HANOVER, N.H. – The Army West Point hockey team scored four unanswered goals, including two on the power play, and Parker Gahagen made 48 saves to overtake Colgate, 4-1, on Saturday evening at the Ledyard Bank Classic at Dartmouth.
Colgate (4-11-4) got the first lead of the game with Tim Harrison scoring early in the second period as he put home a rebound in front.
Parker Gahagen stood tall in net after giving up the first goal of the game. The netminder made a career-high 48 saves for his 10th win of the year. Gahagen’s previous high was 45 against Holy Cross in 2014.
Army (10-6-2) responded after Harrison’s tally with three unanswered goals in the middle frame to take a 3-1 lead into the final frame. Trevor Fidler scored 29 seconds after Harrison and then Zach Evancho and Brendan Soucie added power play goals.
Dominic Franco scored the lone goal of the final period with an empty-netter in the final seconds and Army recorded its 10th win of the season.
ARMY GAME NOTES
* Army defeated Colgate for the first time since Oct. 30, 2004, which was a 3-2 victory. It was the first-ever win over the Raiders at a neutral site.
* The Black Knights took on the Raiders for the second time this season and first since the opening game of the season on Oct. 1. The teams finished in a 2-2 tie.
* With the win today, Army finishes 2016 with 19 wins with nine to end last year and 10 so far this season. The final record for 2016 was 19-13-7.
* This was the fourth game of the year that Army has faced an ECAC Hockey opponent and the Black Knights are now 1-1-2 in those games.
* The Black Knights returned to the Ledyard Bank Classic for the first time since 2008.
* Current assistant coach Zach McKelvie was on Brian Riley’s squad that played in the 2008 tournament.
* Army wore its home whites for the game after wearing black uniforms last night against Dartmouth.
* The Black Knights held an opponent scoreless in the first 20 minutes for the fourth-straight game.
* Army has yet to be shutout this season through the first 18 games of the year.
* The first two goal scorers for each team, Harrison and Fidler, grew up playing hockey together in Massachusetts.
* Colgate leads the all-time series against Army at 36-19-7.
* Evancho extended his point streak to five games with a goal and he has the longest streak by any player this year. He has six points during the streak.
* Evancho tallied his team-leading fifth power play goal of the season.
* Fidler added his fifth multi-point game of his career and second of the year.
* The Black Knights have scored at least two power play goals in six games this year and twice in the last three games.
* Andrle added his fifth point in three games after scoring a goal last night and adding an assist against the Raiders.
* Gahagen won his 10th game of the season and 33rd of his career.
TURNING POINT
* Trevor Fidler zapped the momentum from the Raiders, scoring 29 seconds after Colgate took the first lead early in the second period. The goal started a three-goal outburst in the second period.
HOW IT HAPPENED
* Colgate got on the board first with 17:32 on the clock in the second as Harrison jammed home a rebound in front after Gahagen stopped the initial shot from the Raiders.
* Fidler answered right back 29 seconds later with a one-timer from the top of the crease with a great pass from Michael Wilson from the corner. Andrle was also given assist for his fifth point in three games.
* The Black Knights took the lead with a power play goal from Evancho with 11:13 remaining in the middle frame. He was at the side of the net and cleaned up the puck to give Army the 2-1 lead. Tyler Pham and Alex Wilkinson were given the assists on the play. Evancho extended his streak to five games with the goal.
* Army extended the lead to 3-1 late in the second period with Brendan Soucie scoring his eighth of the season on the power play. Fidler and Ryan Nick got the assists on the goal. Fidler found Soucie in the high slot and he wasn’t picked up by the defense, so he fired home a wrister to make it 3-1 Black Knights.
UP NEXT
* The Black Knights are back on the ice for Frozen Fenway in Boston against Bentley on Jan. 5 at 7 p.m.
