{"id":29108,"date":"2007-03-17T22:57:02","date_gmt":"2007-03-18T03:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2007\/03\/17\/rivalry-and-memorials\/"},"modified":"2010-08-17T19:57:00","modified_gmt":"2010-08-18T00:57:00","slug":"rivalry-and-memorials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2007\/03\/17\/rivalry-and-memorials\/","title":{"rendered":"Rivalry and Memorials"},"content":{"rendered":"
Dedicated to all the men and women of Rochester
\nWho died for their country on land, sea or in the air<\/p>\n
Americans by birth or adoption most of all by devotion
\nRich in the joys and hopes and talents they sacrificed
\nRicher still with the honor and freedom so nobly maintained
\nWhose courage and faith laid the foundations of peace<\/p>\n
These sons and daughters, neighbors, friends, whose noblest
\nMotive was the public good. They are not lost who are
\nRemembered nor dead whose work transcends their
\nTime whose fulfillment we in God’s grace may share<\/i><\/p>\n
Those moving words are engraved on a plaque permanently mounted in a prominent corner of the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial, adjacent to an eternal flame and alongside extensive displays capturing the military service of residents from Rochester, N.Y. The building was named the War Memorial upon its original dedication in 1953 as a tribute to those soldiers, sailors, and airmen who had made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II.<\/p>\n
So perhaps it is fitting that this building was the host tonight to two of the service academies battling on the ice for either team’s first ever Atlantic Hockey Association championship and also for their first automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n
“I think it is kind of neat for college hockey to have two service academies playing in a championship game, knowing that one of the them will be in the NCAA tournament,” said Army coach Brian Riley prior to the game.<\/p>\n
The on-ice rivalry between the Army Black Knights and Air Force Falcons go all the way back to March 22, 1969, the first year of varsity hockey for the Falcons. That pair of games, officially designated as exhibitions, were won convincingly by the Black Knights by scores of 12-4 and 8-0.<\/p>\n
But Air Force has greatly improved from those days, leading the all-time series 24-18-2.<\/p>\n