Hockey is back, and with it comes everyone’s favorite weekly tradition – the picks. The majority of Atlantic Hockey clubs will take to the ice in preseason exhibitions against Canadian institutions. Out west, Niagara takes on Western Ontario; Mercyhurst plays Guelph; RIT takes on Brock Unviersity (from St. Catherine’s, Ontario); Robert Morris hosts Queen’s College; … Read more
What doesn’t kill you Every team faces some measure of adversity during the college hockey season, a 25-week marathon. But Rochester Institute of Technology had more than its fare share. Coach Wayne Wilson said this season has been the most challenging in his 17 years behind the Tigers’ bench. But RIT came through it stronger … Read more
Last week: Dan: 7-4 Chris: 8-3 On the season: Dan: 129-81-28 (.601) Chris: 144-66-28 (.664) With just three picks left and a lead of 15 games, Chris has won his third straight title and bragging rights for another season. Better luck next year, Dan! This Week’s Picks: Friday, March 18 Atlantic Hockey Tournament Semifinals Blue … Read more
Atlantic Hockey’s heart-stopping, pulse-pounding, nerve-quaking, house-rocking year is rounding up. After a 28-game regular season for each team, 18 playoff games round us into the simplest of forms from now on. It’s single elimination. Win and move on for a chance to represent the league in the NCAA Tournament. Lose and go home. In the … Read more
Last week: Dan: 8-1 Chris: 8-1 On the season: Dan: 122-77-28 (.599) Chris: 136-63-28 (.660) This Week’s Picks: Friday, March 11, Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13 (if necessary) Atlantic Hockey Tournament Quarterfinal Round Best-of-Three Series Bentley at Robert Morris Dan: Based on our preseason picks, this is actually an incredibly marquee matchup (we … Read more
All three Atlantic Hockey first-round series went the full three games, but in the end the higher seeds triumphed. It sure was interesting, though. Battle in the 716 Canisius and Niagara met for the fifth time on Sunday, a record number of times for the Western New York rivals in a single season. And like … Read more
Last week: Dan: 5-4-2 Chris: 6-3-2 On the season: Dan: 114-76-28 (.587) Chris: 128-62-28 (.651) This Week’s Picks: Friday, March 4, Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6 (if necessary) Atlantic Hockey Tournament First Round Best-of-Three Series American International at Army West Point Dan: I had the chance to see Army last weekend for two … Read more
The 2015-2016 regular season is over, and in true Atlantic Hockey fashion, it went out with an incredible bang over the past weekend. Six places in the standings changed over the course of the final night on Saturday after a wild Friday set up a mad dash to the finish. After completion, the dust settled … Read more
With Wednesday’s tie between Bentley and Air Force in the books, there are ten games left in the Atlantic Hockey regular season. Here are each team’s chances heading into the final weekend, updated with Wednesday’s tie: 1. Robert Morris Games left: at Canisius, home against Canisius Can finish: 1st-4th Outlook: The Colonials control their own … Read more
Last week: Dan: 5-3-2 Chris: 3-5-2 On the season: Dan: 109-72-26 (.589) Chris: 122-59-26 (.652) This Week’s Picks: Wednesday, February 24 Bentley at American International Dan: This game is incredibly critical to the rest of the weekend. If Bentley wins, they’ll need only a tie against Army West Point to assure themselves of home … Read more
Bye Bye The penultimate weekend of the regular season is in the rear view mirror now, and the road ahead is clearing. The eleven Atlantic Hockey teams have formed around three clusters: Those with byes, now jockeying to avoid fifth place and the road quarterfinal series that comes with it. A gang of four teams … Read more
Last week: Dan: 4-5-2 Chris: 4-5-2 On the season: Dan: 104-69-24 (.589) Chris: 119-54-24 (.665) This Week’s Picks: Friday, February 19 and Saturday, February 20 Robert Morris at Air Force Dan:The two best teams in the league are going head to head, with RMU as the team that’s been on top tape-to-tape for a … Read more
So here we are again in Atlantic Hockey, another postseason run to the roses upon us. It’s amazing how the start of the playoffs, a time of tumultuous finishes (especially for a one-berth league to the national tournament), is essentially calmer than the storm leading up to it. In typical AHC fashion, an 11-team demolition … Read more
With the Friday night games in the books this weekend, let’s reset the playoff race heading into tonight, including some clinching scenarios that are on the table. A website that I use for this is playoffstatus.com, which provides (most of the time) up to the minute statuses on clinching and elimination scenarios, along with likely percentages … Read more
Last week: Dan: 5-4-2 Chris: 6-3-2 On the season: Dan: 100-64-22 (.597) Chris: 115-49-22 (.677) This Week’s Picks: Friday, February 12 and Saturday, February 13 Canisius at Bentley Dan: Heading into this weekend, one point separates Bentley from seventh-place Canisius. The Falcons need this series in order to shore up some playoff positioning, especially since … Read more
Bookends The first and last place teams recorded sweeps this past weekend in Atlantic Hockey play. Robert Morris swept Sacred Heart by identical scores of 2-1, while Niagara took all four points from American International, 2-0 and 4-3. The rest (with the exception of Canisius, which was idle) had to settle for anywhere from one … Read more
Last week: Dan: 4-2-4 Chris: 5-1-4 On the season: Dan: 95-60-20 (.600) Chris: 109-46-20 (.680) This Week’s Picks: Friday, February 5 and Saturday, February 6 Rochester Institute of Technology at Air Force Dan: The immovable object meets the unstoppable force. RIT is undefeated on the road this year in conference play at 9-0-2, but they’re … Read more
Two weeks ago, when Bentley struggled through two losses to RIT at home at the John A. Ryan Arena, the Falcons looked like a team trending downwards in the second half of Atlantic Hockey. They had lost four in a row and six out of seven games. They had gone from over .500 in league … Read more
Last week: Dan: 5-4-3 Chris: 7-2-3 On the season: Dan: 91-58-16 (.600) Chris: 104-45-16 (.679) This Week’s Picks: Friday, January 29 and Saturday, January 30 Sacred Heart at Bentley Dan:This year’s Sacred Heart seniors are 6-5-2 against Bentley overall, but a 5-2 record over the past two seasons highlights the way they’ve always seemed … Read more
Sweeps for the old guard When Air Force and Rochester Institute of Technology joined Atlantic Hockey in 2006, they immediately dominated, posting a combined five regular season titles and six tournament championships in six years. And in this new age of parity where sweeps are rare, it was the old guard that came away with … Read more