Your Typical Thanksgiving Column It’s time once again for a Thanksgiving Tradition (does four years make a tradition?): the Atlantic Hockey version of Thanks … and No Thanks. Let’s take a look at what each team is thankful for this year … and what each team could do without. Air Force Thanks: AFA’s penalty kill … Read more
Playoff Atmosphere It’s less than one third of the way into the Atlantic Hockey season, but there’s already a playoff intensity. Last weekend saw three ties and and five one-goal games — that’s eight out of 10 games decided by a goal or less. It’s said that defense and goaltending win championships, and there was … Read more
Making Strides The 2009-2010 Division III women’s hockey season is well underway and we have already had a couple of major surprises to start off the season. Adrian, a team picked to make some major noise in their first season as an official member of the NCHA, is off to a 0-4 start; dropping two … Read more
Sweet Sweep Canisius swept Mercyhurst last weekend, 6-4 in Erie on Friday and 4-3 in Buffalo on Saturday. It was the first time ever in the 21-year history of the rivals that the Golden Grffins had defeated the Lakers on consecutive nights. The games were the 59th and 60th played between the two schools. “Our … Read more
The atmosphere at RIT’s Frank Ritter Arena and the kind of hockey Atlantic Hockey has developed are things that should be experienced by more teams (yes, big-name schools, USCHO national columnist Dave Starman is talking to you).
Air Force and coach Frank Serratore have agreed to a new five-year contract that will keep Serratore behind the Falcons’ bench through the 2013-14 season, the school announced Monday. Frank Serratore Serratore, who is in his 13th season with Air Force, has led the Falcons to three straight NCAA tournament appearances after Atlantic Hockey postseason … Read more
Buzzing AIC is looking for a sea change this season, and so far, so good. The Yellow Jackets are currently 1-1-1 in league play, coming off a three-point weekend against Holy Cross. It’s ridiculously early, but this is the best start in conference play for AIC since 2002. Freshmen are leading the way, with rookies … Read more
Righting the Ship Pardon the mixed metaphor, but Air Force righted its ship last weekend, getting the better of RIT 5-4 and 3-2. The two wins in front of sellout crowds at Cadet Ice Arena were the Falcons’ first and second of the season after an 0-4 start. “If you would have told me that … Read more
It Could Be Worse… What could be worse than a 1-9 opening weekend for Atlantic Hockey? How about an 0-14 record last weekend to plunge the league to 1-23 in nonconference games to date. “I’m sure the coaches aren’t any happier than I am,” said league commissioner Bob DiGregorio. “(Atlantic Hockey) teams are just not … Read more
How ’bout them Alabama-Huntsville Chargers? Paying attention, CCHA? UAH is off to a 3-1 start. Yes, you read that correctly. Three wins and just one loss. Granted, we’re only two weeks into the season, but to put this into perspective, the Chargers won just five games all of last year. What makes the CCHA cringe … Read more
Slow Start It wasn’t the start that Atlantic Hockey teams wanted. AHA squads went 1-9 to open the season: • Canisius got the conference’s only win on Saturday, a 1-0 victory over Ferris State thanks to a sterling performance by goaltender Dan Morrison (48 saves). The Golden Griffins lost to the Bulldogs 5-1 the night … Read more
No matter who graduates, who gets hurt, or who the unproven freshmen are, Niagara is always at or near the top of the CHA standings. Niagara expects that. Most years, Niagara succeeds and this year, the expectations are the same as they always are. “I’m happy with the depth we have at each position,” NU … Read more
C.J. Marottolo is getting his chance at a head coaching position after 13 seasons at Yale. Sacred Heart named Marottolo its fourth head coach Thursday, filling a vacancy created when Shaun Hannah resigned last month. “It is an honor and privilege to be named the next head hockey coach at Sacred Heart University,” Marottolo said … Read more
This is Robert Morris’ last chance to win a CHA championship. And with a 1-in-4 chance, those are pretty good odds. RMU made the CHA finals last spring after upsetting defending champion Niagara in the semifinals. The Colonials hope to go farther next spring. “Everyone wants to look toward the end and hope to be … Read more
After showing steady signs of improvement the past few years in their quest to escape the Atlantic Hockey basement, the American International Yellow Jackets took a step backward last season, racking up just five victories. “We were ascending for a couple of years, and our hope is that we are still making progress,” said AIC … Read more
Coming off a regular season title in 2008, the Army Black Knights knew they were in for a challenge to repeat with 12 freshmen in the lineup. All-American Josh Kassel struggled in net, and the young Army squad had to settle for a sixth-place finish last season. Coach Brian Riley’s team is ready to turn … Read more
For the Holy Cross Crusaders, it’s all about looking forward. Paul Pearl’s team will try to put last season behind it, and focus on what on paper looks to be the makings of a successful 2009-10 season. Coming off a seventh-place finish, the Crusaders are picked to finish fourth in this year’s preseason poll. It’s … Read more
When Air Force coach Frank Serratore took the podium at Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena for this year’s Atlantic Hockey media day, he expressed his love for the rink that’s hosted the last three AHA championships: “I’m glad to be back in the greatest hockey arena in the world,” he said. One can understand why Serratore … Read more
Former Canisius hockey coach Brian Cavanaugh once said that the Jesuit way is to gradually but continually improve. Current Golden Griffins coach Dave Smith has his team along that path. For a few years, his better players have been his younger ones, and as those classes have matured, the wins have started to come — … Read more
Success for the Bentley Falcons has come in cycles. In 2006, Bentley reached the Atlantic Hockey championship game, but then fell out of contention the next two years. Last season saw a resurgence that resulted in the team recording its best record in school history and reaching the league semifinals. But the Falcons might be … Read more