Army Suffocates RIT; Secures Season’s First Shutout in 2-0 Victory

West Point, N.Y. — It was the start of Halloween weekend around the country, but for Army hockey (3-1, 2-0 AHA), it was back to business. With the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers (2-4-1, 1-1 AHA) in town, Army made it their mission to show that sweep against Holy Cross two weeks ago wasn’t a fluke with a 2-0 victory.

This was the first game for the Black Knights since their upset victory over the eighth-ranked Quinnipiac Bobcats one week ago. They were itching to get going, and they picked up right where they left off in Hamden, Connecticut.

Army was suffocating all night long. They limited the Tigers to less than 10 shots in each period. It was an easy night for goaltender JJ Cataldo, who made 23 saves to capture his first shutout of the season.

“I think for the most part, that might have been my easiest game in an Army hockey jersey,” said Cataldo with a smile. “The guys were eating a ton of pucks and kept everything pretty simple. From pre-scouting, we knew that they were going to throw a lot of just random pucks on net, and so I was ready for that. And I think a lot of our guys were, and kind of just limited to just that. So it was a good effort.”

For head coach Zach McKelvie (’10), this was the type of effort he wants to see every night from his team. If Army can play the rest of its schedule like it did Friday night, it will be a really successful hockey program in 2026-2027.

“I thought we were good. We were working. We were skating. We were doing all the little things that we preach. And I thought, for the most part, we carried that through 60 minutes. You know, third period, we’re only up 1-0, and it gets a little squirrely at times, but our guys just found a way, and a beautiful goal by Batts to kind of seal the deal, but overall, really happy with our game.”

Both the Black Knights’ goals came from its second line of Billy Batten, senior Nik Hong, and freshman Sean Gibbons. That line has steadily grown each game, and now the production is showing up in the box score. Hong opened the scoring early in the second period off a two-on-one with Gibbons, while Batten gave Army an insurance goal late in the third with an outstanding solo effort.

It would have been easy for Army to suffer a emotional letdown after last weekend’s win over Quinnipiac. However, coach [or player] Hong pointed to Saturday night’s exhibition loss against the U.S. National Team Development Program as a crucial reset moment for the Black Knights.

“Yeah, I think that NTDP game also kind of helped us reset a little bit right after, and I know it didn’t count for points, but we were disappointed in our result there and the way we played,” said Hong. “I think it’s a good lesson that we had early on this year where we learned that, you know, we can beat any team in this country, and we can also lose to any team in the country. So, it’s all about bringing your effort every single night.”

The win improved Army to 4-1 and perfect in conference play, while RIT’s overall record dropped to 2-5-1. All eyes are now on the series finale, Halloween, at Tate Rink tomorrow, with Army looking for a second consecutive sweep.

First Period: Dominant But Little Reward

From the moment the puck dropped at Tate Rink, Army dominated RIT. By forechecking relentlessly in the offensive zone and forcing turnovers in the neutral and defensive zones, the Black Knights gave the Tigers virtually no room to maneuver.

Army, however, had plenty of chances to take the lead. Freshman Connor Jalbert was inserted on the fourth line and, in his collegiate debut, had the chance to score his first career goal. Jalbert had a breakaway from his own blue line after pulling away from the RIT defense. One-on-one with Jakub Krbeck, one of the better goaltenders in Atlantic Hockey, Jalbert looked to beat him glove side, but his shot went right into the webbing of Krbeck’s glove to kill the play.

The chances kept coming for Army, as they were mere inches away from taking the lead with 8:30 left in the first period. It was a bit of a scramble below the circles in the RIT zone, and as defenseman Thomas Quast was retreating to the blue line after joining the rush, the puck fell right on the freshman’s stick just above the left circle. Quast’s shot beat Krbeck, and the Tate Rink crowd even began to celebrate the goal. But the puck bounced off the post and came out the other side before the Tigers were able to clear the danger.

It was a dominating effort for the Black Knights in the first 20 minutes, but in that locker room, they felt it was coming. “We know it’s a process no matter what the score is. We could have put three goals in the first period, and we need to play the same way that we were,” said JJ Cataldo. “And regardless, after that first period, we were tied 0-0 still. But we knew it was coming, so we’re just going to keep the foot and gas.”

With the two zeros on the scoreboard, it would be the first time this season that Army didn’t score a goal in the first period. During the first intermission, Zach McKelvie said the team didn’t let the 0-0 score affect them.

“Yeah, I was happy with the first. I just thought our work ethic and our compete level were really high tonight, and we were relentless,” said McKelvie. “I think at times in games, especially in these league games, you can start to panic when you’re not capitalizing on some of your chances, but our guys didn’t do that. They just stuck with it, and they stayed on them, and good things usually happen when you do that.

Second Period: Sticking to the Gameplan Pays Off

As they stepped back onto the ice to begin the second period, Army kept chipping away at the Tigers, and it took all 81 seconds of the middle period for the home crowd to celebrate a goal.

Sophomore Billy Batten won a board battle on the left wall, passed the puck up the ice, and began a 2-on-1 for Army. Led by freshman Sean Gibbons alongside senior Nik Hong, Gibbons was able to sauce a pass over to Hong, who beat the sliding Krbeck to give the Black Knights a 1-0 lead.

