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AHA Men's Weekly Release: Service Academy Goalies Shining Bright

Air Force's Guy Blessing and Army's JJ Cataldo Are Standing Tall in Net

BOSTON, Mass. - November 20, 2024 - Air Force's Guy Blessing and Army's JJ Cataldo are shining between the pipes for their respective teams so far this season. Blessing leads Atlantic Hockey in multiple statistical categories in conference play, while Cataldo is off to a historic start in his freshman campaign.

Quick Hitters

Blessing Earns Back-to-Back AHA Goaltender of the Week Honors
This past weekend, Air Force senior goaltender Guy Blessing stopped 56-of-57 shots to lead the Falcons to a clean sweep over Mercyhurst. It was yet another great weekend for Blessing, who has earned back-to-back AHA Goaltender of the Week honors. Blessing has been stellar in six conference games so far this season, posting a 5-1-0 record. In addition, his 1.01 goals-against average and .962 save percentage both lead Atlantic Hockey in conference play. 

Cataldo's Historic Start
Army freshman goaltender JJ Cataldo is putting together a historic start to his collegiate career. Cataldo's save percentage of .956 on the season is tops in the nation, and is the third-highest among all NCAA goalies through their first six career starts since 2002. In addition, his 1.34 goals-against average is second-best in the country. The Stuart, Fla. native has earned AHA Rookie of the Week honors twice this season, including this past weekend when he stopped 51-of-54 shots (.944 save percentage) in Army's road sweep of RIT.

Bentley Leading AHA in Multiple Offensive Categories
Andy Jones' Bentley Falcons are scoring a league-leading 4.00 goals per game in conference play. Forward Ethan Leyh is riding a seven-game point streak, having accumulated 11 points on four goals and seven assists in that stretch. Bentley also boasts the highest power play percentage in conference play at .227. Kellan Hjartarson and A.J. Hodges lead the Falcons with three power play goals apiece. 

Three AHA Teams Receiving Votes in National Poll
Niagara (8), Bentley (5), and Air Force (1) all received votes in this week's USCHO Men's Poll released Nov. 18.

The Week Ahead

Friday, Nov. 22
RIT at Sacred Heart*
Canisius at Mercyhurst*
Holy Cross at Army*
(RV) Air Force at (RV) Bentley*
Robert Morris at (12/14) North Dakota

Saturday, Nov. 23
(RV) Air Force at (RV) Bentley*
Canisius at Mercyhurst*
(RV) Niagara at AIC*
RIT at Sacred Heart*
Robert Morris at (12/14) North Dakota

Sunday, Nov. 24
(RV) Niagara at AIC*

Tuesday, Nov. 26
Army at Stonehill

* - AHA conference game

By the Numbers
  • +7: Plus/minus for Army defenseman Mac Gadowsky in two games at RIT this past weekend. Gadowsky scored three goals and dished out an assist to earn him AHA Defenseman of the Week honors.
  • 16: Saves by AIC netminder Peyton Grainer to earn the shutout victory over Stonehill by a score of 3-0 on Nov. 19. 
  • 31.54: Shots on goal per game for Niagara, which is second in Atlantic Hockey.
  • 2: Short-handed goals for Mercyhurst, making them the lone AHA team with multiple short-handed goals so far this season. Dustin Geregach and Ryan Coughlin have the two short-handed tallies for the Lakers. 
  • 16.73: Blocked shots per game for Army, which leads Atlantic Hockey. Sam Groebner leads the Black Knights with 25 blocks on the season.
  • 8: League-leading goals for Sacred Heart's Felix Trudeau. Trudeau scored twice in SHU's 6-3 win over Robert Morris this past weekend on Nov. 16.
  • 3: Game-winning goals for Niagara's Glebs Prohorenkovs, which is the most in Atlantic Hockey so far this season.
  • 26: Blocked shots for Canisius' Jack Budd, which ranks fourth in Atlantic Hockey.
  • 31: AHA-leading shots on goal Holy Cross forward Liam McLinskey. The senior forward is riding a four-game point streak with seven points on five goals and two assists in that stretch.
About Atlantic Hockey America
Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) embarks on its first season in 2024-25 after the merger between the Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America. The conference fields 11 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 2025-26, Delaware University will join the women’s league. For more information, visit atlantichockeyamerica.com.