Air Force Falcons, Army Black Knights Prepare for Critical Hockey Series

The Air Force Falcons and the Army West Point Black Knights will meet on the ice for the second time this season.

Wisconsin and Air Force compete Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, in the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. / Ebony Cox / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Air Force Falcons and the Army West Point Black Knights will meet later this week in their second ice hockey series as their Atlantic Hockey America regular season nears a conclusion.

The games are set for Friday and Saturday at Cadet Ice Rink at the Air Force Academy. The Friday game will start at 9:05 p.m. eastern/7:05 p.m. mountain and the Saturday game will be at 7:05 p.m./5:05 p.m.

Both teams will play their final regular-season series next weekend. The Falcons will travel to Moon Township, Penn., and face Robert Morris. The Black Knights will return east next weekend, with a series against American International College, with one game in Springfield, Mass., and the other at Tate Rink at West Point.

This weekend is about the Falcons (13-18-1, 10-12-0, 31 points in AHA) and the Black Knights (12-16-1, 12-9-1, 37 points) working to position themselves for the AHA Tournament next month.

Army enters the weekend fifth in the league standings, two points behind Niagara. Air Force is tied for sixth, but six points behind the Black Knights.

Both teams are coming off great weekends. Air Force won a pair of games at Canisius, while Army picked up five points at Sacred Heart, which is tied for the AHA with 47 points along with Sacred Heart.

In their last meeting in January, Army swept both games at Tate Rink. The Black Knights won the first game, 3-2, and the second in overtime, 4-3. The Falcons do lead the all-time series, 53-29-9.

The Black Knights went nearly two months without a win in November and December but turned things around at the first of the year and are 7-1-1 in their last nine games. Max Gadowsky, one of the country’s top defensemen, leads Army with 11 goals, 20 assists and 31 points. His 11 goals is the most of any defensemen in the country.

Freshman goalie J.J. Cataldo has started 22 of the 29 games this season and has a 2.25 GAA and a .926 save percentage.

Air Force hasn’t been on quite the heater that Army has been, but the Falcons are among the top defensive teams in the country. Air Force has allowed two goals or less in 14 of the last 22 games. s

Offense has been the problem. The Falcons have scored two goals or less in 19 of the last 27 games. By extension, the Falcons are 7-8 in one-goal games.

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