Not really sure where and why people are coming up with this unlikely scenario of Army going to the Hyundai Sun Bowl (someone from ESPN has even penciled West Point into that game) — the cadets are bound for the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Dallas. It’s an 11 a.m. CST game Dec. 30 on ESPN and, from what I can tell, will be Army-SMU. I guess the opponent is still up for debate, but, simply, with TCU getting a BCS bowl, the Mountain West won’t have enough eligible teams to send to Dallas. Thus, Army.
Sal of the Times Herald-Record reported a few days ago what I was basically told a couple weeks ago: Armed Forces-bound. The stadium hosting the game is SMU’s home park, so it may not be a very friendly crowd for Army.
The whole bowl eligibility is definitely difficult to comprehend for almost every team out there (scheduling will be officially announced Dec. 5). I’m also not sure many people are worrying about it too much at this point with Navy officially on the horizon.
I’m anticipating a healthy Army squad for that game — having Malcolm Brown back in the running game should help Army further mix it up, although Navy is well-versed in the option attack, obviously. Brown has been sidelined, but guys like Jon Crucitti and Brian Austin have stepped up. I think there’s probably been more chatter over what uniforms Army will take the field wearing on Dec. 11.
I stopped by Tate Rink on Saturday for Army’s 4-1 win over Niagra. Army split the weekend series behind a strong game from backup goalie Ryan “Steel” Leets, a game which kept both teams at West Point for Thanksgiving break while the rest of the Academy (and country) returned home for turkey. Leets was recognized as Army’s player of the week.
Tate Rink is a nice little arena that tends to fill up on weekends for Army games. West Point is off to a bumpy start thus far, but if you like hockey and want to get your fix of seeing a game, you can’t go wrong. The rink is right across the street from Michie Stadium and has lots of food and merchandise for sale, including ice-level private tables against the glass. Both basketball programs play in the same complex as well … I’ll be with the men’s team this weekend when they play in the Izod Center at the Meadowlands, the former home of the Nets and Devils.
Lots more photos of the hockey team’s win on Saturday here. My buddy Mark also has a ton of photos from that game and more.