Last week: 8-1-2 On the season: 44-22-113 (.639) This Week’s Picks: Friday, Nov. 23 and Saturday, Nov. 24: Mercyhurst at Bentley – With Niagara idle and Holy Cross in non-conference play this weekend, here’s a chance for one of these teams to make a big move with a sweep. But I’m picking a split in … Read more
Three things from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend: 1. A few weeks ago I made this prediction: [blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/chrislerch/status/265621096202661888″] We’re beginning to see some real separation at the top. Niagara and Holy Cross have opened a six and five point lead, respectively, over the rest of the pack. The Purple Eagles, who defeated Canisius and … Read more
Last week: 8-3 On the season: 36-21-11 (.610) This Week’s Picks: Friday, Nov. 16 and Saturday, Nov. 17: Mercyhurst at Rensselaer – The Engineers have played well against the AHA no matter what kind of season they are having. But the Lakers are on a four-game unbeaten streak and should be able to grind out … Read more
Three things from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend: 1. Two teams have been able to open some distance from the pack, with Niagara and Holy Cross four points ahead of the rest. But the Crusaders have two loses to go with their five wins, while the Purple Eagles remain perfect in conference play (5-0). Niagara … Read more
Last week: 6-3-3 On the season: 28-18-11 (.587) This Week’s Picks: Friday, Nov. 2 and Saturday, Nov. 3: Air Force at Penn State – The Nittany Lions have done pretty well against AHA competition (4-1) but I think that ends this weekend. Air Force sweeps. Niagara at Army – This is a battle between … Read more
Three things from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend: 1. This was the first weekend of two-game inter pod series between teams that will not see each other again unless it’s in the postseason. The marquee matchup was between Holy Cross and Air Force, two teams that are expected to be near the top of the … Read more
Last week: 9-4-3 On the season: 22-15-8 (.577) League play gets under way in earnest this weekend with five conference series. This Week’s Picks: Friday, Nov. 2 and Saturday, Nov. 3 Holy Cross at Air Force – The home team has taken three points in this series over the past two seasons, but … Read more
Three things from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend: – Army is going to have a better season than last year. The Black Knights have two conference wins this season after getting just three in all of 2011-2012. They lost to Penn State 5-0 at home on Friday but came back with a 7-2 win … Read more
Last week: 4-4-3 On the season: 13-11-5 (.534) This Week’s Picks: Thursday, Oct. 25 Robert Morris at Rochester Institute of Technology – The Colonials were off last week while the Tigers suffered a stinging loss to Penn State. The teams have played at RIT three times in the past and each one ended in regulation … Read more
Three things from this weekend’s action in Atlantic Hockey 1. Holy Cross prevents a shutout – The league did a decent job the previous week in a plethora of non-conference games, but this past weekend was a different story. AHA teams went 1-8-2 out of league, with only the Crusaders posting a win. Goaltender Matt … Read more
Last Week: 9-6-2 On the Season: 9-7-3 (.553) As usual, I picked a split correctly (American International and Penn State) but in the wrong order. This week features of a host of games against ranked teams. This Week’s Picks: Friday, Oct. 19 No. 19 Colorado College at Air Force – The Tigers lead the … Read more
Three things from last week: 1. It’s getting better. Last year, the opening weekend of the college hockey season saw Atlantic Hockey teams go 1-14 in non-league action, and that single win was in the consolation game of a tournament between two AHA teams. This season opened with a more respectable 4-8-2 record for the … Read more
Last Week: 0-1-1 On the Season: 0-1-1 This Week’s Picks: Thursday, Oct. 11 and Friday Oct. 12 Rochester Institute of Technology at No. 3 Michigan – This is the first meeting between the two teams. Michigan will return the favor with a trip to Rochester next season. Both won preseason exhibitions handily. Michigan is the … Read more
Welcome back! It’s going to be tough to replicate the tight race we witnessed last year, but with almost every AHA team improved over last season, it’s going to be entertaining for sure. The Atlantic Hockey season preview will be published Monday, but things already get underway this weekend with Niagara and Bowling Green playing … Read more
In no particular order: – After the closest finish on record, with so many teams within just a few points of first place in the final standings, it came down to the two teams that have dominated the postseason for the past six years, and the one team that has won five of those six … Read more
Championship weekend is upon us, so I’m going to make this short and sweet: Any of these teams can certainly win this weekend, but I like Niagara to win the whole thing. No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology vs. No. 2 Niagara – The Tigers will have the home crowd advantage but I think Niagara … Read more
Three things I learned from the first round of the Atlantic Hockey tournament: – For the second straight playoff weekend, the higher seeds all advanced. But it wasn’t without a struggle as Air Force, Rochester Institute of Technology and Mercyhurst were all pushed to the limit. As a result, Niagara will be making its first … Read more
Final Regular Reason Record: 155-63-30 (.685) This Week’s Picks: Atlantic Hockey Playoffs: Quarterfinals Best of Three Series Friday, March 2 – Sunday, March 4 No. 8 Connecticut at No. 1 Air Force – While I think the other three series are toss-ups, this one favors the 19th-ranked Falcons, who swept the Huskies during the regular … Read more
Three thinks I learned from the first round of the Atlantic Hockey tournament: – The higher seeds held serve. It was a struggle in most cases, but Holy Cross, Bentley (in three games), Robert Morris (in three games) and Connecticut all advanced. Robert Morris and UConn needed overtime to win one of their games. – … Read more
Last Week: 6-3-3 On the Season: 155-63-30 (.685) This Week’s Picks: Atlantic Hockey Playoffs: First Round Best of Three Series Friday, March 2 – Sunday, March 4 No. 9 Canisius at No. 8 Connecticut – The Huskies swept the Golden Griffins in Buffalo earlier in the season. Neither team has been playing well with just … Read more