Army Black Knights men's ice hockey
College ice hockey team
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The Army Black Knights men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the United States Military Academy. The Black Knights are members of Atlantic Hockey America and play at the Tate Rink in West Point, New York. They are one of seven teams to have never played in the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament.
1st season, 12–17–6 (.429)
| Army Black Knights men's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
| |
| University | United States Military Academy |
| Conference | AHA |
| First season | 1903–04 |
| Head coach | Zach McKelvie 1st season, 12–17–6 (.429) |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Arena | Tate Rink West Point, New York |
| Colors | Black, gold, and gray[1] |
| Conference regular season champions | |
| AHA: 2008 | |
| Current uniform | |
 | |
History
The men's ice hockey program at West Point has been in existence since the 1903–04 season. The team played outdoors until 1930 when the Smith Rink opened.[2] The team competed as independent members of NCAA Division I from the inaugural season through the 1960–61 season.[3] In 1961 the program became a founding member of the ECAC.[3] The team, known at the time as the Army Cadets, played as members of the ECAC from 1961 to 1962 season through the 1972–73 season before dropping their program to Division II status when the NCAA instituted numerical divisions. The Cadets would remain there until 1980 when they rejoined the ECAC as an associate member. Army became a full ECAC member in 1984 in the aftermath of the Hockey East schism but the Cadets would not remain for long and left the conference in 1990. The Cadets joined the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), which began sponsoring men's hockey at the time, in 1999 and in 2001 the team name was changed to Army Black Knights along with the other athletic programs at the Academy.[3] In 2003, the MAAC's ice hockey division split off and became the Atlantic Hockey Association, a hockey-only NCAA Division I conference.[4]
In 2007–08 season the Black Knights won their only conference title to date, the Atlantic Hockey Regular Season Championship. In that season the Knights finished with an overall record of 19 wins, 14 losses, and 4 ties and went 17–8–3 in conference play.[5] Took the No. 1 seed into the Atlantic Hockey playoffs and swept (#10) American Int'l two games to none in the three game first round series.[4] The Black Knight's season came to an end in the semifinal game when they lost to (#5) Mercyhurst 2–4.[6]
Shortly after the end of the 2023–24 season, the Atlantic Hockey Association merged with College Hockey America, a women-only league with which it had shared a commissioner and office staff since 2010. The merged league became Atlantic Hockey America.[7]
Since 1950, the Cadets/Black Knights have been coached by a member of the Riley family. Jack Riley, best known for leading the United States to the gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics, coached at West Point from 1950 to 1986. He handed the reins to his son Rob in 1986, who in turn handed coaching duties to his younger brother Brian in 2004.
Army–RMC rivalry
The Army Black Knights have a long-standing rivalry with the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Paladins. It is considered one of the longest-running annual international sporting events in the world.[8][9]
The tradition originated when the commandant of RMC, Sir Archibald McDonnell, and the superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy, Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur, suggested a game of ice hockey between the two schools in 1921.[10] After two years of exchanging ideas, the first game was played on February 23, 1923, at West Point. The Redmen won that first game 3–0.[11] In 1924 the series moved to Kingston, Ontario (the location of RMC), thus beginning the tradition of rotating venues. This was Army's first away game and up until 1941, the West Point Game was the only time that Army played away from the Academy.[8][9]
Season-by-season results
All-time coaching records
As of the end of the 2025–26 season.
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903–1904 | Edward Leonard King | 1 | 5–1–0 | .833 |
| 1904–1907 | Robert Foy | 3 | 15–8–0 | .652 |
| 1907–1910 | George Russell | 3 | 5–7–4 | .438 |
| 1910–1912 | LeRoy Bartlett | 2 | 3–4–1 | .438 |
| 1912–1914 | Philip Gordon | 2 | 7–6–0 | .538 |
| 1914–1917 | Frank Purdon | 3 | 9–10–1 | .475 |
| 1917–1918 | Joseph Viner | 1 | 6–3–0 | .667 |
| 1918–1920 | Philip Day | 2 | 6–4–1 | .591 |
| 1920–1923 | Talbot Hunter | 3 | 12–12–2 | .500 |
| 1923–1943 | Ray Marchand | 20 | 76–106–9 | .421 |
| 1943–1944 | John Hines | 1 | 5–4–0 | .556 |
| 1944–1945 | Robert Lutz | 1 | 7–2–1 | .750 |
| 1945–1950 | Len Patten | 5 | 33–35–2 | .486 |
| 1950–1986 | Jack Riley | 36 | 542–343–20 | .610 |
| 1988–2004 | Rob Riley | 18 | 257–288–33 | .473 |
| 2004–2025 | Brian Riley | 21 | 258–379–94 | .417 |
| 2025–Present | Zach McKelvie | 1 | 12–17–6 | .429 |
| Totals | 17 coaches | 123 seasons | 1,258–1,229–174 | .504 |
Awards
U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
The following individuals have been inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
- Jack Riley (1979, 2000†)
† As the coach of the 1960 Olympic team.
