Last Week: 9-3-1
On the Season: 113-52-24 (.661)

A snow storm is predicted to hit the Northeast this weekend, affecting travel from Boston to Buffalo. There’s a good chance some of these games will be postponed, especially since the majority are home-and-home series, meaning the teams will be traveling between the games. Check back for updates. But for now, let’s assume the show goes on as scheduled.

This Week’s Picks:

Thursday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 9

Niagara vs. Canisius – The No. 15 Purple Eagles lead the all-time series 13-7-2. The home team has struggled in the series the last few seasons, only 1-6-1 in the last eight games. I think that trend holds on Thursday when Canisius hosts, but Niagara keeps its home unbeaten streak (now at 15 games) alive on Saturday. Niagara sweeps.

Friday, Feb. 8 and Saturday, Feb. 9

American International vs. Army – The Black Knights won the first meeting between the teams and hosts again on Friday followed by a Saturday afternoon contest at AIC. I’m picking the home team in each game. Army wins Friday; AIC on Saturday.

Air Force at Mercyhurst –  A single point separates second-place Mercyhurst and third-place Air Force. The Lakers are coming off consecutive 8-1 wins over Army and Robert Morris, while Air Force was able to muster only a point at home against American International last weekend. The all time-series is deadlocked 10-10-2. I think the Lakers, who defeated the Falcons 5-4 earlier this season, stay hot. Mercyhurst sweeps.

Connecticut vs. Bentley – Another series between teams separated by a single point has the sixth-place Falcons host the eighth-place Huskies on Friday, with the action shifting to UConn on Saturday. Both teams are having problems putting together two solid games in a row, so I’m taking the home team in each game. Bentley wins Friday; UConn Saturday.

Sacred Heart vs. Holy Cross – The Crusaders, who are tied with Air Force for third place, need to hold serve and take four points from the winless Pioneers. I think they’ll get that done, on Friday in Worcester and Saturday in Milford. Holy Cross sweeps.

Rochester Institute of Technology at Robert Morris – RMU leads the all-time series 4-2-3, including a win at Ritter Arena in October. RIT is coming off a big win (7-1 over Connecticut) and Robert Morris a big loss (8-1 against Mercyhurst), but the Tigers have never won at 84 Lumber Arena (0-3-1). This is another series between teams separated by a point in the standings. I’d pick a tie in one game if allowed, but instead I’ll go with a Robert Morris sweep.

Feel free to chime in by posting your picks in the comments and follow me on Twitter @chrislerch for updates throughout the weekend.

Three things from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend:

Even Tighter

Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley sums it up:

1 point out of 4th..1 point from 10th. Huge game in hand on Tuesday. 4 points out of 2nd with 3 games vs state rival mercyhurst @RMUHockey

February 3, 2013 8:50 am via Twitter for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@derekschooley

Derek Schooley

Schooley’s Colonials are tied for sixth place. Second place Meryhurst and tenth place Rochester Institute of Technology are separated by a mere five points with four weeks left in the regular season. First place Niagara has just about wrapped up the regular season title with a home sweep of Bentley this weekend. The Purple Eagles have a nine game lead in the standings. American International (despite taking three points at Air Force this past weekend) and Sacred Heart will most likely finish at the bottom, but second through tenth is anybody’s guess.

Compare and contrast

Two of the greatest goaltenders in Atlantic Hockey history are wrapping up their careers over the next few weeks, but their final chapters are looking like a study in contrast. AIC’s Ben Meisner helped the Yellow Jackets to a win and a tie at Air Force this past weekend. It was just the second time in 26 tries that AIC had defeated the Falcons.

In Saturday’s 2-1 overtime win, Meisner made 38 saves, including his 3,360th and 3,361st midway through the contest, making him the AHA’s all time saves leader. He surpassed Mercyhurst’s Ryan Zapolski (’11). Meisner made 50 stops in a 2-2 tie the night before.

On the other hand, Connecticut’s Garrett Bartus has struggled since the Holidays, going 1-3 including a 7-1 loss at RIT on Saturday. Seldom used Huskies senior goaltender Matt Grogan has thrived, posting a record of 5-1-1 over the same period, including a 35-save performance in a 3-1 win over the Tigers on Friday, earning first-star honors.

