Chris LerchLast Week: 11-3-1 On the Season: 11-3-1 (.767) This Week’s Picks: Friday, October 14 Niagara at Air Force – Niagara has yet to score a goal yet in two games, but with Jason Torf out I think it will…but not enough to defeat the Falcons at home. Air Force 4, Niagara 3. Connecticut at Army … Read more
Last Week: 11-3-1 On the Season: 11-3-1 (.767) This Week’s Picks: Friday, October 14 Niagara at Air Force – Niagara has yet to score a goal yet in two games, but with Jason Torf out I think it will…but not enough to defeat the Falcons at home. Air Force 4, Niagara 3. Connecticut at Army … Read more
Another opening weekend to the college hockey season, and another opening weekend slate of losses for Atlantic Hockey teams. In all, the league went 1-13 in non-conference games last week. Non-league games early in the season have traditionally been bad news for AHA teams, especially when almost all of them are on the road and … Read more
Three things I leaned from the first weekend of play in Atlantic Hockey – For some teams, there are no moral victories. “We are way past moral victories,” Air Force coach Frank Serratore said after a 4-3 loss on Friday at North Dakota, where the Falcons held a 3-2 lead with seven minutes to play. … Read more
Three things I leaned from the first weekend of play in Atlantic Hockey – For some teams, there are no moral victories. “We are way past moral victories,” Air Force coach Frank Serratore said after a 4-3 loss on Friday at North Dakota, where the Falcons held a 3-2 lead with seven minutes to play. … Read more
Welcome to the first edition of the picks for the 2011-2012 season. Friday, October 7 Air Force at North Dakota (Icebreaker Tournament) – It’s a homecoming for Air Force captain Paul Weisgarber, a former North Dakota Mr. Hockey award winner in high school. The Falcons will put a scare into the Fighting Sioux, but I … Read more
Welcome to the first edition of the picks for the 2011-2012 season. Friday, October 7 Air Force at North Dakota (Icebreaker Tournament) – It’s a homecoming for Air Force captain Paul Weisgarber, a former North Dakota Mr. Hockey award winner in high school. The Falcons will put a scare into the Fighting Sioux, but I … Read more
The last two seasons have been a roller coaster ride for coach C.J. Marottolo and his Sacred Heart Pioneers. Picked to finish eighth out of 10 teams in 2009-10, the Pioneers came in second, earning Marottolo coach of the year honors. But last season Sacred Heart plummeted to 11th place. “I hope the opposite ends … Read more
After a summer of uncertainty and tragedy in the hockey world, it’s good to be able to finally focus on what’s happening on the ice. The deaths of three NHL players as well as the Locomotiv plane crash disaster cast a pall over all of hockey. And while college hockey was spared that kind of … Read more
Five years ago, Canisius coach Dave Smith brought in a large, talented rookie class that included the dynamic duo of Cory Conacher and Vincent Scarcella. Each of the past four seasons, the Golden Griffins improved, culminating in their first trip to the Atlantic Hockey semifinals under Smith. Now that the class of 2011 has moved … Read more
Decimated by graduation and transfers, Mercyhurst must replace 60 percent of its offense as well as longtime starting goaltender Ryan Zapolski. “This is one of the youngest teams we’ve had,” said coach Rick Gotkin, who is entering his 24th season behind the bench, coaching every year of varsity hockey at Mercyhurst. “You can look at … Read more
Robert Morris made an impressive splash in Atlantic Hockey last season, its first in the league. The Colonials spent the early part of the season in first place, and were near the top of the standings the entire way, finishing fifth but just three points out of second place. But the most successful class in … Read more
The Connecticut Huskies are coming off a breakthrough season that saw them advance to the Atlantic Hockey semifinals for the first time in five years. Coach Bruce Marshall said now that his team, which returns a strong nucleus from last season, including eight of its top 10 scorers, has gotten a taste of winning, it’s … Read more
Last season, Air Force entered the post-Andrew Volkening era and things turned out just fine. Led by Jacques Lamoureux (44 points), and getting steady and later hot goaltending from rookie Jason Torf, the Falcons captured their fourth Atlantic Hockey playoff title in five seasons. But now Lamoureux is gone, as well as stalwarts Derrick Burnett, … Read more
The Bentley Falcons had a hard time scoring goals last season, and the loss of two of their top three forwards presents a difficult challenge. Eric Peterson, who was second on the team with 12 goals last season, has graduated, along with linemate Dustin Cloutier (10 goals). Back is sophomore Brett Gensler, who had a … Read more
Rochester Institute of Technology lost its two top scorers but returns a nucleus that was a goal or two away from returning to the NCAA tournament. The departed duo of Andrew Favot and Tyler Brenner combined for 84 points, including 16 power-play goals. But the next seven top point-getters are back, as well as the … Read more
For the second straight season, it looked like the American International Yellow Jackets were going to finish out of the Atlantic Hockey basement. But in the end, Gary Wright’s team couldn’t get over the hump. “The last two years, we dropped into last on the last day of the season,” he said. “That wasn’t an … Read more
Last season Holy Cross posted 17 wins, the most since its dream season of 2005-06. The Crusaders went 10-2-3 down the stretch and made their first appearance in the league semifinals since 2006, giving eventual champion Air Force all it could handle in a 3-2 loss. Holy Cross lost key players at each position, but … Read more
Last year, Niagara entered Atlantic Hockey unsure of where its scoring punch was going to come from. The team had lost a good percentage of its offense. Lo and behold, the senior duo of Paul Zanette and Brian Haczyk went from role players to prime-time stars. They combined for 90 points and Zanette was the … Read more
Two years ago, Army’s line of Owen Mayer, Eric Sefchik and Cody Omilusik was one of the best in Atlantic Hockey. Last season, only Omilusik remained, and he was the Black Knights’ chief offensive weapon, tallying 18 goals. But with Omilusik now gone, coach Brian Riley needs some or all of his large senior class … Read more