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 playoff championships. The consistency shown by Air Force year-in and year-out is astounding. The Falcons find a way to win. They’ve won as the first seed, the fourth seed, and everywhere in between. They’ve dominated in games at Blue Cross Arena, and in games that they haven’t dominated, they’ve had a goalie come up big.

“We play some of our best hockey here,” said Air Force defenseman and Hobey Baker finalist Tim Kirby. “It’s like a home away from home.”

“There isn’t no magic,” said Air Force coach Frank Serratore. “The magic is getting better as a team. We’ve been coming here with good teams that have played their best hockey this time of year.”

- The most entertaining game was the semifinal between Niagara and Rochester Institute of Technology. It had the largest crowd (more on that later), and was a physical, hard fought game that took overtime to decide. It was the first time RIT had beaten Niagara since moving to Division I.

“We knew it as going to be this kind of a game,” said Niagara coach Dave Burkholder. “We’ve really enjoyed this rivalry especially since they went D-I, but even back when we were both in the ECAC West.”

- I wonder what the attendance would have been had RIT lost to Bentley in the quarterfinals. The first semifinal between Air Force and Mercyhurst had less than 300 people on hand in a rink that seats over 10,000. The late semifinal had 3,287. The Tigers have indeed sold out the arena twice, but those were for homecoming games and tickets were less than $10. These games had prices in the $10-$18 range. That may have kept some casual fans away, and the RIT women hosting the Division III championships at Ritter Arena didn’t help either. On Friday, the women played in the afternoon, allowing fans to take in both games. But Saturday the games went head-to-head and over 1,200 fans stayed on campus to see the RIT women’s team win the national title. That led to a drop in attendance to just 2,433 for the AHA championship.

And again, this was with RIT making it to finals. Niagara brought around 100-200 fans. Air Force had less than 100. Mercyhurst was the biggest disappointment, bring maybe 50 fans. It’s only a two hour drive from Erie.

In 2007, the first year the games were held at Blue Cross (and RIT not eligible to compete), attendance for the finals between Army and Air Force was 713. And that was with the novelty of the first time as well as a great matchup between service academies.

This has to be a concern for the league – fans of teams other than RIT (which brought around 2,000 people to the 2010 NCAA Regional in Albany) just don’t travel. At least the RIT conflict between men’s and women’s games probably won’t happen again with the expected move of the RIT women to Division I. But maybe it’s time to look at other alternatives. The league has been fortunate from a gate standpoint that RIT has made it to Blue Cross every season, but that streak’s got to end sometime…the same way Air Force’s streak will end. Or maybe not.

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 is playing the best hockey of any of the four teams right now. Niagara 4, RIT 2.

No. 4 Mercyhurst vs. No. 1 Air Force – The Falcons are struggling a but right now but always seem to right the ship in Rochester. They have the intangibles and should win this game. Air Force 3, Mercyhurst 2.

If those picks hold up, I think Niagara will pull out a championship game win over the Falcons.

We’ll be liveblogging all three games and have the usual recaps and features from Blue Cross Arena. Go to USHCO.com during and after the games.

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 visit to Blue Cross Arena, and Mercyhurst its first since 2009. Air Force and RIT extended their streaks of getting to the semifinals in Rochester every season they have been eligible (six times for the Falcons, five for the Tigers).

“Our guys just kept battling, said Air Force coach Frank Serratore after his team had to come from behind twice to beat Connecticut in the third and deciding game Sunday night. “At times it looked like this wasn’t going to be our night, but the hockey gods were with us. We had to come from behind twice tonight. This was nothing but guts for us tonight. Give UConn a lot of credit. Nothing but guts from them as well. I am just so happy for our guys that they will be able to go back to Rochester.”

- In the nine-year history of the league, only twice has a team come back from a 0-1 deficit to win a three game series. Both times it was RIT, which defeated Bentley last weekend with wins on Saturday and Sunday. The Tigers did the same thing to Holy Cross in 2009.

- In victory or defeat, the goaltending in the quarterfinal round was outstanding. Some examples:

- Benley’s Branden Komm made 134 saves over the three games, including a school-record 58 in a 5-4 double overtime loss on Saturday.

- Connecticut’s Garrett Bartus had 117 saves in the Huskies’ three-game series with Air Force, including 46 in a 3-1 win on Saturday.

