SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - On a night overflowing with emotional tributes to senior student-athletes and coaches who have made impacts no box score could ever describe, the American International College ice hockey team won a 3-2 victory over Army West Point in Atlantic Hockey America play on Friday, February 21.
AIC improves to 11-19-2 overall and 9-14-1-0-0-2 in the AHA, clinching eighth place and home-ice advantage in the 2025 AHA Tournament First Round.
The Yellow Jackets struck first, and it was their goalkeeper Chase Clark who set it up, stopping a dump-in behind the net and firing the puck up and out of the zone around the boards to Casey McDonald. He drove in on a two-on-one with Oscar Geschwind, and while his shot was stopped by Army's J.J. Cataldo, the rebound bounced off of Geschwind and into the net for his fourth of the season at 6:20. Army challenged the goal as an illegal kick, but video review upheld the call on the ice.
The Black Knights evened the score anyway shortly after, with a power play goal at 7:08. Nils Forselius, the son of Erik Forselius '93, put back a rebound to even the contest.
AIC retook the lead late in the period. Noah Serdachny kept the puck in at the point and Theo Angesved took a shot that went wide. Behind the net, Geschwind took the rebound and cut into the circle before passing into the slot for another Angesved wrister. He flicked the puck through a screen and into the top of the net at 15:29 for his first of the season.
Army took a penalty in the second period, but tied the game shorthanded, with Barron Woodring putting back a rebound at 8:57.
However, AIC converted late in the power play to retake the edge. Josh Barnes fired a pass across the zone from the top of the right circle to the left faceoff dot for a Brett Bamber one-timer. The rebound of that shot bouned to Dario Beljo at the top of the crease, and he wristed it home for his 11th of the season at 10:04.
As much intensity as the rest of the game had, neither side was able to put a puck across the goal line again. Army fired eight pucks on target in the third, but Clark stuffed them all, and even a late goalie pull did not manage to change the outcome.
In total, Clark made 26 saves, as AIC outshot Army 37-28.
Prior to the contest, AIC recognized its four senior student-athletes - Danny Weight, Geschwind, Timofei Khokhlachev, and Evan Stella - with a special ceremony. The team also played a video to honor longtime Army head coach Brian Riley, who is retiring at the end of the season after over two decades as the head coach at West Point. After the contest, AIC lauded head coach Eric Lang with a video.
The two teams will face off again at Tate Rink at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 22.