IIHF Hall of Fame
The following individuals have been inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.
- Jack Riley (1998)
Army Sports Hall of Fame
The following individuals have been inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame.
- Jack Riley (2004)
Lester Patrick Award
The following individuals have been awarded the Lester Patrick Award.
- Jack Riley (1986, 2002)
NCAA
Individual awards
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All-Americans
- 2024–25: Mac Gadowsky, D
AHCA Second Team All-Americans
- 2007–08: Josh Kassel, G
- 2020–21: Trevin Kozlowski, G; Colin Bilek, F
- 2021–22: Colin Bilek, F
MAAC
Individual awards
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All–MAAC teams
First Team[13]
- Brad Roberts (2003)
Second Team
- Joe Dudek (2003)
Rookie Team[14]
- Chris Casey (2002)
- Brad Roberts (2003)
Atlantic Hockey Association
Individual awards
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Individual Sportsmanship Award
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Regular Season Goaltending Award
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All-Atlantic Hockey Teams
First Team[17]
- Josh Kassel (2008)
- Zach McKelvie (2008, 2009)
- Luke Flicek (2008)
- Owen Meyer (2009)
- Alexander Wilkinson (2018)
- Trevin Kozlowski (2021)
- Thomas Farrell (2021)
- Colin Bilek (2021, 2022)
Second Team
- Brad Roberts (2006)
- Tim Manthey (2006, 2007)
- Josh Kassel (2007)
- Owen Meyer (2008)
- Marcel Alvarez (2010, 2011)
- Cody Omilusik (2010)
- Parker Gahagen (2016, 2017)
- Michael Wilson (2018)
- Dalton MacAfee (2019)
- Dominic Franco (2020)
- John Zimmerman (2021)
- Gavin Abric (2022)
- Anthony Firriolo (2022)
- Joey Baez (2023, 2024)
Third Team
- Luke Flicek (2007)
- Cody Omilusik (2011)
- John Keranen (2023)
Rookie Team
- Tim Manthey (2006)
- Owen Meyer (2007)
- Marcel Alvarez (2009)
- Joe Kozlak (2013)
- C. J. Reuschlein (2014)
- Tyler Pham (2015)
- Alexander Wilkinson (2017)
- Dominic Franco (2017)
- John Zimmerman (2018)
- Anthony Firriolo (2020)
- Lincoln Hatten (2021)
- Max Itagaki (2023)
- Mac Gadowsky (2024)
Atlantic Hockey America
Individual awards
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Individual Sportsmanship Award
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All-Conference teams
First Team All-Atlantic Hockey America
- 2024–25: Mac Gadowsky, D
- 2025–26: J. J. Cataldo, G
Second Team All-Atlantic Hockey America
- 2025–26: Jack Ivey, F
All-Atlantic Hockey America Rookie Team
- 2024–25: Jack Ivey, F
Statistical leaders
Career scoring leaders
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Years | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Rost | 1973–1977 | 104 | 226 | 330 | ||
| Tom Rost | 1976–1980 | 118 | 169 | 287 | 284 | |
| George Clark | 1971–1975 | 153 | 113 | 266 | ||
| Jim Knowlton | 1978–1982 | 90 | 172 | 262 | ||
| David Merhar | 1966–1969 | 112 | 117 | 229 | ||
| Robbie Craig | 1980–1984 | 86 | 135 | 221 | ||
| Ed Collazzo | 1979–1983 | 93 | 104 | 197 | ||
| Frank Keating | 1978–1982 | 65 | 131 | 196 | ||
| Dan Cox | 1979–1983 | 61 | 133 | 194 | ||
| Biff Shea | 1981–1985 | 68 | 120 | 188 | ||
Career goaltending leaders
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Minimum 35 games
| Player | Years | GP | MIN | W | L | T | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevin Kozlowski | 2017–2021 | 65 | 3865 | 36 | 21 | 6 | 142 | 3 | .911 | 2.18 |
| Jack Shepard | 1960–1963 | .920 | 2.20 | |||||||
| Neil Meiras | 1961–1964 | .896 | 2.28 | |||||||
| Parker Gahagen | 2013–2017 | 110 | 6372 | 41 | 49 | 16 | 255 | 10 | .926 | 2.40 |
| Josh Kassel | 2005–2009 | 77 | 4415 | 37 | 31 | 7 | 181 | 8 | .909 | 2.46 |
Statistics current through the start of the 2022-23 season.