- Niagara goalie Chris Noonan allowed just one goal in a sweep of Robert Morris, stopping 48 of 49 shots.

- Max Strang of Mercyhurst stopped 41 of 42 shots against Holy Cross in Sunday’s deciding game. The Lakers were outshot 42-27.

- RIT’s Shanne Madolora pitched a 3-0 shutout of Bentley in the deciding game on Sunday for his school-record 13th shutout and seventh of the season, tying him for first in Division I.

The Semifinal pairings are:
No. 4 Mercyhurst vs. No. 1 Air Force
No. 3 RIT vs. No. 2 Niagara

Just two points separated these four teams in the regular season.

Getting my vote

Here’s my ballot for Monday’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll
1. Boston College
2. Minnesota-Duluth
3. Michigan
4. Minnesota
5. Ferris State
6. Boston University
7. Union
8. Miami
9. North Dakota
10. Maine
11. Denver
12. Mass-Lowell
13. Cornell
14. Western Michigan
15. Merrimack
16. Michigan State
17. Colgate
18. Notre Dame
19. Colorado College
20. Niagara

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 season and are 17-2 all-time in AHA postseason play. If the Falcons can stay out of the penalty box and keep the league-best UConn power play off the ice, I think they’ll sweep. Air Force in two.

No. 7 Robert Morris at No. 2 Niagara – For the seniors on each squad this will their 20th, 21st and possibly 22nd game against each other. I think it will go three, low scoring games, echoing the teams’ games against each other this season (2-1, 2-1, 2-2). Niagara in three.

No. 6 Bentley at No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology – The Tigers won a pair of close games (1-0, 2-1) at Bentley earlier in the season. RIT has never lost in the quarterfinal round, going 8-1 with all the games on home ice. I think this one is going three games as well, with the home team prevailing. RIT in three.

No. 5 Holy Cross at No. 4 Mercyhurst – These teams wound up tied in the standings but Holy Cross had to play last weekend due to a tie and overtime loss to the Lakers earlier in the season. Those games were close and these will be as well, but I’m picking the Crusaders to sweep. Holy Cross in two.

Take Me On

Feel free to chime in by posting your picks in the comments.

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.

- There were some wild finishes. UConn dodged a bullet on Friday when Canisus missed on a penalty shot attempt in overtime. The Huskies had dislodged the net on a Golden Griffins’ scoring attempt, but Tyler Wiseman, who had scored earlier in the game, was denied by Huskie goaltender Garrett Bartus. Minutes later, Alex Gerke won it for UConn.

Sunday night at Robert Morris, the Colonials were up 3-0 on American International with 15 minutes to play in the third and deciding game before AIC’s Neilsson Arcibal scored three straight goals, including one with 11 seconds left in regulation, to send the game to overtime. But the golden goal went to RMU’s Brandon Blandina just 2:36 into the extra period.

“The range of emotions we went through in the last 16 minutes of the third was just unbelievable,” said Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley. “As coaches, we had to pick ourselves up after that third period in order to go in and pick the players up.”

- Things tighten up for the next round. Seven of the eight teams left were within striking distance of the regular season title with two weeks left in the regular season. Just five points separated No. 1 Air Force and No. 7 Robert Morris in the final standings.

Here’s the difference in regular season points between the quarterfinal teams:

No. 8 UConn at No.1 Air Force: 9 points
No. 7 Robert Morris at No. 2 Niagara: 4 points
No. 6 Bentley at No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology: 1 point
No. 5 Holy Cross at No. 4 Mercyhurst: 0 points

In other words, don’t make any plans for Sunday.

Getting my vote

Here’s my ballot for Monday’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll

1. Boston College
2. Minnesota-Duluth
3. Ferris State
4. Boston University
5. Michigan
6. Union
7. Minnesota
8. Mass-Lowell
9. Denver
10. Maine
11. Miami
12. Cornell
13. North Dakota
14. Merrimack
15. Michigan State
16. Western Michigan
17. Notre Dame
18. Colorado College
19. Northern Michigan
20. Air Force

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 three wins between them in the month of February. I think UConn’s power play will be the difference. UConn in three.

No. 10 American International at No. 7 Robert Morris – The teams split this season but RMU leads the all-time series 6-1-1. The Colonials made a quick exit from last year’s playoffs and that should be enough motivation to get through this round. Robert Morris in two.

