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 what should be the best series of the weekend. Mercyhurst wins Friday; Bentley Saturday.

Air Force at Connecticut – Both teams have had their ups and downs so far. Last season, they met five times, all at Air Force, with the Falcons winning four times. I’m picking them in a pair of close games. Air Force sweeps.
 

Friday, Nov. 23:
Clarkson at Rochester Institute of Technology – The teams are a combined 4-12-6 this season. Clarkson is 2-0 against the Tigers since 2006, including a win the one and only other time the Golden Knights have played at Ritter Arena. I think that trend continues. Clarkson wins.

Princeton at Sacred Heart – The Pioneers are going to win a game at some point, but probably not here. Princeton has been inconsistent so far this season but should pull out a victory. Princeton wins.

 
Saturday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 24
American International at Canisius – The teams are one point apart in the standings, and I think they will stay that way. I can make a case for either team to sweep (Canisius has scored more goals as of late, AIC is as talented as it’s been in recent memory) but I’m picking a split. Canisius wins Saturday; AIC Sunday.

 
Sunday, Nov. 24
Holy Cross at Brown – The Bears shut down Army last week 3-0, but I think they’ll have a tougher time with Holy Cross. The Crusaders are undefeated in their last four games, and should keep that streak going. Holy Cross wins.
 

Feel free to post your picks in the comments and follow me on Twitter at @chrislerch for updates throughout the weekend.This Week’s Picks:

Three things from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend:

Prediction: #atlantichockey is going to be a bell curve this season, with Niagara on one end, SHU on the other and 10 teams in between.

November 5, 2012 8:06 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@chrislerch

Chris Lerch

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 a win. RPI wins Friday; Mercyhurst wins Saturday.

Friday, Nov. 16:
Bentley at American International – The Falcons took all three games in this series last season and should prevail again. Bentley wins.

Sacred Heart at Army – The Black Knights came down to earth last weeekend in a pair of losses to Niagara. I think they rebound here against a struggling SHU squad. Army wins.

Niagara at Canisius – This is the first of three “Battle of the Bridge” contests between the neighboring schools. The home team has won just once in the last seven games between Niagara and Canisius, and I think that trend will continue. It’s hard to pick against the Purple Eagles right now. Niagara wins.

Saturday, Nov. 17
Connecticut at Bentley – I’m going with the home team in what should be one of the most entertaining games of the weekend. Bentley wins.

Robert Morris at Niagara – This is a good “trap game” for Niagara coming off a rivalry game the night before and playing a rested RMU. But I still like the Purple Eagles here. Niagara wins.

American International at Sacred Heart – It’s hard to pick SHU to win these days, although if AIC does not play well it can certainly happen. AIC wins.

Army at Brown – Army Coach Brian Riley returns to his Alma Mater. Brown is winless in it’s last five but I think the Bears prevail at home. Brown wins.

Saturday, Nov. 17 and Sunday, Nov, 18
Rochester Institute of Technology at Holy Cross – RIT is 18-1-2 against the Crusaders since joining Atlantic Hockey, the only loss coming in Game One of a quarterfinal series in 2009. But Holy Cross is the stronger team right now, and I think the Crusaders pick up their first regular wins ever against RIT. Holy Cross sweeps.

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

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 swept Army 5-0, 4-1 last weekend and has now outscored AHA competition 19-2 in those five games. Holy Cross defeated Bentley (4-3) and Sacred Hart (6-3) to keep pace.

2. After finishing in the top four all six seasons it’s played in Atlantic Hockey, Rochester Institute of Technology has stumbled to a 1-3-1 start in conference play, with all three losses coming at home. The Tigers had never before lost three conference home games in a regular season and never came out of a home weekend series with less than a point. But losses to Mercyhurst (5-3) on Friday and Canisius (6-3) on Saturday begs the question: Is this an aberration or the New Normal for RIT? The Tigers have never played an AHA post-season game outside of Rochester, but that mark may fall as well this season unless things can be turned around. RIT travels to Holy Cross for a pair of games this weekend.

3. American International and Connecticut both registered good non-conference wins last week. The Yellow Jackets defeated Quinnipiac 2-1 on Election Night, and UConn won 3-1 at Merrimack on Saturday. Those can be put on the wall next to wins for the league against Michigan (RIT), Alaska (Canisius), and Quinnipiac (Robert Morris). No wins against the WCHA yet, but Air Force tied Alaska-Anchorage and Canisius took Minnesota to the limit in a 1-0 loss.

