AHA Men's Weekly Release: Army Set for Capital Hockey Classic in Washington, DC

BOSTON, MA – December 12, 2024 –The Army Black Knights are in Washington, DC to take on Penn State on December 12 in the first Capital Hockey Classic.

Fast hitters

Capital Hockey Classic

The Army Black Knights will face the Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday, December 12 at Capital One Arena, home of the Washington Capitals. The Puck Drop is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET. The on-ice game precedes the Army-Navy football game, which takes place this Saturday, December 14, at Northwest Stadium, home of the Washington Commanders.

Fukakusa is riding an eight-match winning streak

RIT sophomore forward Tyler Fukakusa enters the holiday break on an eight-game streak, having collected 12 points on four goals and eight assists during that span. Fukakusa has five multi-point games under his belt this season, and his 16 assists and 21 points both lead Atlantic Hockey. The Mississauga, Ontario native will look to extend his streak in RIT's next game on Sunday, December 29 in Bowling Green.

AHA teams in national polls

With an overall record of 10-5-2, Bentley received 20 votes in the USCHO Men's Poll released this week on December 9. The Falcons also received five votes in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live Poll released on December 9. Sacred Heart (9-7-3 overall) received five votes in the USCHO Poll, and Holy Cross (8-8-1 overall) received one vote.

One conference match this weekend

Robert Morris at Canisius is the only AHA series scheduled this weekend. The Colonials will take on the Golden Griffins from Buffalo, NY on Saturday and Sunday. While Army plays Penn State in a non-conference game, Mercyhurst hosts RPI for two games this weekend.

The coming week

Thursday, December 12

Penn State at Army #

Saturday December 14th

Robert Morris at Canisius*
RPI at Mercyhurst

Sunday December 15th

RPI at Mercyhurst
Robert Morris at Canisius*

* – AHA Conference Game
# -Washington, DC – Capital One Arena

Team stats of the week

• Robert Morris: The Colonials lead the AHA with a power play percentage of .239. RMU has 11 power play goals this year, with Mitch Deelstra leading with a team with three of its own players.
• Sacred Heart: With 59 goals in 15 games, the Pioneers lead Atlantic Hockey in goals scored and are second in goals per game (3.11). Felix Trudeau is tied for the league lead with 10 goals this season.
• Canisius: The Golden Griffins lead AtlanticHockey with three shorthanded goals so far this season. Dominic Payne, Robert Kincaid, And Jackson Nieuwendyk have scored short goals TrevorGroot's team.
• Niagara: Come on Shane Ot is second in the league this season with 14 assists. In addition, Gleb Prochorenkov sits fifth in the conference with 12 assists.
• Mercyhurst: DefenderDustin Geregach leads the Lakers by 14 points. Geregach scored six goals and provided eight assists this season.
• RIDE: Come on Matthew Wilde has seven goals in conference play, which ranks third in Atlantic Hockey. The sophomore forward has scored two goals and four points in his last three games.
• Air Force: Goalkeeper Dude bless recorded 459 saves on the season, which ranks third in the AHA. So far this season, Blessing has a goals-against average of 2.69 and a save percentage of 0.904 in 1095:08.
• Bentley: Goalkeeper Connor Hasley ranks second in Atlantic Hockey with a goals-against average of 2.10. Hasley recorded four shutouts in November en route to being named AHA Goalkeeper of the Month.
• AIC: Come on Timofei Khokhlachev leads the Yellow Jackets with a +4 rating so far this season. Khokhlachev also leads AIC with 11 points on seven goals and four assists.
• Holy Cross: The Crusaders own a .900 penalty kill percentage in the league. They have allowed just seven power play goals on seventy opponent power plays.
• Army: With 230 blocks in 15 games, the Black Knights lead the AHA with 15.33 blocked shots per game. Easton Zueger leads the team with 32 blocks.

About Atlantic Hockey America

Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) will begin its inaugural season in 2024-2025 following the merger between the Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America. The conference features eleven men's teams (American International College, Bentley University, Canisius University, The College of Holy Cross, Mercyhurst University, Niagara University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Robert Morris University, Sacred Heart University, the United States Air Force Academy and the United States Military Academy) and six women's teams (Lindenwood University, Mercyhurst University, Penn State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Robert Morris University and Syracuse University). In 2025-2026, Delaware University will join the women's league. For more information, visit atlantichockeyamerica.com.