WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men’s ice hockey delivered one of its sharpest, most complete performances of the season Friday night at Tate Rink, overwhelming RIT 6–2 behind a lethal power play, timely goaltending, and a statement third period.
Army improved to 11–12–5 (6–11–3 Atlantic Hockey), while RIT fell to 15–12–2 (11–8–2).
Special teams swung it
Army’s man-advantage unit was the difference.
The Black Knights finished 3-for-4 on the power play and had chances to make it a perfect night, generating sustained zone time and quick-strike looks that repeatedly forced RIT to defend under pressure.
As head coach Zac put it, “We challenged both our special teams at the start of the week, like this is the time of year you need to step up. Our power play was phenomenal tonight… They got looks on all four power plays. They got three. Three out of four is pretty good.”
On the other side, Army’s penalty kill was equally clean, holding RIT to 0-for-3.
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Early strike, then Army pulls away
Army opened the scoring late in the first period when Jack Ivey cashed in on the power play at 14:45, with Barron Woodring and Ben Ivey picking up the assists.
RIT answered early in the second (4:44), but Army responded with two momentum-turning goals:
- Barron Woodring restored the lead on the power play at 7:07, set up by Billy Batten and Nils Forselius.
- Adam Marshall made it 3–1 at 16:05, finishing an even-strength sequence with Batten and Easton Zueger on the helpers. The goal stood as the game-winner.
Army’s top-end skill showed up all over the scoresheet, and the coaching staff liked the overall 60-minute shape.
“I thought we played a pretty solid 60 minutes,” Zac said. “There was a couple spurts where we got a little bit loose… but overall I liked our game. Like we’ve been playing a lot of good hockey recently and for us to put it together for largely 60 minutes was great.”
Big nights: Marshall and Batten drive the attack
Marshall and Batten were at the center of everything Army did well.
- Adam Marshall: 2 goals, including the game-winner and a third-period power-play dagger.
- Billy Batten: 3 assists, a steady presence all night and a key driver of Army’s puck movement.
Marshall credited preparation — and a spark from pregame adjustments — for the way Army came out.
“They’re a good team. We did a lot of pre-scout leading up to this, so we came in ready to play,” Marshall said. “We shook up the lines a little bit coming into the game, too, so that gave us a little spark.”
Batten’s three-assist night was also a welcome sign for an offense that had been searching for a finish.
“Struggled to score a little bit after Christmas,” Zac said. “We played good hockey, but we struggled to score, and we challenged the guys… It’s about execution at this time of year.”
Zac also singled out Batten’s consistency.
“Bats has been a good player all year; he probably should have more points than he does because he’s just a solid player every game,” he said. “And so it’s nice to see him get three apples tonight.”
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Cataldo’s penalty-shot save: the turning point
RIT had a chance to climb back into it early in the third, but JJ Cataldo slammed the door.
At 3:21 of the third period, Cataldo turned away a penalty shot, a massive moment that preserved Army’s two-goal cushion and kept the building tilted in the Black Knights’ favor.
“That could have changed the dynamic of the game,” Zac said. “And he made a big save there. Our guys got confidence from it… He’s such a good goalie. He’s so calm in there. He just breeds confidence for our guys.”
Marshall and Batten weren’t surprised.
“There was never a doubt,” Marshall said. “Every week, watch that guy every day — you know, he’s going to come up big when he needs to.”
Batten added: “He’s a stud in practice, he’s a stud in games. We’re used to it by now.”
Third-period surge seals it
After RIT cut the margin to 3–2 at 7:20, Army answered with three goals in the final 10:08:
- Adam Marshall struck again on the power play at 9:52 (assists: Lukas McCloskey, Nik Hong) to make it 4–2.
- Ben Ivey extended the lead at 13:56 (assists: Marshall, Batten).
- Ben Ivey capped the night with an empty-netter at 17:31 for the 6–2 final.
Marshall said the power play’s mindset was simple: get pucks through and make the goalie’s life miserable.
“Our emphasis was just to get shots, get through, and then put bodies in front, and we were able to do that,” he said.
Faceoffs: RIT won the dot, Army won the details
RIT controlled the faceoff numbers, but Army limited the damage.
“They’re a great face-off team. They got a lot of crafty centers so they beat us in the dot tonight,” Zac said. “They run some ozone draws that are hard to cover… even though we lost a bunch, we did a good job of not allowing them to run their plays.”
Final: Army 6, RIT 2
Scoring summary (Army)
- 1st (14:45): Jack Ivey (PP) — Woodring, Ben Ivey
- 2nd (7:07): Woodring (PP) — Batten, Forselius
- 2nd (16:05): Marshall (EV, GWG) — Batten, Zueger
- 3rd (9:52): Marshall (PP) — McCloskey, Hong
- 3rd (13:56): Ben Ivey (EV) — Marshall, Batten
- 3rd (17:31): Ben Ivey (EN, unassisted)
What’s next
The series continues tomorrow afternoon at Tate Rink, and it should be another physical, high-stakes battle.
With the Atlantic Hockey standings tightening, Army can’t afford to drop points the rest of the way — but Zac wants the focus to narrow.
“We can’t certainly get wrapped up in the standings,” he said. “Our league is so tight that you really just have to worry about playing your best hockey at the end of February.”
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