And then there were four.
The Atlantic Hockey tournament quarterfinal round had its fair share of drama and upsets, with two favorites and two underdogs advancing to Utica. Four of the nine games played last weekend went to overtime, including three of four on Friday.
– Air Force kept its streak of postseason wins against Army West Point alive with a pair of overtime victories. The Falcons have now won all five matchups between the schools in the Atlantic Hockey tournament.
– American International is still alive in its quest for a third straight tournament crown after a convincing 5-2, 6-2 sweep of Bentley.
– Mercyhurst stayed hot, winning its sixth and seventh games in a row with a sweep of Canisius that included a win in double overtime on Friday.
– The only series to go the distance was the one between Sacred Heart and Rochester Institute of Technology. RIT was able to break a scoreless tie in overtime on Friday for the win, but Sacred Heart limited the Tigers’ chances in a 3-1 victory on Saturday to even the series. The deciding Game 3 on Sunday saw RIT break open a 1-1 game with a pair of goals 38 seconds apart early in the third period for a 3-1 win.
Previewing the semifinals
No. 7 Mercyhurst vs. No. 1 American International
This series features a pair of teams that got to this point thanks to getting hot at the right time. The Yellow Jackets were in the middle of the pack at Thanksgiving, but went on an 11-game winning streak that vaulted them to their fourth straight regular-season title. The Lakers were 9-18-4 coming off a 5-1 loss to AIC on Feb. 18.
They haven’t lost since.
AIC is looking for a record-tying third consecutive playoff title, while Mercyhurst is trying to win its first title since 2005. There is a precedent for a seventh seed winning it all – Canisius did it in 2013.
AIC took three of the four meetings between the schools this season.
No. 6 Air Force vs. No. 4 RIT
This semifinal features two teams that between them have won 10 of the 17 Atlantic Hockey playoff titles to date. The Falcons are looking for their eighth crown, the Tigers their fourth.
This will be a classic matchup of youth vs. experience. The Tigers have four players who returned for a fifth season as well as six seniors, while the Falcons have just one senior and 18 underclassmen.
The teams squared off in Colorado Springs for their final series of the regular season, with each team winning in overtime.
Awards season, final edition
Here are our final set of award winners:
Player of the Year: Colin Bilek, Army West Point
There were several worthy candidates to choose from in this category, but I I think Bilek stood just a bit taller. His 31 points are tied for tops in the league. Bilek was injured in the first game of the Black Knights’ quarterfinal series with Air Force and was sorely missed.
Rookie of the Year: Carter Wilkie, RIT
Wilkie was a clear standout, amassing 28 points on 13 goals and 15 assists to date, tied for third in the league. He was the league’s Rookie of the Week seven times, as well as Rookie of the Month twice.
Coach of the Year: Frank Serratore, Air Force
As Serratore reminded me several times this season, he had the youngest team in the league and, along with Army West Point’s Brian Riley, could not take part in the transfer portal or grant players another year of eligibility.
The Falcons were picked to finish ninth in the preseason coach’s poll, but Serratore got them to Utica and possibly beyond.
Looking back, looking ahead
While “normal” means different things to different people after what we’ve been through these past two years, this season did feel like we were moving in the right direction. Atlantic Hockey was able to play every league game, albeit with some creative scheduling needed from time to time. Fans were able to attend games and players were granted extensions of their college careers. All good things.
This is my last column of the season, and I’d like to thank the coaches, players and Sports Information Directors who made time for me this season, as well as league SID Todd Bell, who did a fantastic job in his first season. Thanks also to Matt Mackinder at USCHO.com for the thankless job of editing me each week. (Editor’s Note: Thank YOU, Chris!)
And, of course, thanks to my family, who have stayed close and supported me during these two rollercoaster years.
I’ll be reporting from Utica this weekend and from Boston during the Frozen Four, so thank you, dear reader, for coming along so far, and for what’s to come.
