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\nMonumental Sports & Entertainment announced Wednesday that the inaugural Capital Hockey Classic \u2013 a college hockey double header at Capital One Arena \u2013 will debut this winter.<\/p>\n
\nMonumental Sports & Entertainment announced Wednesday that the inaugural Capital Hockey Classic \u2013 a college hockey double header at Capital One Arena \u2013 will debut this winter.<\/p>\n
Taking place on Thursday, Dec. 12, the first game of the event will feature a contest between Army and Navy\u2019s club hockey teams, followed by a matchup between Army and Penn State\u2019s Division I programs.<\/p>\n
This celebration of hockey talent from two United States military academies and Penn State will take place in downtown D.C. days before the Army-Navy rivalry football game takes place at Commanders Field on Dec. 14.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are ecstatic to be able to welcome college hockey back to Capital One Arena,\u201d said Jim Van Stone, president of business operations and chief commercial officer at MSE, in a news release. \u201cIt is an honor to host this college hockey showcase ahead of the iconic Army-Navy football game, giving fans a chance to witness this storied rivalry on the ice and then see two top Division I teams match up against each other. The military is an integral part of our community in the Washington, D.C. area and Monumental Sports & Entertainment has a long history of harnessing the power of sports to make a lasting difference in the lives of those who serve our country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Capital One Arena, which previously hosted the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four, serves as the home venue for the NHL\u2019s Washington Capitals. Alongside their ownership organization, MSE, the Capitals have remained committed to growing and improving the game of hockey from youth clinics and camps to community programming to talent development with their AHL affiliate team and 13-time Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears.<\/p>\n
Game times, ticketing information, and additional details about the Capital Hockey Classic will be available in the coming months at capitalonearena.com.<\/p>\n
Hockey has long been a staple of athletics on the West Point campus of the United States Military Academy, with the hockey program originally forming in 1904. Since then, the program has become one of the most recognizable brands in college hockey with over 1,200 wins to its name across different levels of evolution in the college game. The Riley family has led the program since 1951, when legendary and 1960 gold-medal-winning USA Hockey coach Jack Riley took the reins. From there, his son Rob featured as the head coach from 1986 to 2004 before Rob’s brother, Brian Riley, who now enters his 21st season as head coach, was appointed. Army was a founding member of Atlantic Hockey.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are excited to have the opportunity to play in the Capital Hockey Classic against Penn State,\u201d said Brian Riley. \u201cWe know that there are a lot of alumni and Army fans in that area so it will be a great opportunity to bring the Army hockey team to an area where we\u2019ve never played. There will be a lot of energy with the Army-Navy football game on Saturday and this will be a great way to start the weekend with Army vs. Penn State on the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s truly an honor to be a part of the first-ever Capital Hockey Classic,\u201d added Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky. \u201cThe Army-Navy football game is a yearly spectacle and to add a hockey component to this special weekend is an awesome opportunity. I\u2019m excited we will be able to spread our Hockey Valley community to the DMV area, an area we haven\u2019t been to yet in our short history, but one with a large alumni base. We know there will be a lot of Blue and White support in D.C. We are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Navy competes in Division 1 of the ACHA as a member of the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association. Navy won the ECHA championship in 2022 and went undefeated in 2023, advancing to the ACHA national tournament each year. Navy is coached by Kevin Rooney, who just completed his eighth season leading the Midshipmen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Navy hockey team is excited to continue the great legacy of the Army-Navy game,\u201d said Rooney. \u201cAs the \u2018best of the best\u2019 student-athletes and leaders, the rivalry is historic and delivers an extreme level of competition that is only found in an event like this. In addition, it is an incredible opportunity to join with other hockey teams and Navy football to be part of the entire Army-Navy legacy weekend. We will be ready to \u2018bring it on\u2019 for this intense hockey weekend at the legendary home venue of the NHL\u2019s Washington Capitals.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced Wednesday that the inaugural Capital Hockey Classic \u2013 a college hockey double header at Capital One Arena \u2013 will debut this winter. Taking place on Thursday, Dec. 12, the first game of the event will feature a contest between Army and Navy\u2019s club hockey teams, followed by a matchup between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":148472,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[812],"coauthors":[901],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n