Colorado Springs, C.O. — Back in late November, it was all Air Force when they came to West Point and swept the Black Knights. Tonight, at the United States Air Force Academy, the Army got some revenge against its rival. Sparked by a three-goal second period, the Black Knights took the three points Friday night. They hung onto a 4-3 win at Cadet Ice Arena.
The Falcons took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, but Zach McKelvie’s Black Knights came out in the second with a fire lit. The Ivey twins, Ben and Jack, both found the back of the net. Meanwhile, Army captain Barron Woodring turned the game on its head, scoring with just 34 seconds on the clock in the middle period. Ben Ivey scored his second goal of the game early in the third period. In the end, Army weathered Air Force’s pressure to capture a victory in enemy territory.
The big story of the game was in between the pipes with sophomore goaltender JJ Cataldo making 50 saves in the Army victory. Those 50 saves set a career high mark for Cataldo. This surpassed his previous high of 48 saves in a 3-2 win over Niagara in game 1 of the AHA Playoffs last season.
The win improves the Black Knights to 12-14-5 on the season, and 7-13-3 (26 points) in Atlantic Hockey play. Meanwhile, the Air Force Academy drops to 15-13-3 on the season, with a conference record of 11-10-2 (34 Points). Tonight was massive for Army, moving the Black Knights into eighth place in Atlantic Hockey America. They jumped Niagara, which lost to Mercyhurst earlier tonight.
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As the second half of the “Silver Star” series got underway on the campus of the United States Air Force Academy, things didn’t start well for the Black Knights.
The Falcons jumped out to a 1-0 lead 3:12 into the game, off the stick of Nick Sajevic. As the pressure mounted in the Army zone, Will Dawson played a pass over to Sajevic. Sajevic quickly got off a shot that beat a screened JJ Cataldo over his right shoulder to get the crowd into the game early.
The host took the lead into the first intermission, but when the teams came out for the second period, it was Army that started to swing the momentum in their favor.
In typical fashion for the Black Knights, it was the power play that got them going. Both Jack and Ben Ivey have been deadly for Zach McKelvie this season, and it would be Jack who gets them on the board. Ben, carrying the puck up to the point, played a quick exchange with his brother. Jack fired a one-timer past Dominik Wasik’s right blocker to tie the game at one.
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Air Force regained the lead halfway through the game with a goal from Oliver Genest, but it didn’t last long. Ben Ivey wanted to join his brother on the scoresheet and got his chance with 7:21 left in the second period.
Freshman Billy Batten forced a turnover in the Army zone, and Ben Ivey took off like a bullet the other way. Joined by Brent Keefer on a two-on-one, Ivey took it all the way. He ripped a shot through the legs of Dominik Wasik to tie the game a second time for Army.
The Black Knights weren’t done scoring and took the lead right before the end of the period. In the period of the long change, Army caught Air Force. On a partial three-on-one just inside the Falcons’ blue line, Nils Forselius sucked in the only Air Force defenseman back and got his pass through to Barron Woodring. One-on-one with Wasik, the Army captain settled the puck down. He placed his shot perfectly over Wasik’s glove and underneath the crossbar to give Army its first lead of the game.
Hanging on by the Skin of Their Teeth
Army would double its lead less than two minutes into the third period with a second power play goal. Nils Forselius set up Jack Ivey for another one-timer from the blue line, but his shot went wide of the net. Fortunately for Army, the puck bounced off the end boards perfectly to his brother Ben Ivey for a tap-in into an empty net. There were no Falcons in the vicinity of the crease.
That would be the rest of the offense that the Black Knights would be able to generate the rest of the game. Down two goals, Air Force tilted the ice dramatically in its favor.
The pressure finally cracked the armor of the Black Knights’ defense with 7:31 left in regulation. Sam Stitz had his initial shot saved by JJ Cataldo, but Will Dawson corralled the rebound left by the Army goaltender. Nik Hong blocked Dawson’s first shot, but the sophomore followed it up and buried his chance to get Air Force within one goal.
With Air Force pushing for the tying goal, the game would be determined by JJ Cataldo. Coming into the third period, Cataldo made 23 saves on 25 shots. In the third period alone, the Falcons peppered the Army net with 28 shots on goal. Cataldo more than doubled his saves in the final frame. He stopped a total of 50 Air Force shots, a career high.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Air Force had one last look at the goal, but senior defenseman Sean Vlasich put his body on the line and made a huge block with seven seconds left. Brent Keefer won the ensuing faceoff for Army. As the final horn sounded, the Black Knights stormed onto the ice to mob the hero of the night, JJ Cataldo.
With its victory Friday night, Army has now won three consecutive games in Colorado Springs dating back to the 2024-2025 season. The Black Knights have also won five of the last seven games against the Falcons. This follows a dominant stretch of eight wins in ten games for Air Force between 2021 and 2024.
Wrapping Up Friday Night
Army (12-14-5, 7-13-3 AHA) is back in action against Air Force (15-13-3, 11-10-2) tomorrow night to wrap up the weekend. The Black Knights slide into eighth place in Atlantic Hockey America, jumping Niagara, which lost to Mercyhurst tonight.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m at the Hart Center in Worcester.
Game Summary
Final Score: Army 4, Air Force 3
Date: February 20th, 2026
Venue: Cadet Ice Arena, Colorado Springs, C.O.
Attendance: 2,820
Officials: Referee – Danny Bethmann & Jared Waitt; Linesman – Brendan Gormley & Ryan Demsey
Scoring Summary
First Period
- 3:12 — Air Force: Nick Sajevic (Will Dawson & Sam Stitz) EV — 1-0 Air Force
Second Period
- 2:48 — Army: Jack Ivey (Nils Forselius & Jude Brower) PP — 1-1
- 11:23 — Air Force: Oliver Genest (Cole Christian & Ren Morque) EV — 2-1 Air Force
- 12:39 — Army: Ben Ivey (Billy Batten) EV — 2-2
- 19:27 — Army: Barron Woodring (Nils Forselius & Lukas McCloskey) SH — 3-2 Army
Third Period
- 1:45 — Army: Ben Ivey (Jack Ivey & Nils Forselius) PP — 4-2 Army
- 12:29 — Air Force: Will Dawson (Sam Stitz & Chris Hedden) EV — 4-3 Army
Team Stats
| Stats Categories | Army Black Knights | Air Force Falcons |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 4 | 3 |
| Shots | 23 | 53 |
| Power Play (Shots) | 2-7 (10) | 0-9 (4) |
| Penalty Minutes | 18 | 14 |
| Faceoffs Won | 22 | 42 |
| Blocked Shots | 23 | 10 |
Goaltending
Army Black Knights
- JJ Cataldo (W): 50 Saves on 53 Shots (0.943 SV%)
Air Force Falcons
- Dominik Wasik (L): 19 Saves on 23 shots (.826 SV%)
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