Army Opens Up 2026-2027 Season With Heartbreaking Loss to Union College

West Point, N.Y. — It was 214 days ago that Army last stepped on the ice when Niagara ended their season. The Black Knights took this summer to improve, add to a heavily returning core, and looked like a rejuvenated group this Fall.

Taking on Union College to open the new season, Army started exactly how they wanted to, taking a 2-0 lead in the first period. The energy at Tate Rink spiked when senior Brent Keefer scored just over five minutes into the game. The rink got louder when freshman Rhys Wallin doubled the lead 10 minutes later. Vibes were high, but it wouldn’t last.

The Garnet Chargers would go on to score the next four goals, including the game-winning goal by Will Felicio with 1:51 left in regulation. Army junior goaltender JJ Cataldo played well, making 25 out of 28 shots, but his counterpart Brayden Gillespie was better, making 34 of 36 saves and earning the victory.

“We started off great,” Army head coach Zach McKelvie said. “They got a chance early on, and then for the next 25, 30 minutes, we were all over them. Our guys were relentless. We were playing connected. We had a lot of good scoring chances. We got two and got the fans on our side, and then took a couple of untimely penalties. It didn’t really crush the momentum, but our game just wasn’t the same. And then in the third, I thought it was pretty even. We just weren’t committed to some of the little details that help you win in those tight games.”

The loss gives Army a 0-1 record to begin the 2026-2027 season. The Black Knights played well this weekend, both in the RPI exhibition game and against Union, but you don’t get credit for playing well. As the season goes on, the team will have to learn how to win those one-goal games, especially when Atlantic Hockey play starts up.

First Period: Starting Strong + A Goal From a Freshman

Coming into the season, reigning Atlantic Hockey goaltender of the Year JJ Cataldo wasn’t named to the preseason All-Conference team. He might not have said it, but that puts a chip on your shoulder. Cataldo came out the game in mid-season form, making three critical saves from within his crease to keep the game scoreless in the first few minutes.

A year ago, starting on time was a problem for the Black Knights, and it cost them late in games. It even crept up in the team’s exhibition game Friday night against RPI, trailing 2-0 heading into the locker room. But Army flipped the script on the Garnet Chargers.

Trying to clear its zone, Union couldn’t get the clearing attempt past the stick of Brent Keefer, and the Firstie had a free path to the net. In a partial 2-on-1 with senior Barron Woodring, Keefer used his captain as a decoy and changed his track towards the blue paint. Keefer, who had his lowest goal total of his career in 2025-2026 with just 6, placed a perfect backhand through the body of Brayden Gillespie to get the fans at Tate rink off their feet.

Zach McKelvie called Keefer “one of the more talented” players on this year’s roster, and he showed how good he could be on that play. “Yeah, I felt pretty good going into the first period. I think it just came with preparation; the boys were definitely ready, especially for the first game,” Keefer said post-game. “I mean, it started with a great play by Gibby [Sean Gibbons], getting it out of the zone, then with Rhys [Wallin] and Woody [Woodring] doing a hard forecheck. I saw that defenseman and caught him by surprise because they let him off the wall. And then on that goal, I was looking at Woody, but also seeing what that D-man was going to do. And he stayed with Woody, so I just ended up just taking it to the net kind of when we practiced.”

Army kept that momentum up when the first line stepped onto the ice. The trio of junior Nils Forselius and the Ivey twins had Union pinned in its own zone for an extended period of time. They generated 5+ shots and had multiple grade-A chances that just missed the inside of the post.

The pressure never subsided. Army kept on rolling lines, just never giving Union a chance to breathe, and that helped the Black Knights double their lead off the stick of a freshman. Sophomore defenseman Lukas McCloskey kept a play alive at the blue line and got the puck behind the net. Brent Keefer was able to poke the puck loose, and Rhys Wallin, with no hesitation, beat Gillespie with a pinpoint shot over his right shoulder on the short side to give Army a 2-0 lead.