Meisner sets a new record with every save he makes, and has at least ten more games in his career. Bartus has made 3,293 career saves but may not get many more chances.

Point night

Saturday was not  good night for a lot of goaltenders around the league. A total of 44 goals were scored in six games on Saturday, with four of the six winners scoring six goals or more. On Friday, a typical 22 goals were scored in five games. Those 44 goals were the most scored in a single night of conference play this season.

Last Week: 5-4-2
On the Season: 104-49-22 (.656)

This Week’s Picks:

Friday, Feb. 1 and Saturday, Feb. 2

Bentley at Niagara - This is the final weekend of East-West pod play in the AHA, which means Bentley is the last team to see the Purple Eagles this season. After this, Niagara plays its second and third games against West pod teams. This is a classic matchup of offense (Bentley is first in the league at 3.61 goals per game) against defense (Niagara is second in fewest goals allowed at 2.21). The No. 17 Purple Eagles are putting a fifteen game home unbeaten streak on the line, and I think it stops here. Bentley wins Friday; Niagara wins Saturday.

American International at Air Force - The all-time series stands at 22-1-1 in favor of the Falcons. AIC’s win came the last time it played in Colorado Springs (2010). The Yellow Jackets can certainly steal a game here, but Air Force is playing very focused hockey right now. Air Force sweeps.

Army at Mercyhurst - Army is winless in its last five games, falling from second place to seventh over that span. Mercyhurst has established a pattern since the new year began: lose Game One of a series and then win Game Two. I think the Lakers break that mold this weekend and come away with four points. Mercyhurst sweeps.

Connecticut at Rochester Institute of Technology – A good matchup of a team clicking offensively, especially on the power play (RIT), but struggling defensively vs. a squad having some problems scoring goals but getting solid netminding (UConn). I think that results in a split. UConn wins Friday; RIT Saturday.

Sacred Heart at Robert Morris - The Pioneers are still winless, and we’re into the part of the season where teams are extremely focused, so Sacred Heart isn’t likely to benefit by a letdown by an opponent. I don’t think Robert Morris gives SHU an opening, especially at home. RMU sweeps.

Saturday, Feb. 2 and Sunday, Feb. 3

Holy Cross at Canisius - I think this will be the most entertaining of the weekend, pitting teams separated by two points in the standings. Holy Cross was just 3-3 conference play in January but clings to third place. Canisius was 3-2-1 over the same span and sits in sixth. I think a sweep by either is unlikely. Canisius wins Saturday; Holy Cross on Sunday.

Tuesday, Feb. 5

Mercyhurst at Robert Morris - This is the final “game in hand” of the season. After this contest, all 12 teams will have eight games left. The teams play a home and home series the final weekend of the season. I’m picking RMU to pick up the “extra” two points at home. Robert Morris wins.

Feel free to chime in by posting your picks in the comments and follow me on Twitter @chrislerch for updates throughout the weekend.

Three things from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend:

Crooked numbers

Niagara took three points from Rochester Institute of Technology this weekend, continuing the tradition of odd (as in: strange) numbers when these teams get together. The all-time series between the schools now stands at 8-1-6 in favor of Niagara. The pattern has been consistent: when the Purple Eagles win, it’s usually by a pair of goals or more (case in point: Saturday’s 6-4 win) or else the contest ends in a tie after regulation, which five of the last seven have done.  The Tigers’ only win in the series came in overtime in last year’s AHA semifinals.

The trio of points leaves the Purps sitting pretty atop the standings with an (insurmountable?) 9 point lead.

Canisius is still 0-7 in one-goal games after its 4-2 come from behind win over Mercyhurst on Saturday. Preston Shupe just had to score an empty net goal with 34 seconds left to seal the deal and give writers like me another bizarre stat to keep harping on about.

Not so fast

Did I say “insurmountable”? While the smart (OK, sane) money is on Niagara to win the regular season title, there is one team that could possibly catch the Purple Eagles. Air Force, which looked average before Christmas, has found its mojo and has taken 11 of 12 league points since a 4-3 loss at Niagara on Jan. 5.