No. 11 Sacred Heart at No. 6 Bentley – The Pioneers have been playing much better as if late but are still allowing too many goals to advance, especially against a Bentley offense that features one of the top lines in the league. Bentley in two.

No. 12 Army at No. 5 Holy Cross – Despite missing out on a first-round bye, Holy Cross is a legitimate threat to go all the way, and I think it starts here with a sweep. The Crusaders took all three games from the Black Knights during the regular season. Holy Cross in two.

Take Me On

Feel free to chime in by posting your picks in the comments.

Three things I learned from Atlantic Hockey this weekend:

- Every point and (sometimes goal) mattered. Those wins that turned into ties late in the game? The ones that got away early in the season? That extra goal allowed in a game already lost? How close was it? Two points separated the first and fifth seeds.

- In the third period of Saturday’s games, there were still three teams who could have captured the top seed. Air Force wound up clinching by defeating Robert Morris 3-0, but Niagara was six minutes and change away from sharing the regular season crown with the Falcons. They settled for a 2-2 tie at Rochester Institute of Technology, and that tie was the difference between third (and a first round bye) and fifth place for the Tigers. RIT, Mercyhurst and Holy Cross ended in a three-way tie for third, but the Tigers got the third seed and the Lakers the fourth based on tiebreakers.

- The first round playoff pairings feature all six East pod teams and two teams from the West:

No. 12 Army at No. 5 Holy Cross
No. 11 Sacred Heart at No. 6 Bentley
No. 10 AIC at No. 7 Robert Morris
No. 9 Canisius at No. 8. Connecticut

Just for fun, under last years’ playoff format, Air Force, Niagara, Holy Cross and Bentley would have gotten byes, with RIT, Mercyhurst, Connecticut and AIC hosting first round games (now series). That would have been a travesty.

Getting my vote

Here’s my ballot for Monday’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s poll:

1. Boston College
2. Minnesota-Duluth
3. Ferris State
4. Boston University
5. Minnesota
6. Michigan
7. Maine
8. Union
9. Cornell
10. Denver
11. Merrimack
12. Mass-Lowell
13. Miami
14. Western Michigan
15. North Dakota
16. Michigan State
17. Notre Dame
18. Northern Michigan
19. Ohio State
20. Air Force

Last night didn’t settle much in Atlantic Hockey. With one game to play in the regular season, there are still five teams in the running for the remaining two first-round byes (Air Force and Niagara have clinched the first two), and three teams eligible for the regular season title.

Here’s the breakdown:

Air Force (14-6-6; 34 points)
Best: First
Worst: Fourth
Final Opponent: at Robert Morris
Outlook: The Falcons need a win to clinch the regular season title.

Niagara (14-6-6; 34 points)
Best: First
Worst: Fourth
Final opponent: at RIT
Outlook: The Purple Eagles need to beat RIT and have Air Force gets less than two points to win the regular season.

Rochester Institute of Technology (14-7-5; 33 points)
Best: First
Worst: Sixth
Final opponent: Home against Niagara
Outlook: The Tigers could win the regular season title with a win and an Air Force loss. They need a point to get a first-round bye.

Bentley (13-6-7; 33 points)
Best: Second
Worst: Sixth
Final opponent: at Holy Cross
Outlook: Bentley needs a win to clinch a first-round bye.

Mercyhurst (14-8-4; 32 points)
Best: Second
Worst: Seventh
Final opponent: Home against Canisius
Outlook: The Lakers’ loss to Canisius last night means they do not control their own destiny for a bye, although a win puts them in excellent shape.

Holy Cross (14-8-4; 32 points)
Best: Second
Worst: Seventh
Final opponent: Home against Bentley
Outlook: The Crusaders lose tiebreakers to all teams ahead of them except Air Force. They must win and then get some help to finsh in the top four.

Robert Morris (13-8-5; 31 points)
Best: Fourth
Worst: Seventh
Final opponent: Home against Air Force
Outlook: The Colonials overtime win against Air Force last night keeps their hopes of a top-four finish alive, but they need to win again and then scoreboard watch.

Connecticut (11-12-3; 25 points)
Best: Eighth
Worst: Eighth
Final opponent: Home against American International
Outlook: The Huskies will finish eighth and host Canisius in a first-round playoff game.

Canisius (10-13-3; 23 points)
Best: Ninth
Worst: Ninth
Final opponent: At Mercyhurst
Outlook: See Connecticut.

