No. 19 Hockey Takes Game One at Air Force

Friday, November 6

USAF Academy, Colo.

9 p.m.

Army West Point

6-1-0, 5-0-0

Air Force

3-6-0, 1-2-0

Team	1	2	3	F
Army West Point	3	1	0	4
Air Force	0	1	0	1

Noah Mertz (34) and Nik Hong (19) celebrate after defeating Air Force 4-1 on Nov. 6, 2026 at USAFA, Colo.

Photo by: Ray Bahner

November 07, 2026 | Hockey

Box Score Photo Gallery

USAFA, Colo. – Army West Point hockey secured their sixth consecutive victory with a 4-1 win on Friday night at Air Force (3-6-0, 1-2-0 AHA). Army (6-1-0, 5-0-0 AHA) has now won five straight at Air Force. Four Black Knights recorded multi-point games: Ben Ivey, Nils Foreslius, Billy Batten and Noah Mertz.

Notables

The Black Knights went 2-for-3 on the powerplay with goals from J.Ivey and Noah Mertz
Sophomore Billy Batten has now recorded two assist games in back-to-back Friday night contests
Mertz earned a team leading four blocks earning a new single game career high
The Black Knights continued their streak scoring first in all games so far this season
Army outshot the Falcons 33 to 18 in the game and earned 23 blocks

By the Numbers

Goals: Multiple Tied (Jack Ivey, Nils Forselius, Nik Hong, Noah Mertz), 1
Assists: Two Tied (Ben Ivey, Billy Batten), 2
Points: Multiple Tied (Ben Ivey, Nils Forselius, Billy Batten, Noah Mertz), 2
Shots: Ben Ivey, 5
Blocks: Noah Mertz, 4
+/-: Multiple Tied (Ben Ivey, Pierce Patterson, Liam Chapman, Brock Jones, Sean Gibbons, Thomas Quast, Nik Hong, Max Holland, Billy Batten)
Saves: JJ Cataldo, 17

How It Happened

The Black Knights and Falcons started the game physical, with junior Ben Ivey heading to the box at 1:34 into the game. The Black Knights successfully killed off the penalty with a sliding stop from goaltender junior JJ Cataldo and multiple blocked shots including a crucial one from junior Nils Forselius at the end of the penalty.
Forselius' block was collected by sophomore Billy Batten at the top of the defensive zone and was able to pass it up to Forselius on breakaway. Foreselius made a beautiful deke to beat the Air Force defender to make it 1-0 at 3:30 in the first period.
The Black Knights added a second at 11:00 in the first period from Jack Ivey on the powerplay. The Black Knights took an initial shot from the point that was saved by the Air Force goaltender. Forselius collected the rebound and passed it up to freshman Noah Mertz at the point. Mertz dragged the puck across the blue line and passed it to B. Ivey at the top of the circle. B. Ivey passed it to his brother J. Ivey who quickly passed it back to beat a screened goalie to make it 2-0.
With a minute and 16 seconds left in the first period, senior Nik Hong added a third tying the most in a period so far for the Black Knights. Freshman Sean Gibbons shot the puck into the zone, where an Air Force defender collected the puck but was unable to control it and it was collected by Batten along the boards at the hashes. Batten fed it across to a wide-open Hong at the backside who tapped it in to make it 3-0.
Coming out of the first intermission, the Falcons earned a goal back but the Black Knights regained the three-goal lead of a second powerplay goal of the night, from the stick of Mertz. B.Ivey passed the puck across the zone to Foreslius at the dot. Mertz wide open at the top of the circle called his number with a top shelf slapshot that beat the Air Force goaltender over the blocker side shoulder.
Neither team was able to find the net thru the rest of the second period, but the Black Knights outshot the Falcons 13 to 6 in the middle frame.

Up Next
The Black Knights will return for game two at Air Force tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. ET at Cadet Ice Arena.

Follow the Black Knights
Follow Army Hockey on X @ArmyWP_Hockey and on Instagram @armywp_hockey Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about hockey and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com

Army West Point Athletic Association, Inc. (AWPAA)
AWPAA is an IRS code 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established to execute the United States Military Academy's intercollegiate athletics program. AWPAA is led by a board of directors that provides guidance to the director of athletics, who serves as the primary advisor to the USMA Superintendent and the USMA leadership on all NCAA operations. The AWPAA mission is to recruit, educate, train and inspire leaders of character who are committed to the Army values through an extraordinary Division I athletic experience.

––www.goarmywestpoint.com—