And then there were four. The Atlantic Hockey tournament quarterfinal round had its fair share of drama and upsets, with two favorites and two underdogs advancing to Utica. Four of the nine games played last weekend went to overtime, including three of four on Friday. – Air Force kept its streak of postseason wins against … Read more
Atlantic Hockey announced Wednesday its 2021-22 all-Atlantic Hockey teams and the all-rookie team. Regular-season champion AIC led all teams in selections with five players chosen. Air Force, Army West Point, Canisius, RIT and Sacred Heart each had three players chosen while Bentley, Holy Cross, Mercyhurst and Niagara each had one representative. First Team Chris Theodore, … Read more
The opening round of the Atlantic Hockey tournament consisted of a pair of sweeps, one by the favorites and one by an underdog. At Mercyhurst, the story was Lakers goaltender Kyle McClellan who stopped 74 of 76 Holy Cross shots he faced in a pair of 2-1 wins. At Niagara, Bentley got a pair of … Read more
When the dust settled on the 2021-22 Atlantic Hockey regular season, we were left with the following seedings for the upcoming AHA tournament: 1. American International 2. Canisius 3. Army West Point 4. Rochester Institute of Technology 5. Sacred Heart 6. Air Force 7. Mercyhurst 8. Niagara 9. Bentley 10. Holy Cross Army West Point … Read more
With one weekend left in the regular season in Atlantic Hockey, it’s down to the wire with eight of the 10 playoffs spots still to be determined. The top six teams in the standings will get a first-round bye. The top four will host quarterfinal series beginning March 11. Seeds seven through 10 will pair … Read more
Atlantic Hockey announced Tuesday a one-game suspension for Mercyhurst forward Dante Sheriff, effective for the Lakers’ next game. The suspension is a result of Sheriff’s major penalty for slashing and game misconduct, which occurred at the 12:13 mark of the third period in Mercyhurst’s road game on Saturday, Jan. 15 against AIC. Upon review, the … Read more
There’s a saying in sports (and life): “You get what you deserve”. In hockey, that means points in the standings after a hard-fought victory, as well as a loss resulting from a disappointing effort. But there’s another saying: “Life isn’t fair.” Sometimes, you have the effort and the correct game plan, but the puck doesn’t … Read more
Atlantic Hockey and the city of Utica, N.Y., announced Thursday that it will hold its 2022 Atlantic Hockey championship tournament March 18-19, 2022 at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The facility is a 3,915 -seat multi-purpose arena and is the home arena of the AHL’s Utica Comets, Utica College men’s and … Read more
Sacred Heart opened the 2021-22 season with five straight road games before the Pioneers played their first homestand of the season Oct. 29-30 at Webster Bank Arena, a split with Niagara. Then it was back on the road for C.J. Marottolo’s team, which won’t play another home game until 2022 – January 1 to be … Read more
When discussing American International, his opponent last weekend, Rochester Institute of Technology coach Wayne Wilson referred to the Yellow Jackets as “battle tested.” AIC is just nine games into the 2021-22 campaign but has already squared off with No. 12 Providence, No. 9 Massachusetts (twice), No. 5 Quinnipiac (twice) as well as series against Army … Read more
At 4-2-2, Rochester Institute of Technology is off to a strong start. The only Atlantic Hockey team currently over .500 overall, the Tigers sit atop the Atlantic Hockey standings, three points ahead of Mercyhurst. RIT took five of six points from the Lakers at home last weekend. While head coach Wayne Wilson isn’t completely satisfied … Read more
New Holy Cross coach Bill Riga is a rookie in a league known for coaching longevity. The average tenure for an Atlantic Hockey coach is currently 15 seasons, and the last change was the addition of Canisius’ Trevor Large and Niagara’s Jason Lammers five years ago. It’s the first collegiate head coaching stint for Riga, … Read more
The new NCAA rule allowing transferring players a one-time exemption from having to sit out a year has had a sweeping impact on college hockey this season. When combined with an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19, we saw an unprecedented number of players changing teams this past offseason. At one time, there were … Read more
At the Atlantic Hockey media day last week, the word “normal” kept coming up in conversations with the league’s coaches. We’re not there yet, but hopefully moving in the right direction as the 2021-22 season gets underway. Teams are back to most of their pre-pandemic routines, but this offseason, while not as bizarre as the … Read more
The Mercyhurst men’s hockey team announced Tuesday the addition of former Lakers goalie Ryan Zapolski to the coaching staff as an volunteer assistant coach. “We are all very excited to have Ryan Zapolski join our coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach,” Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin said in a statement. “He is one of our … Read more
Mercyhurst announced Friday the addition of Matt Nicholson to the Lakers’ men’s hockey coaching staff. “We are all very excited to have Matt join our Mercyhurst hockey family,” Mercyhurst head coach Rick Gotkin said in a statement. “He brings a tremendous amount of experience, working knowledge, and above all professionalism to our team. Having head … Read more
Mercyhurst announced this week contract extensions for men’s hockey head coach Rick Gotkin and women’s hockey head coach Michael Sisti. “It is an exciting time for Mercyhurst Athletics as we prepare to resume normal operations this fall, while two opening two facilities that will rank among the best in our region,” said Mercyhurst director of … Read more
Atlantic Hockey has announced the members of the 2020-21 all-conference and all-rookie teams.
Due to the nature of the season, where the league was split into east and west pods, the AHA felt the only way to do awards this year was within the pods.
Atlantic Hockey has announced changes to the upcoming 2021 postseason tournament.
Following extended absences from a handful of member institutions, Atlantic Hockey announced Tuesday that conference officials spent the last few days reworking the remaining schedule.