WEST POINT, N.Y. — For much of Friday night at Tate Rink, Sacred Heart had a chance to leave West Point with a statement victory over No. 18 Army. The Pioneers overcame the loss of a defenseman, survived three Army power plays, and erased a third-period deficit to tie the game. Then, with a power play of their own and momentum seemingly shifting in their favor, one breakdown changed everything.
Nils Forselius scored shorthanded at 13:14 of the third period to put Army ahead 3–2. The Black Knights added two empty-net goals in the final minute to secure a 5–2 victory, a three-goal margin that obscured how closely contested the game remained until the closing seconds.
Sacred Heart finished with 18 shots on goal to the Army’s 28, went 0-for-1 on the power play, and accumulated 19 penalty minutes. Army was held scoreless on all three of its power plays but found the decisive goal while down a skater. Afterward, Pioneers head coach C.J. Marottolo and captain Jake Bongo agreed that special teams and uneven starts to periods proved costly.
Army Answers Sacred Heart’s First-Period Lead
Sacred Heart took a 1–0 lead through the first period, but Army turned the game around with two goals in the second. The Pioneers’ goals came from Chase Ramsay and Landon Hanson; Army’s scoring was spread among Jack Ivey, who finished with two, Forselius, Jacob Ligi, and Noah Mertz. The official period totals were Sacred Heart 1–0–1 and Army 0–2–3.
The numbers tell only part of the story. Army West Point repeatedly put Sacred Heart under pressure at the start of periods, forcing the visitors to work back into the game instead of dictating the tempo. Bongo was candid about that pattern when asked what separated the teams.
“Tonight could have went either way. They had much better starts to each period, which had us on our heels a bit. We had good responses each period, but it felt like we were chasing the game at times,” Bongo said in a written postgame response. “They were able to win the special teams battle tonight, which ultimately was the difference tonight.”
Marottolo reached a similar conclusion. Although he praised his goaltender, he said the Pioneers did not establish the necessary urgency early enough: “The starts to each period were not where our intensity level needed to be tonight.” Against a ranked opponent, those lapses made an already demanding assignment more difficult.
Roberts’ Ejection Forces the Pioneers to Adapt
Sacred Heart’s challenge grew when Noah Roberts received a five-minute major and game misconduct for a hit to the head. The penalty did not produce an Army power-play goal, but Roberts’ departure changed how the Pioneers had to manage the remainder of the game. Sacred Heart dressed six defensemen and was left with five.
“Losing Roberts obviously hurt our group. We had dressed 6 def so we had the play with 5 the rest of the night,” Marottolo said. “Our def corps stepped up and was proud of the way they handled the adversity.”
The Pioneers’ penalty killers backed up their coach’s assessment. Army went 0-for-3 on the power play despite the five-minute major, and Sacred Heart’s remaining defensemen absorbed the added responsibility. The team finished with 10 blocked shots and won 31 of 60 faceoffs, small but meaningful signs that the visitors continued competing.
Bongo said his responsibility as captain was to prevent the bench from losing belief after the ejection. “The biggest thing was trying to keep positive energy on the bench. It’s easy to get down and lose momentum with a major, but our goal was to gain momentum through our kill,” he explained. “For me, I try to stay vocal and make sure everyone stays up on the bench and invested in the game in a situation like that.”
He added: “I thought our penalty kill did an awesome job of responding to adversity against a very good power play.” The Pioneers succeeded in surviving the Army’s man advantages. Their problem was what happened when they received one of their own.
The Shorthanded Goal That Changed the Night
Trailing 2–1 after two periods, Sacred Heart found the equalizer in the third and appeared to have seized the initiative. A subsequent power-play opportunity offered a chance to take the lead. Instead, Forselius got behind the Sacred Heart coverage and scored shorthanded at 13:14, with Billy Batten credited with the assist.
It was the game’s defining sequence: Army had failed to score with the extra attacker but converted while playing a man short. Sacred Heart’s only power play ended without a goal for the Pioneers and with the eventual winner for the Black Knights.
“I thought we had gained momentum after we tied the game at 2… unfortunately they were able to get behind us and score the short-handed goal,” Marottolo said. “We kept pushing and had a couple good looks when we pulled our goalie.”
Sacred Heart captain Jake Bongo (19) skates toward the faceoff dot during the Pioneers’ November 13, 2026, matchup against No. 18 Army West Point at Tate Rink. Following the 5–2 loss, Bongo emphasized accountability, improved offensive execution, and the importance of playing a complete 60 minutes. Mandatory Credit: Sacred Heart Athletics
Bongo described the emotional swing from the players’ perspective. “Obviously it’s a tough spot to give up a short-handed goal. We tie the game and get a power play, and it feels like we have all the momentum,” he said. Still, he stressed that the team had faced difficult circumstances before: “We have climbed back from tough situations many times this year already, so it wasn’t too difficult to regroup after.”
The Pioneers pulled their goaltender in search of another equalizer, but Noah Mertz scored into the empty net at 19:04, assisted by Nik Hong. Fourteen seconds later, Jack Ivey added an unassisted empty-net goal at 19:18. A 3–2 contest became a 5–2 final in the space of 14 seconds.
Spicer Keeps Sacred Heart Within Reach
Jack Spicer’s performance was one of Sacred Heart’s most important positives. Army recorded 28 shots on goal, including its two empty-net goals, while the Pioneers generated 18. The goaltender’s work kept the visitors within one goal deep into the third period and gave his teammates a chance to change the result.