The Falcons swept Robert Morris this past weekend to win the season series 3-0 and have American International coming up, followed by series with the remaining four Western pod teams. They trail Niagara by nine points with ten games to play. Why does Air Force have a shot and Holy Cross (ten points behind) doesn’t? The Crusaders won’t see Niagara again after splitting their series (and losing the goal differential tiebreaker) while the Falcons will play the Purple Eagles twice at home. In the unlikely event Niagara stumbles and Air Force can close the gap to four points going into that final weekend, it could get interesting.

Gimee some water

With apologies to Eddie Money, that was the cry in Erie, Pa. last week when a water main break shut down Mercyhurst’s campus. That caused Friday’s visit by Canisius to be postponed until this Tuesday. Canisus’ 4-2 win on Saturday has resulted in the teams currently being locked a tie for fourth place and the all-important first-round bye. The season series is tied 1-1 but the Lakers have a game in hand down the stretch.

Last Week: 11-2
On the Season: 99-45-21 (.663)

This Week’s Picks:

Friday, Jan. 25 and Saturday, Jan. 26

Robert Morris at Air Force – The Falcons won the first meeting between the two teams, 4-1 back on Oct. 27. Air Force has won six of the last eight meetings between these former CHA opponents, including four straight in Colorado Springs. I think that trend continues. Air Force sweeps.

Niagara vs. Rochester Institute of Technology – Friday’s game is at RIT; Saturday’s is at Niagara. The Tigers have just one win against the Purple Eagles since moving to Division I but it was a big one: an overtime victory in last year’s Atlantic Hockey semifinals. Niagara leads the Division I series 7-1-5. All those ties, including a 2-2 game back in December, makes me think there willl be one in this series as well, probably Friday at Ritter Arena (RIT has never won at Dwyer Arena). But I can’t pick ties so I’m going with a Niagara sweep.

Bentley vs. Holy Cross – This is the top matchup among several outstanding series this weekend. The rivals are just a point apart in the bunched-up standings, with the Falcons tied for third and the Crusaders, who host on Friday, tied for second. Holy Cross won the first meeting between the schools 4-3 in November and is 6-1-4 in the last 11 meetings between the schools. But Bentley has enough to get at least a split, so I’m going with the home team each night. Holy Cross wins Friday; Bentley  Saturday.

American International vs. Connecticut – The Huskies are coming off a near-upset of No. 2 Quinnipiac and should take that momentum into this series. I like UConn to win both games, although I think the one in Springfield on Friday will be closer than Saturday’s contest in Storrs. Connecticut sweeps.

Saturday, Jan. 26 and Tuesday, Jan. 29

Mercyhurst vs. Canisius – Due to a water main break on Mercyhurst’s campus, Friday’s game has been moved to the following Tuesday. That means Round One is at Canisius on Saturday. These teams have faced each other more than any other opponent: 71 games and counting with the Lakers ahead 38-24-9. Mercyhurst won 3-2 in overtime earlier in the season. This time out I’m picking a split with the road team coming out on top.  Mercyhurst wins Saturday; Canisius on Tuesday.

Sunday, Jan. 27

Sacred Heart at Princeton – Another tough road game for the winless Pioneers. This game and Army’s Saturday exhibition against the Royal Military Academy are the final non-conference games playing by Atlantic Hockey teams this season. Princeton is playing it’s best hockey of the season, 3-1 in it last four games. Princeton wins.

Feel free to chime in by posting your picks in the comments and follow me on Twitter @chrislerch for updates throughout the weekend.

Three things from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend:

Bringing everyone closer together

In all five league games played on Friday, the team lower in the standings won. (Bentley over Canisius, Connecticut over Mercyhurst, Rochester Institute of Technology over Army, Holy Cross over Niagara ,and American International over Robert Morris). That helped pull the standings even closer, although no team moved up a place as a result. Saturday and Sunday did see some changes, with Air Force. Bentley and RIT moving up as a result of four point weekends. There are now eight teams within three points of each other, filling the second through ninth positions.

Defending your house (and region)

All six series this weekend featured East region teams hosting a Western rival, and the home teams ruled on Friday, with Army the lone team to lose on home ice. The highlight was Holy Cross’ 5-3 win over Niagara, handing the Purple Eagles their first loss in conference play. Saturday and Sunday were a different story with only Bentley able to send a home crowd home happy.