The goal came from a play that Army practices repeatedly, according to head coach Zach McKelvie. “That was a great team goal. That is a drill that we do a lot. That specific thing where the other team has a puck in the O-zone. You clamp it down on the rim around, and the wingers have to win a wall battle. We’re slashing hard. We created a two-on-one opportunity, and it was a great finish by Honger [Nik Hong] to get the job done.”

Army took that 1-0 scoreline into the final 20 minutes, and though it was only a one-goal lead for the home team, it felt insurmountable inside Tate Rink.

That line of Batten, Hong and Gibbons had been moved up the lineup with senior captain Barron Woodring sidelined. It’s early in the season, but you can see the chemistry building between the trio, at least Hong thinks so.

“I think with both Gibby [Sean Gibbons] and Billy [Batten], we’ve had a lot of good chemistry to start the year. At times it hasn’t fully turned into goals, but I think it is just kind of staying with exactly what Coach Z said, as we practice that play all the time. It’s a great team goal there. We won a board battle. Billy makes a great play for me in the middle, and then it’s just a two-on-one. Gibby makes a great pass, and I just have to bury that one. So definitely an awesome, awesome team goal for sure.”

Third Period: Finishing the Game & Getting JJ Cataldo His Shutout

It was a defensive showcase for Zach Mckelive for 60 minutes. Not only the defensemen, but the forwards were all able to track back and act like a brick wall in front of JJ Cataldo, who was a brick wall himself. All five players on the ice were in the right positions, had their sticks in lanes, and blocked a ton of shots. McKelvie’s defensive effort was key to Army’s success.

“I think RIT does a really good job of trying to get interior shots, and they get guys around the net, and we talk to our guys about that. It started with how hard we came back into our zone and the track, and that just sets up your D-zone coverage. For the most part, they had a couple good looks, but for the most part, our guys managed it really well, and JJ [Cataldo] made all the saves he needed to, obviously, and he was good tonight.”

The game’s defining play came down to Cataldo. RIT caught Army on an odd-man rush, leaving an attacker all alone in front of the netminder’s crease. It was mano-a-mano: a game-tying goal or a massive save. Instead, the RIT player over-faked, lost the puck off his stick, and Army safely cleared the puck out of harm’s way.

It turned out to be a huge swing of events because the Black Knights would go down the ice and instantly doubled their lead. Freshman Sean Gibbons rimmed a puck around the boards to Billy Batten, and the sophomore went to work. Instead of putting the puck in deep, Batten beat not one, not two, but three defenders as he fired a backhand shot under the crossbar for an incredible solo-effort goal to give Army a crucial 2-0 lead with only 4:38 left in regulation.

After the game, Batten talked about there being an emphasis in that third period of getting to the net, and it paid off. “Well, I was able to pick up a rim, beat one guy. And then we talked a lot about just taking it to the net because we had a lot of perimeter play in the first and second. So, I was like, ‘all right, I’ll just bring this to the net.’ Made a fake shot. The goalie dropped and was able to put the backhand in.”

It wasn’t just about the goal, but the context of when it was scored and what the goal followed was huge for Army and demoralizing for RIT. The Tigers were desperately looking for a spark late and pulled Jakub Krbecek, trying to make it a game with under two minutes left. It was all for nothing, and the Army Black Knights skated onto the ice to congratulate JJ Cataldo on his first shutout of the 2026-2027 season after making 23 saves.

Cataldo has been outstanding early in the season, but the play in front of him has been even more impressive, limiting the looks teams get on Cataldo and the junior netminder has noticed.

“I think that what you’re talking about is a lot of just not cheating for offense. We’re dialed in to the details defensively, and that led to just a really complete game. We had guys who buried their chances when they got the opportunity. So overall, a great win on both sides.”

The win bumped up Army to 4-1 on the season, but they will have less than 24 hours to reset before a Halloween matinee. A win for the Black Knights Saturday would give them their second sweep in Atlantic Hockey in as many matchups. Puck drop is set for 4:00 pm at Tate Rink.

Quotes From Friday’s Victory over RIT:

Head Coach Zach McKelvie

Q: On that second goal, you talked about Billy’s kind of solo effort, his ability to beat two defenders off the wall, and then the backhanded roof right down below the bar. Just talk about that effort, especially in that moment, just coming off of that one-on-one in front of JJ, and the RIT player’s not able to get a shot off. But to go down the other way and get that second goal, just talk about how crucial that was?

“Yeah, it was critical. We were on our heels a little bit at that point. There was about a five-minute stretch where I just thought they were controlling play, and our guys were starting to grip their sticks. It just calmed our nerves. A beautiful goal. That’s what the focus will be, but Batten was excellent. 200-foot game. That whole line, they were just great defensively, and they really led our team tonight.”

Q: I counted nine freshmen in the lineup. Lots on the blue line as well. Max Holland gets his debut. Jalbert gets his debut. Just talk about what you’ve seen from that whole group early in the season.