Roster
As of July 31, 2025.[19]
| No. | Nat. | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Jacob Biron | Sophomore | G | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | 2004-06-26 | Buffalo, New York | Kemptville 73's (CCHL) | — |
| 2 | |
Lukas McCloskey | Freshman | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 2005-03-25 | Newport Beach, California | Wenatchee Wild (WHL) | — |
| 3 | |
Easton Zueger | Junior | D | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2003-06-07 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) | — |
| 4 | |
Benjamin Ivey | Sophomore | F | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 2004-02-12 | San Diego, California | Amarillo Wranglers (NAHL) | — |
| 5 | |
Jack Ivey | Sophomore | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2004-02-12 | San Diego, California | Amarillo Wranglers (NAHL) | — |
| 6 | |
Pierce Patterson | Junior | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 2002-02-26 | Valrico, Florida | Amarillo Wranglers (NAHL) | — |
| 7 | |
Liam Chapman | Freshman | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2004-03-11 | Weare, New Hampshire | Rochester Jr. Americans (NAHL) | — |
| 8 | |
Vincent Salice | Junior | F | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2003-02-28 | Commerce Township, Michigan | Omaha Lancers (USHL) | — |
| 9 | |
Nils Forselius | Sophomore | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2003-10-30 | Guilford, Connecticut | Maine Nordiques (NAHL) | — |
| 10 | |
Dylan Wegner | Sophomore | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | 2004-06-01 | Nashville, Tennessee | Merritt Centennials (BCHL) | — |
| 11 | |
Brock Jones | Freshman | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 2004-11-15 | Lake View, New York | Philadelphia Rebels (NAHL) | — |
| 12 | |
Sam Groebner | Sophomore | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 201 lb (91 kg) | 2003-03-03 | Apple Valley, Minnesota | Wisconsin Windigo (NAHL) | — |
| 13 | |
Jacob Ligi | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | 2004-03-16 | South Lyon, Michigan | Chippewa Steel (NAHL) | — |
| 14 | |
Owen Nolan | Senior | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2000-03-10 | Mahopac, New York | Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL) | — |
| 15 | |
Lucas Kanta | Senior | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 2001-04-20 | Grand Forks, North Dakota | Minnesota Magicians (NAHL) | — |
| 16 | |
Kareem El-Bashir | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | 2004-03-02 | Reston, Virginia | Maryland Black Bears (NAHL) | — |
| 17 | |
Noah Alvarez | Sophomore | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2003-03-30 | Los Angeles, California | Nanaimo Clippers (NAHL) | — |
| 18 | |
Jon Bell | Junior | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 2002-06-22 | St. Cloud, Minnesota | Wisconsin Windigo (NAHL) | — |
| 19 | |
Nik Hong | Junior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2002-08-27 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | St. Cloud Norsemen (NAHL) | — |
| 20 | |
Sean Vlasich | Senior | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2001-04-20 | Hillsdale, New Jersey | North Iowa Bulls (NAHL) | — |
| 21 | |
Stephen Willey | Senior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 2001-03-26 | Shelton, Connecticut | New Jersey Titans (NAHL) | — |
| 22 | |
Jude Brower | Senior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 2001-06-11 | Mahopac, New York | Boston Junior Bruins (NCDC) | — |
| 23 | |
Joey Baez | Senior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2000-01-12 | Tampa, Florida | Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL) | — |
| 24 | |
Billy Batten | Freshman | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | 2004-09-24 | Phoenixville, Pennsylvania | Minot Minotauros (NAHL) | — |
| 25 | |
Barron Woodring | Junior | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 2002-07-05 | Chicago, Illinois | Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) | — |
| 26 | |
Joey Dosan | Senior | F | 6' 6" (1.98 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 2001-03-20 | Bloomington, Minnesota | Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL) | — |
| 27 | |
Trevor Smith | Senior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2001-03-02 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Boston Advantage (NCDC) | — |
| 28 | |
Brent Keefer | Junior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2001-09-28 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Northeast Generals (NAHL) | — |
| 29 | |
Adam Marshall | Sophomore | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | 2003-07-14 | Wayzata, Minnesota | Trail Smoke Eaters (NAHL) | — |
| 30 | |
J. J. Cataldo | Sophomore | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2003-02-20 | Stuart, Florida | Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL) | — |
| 33 | |
Gus Holt | Junior | G | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 206 lb (93 kg) | 2003-02-21 | Bowling Green, Ohio | Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL) | — |
Olympians
This is a list of Army alumni were a part of an Olympic team.
| Name | Position | Army Tenure | Team | Year | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Palmer | Goaltender | 1956–1959 | USA | 1960 |  Gold |
Black Knights in the NHL
As of July 1, 2025.
| Player | Position | Team(s) | Years | Stanley Cups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Hinote | Center | COL, STL | 1999–2009 | 1 |