For the weekend, West teams were 7-5 against the East. That was a good showing for the East, which had been 12-30-6 against the West going into Friday.

Getting his shot

Canisius alumnus Cory Conacher became the first former Golden Griffin to play in the NHL on Saturday, and made it count. He had a goal and an assist to help the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 6-3 win over Washington.

Conacher was the MVP in the American Hockey League last season with Norfolk, and the NHL lockout delayed his dream. But it came true on Saturday, making him the first AHA player to score an NHL goal.

Watch history made.

Bonus pick

I neglected to include this Tuesday’s UConn at Quinnipiac game in my weekly picks. For the record, I’m taking the No. 4 Bobcats to prevail.

Last Week: 8-3-1
On the Season: 88-43-21 (.648)

This Week’s Picks:

Friday, Jan. 18 and Saturday, Jan. 19
Robert Morris at American International – There could be some good goaltending in this series between AIC’s Ben Meisner and RMU’s Eric Levine. The Yellow Jackets have been struggling to score goals since early December, so RMU should have the upper hand.  Robert Morris sweeps.

Rochester Institute of Technology at Army -  The Tigers are 9-2-5 all-time against the Black Knights including 5-1-2 at Tate Rink. But this Army team is the best since the 2007-2008, and RIT is off to its worst start ever in the AHA. Both squads have more than their fare share of ties over the past few seasons, including with each other. I’d like to take Army for three points, but no draws allowed, so I’m picking Army on Friday and RIT on Saturday.

Mercyhurst at Connecticut – The teams meet for the 46th and 47th times in another chapter of a series that goes back to the MAAC. The Lakers are the stronger team right now, but the home ice advantage will lead to a split. UConn wins Friday; Mercyhurst Saturday.

Niagara at Holy Cross - The premier series of the weekend features (tied for) third place Holy Cross hosting the Purple Eagles, who are still undefeated in league play at the turn – both teams will play their 14th and 15th of 27 conference games. They’ve split their last two series, and I think it will happen again. Holy Cross wins Friday, Niagara Saturday.

Canisius at Bentley – While the Niagara-Holy Cross matchup is the one everyone will be watching closely, I think this series will be the most entertaining. It features the classic offensive vs. defensive battle, with the Falcons ranked fourth in the nation in goals scored, and the Golden Griffins fourth in fewest goals allowed. Bentley is on home ice for the first time in six weeks, and I think that will carry it to a Falcons sweep.

Saturday, Jan. 19 and Sunday, Jan. 20

Air Force at Sacred Heart – Both games will be played at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, where Air Force has an interesting history. It’s the site of the Falcons only NCAA tournament win, 2-0 over Michigan in 2009. Air Force lost to Vermont in bizarre fashion the next day in overtime (the “a goal was scored but play continued for several minutes” game). AFA also lost to Yale there in the 2011 NCAA tournament. The Pioneers and Falcons have tangled once before at WBA, earlier in 2011, with SHU coming out on top 4-2.  I like Air Force to even its all-time record in Bridgeport this weekend. Air Force sweeps.

Feel free to chime in by posting your picks in the comments and follow me on Twitter @chrislerch for updates throughout the weekend.

Three things from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend:

Points for (almost) everybody

Every AHA team played a two game series this weekend, and ten of the 12 teams came away with points. There were three splits (Mercyhurst-Holy Cross, Robert Morris-Connecticut and Rochester Institute of Technology-Bentley), one three-point series (Air Force with a win and tie against Army) and two sweeps (Niagara over American International and Canisius against Sacred Heart). Something for (almost) everyone.

“This was the first real adversity we faced all year, we were getting our rear ends kicked at home and we had to salvage two points tonight,” said Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley after his team defeated Connecticut 4-3 on Saturday. “But we stepped up and put out the fire in the second and third. We had a lot of guys step up and give good efforts.”

Reversal of fortune

The Bentely-RIT series featured a pair of shutouts, one for each goaltender. Friday it was Bentley’s Brandon Komm’s time to shine as he stopped all 41 shots he faced in a 3-0 Falcons win.

