Erie, P.A. — Army Hockey has been riding a massive high since the end of November, owning a record of 4-1-2 with multiple victories over top-25 teams. However, on Friday, that high crashed as the Black Knights lost 3-0 to Mercyhurst University, giving the Lakers their first win of the 2025-2026 season.
The story of the game was Mercyhurst goaltender not only getting the victory over the Black Knights, but also earning a shutout in the process. The Freshman from Lévis, Quebec, Canada, made 39 saves to kill all the positive vibes that Army had coming into this game.
On the other side of the ice, sophomore JJ Cataldo made 21 saves on 23 shots, but it would be two costly defensive breakdowns that sealed Army’s fate. The Black Knights allowed multiple two-on-one
The loss drops Army to 7-10-5 on the season and 2-9-3 (11 points) in Atlantic Hockey play, while Mercyhurst adds its first victory to the board and is now 1-17-1 with a conference record of 1-9-1 (4 Points).
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Army Fails to Capitalize on the Power-Play
In the first 20 minutes of the game, Army did a good job of carrying over its play from its most recent victory over #12-ranked Northeastern last weekend. The Black Knights outshot the Lakers 14-11 in the first period, but were not able to beat Mercyhurst goaltender Charles-Edward Gravel.
The second period is where Army had its best chances to open the scoring. The AHA’s second-ranked power-play had two opportunities in the middle period. But the Black Knights struggled to muster any offense on the man advantage, recording just two shots on net combined.
Once again, Army dominated the period, allowing just three shots to their ten, but Gravel proved to be a brick wall tonight in Erie.
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- Army Hockey Lets Late Lead Slip, Falls in Shootout to LIU: McKelvie Candid on Lessons Learned
Two Defense Breakdowns Cost Army
Through forty minutes, Zach McKelvie and his team were playing their game. Army was doing everything right, except for putting the puck into the net.
But the longer you give a team that hasn’t won a game this season hope, they’ll eventually turn the tables against you. That’s exactly the playbook that the Lakers had, and they made Army pay for not scoring by taking a 1-0 lead with just over seven minutes left in the game.
Mercyhurst caught the Black Knights in transition with a three-on-one odd-man rush. Army senior Owen Nolan attempted to kill the play by attacking Ryan Coughlin, who had the puck. Unfortunately for Nolan, Coughlin was able to sauce a pass over his stick over to Will Schumacher, who beat JJ Cataldo short side under his blocker.
Mercyhurst didn’t look back after scoring and quickly doubled its lead. Army once again was caught in transition, with the Lakers on a two-on-one odd man rush, and Mercyhurst made most of it to take a 2-0 lead just 1:27 after opening the scoring.
Senior defensemen Sean Vlasich made an aggressive play at the red line, trying to deflect a pass, but it put him out of position against the eventual goal scorer. Sophomore defenseman Sam Groebner tried to compensate for his partner, but instead, he made the same mistake that Nolan made just a couple of minutes prior.
With Groebner bearing down on him, Connor Pelc was able to make a similar saucer pass to the middle of the ice, and Sean James was able to redirect the bouncing puck past Cataldo’s blocker. Just like that, Mercyhurst had a 2-0 lead and sucked all the life out of a high on confidence Army team.
Trailing by two late, Zach McKelvie called a timeout and pulled the goaltender for the extra man to give the Black Knights a shot at forcing overtime. It didn’t work out as Mercyhurst was able to score on the empty net, making it 3-0 for the home team and sealing the game.
Wrapping up Friday Night
Army (7-10-5, 2-9-3 AHA) is back in action tomorrow evening as they wrap up the weekend with Mercyhurst University.
Saturday will be a must-win game for Zach McKelvie and his team as they sit on just 11 points after fourteen games played. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m at Mercyhurst Ice Center.
Game Summary
Final Score: Army 0, Mercyhurst 3
Date: January 9th, 2026
Venue: Mercyhurst Ice Arena, Erie, P.A.
Attendance: 897
Officials: Referee – Jared Cummins & Deric Boehm; Linesman: Patrick O’Mara & Brian Kimmins
Scoring Summary
First Period
- No Goals Scored
Second Period
- No Goals Scored
Third Period
- 12:50 — Mercyhurst: Will Schumacher (Ryan Coughlin) EV — 1-0 Mercyhurst
- 14:17 — Mercyhurst: Sean James (Connor Pelc) EV — 2-0 Mercyhurst
- 18:03 — Mercyhurst: Andrew LeBanc (Peter Klemm) EV (Empty Net) — 3-0 Mercyhurst
Team Stats
| Stats Categories | Mercyhurst Lakers | Army Black Knights |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 3 | 0 |
| Shots | 24 | 39 |
| Power Play (Shots) | 0-3 (7) | 0-3 (4) |
| Penalty Minutes | 6 | 6 |
| Faceoffs Won | 28 | 29 |
| Blocked Shots | 19 | 4 |
Goaltending
Mercyhurst Lakers
- Charles-Edward Gravel (W): 39 Saves on 39 shots (1.000 SV%)
Army Black Knights
- JJ Cataldo (L): 21 Saves on 23 Shots (0.913 SV%)
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