“Yeah, you know what? You’ve got to be able to win with freshmen. And our guys have done a good job. We’re really confident in our whole group. And we’re battling some injuries right now, so our freshmen are going to get opportunities. They’ve done a lot with it; they’ve looked really good. I do think that our freshmen, I would imagine we have arguably the most freshmen in the lineup in the country right now, and I’m just happy for them that they’re getting confidence right now.”

Senior Forward Nik Hong

Q: Nick, I thought tonight was your team’s most complete effort of the night. Just talk about overall thoughts on how you guys played on both sides of the ice tonight.

“Yeah, I mean, I think we executed our game plan to a tee. We knew that RIT was going to come in here, and they’re a hard-nosed team. They play with a lot of hard skill, and I thought we matched that right away. For us, it’s just working one shift at a time, in increments. And I think that kind of leads to a little bit more of our consistency, which has been good this year. So I thought we did a great job executing that.”

Q: With the second goal of the game to go up 2-0, what did you see on that play with Billy getting the goal from your perspective?

“What can you say about his skill as someone who’s able to backhand that one into the net and assist it? Yeah, I think that’s just an elite play. From my perspective, it’s like a rim down the wall. I go to support him on the goal line there, and he just makes a great read, beats the defender. There are some things you can teach, and backhand under the bar is a tough one. He’s just an elite player, and I love playing with him.”

Q: You guys were hounding the puck on the forecheck today. You caused multiple turnovers in the chances the other way. Just talk about that mindset of being too deep, kind of forcing turnovers, and generating offense the other way off of a good defense.

“Yeah, to us, I think our identity is a lot with our track, and that’s where we’ve been really good this year: on that back check and tracking really hard. So I think an example of it is tonight, where when we’re getting above guys, and they just can’t get it 200 feet, it makes it a lot easier to keep the pressure on and not let them get chances. So I think we did a great job with that again tonight. It’s been a key to our identity so far this year, and we just need to keep that going.”

Junior Goaltender JJ Cataldo

Q: JJ, you said that your teammates allowed this game to feel easier than usual for you. This was the first shutout game of the year. Did you feel it was going to be that type of night?

“Yeah, I mean it was every game I go into I’d like to think I could put up a blanking, but overall like when the boys play like that it really wasn’t too challenging for myself and that’s a team result is a zero on the board, so it was a great job.”

Q: I talked to Nik about taking that victory from Quinnipiac and bringing it over tonight and not dropping your game. He mentioned the NTDP game as kind of a reset for the whole group, knowing that you can go from beating one of the best teams in the country to also just losing to any team in the country. How did that game against the NTDP game help the guys re-focus on the goal at hand?

“Yeah, I think it helped us just learn how to realize that on any given night, anyone could win. So for that Quinnipiac game, obviously we were not really expected to win. We knew we had it in the locker room. That’s the same mindset we have to take to every game, regardless of whether we’re a favorite or not. And, I mean, I don’t know what everyone’s saying about RIT or us, but regardless of who’s the opponent, the opponent’s always ourselves. So we know we can’t beat ourselves there.”

Sophomore Forward Billy Batten

Q: Great win tonight. I thought tonight was the team’s best effort tonight, a complete effort. Just talk about the team’s victory tonight on both ends of the ice.

I think we played a really complete game. They pushed a little bit in the third, but we were able to weather it. I think we just stuck to our game plan, which is play hard, play fast, and they really couldn’t keep up with it.

Q: How much easier does it make it for the team, knowing JJ got 23 saves and put up a shutout?

“Yeah, he’s the backbone of this team. We can always rely on him in the biggest of moments, as we saw last week. And with that behind us, we play with a lot of confidence. But we also know that we need to bail him out sometimes because he bails us out all the time.”

Q: Outside of the offense tonight, I thought you guys were outstanding in your own zone with your stick placement, your own positioning, making the game easy for JJ behind you guys. Talk about that effort, just being able to block shots and get sticks on pucks and make things difficult for the opponents.

“Yeah, blocking shots and really packing it in in the house is something we talk about every single practice. And we were able to do that tonight. And I think if we continue to do so, continue to lock it down and make simple plays to get pucks out, we’re going to be successful for a while here.”

Game Summary:

Final Score: Army 2, Rochester Institute of Technology 0
Date: October 30th, 2026
Venue: Tate Rink, West Point, N.Y.
Attendance: 1,607
Officials: Referee – Evan Reddick & Christopher Leavitt; Linesman – Ben Leaton & Cameron Carlson

Scoring Summary

First Period

• NONE

Second Period

• 01:21 — ARMY: Nik Hong [2] (Sean Gibbons & Noah Mertz) EV — 1-0 Army

Third Period

• 15:22 — ARMY: Billy Batten [2] (Sean Gibbons) EV — 2-0 Army

Penalites

• RIT – 2nd Period: Nick De Angelis, Hooking (09:24)
• RIT – 2nd Period: Will Moore, Tripping (15:51)

Team Stats

Goaltending

Army Black Knights

• JJ Cataldo (W): 23 Saves on 23 Shots (1.000 SV%)

Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers

• Jakub Krbecek (L): 35 Saves on 37 shots (0.946 SV%)

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