Saturday, RIT took just 34 seconds to solve Komm, with Brad McGowan getting the first of four Tiger goals in a 4-0 victory. RIT goaltender Josh Watson made 31 saves.

“We had a couple of turnovers early on in the game and cost us the game as we were down 2-0,” Bentley coach Ryan Soderquist said. “We couldn’t find a way to find the back of the net. Their goaltender played a great game. RIT showed up with a lot of energy tonight, and we didn’t, and they deserved to win.”

Three to one

That was the score midway through Saturday’s Army – Air Force game with the Black Knights opening a lead and looking for a split on the weekend. But the Falcons came back for a 3-3 tie to win the points battle between the two rivals, 3-1.

“It didn’t look good for the Falcons when we were down 3-1, but we showed some resiliency coming back,” Air Force coach Frank Serratore said after the game. “Our even-strength defense needs to get better, but (goalie Jason) Torf was there to bail us out when we dropped a bomb. We gave them a couple of easy even-strength chances. Our penalty kill was pretty good and when we needed our power-play to score for us, they did in the third.”

Kyle De Laurell’s power play goal early in the third that made it 3-3 ended the scoring, but Army goalie Rob Tadazak had to make some big saves in overtime to keep the Falcons from the sweep.

All twelve teams again play two game series next weekend. After all the starts and stops of conference play in the first half of the season, I could get used to this.

Last Week: 11-4-1
On the Season: 80-40-20 (.643)

This Week’s Picks:

Friday, Jan. 11 and Saturday, Jan. 12
Holy Cross at Mercyhurst – This should be an entertaining series between evenly matched squads. The teams are tied for third place but the Lakers have a game in hand. I’m picking a split. Mercyhurst wins Friday; Holy Cross Saturday.

Canisius at Sacred Heart – The Pioneers are playing eight of their 14 home games at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, and this series will see Friday’s game at the Milford Ice Pavillion and Saturdays at the WBA. Regardless of the location, I like the Golden Griffins to prevail. Canisius sweeps.

Niagara at American International – It’s first place vs. 11th place so I have to go with the Purple Eagles, who are still undefeated (10-0-1) in conference play. I think one game will be close and the other won’t. Niagara sweeps.

Connecticut at Robert Morris – Both teams are playing well. RMU is 4-1 in its last five games; UConn is 3-1-1 over the same span. Both have excellent goaltending. But I have a gut feeling that Robert Morris is going to get it done on home ice. RMU sweeps.

Bentley at Rochester Institute of Technology – This is a rematch of last season’s quarterfinals that went to three games, including a double-overtime second game. Both defenses are near the bottom of Division I, so expect some goals. I’m thinking split. Bentley on Friday; RIT on Saturday.

Army at Air Force – These are the 56th and 57th meetings for the rivals, dating back to 1976. Air Force leads the series 31-20-4 but the eighth-place Falcons find themselves six points behind the second-place Black Knights in the standings. Air Force is tough at home, which should be good for at least a win. Air Force wins Friday; Army Saturday.

Feel free to chime in by posting your picks in the comments and follow me on Twitter @chrislerch for updates throughout the weekend.

Three things from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend:

A bit of a letdown

I’m sure the Robert Morris Colonials were aware and determined not to suffer a letdown after what was arguably the greatest weekend in the program’s history and it’s first national ranking in two years. But on Friday in front of a nationally televised audience, RMU fell flat in a 5-0 loss to Army. Black Knight goaltender Rob Tadazak recorded his second straight shutout and Army outshot Robert Morris 36-22. The Colonials came back to earn a split with a 4-1 win on Saturday. Levine was back to form, making 47 saves.

Keeping the streaks alive

Niagara came into Saturday’s game against Air Force unbeaten in it last 13 games at Dwyer Arena and in all ten Atlantic Hockey contests this season. The Purple Eagles had to come from behind twice but eventually prevailed 4-3. Matt Williams got the game-winner with just under 10 minutes to play. Niagara plays its next five games on the road, starting with a two game series at American International this weekend.

Crunch time

This past weekend featured plenty of non-conference games, but with the exception of just two more non-league contests, Atlantic Hockey is now locked into conference play with most weekends featuring all 12 teams squaring off against each other.