking pucks,” Ivey said. “Our game plan was just try to confuse them, try to get some rollovers, and I mean, they were very good at staying to their system. But I mean, our first unit is just more of a read and react kind of unit, make plays off the top of the unit there. Got our way two times this week, and I thought we could have had a couple more goals.”
Statistical Breakdown
Army outshot Air Force 33-24 and won the faceoff battle 39-24. The Black Knights finished 1-for-6 on the power play, while Air Force went 1-for-3.
Air Force’s Dominik Wasik made 31 saves to earn the victory, while Army’s J.J. Cataldo stopped 21 shots in the losing effort.
Nick Sajevic led the Air Force with one goal and one assist, while Will Staring recorded one assist on the game-winner. For Army, Sean Vlasich scored his first goal of the season and second of his career with assists from Jon Bell and Nik Hong, while Ben Ivey netted the power-play goal with an assist from Barron Woodring.
Brendan Ivey led Army with seven shots on goal. Army blocked 14 shots, while Air Force blocked 16. The Black Knights were called for three penalties (six minutes), while Air Force was whistled for six penalties (12 minutes).x penalties (12 minutes).
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Senior Class Disappointed But Confident
For Army’s senior class, the weekend sweep was particularly disappointing after last season’s success against Air Force, when the Black Knights swept the Falcons four times.
“It obviously sucks losing to them at home, and it sucks more losing to them at home,” Vlasich said. “The good thing is we got a lot of season left, and we get to go out to their place and kind of rain on their parade. So we got a couple months in between now and then, put a lot of work in, and we’re headed in the right direction, so we’re pretty confident.”
McKelvie echoed his senior class’s sentiment, emphasizing that the rivalry is far from over.
“Yeah, well, you’re always disappointed for them, because this game means so much to them,” McKelvie said. “You know, we do get two more cracks at them, so we got to keep our heads up. And the nice thing about tonight and getting the point is like the star series is still alive for us. And you know, last year we got four wins against them. So the senior class they, regardless of the result this weekend, they have a lot to hang their hat on and be proud of in this series. And so hopefully when we go out there in February, it’s a different result.”
Despite the extended winless streak, Army’s players remain confident in their ability to turn things around.
“Just stay positive, just stick together as a group,” Vlasich said. “I mean, everyone hits slumps. We had a slump last year, and we went on like a 13-game point streak, an 11-game win streak. Just stick together as a group, just stay positive. We know what we have in the room. We know it’s good enough to win this league. So we just got to stay confident.”
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Looking Ahead
Army will look to snap its winless streak when it returns to Atlantic Hockey play in the coming weeks. The Black Knights will face Air Force again later this season at Cadet Ice Arena in Colorado Springs.
“Just little things, little details, getting our flow back that we had in the beginning of the year, just a little bit of chemistry here and there,” Ivey said. “We’ve done it before. We showed it in the beginning of the season when we beat Northeastern, when we beat Union. So we’ve proven that we can do it. We just need to get back to it.”
Up Next
Army remains at West Point for its next contest, welcoming Bentley back to the Banks of the Hudson on Tuesday, Nov. 25, for a 7 p.m. matchup at Tate Rink.
The Black Knights will look to snap their winless streak and return to the form that brought early-season victories over ranked opponents.
“Just little things, little details, getting our flow back that we had in the beginning of the year, just a little bit of chemistry here and there,” Ivey said. “We’ve done it before. We showed it in the beginning of the season when we beat Northeastern, when we beat Union. So we’ve proven that we can do it. We just need to get back to it.”
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