Skip To Main Content

American International College

Skip to Navigation
2
Winner Army ARMY 12-19-7
1
American Int'l AIC 19-16-1
Winner
Army ARMY
12-19-7
2
Final
1
American Int'l AIC
19-16-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Army ARMY 0 1 1 2
American Int'l AIC 0 1 0 1

Game Recap: Men's Ice Hockey |

Ice hockey takes Game 1 against Army West Point in AHC Quarterfinals

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts The American International College ice hockey team earned a 4-0 victory over Army West Point in the opening game of a best-of-three Atlantic Hockey Championship Tournament Quarterfinal series at the MassMutual Center on Friday, March 15.

FAST FACTS:
SCORE:AIC 4, Army West Point 0
RECORDS:The Yellow Jackets improve to 19-15-1 overall, while the Black Knights drop to 11-19-7.
LOCATION:MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts

STATS:
AIC:
Tobias Fladeby: One goal
Elijiah Barriga: One goal, seven faceoff wins
Luka Maver: One goal
Joel Kocur: One goal
Hugo Reinhardt: One assist, eight faceoff wins
Shawn McBride: One assist, eight faceoff wins
Zackarias Skog: Win (16-12-0), shutout (5), 20 saves

Army West Point:
Matt Penta: Loss (3-3-3), 10 saves on 13 shots in 22:15
Jared Dempsey: No decision (3-10-2), 12 saves on 13 shots in 37:15



HOW IT HAPPENED:
  • The Yellow Jackets drew an early penalty, and though they did not convert on the power play, under a minute later, good pressure by junior center Hugo Reinhardt forced a turnover in the offensive zone, and sophomore right wing Tobias Fladeby took advantage to bank a puck in for his 18th of the season at 6:13.
  • After a penalty by each side, AIC rushed into the zone, with sophomore right wing Chris Dodero and junior defenseman Nicolas Luka winning a puck battle along the right-wing wall to freshman center Elijiah Barriga, who in turn snapped a wrist shot through the five-hole of Army goalkeeper Matt Penta for his second of the year at 14:18.
  • AIC chased Penta early in the second on a similar play, with junior right wing Martin Mellberg and senior center Shawn McBride working the puck to redshirt freshman left wing Luka Maver, who once again found the five-hole for his 11th of the year at 2:15.
  • Backup Jared Dempsey was met with a rude welcome, thanks to a steal at the blue line by redshirt freshman right wing Justin Cole, who was able to pass to an open junior center Joel Kocur in the slot; Kocur tucked a backhanded shot under the crossbar for his ninth of the year at 3:23.
  • From there, junior goalkeeper Zackarias Skog held the fort, stopping a grand total of 20 shots to earn his fifth shutout of the season.

MAYORAL DECLARATION:
  • Prior to the contest, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno joined College President Vincent Maniaci, Director of Athletics Matt Johnson, head coach Eric Lang, associate head coach Mike Towns, assistant coach Stephen Wiedler, and McBride, the team's captain, on the ice for a ceremony to honor the team's Atlantic Hockey regular season title.
  • Sarno declared March 15, 2019 to be "American International College Men's Ice Hockey Team Day" in the city, in recognition not just of the on-ice success of the program, but also of the team's contributions to the community through service and charity work.

SKOG SAYS NO:
  • Of five clean sheets for Skog this season, four have come against the service academies.
  • He authored back-to-back shutouts against Air Force on November 16 and 17 and blanked Army at West Point on February 8. His only shutout against a non-service academy this year was on January 17, at home against Holy Cross.
  • His win ties the team record across all eras of 16 in a season set by Mark Buckley in the 1987-88 campaign; the shutout extends the season record he already holds.

THAT'S A PLUS:
  • All but two of the 19 skaters for AIC registered a +1 or better rating in this game.
  • Three defenders juniors Nicolas Luka and Janis Jaks and sophomore Jeff Baum went +2 on the night.

MORE MILESTONES:
  • As a team, the Yellow Jackets have scored a Division I-era record 116 goals, shattering the previous mark of 100 set in 1998-99.
  • The team's second successful penalty kill on the night was the 100th of the year.

NEXT UP:
  • The Yellow Jackets will try to close out the series on Saturday, March 16 at 7:05 p.m. at the MassMutual Center. If necessary, a decisive Game Three would be Sunday, March 17 at 7:05 p.m., also at home.
  • Tickets are on sale now through the MassMutual Center website.

STAY CONNECTED:
  • For more updates about the AIC ice hockey team, follow@AIC_Hockeyon Twitter andInstagram, and likeAmerican International College Ice HockeyonFacebook. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow@AICAthleticsonTwitterandInstagram, and likeAIC Yellow JacketsonFacebook.
Print Friendly Version