Hockey Puts Up Dominant 6-1 Win in 2025-26 Home Opener Against Stonehill

Sunday, October 12

West Point, N.Y.

4 p.m.

Army West Point

2-0-1

Stonehill

0-4-0

Stonehill

Army West Point

Batten and Teammates Celebrating After a Goal

Hockey Puts Up Dominant 6-1 Win in 2025-26 Home Opener Against Stonehill

October 12, 2025 | Hockey

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point hockey (2-0-1, 0-0-0 Atlantic Hockey America) played its first game of the season at Tate Rink in a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Stonehill Skyhawks (0-4-0). The Black Knights grabbed hold of the momentum and did not let up as they surged to a 6-1 win on Sunday.

JJ Cataldo returned between the pipes and put on a stellar performance for Army, putting up 40 saves against 41 shots on goal from the Skyhawks.

Stonehill's Connor Androlewicz and Linards Lipskis stood in goal for the Skyhawks, logging five saves and 12 saves respectively during their time on the ice.

Army recorded 23 shots as a team for the second consecutive game. Nik Hong led the way for the Black Knights with four shots on goal.

The Black Knights' six goals against Stonehill mark the most in a single game since their 6-3 win over Robert Morris on January 24 last season.

For the third consecutive game, Army struck first and recorded its first goal in the first period. Vincent Salice set the tone for the Black Knights early in the contest with his first goal of the season only three minutes into the action.

Brent Keefer and Sean Vlasich combined on the setup to give Salice an open lane in the Skyhawks' zone where he could fire a shot into the net from the lefthand circle.

Stonehill sought to equalize as they racked up 15 shots in the first period, but strong defensive work from the Black Knights, including Owen Nolan and JJ Cataldo holding off a two-on-one opportunity midway through the period kept the advantage in Army's favor.

With just over three minutes left in the first frame, Nik Hong secured his first goal of the season on a quick rush up the ice from the Black Knights to give Army a 2-0 lead going into the first break that held out through a series of shots from the Skyhawks with the steady presence of Cataldo to hold off the visitors.

Fresh off his assist against Northeaster, Jude Brower found the back of the net himself to put Army ahead 3-0 less than five minutes back on the ice in the second period. A set of give-and-go touches after a shot from Ben Ivey was blocked set up Brower to slip the puck past the Skyhawks' Androlewicz through the five hole.

Adam Marshall netted his first goal of the night only four minutes later, hammering home a one-timer from Nik Hong after a big hit from Brent Keefer knocked a Stonehill defender off of the puck along the boards.

The Skyhawks found their way onto the board with four and a half minutes left on the clock but an unassisted goal from Salice put the momentum firmly back in Army's favor with 30 seconds left on the clock in the second period.

Barron Woodring interrupted a series of passes from the Skyhawks and the visitors let the puck loose in the neutral zone for Salice to speed past their defenders and notch his second goal of the night.

A flurry of shots from Stonehill in the third period could not penetrate the steel wall that was JJ Cataldo in goal, but Army extended its lead to a 6-1 advantage with four minutes left in the third frame.

Adam Marshall and Nik Hong teamed up on a loose puck opportunity in the neutral zone for a rush against Lipskis in goal, passing back and forth on their way to the net until Marshall deked around the Skyhawks' goaltender and scored his second goal of the night.

The win marks the first win in a home opener for the Black Knights since the 2019-20 season – a 3-2 win over Union – as well as their first undefeated start to the season through the first three games since the 2019-20 season.

Army last began its season 2-0-1 in the 2016-17 season which saw the Black Knights earn a 19-14-7 overall record.

The victory also makes head coach Zach McKelvie the third coach in Army history to go undefeated in his first the games behind the Army bench alongside Capt. Robert Foy (3-0-0 in 1905) and Rob Riley (3-0-0 in 1986).

UP NEXT
Army will return to Tate Rink on Tuesday, Oct. 14^th to take on its first AHA opponent of the season. The Black Knights will take on Canisius in a contest beginning at 7 p.m. ET.