“Pretty excited” were the emotions Wallin described having after scoring his first goal. “It’s pretty awesome getting your first goal in your first game,” the plebe said. “But honestly, I got to give credit to Keefer here for feeding me that puck in front. McCloskey rimmed it around, and Brent gave it right in front to me. But I don’t know, I didn’t really see the puck go in, but it was pretty lucky. So I’m thankful for that.”

But it wouldn’t last. Just a couple of minutes after Wallin’s goal, Union would get on the board. Despite having four men back, the Garnet Chargers caught the Black Knights sleeping at the back post. Tyler Dunbar snuck behind his man, and Tommy Cronin’s pass from the top of the right circle made its way through the Army defense. All Dunbar had to do was tap it in past a helpless JJ Cataldo to make it a 2-1 game heading into the locker rooms.

Second Period: Losing Momentum

It’s not like their entire momentum died with that one goal at the end of the period, but penalties would become costly for Zach McKelvie in the second period. Junior Jack Ivey would be sent to the box with a holding penalty in the offensive zone, something you never want to see 200 feet away from your own net.

Friday night against RPI in an exhibition, McKelvie called Army’s penalty kill “not connected.” Tonight the four players on the ice were aggressive at the right times and showed massive improvements. But even when things look to be going your way, a bounce or two can still go against you.

Union’s Alex Laurenza got his shot through the Army defenders, leaving three Army players above the dots. A 2-on-1 battle for the puck was exactly what the Garnet Chargers were looking for. Tommy Cronin was able to dig the puck out of the feet of his teammate in front of the net and spot Connor Smith crashing the net on the back side, and it was another easy tap-in for Union to tie the game up at 2-2 with just over half the game remaining.

Third Period: Heartbreak with Less Than Two Minutes Left

In that second period, Army lost some of the juice and jump it had that led to a 2-0 lead. But luckily for the Black Knights, despite the drop in their play, the game was still tied heading into the final 20 minutes.

The Black Knights even had a chance to retake the lead with the puck on the captain’s stick. On a partial 2-on-1, Barron Woodring would throw his head up in awe after being absolutely robbed from point-blank range. Brent Keefer was able to slide a pass through two defenders over to Woodring, whose one-timer from close range was trapped inside the glove of Brayden Gillespie. A chance that would come back to bite Army as regulation wound down.

With the play going back-and-forth, with the feeling overtime was around the corner, Union would catch Army in transition for a second time. The Garnet Chargers harmlessly flipped the puck out of their own zone to a lone Union player at center ice. Army had three players back, but all three had their eyes on the back and lost track of the trailing defenseman on the back side.

Lucas Buzziol’s blind pass back across the ice found Will Felicio, and the junior defenseman’s shot got through Noah Mertz and beat JJ Cataldo to give Union a 3-2 lead with just 1:54 remaining in regulation. You could hear a pin drop at Tate Rink.

With little time on the clock, McKelvie called JJ Cataldo to the bench for the extra attacker. With the 6-on-5, Nils Forselius attempted to get a controlled entry into the Union zone, but was dispossessed at the red line as Cataldo was arriving at the bench. It would be an easy empty-net goal for Connor Smoth, his second, to put the game to rest and give the Black Knights a 0-1 record to begin the 2026-2027 season.

It wasn’t the result Army wanted in the home and season opener, but for captain Barron Woodring, there are still a lot of positives to take from this game.

“Yeah, I think there’s a lot to take away from how we played tonight. Obviously, I think we came out pretty strong and kind of got away from that as the game went on. But I mean, for us, I think it’s just learning to play with a lead and learning how to win games like that. I mean, you’re up 2-0 in the first period, like being able to find a way to put a couple more pucks in the net and then finish the game out. So for us, yeah, definitely frustrating, especially giving that goal up late in the third period. Even if you take a game to overtime, there’s a chance there, but I think there’s lots to learn from. Obviously, it’s the first game, so we’re disappointed, but I think we’ll be all right.”

A “Learning Moment” For Two Plebes

On the ice for the goal were two freshmen defensemen, Noah Mertz and Cam Charron. Zach McKelvie said he thought both had played well up until that point, but called the game-winning goal a “learning moment” for the plebes.

