In the last Atlantic Hockey column, we handed out midterm grades for each Atlantic Hockey team. As we head into the second semester, what players are in the running to make the dean’s list? Here are my midterm awards. Will things change before the league names the actual winners in March? They sure will. But … Read more
With the first half of the Atlantic Hockey season in the books, let’s hand out some mid-term grades: Air Force (6-10-2, 2-7-1 AHA) Atlantic Hockey Standings: Ninth Points Per Game: 0.70 (Ninth) PairWise Ranking: 55 The Lowdown: The Falcons have some quality wins, including over Colorado College and RIT. But they’ve dropped five in a … Read more
Mercyhurst wasn’t getting a lot of puck luck earlier in the season. Coach Rick Gotkin, in his 35th season behind the Lakers’ bench, felt that his squad was better than its 1-9-2 record indicated. “I think that our early record said as much about our opponents as it did about us,” he said. “We played … Read more
It’s difficult to predict what will happen in a college hockey season, but coaches and journalists try, issuing preseason polls and predictions at this time of year. It’s a difficult and usually futile effort, especially when it comes to Atlantic Hockey. Air Force coach Frank Serratore should know. His Falcons were picked ninth in last … Read more
Four-time defending regular-season champion American International is the winner of the 2022-23 Atlantic Hockey preseason coaches poll, which was released Tuesday. The Yellow Jackets garnered eight of nine possible first-place votes in balloting among AHA head coaches (coaches could not vote for their own teams) for 88 points to outdistance second-place Sacred Heart, which received … Read more
Mercyhurst men’s hockey head coach Rick Gotkin has announced the hiring of Tom Peffall as an assistant coach.
Entering its 20th anniversary season, Atlantic Hockey has announced changes to its postseason. The battle for the Jack Riley Memorial Trophy will play out on AHA campuses over three weekends in March with a new format that will culminate in a single-game championship weekend. The 2023 postseason will open with best-of-three quarterfinal series March 3-5 … Read more
Massachusetts has hired Tom Upton as an assistant coach for the Minutemen. Upton comes to UMass following a two-year stint as head coach and general manager of the USHL’s Madison Capitols. “I am very excited to announce Tom Upton as our new assistant coach and to welcome him, his wife Sarah and their young family … Read more
Atlantic Hockey and College Hockey America commissioner Robert DeGregorio has announced he will retire from both positions following the 2022-23 season. DeGregorio officially notified Atlantic Hockey and College Hockey America leadership of his intention to step down during both leagues’ annual meetings prior to the American Hockey Coaches Association convention in Naples, Fla., last week. … Read more
Good things have come in threes lately for Blake Bennett, and American International hopes that continues. Bennett’s hat trick, his second in as many games, led AIC to a 5-4 win over Mercyhurst. The Yellow Jackets (21-12-3) are a game away from their third consecutive Atlantic Hockey playoff title. “It was an entertaining college hockey … Read more
Atlantic Hockey announced Thursday its 2021-22 regular-season awards. Honorees this year include five from Atlantic Hockey regular-season champion AIC – Forward Chris Theodore (player of the year), defenseman Zak Galambos (best defenseman), forward Jake Stella (best defensive forward), goaltender Jake Kucharski (goaltending champion) and head coach Eric Lang (coach of the year). They are joined … Read more
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