THE RINK: Tate Rink is part of the Holleder Center, which is really an excellent facility. Like the new building being built by Quinnipiac, the Holleder Center contains both an arena for hockey and an arena for basketball, which is also used for wrestling and gymnastics. Both arenas were in use on this night, as the men's basketball team hosted VMI, followed by a women's game against Princeton.

Tate Rink itself is a nice, comfortable facility. That's really the best way I can put it. First of all, it's one of the warmest rinks I've ever been in, which contrasts nicely with the Ice Forum at UConn and Thompson Arena at Dartmouth (to name a couple). There's no seating behind the goals, although there is a window in the Holleder Center lobby, where you can watch the action from behind the Army net. Most of the seats at Tate have a pretty good view of the action although, like any arena that doesn't have seating behind the nets, I wouldn't want to sit in a top corner. It's not Agganis Arena or the Whittemore Center, to be sure, but it is a nice place to watch a hockey game. Comfortable, even.

This season, there are a pair of "DH" logos with Amercian flags on either side of center ice, in memory of First Lieutenant Derek Hines, a former captain of the Black Knights who was killed in Afghanistan before the season. That's the thing about watching service academy teams: whatever your politics, you should appreciate the fact that these kids could die for you one day.

Thankfully, though, there wasn't any killing tonight. Just hockey. Physical hockey, but still, just hockey.

GAME 26: ARMY 2, AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL 2 (OT)

One thing I noticed about AIC almost immediately: the Yellow Jackets no longer have the ugliest uniforms in college hockey. Yellow and black should be easy colors to work with, but last year's jerseys were just atrocious. This year's model is a fair bit nicer. I dig the stylized "AIC" on the shoulders, and having the yellow jacket logo on the front is much nicer than the diagonal "AIC" that I saw last season. (By the way, I think I'd have to give Bentley the booby prize for ugliest uniforms in D-I at this point. Congratulations, Falcons!)

Of course, while the uniforms have improved, the team that wears them really has not. The Yellow Jackets came in with a 1-9-1 record, and were outshot 18-9 by Army in the first period. The only goal, however, came when Jeff Fearing knocked in a Chirs Bilec rebound at 12:20, and Chad Richardson potted a goal for AIC from the right faceoff circle to tie it up just over two minutes later.

The second period was more of same, with the Black Knights outshooting AIC 12-5. Army took a 2-1 lead with 2:22 to go in the middle frame on a goal by Bryce Hollweg, who blasted a one-timer into a gaping net. The play was really started by Chase Podsiad's hard work coming off the bench, poking the puck into the offensive zone, which created a 2-on-1 situation for Luke Flicek and Hollweg, whose brother, Ryan, plays a couple of hours south for the New York Rangers. Flicek faked out AIC goalie Tom Fenton, then passed to Hollweg, who had the entire net to shoot at.

AIC tied it up in the third period, as Neil Sullivan was able to spring Jereme Tendler on a short-handed breakway, and he fired a shot along the ice from the left face-off circle that beat Brad Roberts through his five-hole.

Army had a couple of very good chances in the third - it's hard not to when you put 19 shots on net - but AIC keeper Tom Fenton has developed very quickly as a freshman, and turned all 19 shots aside. Fenton has an excellent coach working with him in AIC assistant and former Merrimack goalie Joe Exter, who I had a chance to speak to after the game. Joe is really a wonderful human being to talk to, totally devoid of anger when it comes to his infamous injury at the hands of Patrick Eaves in the Hockey East playoffs a couple of years back. He also seems to be doing a heck of a job as coach, too, as Fenton has been honored by Atlantic Hockey as both Goalie of the Week and Rookie of the Week, and came into this game with a .929 save percentage over his last five games.

Things did get a little rough around the net at times, including a couple of near-fights, but Fenton survived, and the game went to overtime.

In the overtime, Army struggled to put the puck in the net. The thing about Army is that it's very hard to find and hold onto players who have good puck skills and/or shooting touch, because the serivce commitment for academy graduates makes it very difficult - although not impossible - to play professional hockey, which ever player who has those skills aspires to. Brandon Merkosky is about as good a natural goal-scorer as I've seen at a service academy, and he left Air Force after last season to transfer to Clarkson. This problem becomes very apparent in a game like this one, where Army outworked AIC for the majority of the game, put a ton of shots on net, and was unable to get the win. Still, it was a very impressive effort, and if Army can play like that throughout the season, they should be much improved, and will certainly be a tough out in the Atlantic Hockey tournament.

After the game, in addition to Exter, I had a chance to chat with former Black Knights captain Chad Fifield, who I profiled for CSTV.com last season. Chad is another remarkable human being, and I encourage you to go back and read his story. Army head coach Brian Riley said it best when he told me that Chad "represents what Army Hockey is all about." I interviewed Chad by phone for that piece, so this was my first chance to meet him, and it was really great to see him doing well. All in all, it was a very worthwhile trip to West Point on all counts.

But now, it's time to get home, because tomorrow, the CHA comes to New Jersey!