(USAFA, Colo.) – Josh Kassel made 36 saves to propel Army to a 2-0 victory over Air Force Saturday night in front of 2,381 fans and a live nationally-televised audience at Cadet Ice Arena at USAFA, Colo.
The Black Knights (13-9-3, 11-6-3 AHA) jump into second place in the Atlantic hockey standings with the win, their first at USAFA since Jan. 19, 2003, while the Falcons (12-9-5, 9-4-5 AHA) fall to fourth.
After a scoreless first period, Army took advantage of a 5-on-3 opportunity to get on the board midway through the second. Air Force’s Josh Schaffer and Michael Mayra were both given penalties 10:44 into the period offering the Black Knights a golden scoring chance.
Chase Podsiad would be the lucky benefactor as he picked up the trash in front for his second goal of the season. Robb Ross started the play passing it to Tim Manthey on the point, Manthey then blasted a slap shot setting the stage for Podsiad to knock in the rebound for the power play marker.
Luke Flicek gave the Black, Gold and Gray a 2-0 lead 1:56 into the third period. The junior pocketed his team leading 13th tally of the season with assists from Bryce Hollweg and Owen Meyer.
Army went 1-4 on the power play while Air Force was 0-3. Kassel’s career-high 36 save performance marked his sixth 30 save effort of the season and was his third shutout of the 2006-07 campaign. Falcons’s goalie Ben Worker finished the night with eight saves.
The Black Knights return to action next weekend when they host Connecticut in a two-game series at Tate Rink. Both Friday’s and Saturday’s games are slated for 7 p.m. starts.
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