With two weekends left in the Atlantic Hockey regular season, the expectation, as it is every year, was for carnage and chaos to reign supreme in the standings. Sports often taught me that expecting a certain thing to happen usually results in the complete opposite happening. So without actually saying it, there was a part … Read more
All it took was one night to throw the Atlantic Hockey playoff picture on its head – again. Going into Friday, the playoff matchups looked a little something like this: First Round Matchups: 11) Niagara at 6) Mercyhurst 10) AIC at 7) RIT 9) Sacred Heart at 8) Bentley Quarterfinals Byes: TBD at 1) Canisius … Read more
Last week: Dan: 7-1-3 Chris: 6-2-3 On the season: Dan: 109-65-29 (.608) Chris: 116-58-29 (.643) This Week’s Picks: Wednesday, February 15 and Friday, February 17 Niagara vs. Canisius Dan: The regular season can’t finish fast enough for Niagara, a team locked into 11th place. I mean that in the nicest way possible since I’m sure the … Read more
Three things from the weekend in Atlantic Hockey: Bonus hockey It was a wild Saturday night in Atlantic Hockey, with four of five conference games going to overtime, the first time we’ve had four OTs in a single day since Jan. 20, 2016. Two of the games ended in ties, while the other pair saw … Read more
Last week: Dan: 4-4-2 Chris: 6-2-2 On the season: Dan: 102-64-26 (.599) Chris: 110-56-26 (.641) This Week’s Picks: Friday, February 10 and Saturday, February 11 American International at Air Force Dan:For the second time this season, Air Force is in the national polls, sliding into the 20th spot after spending one week at #18 in … Read more
At the beginning of the season, Atlantic Hockey touts itself as a league where every game matters. An unexpected win or loss in October, when teams haven’t quite developed their season identity, forms an immediate factor in a league where positioning is dictated by single point differentials. Everything changes, however, when the calendar switches to … Read more
Last week: Dan: 10-1-0 Chris: 9-2-0 On the season: Dan: 98-60-24 (.604) Chris: 104-54-24 (.637) This Week’s Picks: Thursday, February 2 and Friday, February 3 Holy Cross vs. American International Dan: Back in ancient times, this would be a series where I would say the following: “AIC has a very real chance to steal a game … Read more
Our scheduled guests for the January 31 edition of USCHO Live! are Boston College coach Jerry York, whose No. 8 Eagles sit atop the Hockey East standings, and Air Force coach Frank Serratore, whose Falcons are tied with Canisius for the league lead in Atlantic Hockey. Listen live at 8 p.m. EST or after the show on-demand: http://www.uscho.com/uscho-live/2017/01/30/boston-colleges-york-air-forces-serratore-scheduled-for-jan-31-uscho-live/
Three things from this past weekend in Atlantic Hockey Very special Four of the five weekend series resulted in sweeps, a high number for a league that prides itself on parity. Robert Morris and Holy Cross traded wins, while Bentley, Mercyhurst, Air Force and Canisius picked up four points each. It was the first sweep … Read more
Last week: Dan: 5-4-2 Chris: 7-2-2 On the season: Dan: 88-59-24 (.585) Chris: 95-52-24 (.626) This Week’s Picks: Friday, January 27 and Saturday, January 28 Army West Point at Air Force Dan: The more games we can have between these teams the better. After winning six in a row, Air Force is now 1-1-2 in … Read more
In a full slate of Atlantic Hockey games over a weekend, five series give ten teams a shot at four points apiece. One team has a bye, which continues until the end of the season when, as is usually the case, all hell breaks loose. This week, it was Army West Point’s turn for a … Read more
Last week: Dan: 3-6-2 Chris: 3-6-2 On the season: Dan: 83-55-22 (.588) Chris: 88-50-22 (.619) This Week’s Picks: Friday, January 20 and Saturday, January 21 Mercyhurst at Holy Cross Dan: Holy Cross is very good at home, while Mercyhurst, like so many other AHC teams, struggle more on the road than they do at home. … Read more
Three things from the weekend that was in Atlantic Hockey: How full is your glass? Every Atlantic Hockey team came away from this weekend with something positive, albeit some squad’s glasses were more full than others. None of the five series played resulted in sweeps, with Canisius and Sacred Heart coming out with the best … Read more
Last week: Dan: 8-1-2 Chris: 7-2-2 On the season: Dan: 80-49-20 (.604) Chris: 85-44-20 (.638) This Week’s Picks: Friday, January 13 and Saturday, January 14 Canisius at Air Force Dan:Since Atlantic Hockey went to 11 teams (and summarily dropped divisional pod scheduling), Canisius has played annually at Air Force but has not been swept … Read more
Seven minutes into the third period of their game against Bentley on Friday night, Army West Point’s Brendan Soucie scored his second goal of the game. It was a power play goal that came at the end of a long shift in the Bentley zone, and for the third time in the game, it staked … Read more
Last week: Dan: 9-4-1 Chris: 10-3-1 On the season: Dan: 72-48-18 (.587) Chris: 78-42-18 (.630) This Week’s Picks: Thursday, January 5 and Friday, January 6 Army West Point vs. Bentley Dan: No fewer than four people have asked me which rink will be colder – Fenway or the JAR. Temperatures for Boston on Thursday will be … Read more
Our scheduled guests for the January 3 edition of USCHO Live! are coaches from two teams with successful holiday tournaments: Colorado College’s Mike Haviland, whose Tigers took the Florida College Classic title, and Army West Point’s Brian Riley, whose Black Knights prevailed at the Ledyard Bank Classic. Guest hosting with Ed Trefzger will be USCHO.com Atlantic Hockey columnist Dan Rubin. Listen live at 8 p.m. EST or after the show on-demand: http://www.uscho.com/uscho-live/2017/01/02/colorado-colleges-haviland-army-west-points-riley-to-guest-on-january-3-uscho-live/
The second of the year, especially in Atlantic Hockey, is typified by a mad dash to the finish line and all the associated chaos that comes with it. Everyone, including Chris Lerch and me, love focusing on the absolute anarchy that comes when teams are jostling for position. The start of the second half might … Read more
Last week: Dan: 0-1-1 Chris: 0-1-1 On the season: Dan: 63-44-17 (.577) Chris: 68-39-17 (.617) This Week’s Picks: Thursday, December 29 and Friday, December 30 Ferris State then Boston College/Quinnipiac vs. Robert Morris Dan: Boston College refers to this time of year as “trophy season,” which is typically known as the act of piling up hardware … Read more
Last week: Dan: 10-3 Chris: 11-2 On the season: Dan: 63-43-16 (.582) Chris: 68-38-16 (.623) Dan and I both had a great week! There’s only two games to pick this time, but check back for our holiday tournament picks on Dec. 27. This Week’s Picks: Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18 Mercyhurst vs. Robert … Read more