Chris LerchThe fifth seeded Mercyhurst Lakers scored two third period goals to upset top seed and regular season champion Army 4-2 in the first semifinal of the Atlantic Hockey Championships. “We’re real excited to be able to play one more game,” said Lakers’ coach Rick Gotkin. “It looked like a game that could have gone either … Read more
On To Rochester The top five teams advanced to the Final Five in Rochester, but not without some drama. Three games went to overtime on Saturday night and Sacred Heart was pressed to a third game by UConn. RIT needed two overtime games to eliminate Holy Cross. The Tigers will play Air Force, which had … Read more
OK. The bids have gone out. Initial reactions: 1. Stout is a good choice. The Blue Devils got hosed last year, but this is more than a make-up call. 2. I hope the MCHA gets an auto-bid next year, so Adrian will have a real shot. Their strength of schedule killed them, and it won’t … Read more
OK. The bids have gone out. Initial reactions: 1. Stout is a good choice. The Blue Devils got hosed last year, but this is more than a make-up call. 2. I hope the MCHA gets an auto-bid next year, so Adrian will have a real shot. Their strength of schedule killed them, and it won’t … Read more
As we all wait for the results of the NCAA selection committee conference call…here’s what I think. In: East: 1. Plattsburgh 2. Norwich 3. Elmira 4. Manhattanville 5. Hobart 6. Trinity 7. Mass-Dartmouth West: 1. St. Norbert 2. St. Thomas And then you have five teams left for one spot: Oswego, Middlebury, UW-Stout, UW-River Falls … Read more
As we all wait for the results of the NCAA selection committee conference call…here’s what I think. In: East: 1. Plattsburgh 2. Norwich 3. Elmira 4. Manhattanville 5. Hobart 6. Trinity 7. Mass-Dartmouth West: 1. St. Norbert 2. St. Thomas And then you have five teams left for one spot: Oswego, Middlebury, UW-Stout, UW-River Falls … Read more
First, if you haven’t done so already, read Matt Webb and Josh Carey’s excellent analysis of the West’s NCAA predicament. It points out the problems and highlights some solutions for the West getting three teams in the tournament in the event St. Norbert beats UW-Stout. I’ll cover the high points here, in an updated version … Read more
First, if you haven’t done so already, read Matt Webb and Josh Carey’s excellent analysis of the West’s NCAA predicament. It points out the problems and highlights some solutions for the West getting three teams in the tournament in the event St. Norbert beats UW-Stout. I’ll cover the high points here, in an updated version … Read more
The NCAAs Start Now With no AHA teams on the “Under Consideration” list, it’s obvious that only the league’s tournament champion is going to the NCAAs. So that makes the AHA playoffs essentially an extension of the big dance. Lose, and you go home. Your seniors have played their last game. So expect things to … Read more
I’m a fan of The Daily Show. During the writer’s strike, when Jon Stewart went back on the air with essentially no material except his own, he refused to call his program “The Daily Show”. Instead, he changed the name to “A Daily Show”. That’s how I feel trying to do the D-III Bracketology this … Read more
I’m a fan of The Daily Show. During the writer’s strike, when Jon Stewart went back on the air with essentially no material except his own, he refused to call his program “The Daily Show”. Instead, he changed the name to “A Daily Show”. That’s how I feel trying to do the D-III Bracketology this … Read more
Doing the Math It’s been a wild and wacky season in Atlantic Hockey, and as we head into the final weekend, the final 10 games of the regular season, there’s still much to be decided. For example, we could end with a four-way tie for first place, and Air Force and RIT are able to … Read more
Alas, it doesn’t look like there’s going to be a PWR for Division III this season. The NCAA has published its criteria for selecting teams for the national tournament, but has not, and, according to sources, will not say how they are weighing the criteria. One source indicated to me that the weighting is not … Read more
Alas, it doesn’t look like there’s going to be a PWR for Division III this season. The NCAA has published its criteria for selecting teams for the national tournament, but has not, and, according to sources, will not say how they are weighing the criteria. One source indicated to me that the weighting is not … Read more
Two Weeks to Go With two weeks left in the regular season, here’s what we know, and here’s what we don’t. We know: • Army has clinched a home-ice spot, the only AHA team to do so at this point. 30 points is the magic number at the moment. Sacred Heart, RIT, Mercyhurst and Air … Read more
It Got Ugly Canisius and RIT have a rivalry dating back to the 1970s. The two schools, located just 65 miles apart down Interstate 90 in Western New York, have played 56 times so far, the last 10 as Division I programs. Prior to that, the teams were conference foes in the ECAC West and … Read more
Now’s the time of year when I usually break out the D-III version of Bracketology. Unfortunately, it’s going to have to wait a little longer this year. The NCAA revised its selection criteria this year, moving away from the (frankly) goofy point system to assess a team’s strength of schedule. The new process is closer … Read more
Now’s the time of year when I usually break out the D-III version of Bracketology. Unfortunately, it’s going to have to wait a little longer this year. The NCAA revised its selection criteria this year, moving away from the (frankly) goofy point system to assess a team’s strength of schedule. The new process is closer … Read more
Moving Up, Not Out The Mercyhurst Lakers have their destiny in their own hands as we head down the stretch with just four weeks left in the season. Currently in tied for fourth place with Sacred Heart, Mercyhurst will play the Pioneers, plus league-leading RIT and second-place Air Force. The Lakers have lost just once … Read more
It’s a Goaltender’s League Atlantic Hockey is a goaltender’s league. It’s a key to the conference’s parity, the reason why any team can (and has) beaten every other, the reason why the standings are so close. The loss of Eric Ehn, either until the playoffs or for the rest of his college hockey career, removes … Read more