American International (6-17-3; 15 points)
Best: Tenth
Worst: Tenth
Final opponent: At Connecticut
Outlook: AIC will finish tenth and travel to the seventh seed for the first round of the playoffs.

Army (3-18-5; 11 points)
Best: 11th
Worst: 12th
Final opponent: Home against Sacred Heart
Outlook: A point against the Pioneers will assure Army doesn’t finish in the basement.

Sacred Heart (3-20-3; 9 points)
Best: 11th
Worst: 12th
Final opponent: At Army
Outlook: The Pioneers can finish out of the basement with a win against Army.

Last Week: 8-2-2

On the Season: 149-60-27 (.689)

This Week’s Picks:

Friday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, Feb. 25

Air Force at Robert Morris – The Falcons are the only team that has locked up a first round bye going into the final weekend, but the Falcons still need three points to guarantee the top seed. Robert Morris has to sweep and still needs a lot of help to finish in the top four. I’m picking a split. Air Force 3, RMU 2; RMU 2, Air Force 1.

Rochester Institute of Technology vs. Niagara – RIT needs two points to clinch a bye; Niagara three. The Tigers have yet to beat Niagara since moving to Division I (0-6-3) and haven’t defeated the Purple Eagles since 1996. I think they break that streak, but only on home ice on Saturday. Niagara hosts Friday. Niagara 4, RIT 2; RIT 2, Niagara 1.

Holy Cross vs. Bentley – Both teams have feasted on the lower part of the standings in recent weeks, but now face each other in a crucial showdown. The Falcons need three points for a bye while the Crusaders need a sweep. I think neither team gets what it wants and will be scoreboard watching on Saturday. Bentley 4, Holy Cross 3; Holy Cross 5, Bentley 4.

Mercyhurst vs. Canisius – The Lakers need three points to lock up a bye and I think they’ll sweep their long-time rivals. Mercyhurst 3, Canisius 2; Mercyhurst 4, Canisius 2.

Army vs. Sacred Heart – This series will determine who finishes last in the regular season. The Pioneers need to sweep the Black Knights to avoid the basement, and I think they’ll do it. Sacred Heart 3, Army 2; Sacred Heart 4, Army 3.

Connecticut vs. American International –  UConn needs a point to host a first round playoff series as well as regaining the momentum the Huskies have lost since the holidays. I’m picking them to right the ship with a sweep. UConn 4, AIC 2; UConn 3, AIC 1.

So my final predictions for the regular season standings are:

1. Mercyhurst
2. Air Force (loses tiebreaker with Mercyhurst)
3. RIT
4. Niagara
5. Bentley (loses tiebreaker with Niagara)
6. Holy Cross
7. Robert Morris
8. Connecticut
9. Canisius
10. AIC
11. Sacred Heart
12. Army (loses tiebreaker to Sacred Heart)

Take Me On

Feel free to chime in by posting your picks in the comments.

Three things I learned from Atlantic Hockey this weekend:

Canisius will play Connecticut in the first round of the AHA playoffs. The final weekend will determine who the home team is, but it’s nice to be able to pin down at least one thing with the standings so up in the air going into the final weekend. Seven teams are still in contention for the four first-round byes, and five teams can still claim the regular season title.

Strang is back – Mercyhurst goaltender Max Strang had lost his starting job recently to sophomore Joran Tibbett. But after the Lakers got shelled 8-0 at Air Force on Friday, Strang returned to the nets and posted a huge 2-1 win for the Lakers, making 50 saves in the process. The Falcons outshot the Lakers 51-19. “Their goalie was the best player on the ice by a country mile”, said Air Force coach Frank Serratore.

The stage is set for a big showdown in the East – Bentley and Holy Cross are each undefeated in their art six games and play this weekend. The Falcons lead the Crusaders by a point in the standings. While both teams could conceivably end up with a bye if they split and other things break just right, if either team can win the series they will mostly likely be taking next weekend off.

Getting my vote

Here’s my ballot for Monday’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s poll:

1. Ferris State
2. Boston College
3. Michigan
4. Minnesota Duluth
5. Minnesota
6. Boston University
7. Mass-Lowell
8. Union
9. Denver
10. Merrimack
11. Maine
12. Cornell
13. Michigan State
14. North Dakota
15. Ohio State
16. Miami
17. Colorado College
18. Notre Dame
19. Western Michigan
20. Northern Michigan