WEST POINT -- West Point Men's Club Hockey top-line center Caleb Kaiser, the reigning Northwest Region player of the year and finalist for ACHA national player of the year, sustained an injury early in the season opener Sept. 22 against Marist College at Tate Rink. But fellow senior Ben Gaucher stepped up admirably for his fallen "brother," scoring twice to lead the Black Knights to a 5-3 victory.
“Caleb left me some big shoes to fill after the first period, but I'm glad I was able to step up and put a couple in the net for him,” Gaucher said after the game.
Army also lost junior defensemen Bobby Staring (boarding major) and Brad Mackin (injury) early in the opener, forcing the Black Knights to finish the game with just four blue-liners. But they still outshot Marist 49-29 during the game.
West Point, which introduced five newcomers to the team, including four plebes, also got big games from sophomore forward Michael Fremgen (goal, assist) and sophomore defenseman Brendan Connor (two assists). Freshman forward Luke Dwyer scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal, and junior defenseman Chris Tamer got the club's second goal.
The Black Knights, who are coming off their first-ever trip to ACHA nationals, travel to the Boston area this weekend for games Sept. 28 against Boston University in Foxborough and Sept. 29 against Bryant in Walpole.