Army West Point Hockey head coach Brian Riley earned his 200th victory at the helm of the Black Knights program in a 2-0 shutout of AHA rival Bentley on Saturday at Tate Rink.
“It only means I have 300 and something more to catch my dad,” Riley said on the accomplishment. “200 wins. I don’t think I won any of those on my own. It was the guys in the room tonight and all the guys who have sat in that room in the past. They are all part of this. When you can reach a milestone like that with a game like this, you aren’t going to forget it. I am just thankful to have had the opportunity to have coached so many great guys.”
In his first career appearance in net, yearling Justin Evenson recorded a shutout for Army’s first win of the 2020-21 campaign. It was a night of firsts for the Black Knights, as plebe Lincoln Hatten broke the scoreless tie 12:33 into the third period with his first career goal. Fellow rookie Mitch Matchlitt recorded his first collegiate point on the play, finding Hatten with a stretch pass down the right wing for the breakaway score. Evenson earned a point of his own when he kicked the puck to Eric Butte who found the net for the empty netter.
“I think once I got the nerves out of the way, I was able to really settle in tonight,” Evenson said. “I was seeing the puck really well and as the game went on I felt more confident. I was able to calm down and stick to what I do best.” Read more.
