WALTHAM, Mass. – Three special teams goals by the Army West Point hockey team lifted it over Bentley, 3-2, on the road Friday night.
Brendan Soucie netted the Black Knights’ first goal of the night on the power play. The Cadets only faced one Bentley power play, but remained perfect in the effort when Soucie garnered a shorthanded game-winning goal with 7:29 remaining in the game.
Zach Evancho was Army’s other goal scorer who also tallied a score on the man advantage.
Jared Dempsey earned his first win in net during his sophomore season with 29 saves.
Army improved to 6-5-1 this season and are 5-3-1 in Atlantic Hockey contests.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons netted the first goal of the game on a breakaway opportunity.
Michael Zuffante was able to score stick side on Dempsey 1:18 into the game.
The lead didn’t last long however as Soucie scored 22 seconds into Army’s first power play of the game.
Mason Krueger and Daniel Haider swung the puck around from behind the goal over to Soucie who was at the point.
Soucie sniped the shot through a sea of blue and white to score on Aidan Pellino – glove side high.
With 6:44 on the clock in the second, Dempsey stepped up for a big one-on-one save denying Bentley a goal.
The Falcons jumped ahead 2-1 to start the third, but Evancho answered back with a power play goal of his own.
Alex Wilkinson and Dalton MacAfee drew Bentley’s defenders to the left side giving Evancho a wide-open lane to the goal.
The junior one-timed it past Pellino to knot the score yet again with 10:44 remaining.
Three minutes later, Soucie scored his second of the night on a shorthanded breakaway setup by Coby Mack clearing the puck and Dominic Franco setting up the play in the offensive zone.
ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES
The Black Knights and Falcons joined together to honor the late 1LT Derek Hines before Friday’s game. Hines was a Massachusetts native and a member of the Army West Point hockey team. He was killed in action in 2005.
Dempsey turned aside 29 shots tonight to secure his first win of 2018-19.
Soucie notched the Black Knights’ game-winning goal late in the third period.
It is the junior’s second game winner this season with the other coming against Merrimack.
He now owns five in his career.
Soucie netted his third power play goal of the year tonight. The junior now boasts seven in his career on the man advantage.
Later in the game the junior posted his second special teams goal of the night, but this time on the penalty kill.
The goal was Soucie’s second shorthanded goal in his career. He now totals 26 goals and 42 points in his three years.
The junior has now scored five tallies against the Falcons in three years.
The Cadets are now 2-0-0 when scoring a shorthanded goal.
Tonight marked his fifth multi-goal game in his career and seventh multi-point game.
In Army’s six wins this season, Evancho has tallied a goal.
The junior now boasts a team-leading four power play goals this season and 15 in his career.
The goal was his sixth in 2018-19 and 27th overall.
Evancho boasts four goals and three helpers against Bentley which is good for seven points.
MacAfee and Wilkinson are quite the duo this season and own identical stat lines of two goals, 10 assists and 12 points to lead Atlantic Hockey.
Wilkinson leads the team in points opposite the Falcons with nine on three goals and six assists. MacAfee improved to three helpers all-time against the team from Waltham, Mass.
Krueger has now contributed four assists this season.
Franco posted his third helper of the year, while Haider had his first-career assist.
Mack notched his first point of the year with tonight’s secondary assist.
The Black Knights have now netted a pair of power play goals on six occasions this year.
Tonight was Army’s second win on a Friday night this season and are 2-0-1 Fridays on the road.
UP NEXT
The Black Knights continue their series at Bentley tomorrow with a 5 p.m. start time.
