The Army Sports Hall of Fame has inducted eight classes and there is a strong hockey presence among the Academy’s top athletes. Coach Jack Riley and players David Rost, David Merhar, George Clark, John Boretti, Pete Dawkins and Ralph Chesnauskas all left their mark on one of the country’s oldest hockey programs and earned induction. The Army Sports Hall of Fame is located in the Kimsey Athletic Center. Each inductee has a plaque highlighting their many accomplishments and each team has a separate area detailing the history of the sport at West Point. Riley is Army’s all-time winningest coach and compiled a 542-343-20 record during his remarkable 36-year career at the Black Knights’ hockey helm. He retired in 1986 as the secondwinningest college hockey head coach in NCAA history and currently ranks ninth on the list. In addition, Riley led the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team to a gold medal at the Squaw Valley Games. Merhar led Army’s hockey team in scoring during each of his three seasons with the varsity, but it was his explosive senior campaign that earned him national acclaim. Merhar erupted for an NCAA-record 57 goals and tallied 50 assists during the 1968-69 season, becoming the first collegiate player ever to surpass 100 points in one year. No player in NCAA hockey history has scored more points than Rost, who compiled an astounding 330 points during his remarkable fouryear career at Army. Rost was tabbed a first-team All-East selection in 1977, capping a sparkling senior season in which he set an Academy record with 108 points, while jointly setting the NCAA singleseason scoring mark with Clarkson’s Dave Taylor. The Black Knights’ career assist leader with 226, Rost tallied 104 career goals to graduate in third place in that category. His 66 assists in 1974-75 remain an Academy record. Clark wasn’t far behind Rost and Merhar when it came to scoring. The Academy’s only two-time All-American, Clark is third all-time with 266 points. His 153 goals top the Academy goals scoring chart while his 113 assists are 10th all-time. He had a seven-goal game to his credit and once netted nine points in a game. Boretti was a three-sport star at the Academy in baseball, soccer and hockey. He played 75 games as a defenseman with 27 points. Dawkins, a Heisman Trophy winner in 1958, was also a defenseman on the hockey team. Chesnauskas, the most recent inductee as part of the Class of 2009, was also a threesport star. In addition to hockey, he also played football and basketball. On the ice, he served as team captain as a senior for Riley, despite having no hockey experience prior to his arrival at the U.S. Military Academy.
KENNA HALL OF ARMY SPORTS • 2012-13 ARMY HOCKEY • PAGE 6