MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Army West Point hockey team suffered a 3-0 setback to #10 Minnesota. After trailing by one for most of the game, the Gophers jumped ahead 2-0 with three minutes remaining in the third period to put things out of reach for the Black Knights.
ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES
This is Army’s first loss to a ranked opponent this season.
The Black Knights are now 4-1-0 against such teams.
Jared Dempsey backed the Black Knights’ performance with 30 saves.
It is the second time this season the freshman netminder made 30 or more saves.
Zach Evancho led the Black Knights with four shots on goal, while Conor Andrle tallied two.
The Gophers outshot the Black Knights 33-13.
HOW IT HAPPENED
PERIOD ONE (Minnesota 1 – Army 0)
The Black Knights began the game on the defensive with Dempsey recording two key saves within the first three minutes.
With 15:37 on the clock, Blake Box had a quality shot, but it sailed high left.
Four minutes later, Nick DeCenzo came up with a big block on a Minnesota breakaway to preserve the 0-0 score.
The Gophers struck first on the night with a goal 10:01 into the contest. Both teams had four men on the ice as Tyler Sheehy scored top right off a fade.
Andrle saw Army’s other quality opportunity in the opening period, but Eric Shierhorn came up with the save.
PERIOD TWO (Minnesota 1 – Army 0)
The Black Knights came out firing in the second stanza with Dalton MacAfee going just wide right under two minutes in before a scrum in front set up by Tyler Pham and Blake Box put the Gophers on their heels.
Ten minutes into the frame, Taylor Maruya took a backhanded attempt, but it couldn’t sneak past Shierhorn on the nearside pipe.
Michael Wilson had a close call when he sniped one high from the left hash, but it did not find the back of the net.
With under 10 seconds left in the middle frame, Dempsey made back-to-back saves on a significant Minnesota breakaway. He kept his cool and kept Army within one heading into the final 20 minutes of the game.
PERIOD THREE (Minnesota 3 – Army 0)
Dempsey continued to excel in net for Army in the final period making eight more saves.
The Black Knights were forced on the defensive with their third penalty kill of the game at 8:02. Army stayed on the offensive however and had multiple shorthanded breakaways in the stretch.
At 9:05, Minnesota’s shot was heard around the arena as it nicked the pipe and sailed outside.
The Gophers were able to convert their second of the game when Jack Sadek scored with 3:19 remaining to put things out of reach for Army.
The Black Knights played with an empty net for the last two minutes of the competition and saw Wilkinson go just wide on the play.
Minnesota scored on the empty net with 44 seconds to go. Then went on the power play with 22 left.
UP NEXT
The Black Knights and Gophers will face each other tomorrow night to conclude the weekend series.