“They had been playing well, so they’ve earned that opportunity, and this is a good learning moment for them. You’ve got to play for 60 minutes, and I thought they both played well tonight. They want that play back. We have confidence… I don’t care what class you are. We have confidence in all our guys. We want to develop the younger guys. We do have a young team. We have six freshmen in the lineup tonight. That’s a lot of freshmen in college hockey, and true freshmen too. No transfers or guys coming in from other schools. I was happy with their game. We’re going to clean up some things, and they’ll be better for it.”

Next Game: Royal Military College of Canada And the “Challenge Cup”

Army returns to action next weekend for a highly anticipated matchup against the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) at West Point. After weather forced the cancellation of last year’s annual rivalry game, both teams are eager to finally face off. Traditionally played in late January or early February, this marks the first time the Army-RMC game will take place in the first half of the season.

The Black Knights have dominated the series this millennium, winning 14 of the last 18 meetings. Their three losses and single tie all occurred on the road in Kingston, Ontario. With Army defending an undefeated home streak against RMC at Tate Rink that dates back to 1987, there is plenty of pride on the line for both the players and the coaching staff.

The game took a four-year hiatus from 2007-2010, before returning in 2011 with an Army 9-1 victory at Tate Rink. Don’t get it twisted, this is and will always be one of the biggest games on the Black Knights’ schedule, and the players are ready for a fight. A win Sunday afternoon would mean everything to senior captain Barron Woodring, who is 2-0 in this rivalry so far.

“I mean, what a great history behind that game. It means a lot to this program. It means a lot to the school,” said Woodring. “I remember Brian Riley; he was super fired up to play that game, and we just kind of built off that. And the rivalry is huge, man. That game is just different than anything else, the way that we compete against each other. I mean, they’re flying, they’re buzzing, they always come out hard, and so do we. We’re super excited for this week! It’s a little different with the game being this early in the year, but I think we’re really excited to win that Challenge Cup. And for the freshmen and the younger classes that haven’t been able to play in a game like this, it’s super exciting to be able to compete for something, to compete for this trophy that’s in our locker room right now.”

Puck drop for Sunday’s rivalry game is set for 2:00 pm, as Army looks for a third consecutive victory and to retain the Challenge Cup.

Game Summary

Final Score: Army 2, Union 4
Date: October 3rd, 2026
Venue: Tate Rink, West Point, N.Y.
Attendance: 1,634
Officials: Referee – Christopher Peterkin & Anthony Kenney; Linesman – Dylan Lewis & Joshua Cleary

Scoring Summary

First Period

• 5:19 — ARMY: Brent Keefer [1] (UNASSISTED) EV — 1-0 Army
• 16:21 — ARMY: Rhys Wallin [1] (Brent Keefer & Lukas McCloskey) EV — 2-0 Army
• 17:21 — UNION: Tyler Dunbar (Tommy Cronin) EV — 2-1 Army

Second Period

• 7:58 — UNION: Connor Smith (Tommy Cronin & Riley Brueck) PP — 2-2

Third Period

• 18:09 — UNION: Will Felicio (Lucas Buzziol & Riley Brueck) EV — 3-2 Union
• 18:33 — UNION: Connor Smith (August Falloon) EN — 4-2 Union

Penalites

• ARMY -2nd Period: Jack Ivey, Holding (6:24)
• ARMY – 2nd Period: Lukas McCloskey, Tripping (13:13)
• UNION – 3rd Period: Jacob Jeannette, Interference (9:58)
• ARMY – 3rd Period: Barron Woodring, Holding the Stick (11:37)
• ARMY – 3rd Period: Thomas Neu, Hooking (14:18)

Team Stats

Goaltending

Army Black Knights

• JJ Cataldo (L): 25 Saves on 28 Shots (0.892 SV%)

Union Garnet Chargers

• Brayden Gillespie (W): 34 Saves on 36 shots (.944 SV%)

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