At the beginning of last season, the Sacred Heart Pioneers were coming off a disappointing 11-23-4 season and didn’t have a head coach. But C.J. Marottolo put the pieces together quickly and led his team to a 21-win season and a spot in the Atlantic Hockey championship game. “The group of seniors we had last … Read more
The Mercyhurst Lakers are again picked to finish near the top of the Atlantic Hockey standings, which doesn’t come as a shock to coach Rick Gotkin. “We always seem to be in the hunt and I think that’s the result of the success and commitment of our program,” he said. So it was unusual to … Read more
The good news for Army coach Brian Riley is that he has 24 players back from last year’s squad. The bad news is that none of them is named Owen Meyer or Eric Sefchik. Those two, along with now-senior Cody Omilusik, saw tons of ice time and racked up almost 50 percent of the Black … Read more
At the beginning of last season, Air Force coach Frank Serratore was asked whether he was going to start other goalies instead of relying solely on then-senior Andrew Volkening, who had played almost every minute of every game over the past two seasons. After all, life without his workhorse goaltender would begin the next year. … Read more
Niagara’s admission to Atlantic Hockey was seen as one of necessity rather than desire. The school was criticized in the media for “taking a step back” because the move meant fewer scholarships. But according to coach Dave Burkholder, it also meant less of something else. “Travel,” he said. “Besides the other advantages, we’ll be traveling … Read more
Last season was a difficult one for Connecticut. The Huskies endured injury and personnel problems en route to a 7-27-3 season. Freshman goaltender Jeff Larson was forced into a starting role early in the season thanks to an injury to Brad McInnis, and he won just two games before quitting school in December. Coach Bruce … Read more
Last year, Holy Cross put up almost identical numbers as the year before (12-19-6 in 2009-10; 13-20-5 in 2008-09). Treading water isn’t what coach Paul Pearl has in mind. “We had a star-crossed kind of season,” Pearl said. “Guys were pretty banged up.” Twenty-two returning players, a strong recruiting class and some momentum from last … Read more
The Robert Morris Colonials are an unknown commodity heading into their first season in Atlantic Hockey. But an impressive, experienced lineup has made them a favorite to finish near the top of the standings. Robert Morris was picked to finish fourth in the coach’s preseason poll, and got two first-place votes. Are they the team … Read more
American International won only five games during the 2008-09 season, but played some of its best hockey late in that season. Coach Gary Wright hoped that the strong finish would bode well for his 2009-10 squad. But AIC again won only five games last season, albeit with another strong finish. Hope springs eternal. “We felt … Read more
A $3.5 million project scheduled to start in October will expand the men’s and women’s hockey locker rooms at Rochester Institute of Technology’s Ritter Arena. A one-story, 12,000-square-foot addition to the 52,125-square-foot facility will house team locker rooms, coaches’ rooms and other team areas. “This is exciting news for our program,” RIT men’s coach Wayne … Read more
Defending champion and national semifinalist Rochester Institute of Technology has been picked to repeat as champions in the Atlantic Hockey coaches poll, announced Tuesday at the league’s media day, held at Blue Cross Arena, site of the 2011 league championships. Mercyhurst, which finished fourth last season, was picked to finish second and Air Force third. … Read more
Mercyhurst is the choice of CHA women’s coaches to win the league’s regular-season title in 2010-11. The Lakers, national semifinalists last season, took four of five first-place votes in the balloting. Syracuse got the lone remaining first-place vote to finish second, followed by Niagara, Robert Morris and Wayne State. The full results follow: Team (first-place … Read more
USCHO writers share their thoughts on the anticipated announcement that Penn State will add a Division I men’s program, and its ramifications on the college hockey landscape.
Kristen Cameron, an assistant coach at Mercyhurst, was listed in critical condition Monday after she was hit by a car while riding her bicycle on Sunday, the Erie Times-News reported. Kristen Cameron was an All-American at Bowdoin. Cameron, 25, is in her second season on the Lakers’ coaching staff. According to the newspaper, citing police, … Read more
Former Nebraska-Omaha player John Rosso has been named an assistant coach at Mercyhurst. Rosso was an assistant coach with Sioux Falls of the USHL for the last two seasons. He also has been an assistant in the NAHL and the Western Hockey League. “We’re really excited to welcome John Rosso to the Laker family,” Mercyhurst … Read more
Former Harvard goaltender John Daigneau has joined the Canisius staff as an assistant coach. Daigneau will work with Canisius’ goaltenders and in recruiting, video operations, academics and community outreach. “We are extremely excited to have John join our staff,” Canisius coach Dave Smith said in a statement. “He comes very highly recommended from his coaches … Read more
Robert Morris and RIT will play an Atlantic Hockey game at the new Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh as part of the lead-up to the 2011 Winter Classic. The Colonials and the Tigers will play at 3 p.m. Eastern on Dec. 30, the first game in a doubleheader that also features an AHL game between … Read more
Robert Morris has hired former Colonials men’s player Logan Bittle as an assistant coach with the school’s women’s team. After four years at Robert Morris from 2004 to 2008, Bittle played professionally in the ECHL and EPHL. “I am very excited to have Logan joining our program,” Robert Morris coach Nate Handrahan said in a … Read more
Canisius forward Dave Kostuch will forgo his final two seasons of eligibility after agreeing to a contract with MKS Cracovia Krakow of the Polish Elite League. Kostuch, the 2009 Atlantic Hockey rookie of the year, graduated earlier this month. “I’m extremely happy in taking the next step and playing professional hockey,” Kostuch said in a … Read more
Niagara and coach Dave Burkholder have agreed to a contract extension, the school announced Wednesday. No details were released, including the length of the extension. “Coach Burkholder is an important member of the Niagara University community and we want to make sure we keep him,” Niagara athletic director Ed McLaughlin said in a statement. “He … Read more