“Spicer played really well and gave us a chance tonight,” Marottolo said. His captain was even more emphatic while also taking responsibility for what happened in front of him.
Jack Spicer, pre-game in the tunnel, hunched over, getting in his zone. Mandatory Credit: Nyahingiva Musa
“Spicer was unbelievable tonight. He gave us every opportunity to stay in that game and win that game. We let him down offensively tonight,” Bongo said. “We gave up to many grade A’s, and he did a great job of saving lots of them. We let down Jack tonight, but I know we will come up with a game plan tomorrow to find more offense.”
That assessment is significant because it addresses both ends of the ice. Spicer was called upon to handle dangerous chances, but Sacred Heart also failed to create enough of its own. Winning the faceoff battle did not translate into a sustained advantage in shots, and the Pioneers could not turn their third-period comeback into a lead.
Marottolo Calls for a More Aggressive Offensive Mindset
Marottolo did not attribute the loss solely to the major penalty or one shorthanded breakdown. He pointed to the team’s broader inability to sustain pressure and get pucks to the net. Sacred Heart finished with 38 total shot attempts recorded in the game statistics, compared with 44 for Army, but only 18 of its attempts reached the opposing goaltender as shots on goal.
“When played to our identity, we gave ourselves a chance,” Marottolo said. “However, with the penalties we took, it was hard for us to sustain the offensive pressure we needed, and I don’t think we had an aggressive enough mindset to shoot the puck to create more opportunities at their net front.”
That distinction matters. Sacred Heart did not simply need to spend more time in the attacking zone; it needed to turn possession into shots, rebounds, and traffic around the crease. Against a disciplined Army team, too many stretches of the game were spent responding rather than imposing pressure.
MSG Exposure: Welcome, but Broadcast and Streaming Problems Frustrate Viewers
Army hockey receiving television exposure on MSG should have been a positive development for the program, its players, and the growing audience for Atlantic Hockey America. Unfortunately, the presentation did not consistently match the occasion. To the fans, the broadcast appeared shaky at times, while the commentary team struggled to demonstrate familiarity with the two programs, their personnel, and the storylines surrounding the matchup. For viewers who follow Sacred Heart and Army closely, those shortcomings were difficult to overlook.
The problems reportedly extended beyond the television production. Fans attempting to watch through FloSports encountered a particularly frustrating situation, with the platform displaying the contest as completed before it had even started. According to viewer accounts, that left supporters outside MSG’s television coverage area unable to access the game through their expected streaming option.
Supporters from both programs voiced frustration over the viewing experience. Their complaints raise legitimate questions about broadcast preparation, coordination between television and streaming partners, and the responsibility of rights holders to provide reliable access to games. The cause of the FloSports listing problem not only affected the fans it also affected the teams and media, and the full extent of the disruption remains unclear.
College hockey programs benefit from broader exposure, particularly when nationally ranked teams are involved. But that exposure needs to be supported by knowledgeable commentary, dependable production, and functioning streaming access. Players and supporters deserve a presentation that reflects the quality of the competition on the ice.
Bad Dawg Sports Analysis: Resilience Is Not a Substitute for Execution
There is a legitimate case that the 5–2 score flatters Army. The Black Knights did not lead by three until the final minute, and Sacred Heart survived a major penalty, competed with five defensemen, and fought back to 2–2. Those are meaningful positives. But the final score should not become an excuse to overlook the mistakes that made the comeback necessary.
Army was the sharper team at the starts of periods and put 10 more shots on goal. Sacred Heart’s penalty killers did their job, yet its power play yielded the game’s decisive goal. The Pioneers demonstrated composure after Roberts’ ejection, but their 19 penalty minutes reduced the opportunities to establish offensive rhythm. Those facts can coexist: Sacred Heart showed character and still fell short in execution.
Bongo’s acknowledgment that the team let Spicer down was especially revealing. It was not a criticism of the goaltender, nor was it a complaint about circumstances. It was an admission that the players in front of him had to create more offense and limit dangerous chances. That accountability provides a clear starting point for the rematch.
A Full 60 Minutes Required in Saturday’s Rematch
Sacred Heart will not have to wait long for another opportunity against Army. Both Marottolo and Bongo stressed that the answer is not a wholesale reinvention but a more complete commitment to the team’s established identity.
“Our team has been a resilient group all year… we expect our group to reset and be ready to play a full 60 minutes tomorrow,” Marottolo said.
Bongo echoed the message while crediting Army’s performance. “We know it’s not going to be easy. Army is a really good team; they play hard and disciplined,” he said. “We know what works and what doesn’t work; we just have to commit to playing our brand of hockey for a full 60 minutes. So I’d say more consistency and belief in our game plan will give us the best chance to win tomorrow.”
The challenge is straightforward, even if the execution will not be: start periods with greater urgency, stay out of the penalty box, get more pucks through to the net, and avoid the kind of special-teams mistake that decided Friday’s game. Sacred Heart proved it could remain competitive with No. 18 Army. Saturday offers the chance to show it can finish the job.
Game Notes
Final: No. 18 Army 5, Sacred Heart 2. Period scoring: Sacred Heart 1–0–1; Army 0–2–3. Shots on goal: Army 28, Sacred Heart 18. Power plays: Army 0-for-3, Sacred Heart 0-for-1. Faceoffs: Sacred Heart 31, Army 29. Penalty minutes: Sacred Heart 19, Army 2. The game featured Army’s shorthanded winner and two late empty-net goals.
