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
Army goaltender Josh Kassel was named player of the year in Atlantic Hockey at the league’s annual awards dinner held in Rochester. N.Y., site of this year’s AHA championship. Kassel is the first goalie ever to win the award. He posted a 1.84 goals against average and a .927 save percentage, both tops in the … 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
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
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
Atlantic Hockey on Wednesday assessed additional penalties and suspensions to four players from each team after a brawl between Canisius and RIT on Saturday, February 9. The penalties include regular-season suspensions for RIT’s Ricky Walton and Canisius’ Carl Hudson. Atlantic Hockey commissioner Bob DeGregorio and Gene Binda, supervisor of officials, have reviewed the tapes from … 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
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
Big things were expected of Mercyhurst’s Meghan Agosta, but the sophomore has risen to a still-unexpected level in just her second year of college. Terese Karmel reports.
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
Good News, Bad News Air Force had a rollercoaster weekend, earning one of the biggest wins in the history of its program on Friday, and then losing its top player on Saturday. Let’s talk about the positives first. On Friday, the Falcons ended an 0-19 drought against state rival Denver, defeating the fourth-ranked Pioneers 5-2 … Read more
Vote for Hobey — Fact and Fiction For the past several seasons, the Hobey Baker Foundation has run a promotion called “Vote for Hobey,” where the fans can cast ballots for their favorite candidate. It’s a good idea that drives traffic to the Hobey Baker website, drawing attention to the award (and the merchandise). There … Read more
Home Cooking Canisius College had five home wins by this time last season, and has four so far this year. The big difference is that last year the Griffs had six home losses to go with those five wins, while this time around they’re undefeated at home at 4-0-1. While playing 16 of its first … Read more
Postcard from Mariucci I had the trip from hell getting back from Minnesota on Monday/Tuesday — I imagine that the eighth level of Hades must be very similar to O’Hare Airport at 1:00 a.m. Not a cool way to spend New Year’s Eve. But it was worth it. I saw some wonderful hockey. A major … Read more
Site: Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum, Storrs, Conn. Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 29-30, 2007 Participants: Brown, Ferris State, Army, Connecticut Game 1: Ferris State vs. Brown, 4:05 p.m. ET Ferris State Bulldogs (7-8-1, 6-6-0 CCHA) Head coach: Bob Daniels Leading scorers: So. Cody Chupp (4-8 — 12), Jr. Brendan Connolly (5-6 — 11) Leading netminders: Jr. Mitch … Read more
Site: Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 29-30, 2007 Participants: Air Force, Boston College, RIT, Minnesota Game 1: Air Force vs. Boston College, 4:05 p.m. CT Air Force Falcons (9-4-3, 7-4-3 Atlantic Hockey) Head coach: Frank Serratore Leading scorers: Sr. Eric Ehn (6-15 — 21), Jr. Brent Olson (7-8 — 15) Leading netminder: So. Andrew Volkening … Read more
Site: Gutterson Fieldhouse, Burlington, Vt. Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 29-30, 2007 Participants: Western Michigan, Quinnipiac, Holy Cross, Vermont Game 1: Western Michigan vs. Quinnipiac, 4:00 p.m. ET Western Michigan Broncos (6-10-0, 2-8-0 CCHA) Head coach: Jim Culhane Leading scorers: Jr. Patrick Galivan (5-14 — 19), Jr. Jeff LoVecchio (6-5 — 11) Leading netminder: So. Riley Gill (4-5-0, … Read more
Site: Magness Arena (Denver) Friday-Saturday, Dec. 28-29, 2007 Participants: Dartmouth, Northern Michigan, Sacred Heart, Denver Game 1: Dartmouth vs. Northern Michigan, 4:35 p.m. MT Dartmouth Big Green (4-4-2, 2-4-1 ECAC) Head coach: Bob Gaudet Leading scorers: Sr. J.T. Wyman (6-6 — 12), Sr. Nick Johnson (3-5 — 8) Leading netminder: Sr. Mike Devine (3-4-1, 2.62 … Read more
Handing Out the Grades Grades are on the mind of student-athletes this time of year, with finals and midterms looming as the first portion of the season winds down. There are only six league games left in Atlantic Hockey before Christmas (four involving AIC), so this will be my final column of 2007. I’m planning … Read more
Close Call We’ve heard it all year from the coaches of Atlantic Hockey — for several years actually. The parity in the league. How close the games are. How close in talent the teams are. On how any given night, anybody can beat anybody. All coaches tend to say these things. But in the AHA, … Read more