4. And a bonus if you haven’t seen this. I like to call it the “Full Serratore” – a post-game press conference with Air Force coach Frank Serratore. Always quotable and with never a dull moment, this example from Friday’s 5-1 win at Penn State is getting passed around a lot. As I tell people who have sent me the clip: Welcome to my world. This is not atypical, and I get the benefit of quotes like this all season. And Serratore correctly predicted the result of Saturday’s game. Enjoy.

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 the last two teams unbeaten in league play. The Purple Eagles are coming off a strong weekend and I think they’ll continue to roll. Niagara sweeps.

 
Friday, Nov. 9:
Robert Morris at Canisius – This is one of those “throw the records out” matchups that is always close. The teams have split six meetings since RMU joined Atlantic Hockey, with the home team winning each time. I think that ends here. RMU wins.

Bentley at Holy Cross – This has turned into a good rivalry with the Crusaders holding the edge (5-1-4 over the last three seasons). I usually pick the home team to win in this series. Holy Cross wins.

Mercyhurst at RIT – RIT leads the series 12-5-3 since joining Division I but the Lakers usually play the Tigers better at Ritter Arena than they do in Erie. Mercyhurst wins.

Sacred Heart at Connecticut – Both teams need a win after setback weekends. I think UConn breaks though. Connecticut wins.

 
Saturday, Nov. 10:
Canisius at RIT – The Tigers usually get the better of the Golden Griffins, holding a 16-5 advantage since moving to Division I. I think they rebound from Friday and post a victory here. RIT wins.

Connecticut at Merrimack – The Warriors are 22-1 all-time against UConn and unless they suffer a letdown from a game with Boston University the night before, they should coast. Merrimack wins.

 
Sunday, Nov. 11:
Holy Cross at Sacred Heart – Sunday afternoon games are often tossups, but I’m sticking with the Crusaders. Holy Cross wins.

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

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 standings. Nothing was settled with a split. The Crusaders overcame a 2-0 first period deficit on Friday and dominated the rest of the way, outshooting the Falcons 34-17 over the final two periods.

On Saturday, Air Force again held a 2-0 lead after the first period, but this time kept it rolling for a 7-0 win.

The big winners this weekend were Mercyhurst and Niagara, which each captured four points and the season series with Sacred Heart and Connecticut, respectively.
 
2. Things are shaping up for another log jam in the standings. Sweeps are going to be hard to come by, and the teams which have been at the bottom of the standings are narrowing the gap. Army and American International are showing improvement early in the season. I saw both games of the AIC-RIT series and it was a pair of close, entertaining contests. Rochester Institute of Technology took three points from AIC thanks to a 3-0 win on Saturday. Friday’s 2-2 tie featured a combined 74 shots on goal (42-31 RIT).
 
3. Which leads me to a discussion of attendance in the the AHA. AIC was generous with its reported attendance of 185 and 237 this weekend. It’s a pity that more weren’t there to see some very entertaining hockey. Right now the bottom six teams in Division I in attendance are Atlantic Hockey teams. In all nine of the bottom twelve are from the AHA. Only the usual suspects, Air Force and RIT are drawing well. Mercyhurst has yet to play a home game, so the Lakers aren’t included. Holy Cross has a smaller rink, so despite being 45th in attendance, the Crusaders have sold out both of their games at the Hart Center, squeezing an average of 1,712 people into a rink that’s listed as holding 1,400. Robert Morris is also filling a respectable 72% of its seats despite a ranking of 53rd. But the rest of the schools near the bottom are filling less than 50% of their arenas so far. Hopefully this will pick up as potential fans are missing some good games. We’ll check back on this in a few weeks.
 
4. I lied. Four things this week. On Thursday, Atlantic Hockey handed down its most severe sanctions ever, suspending Canisius’s Matthew Grazen seven additional games as a result of his checking-from-behind penalty on Air Force forward George Michalke. Grazen was DQed in the game, mandating a one-game suspension.  The league tacked on seven more, including two this past weekend. Grazen will sit the next three and then is suspended for Canisius’ series at Air Force in February. That move, meant to head off any retaliation, is also unprecedented.

These eight total games surpass the six game suspension handed down to Canisius’ Carl Hudson for his part in a brawl that took place at RIT on Feb 9, 2008. Hudson was assessed a double DQ for leaving the penalty box  and slamming a player’s head to the ice during the fight. That was worth three games and the league tacked on three more.

Frankly, Grazen’s actions don’t seem as egregious as Hudson’s. I have seen the tape of the Grazen infraction and it’s dangerous but I didn’t see an intent to injure. Seven games is probably excessive but I can’t fault the league in wanting to send a message that these kind of dangerous actions will have severe consequences.

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 I can’t pick ties so I’m going with an Air Force sweep.

Rochester Institute of Technology at American International – The Yellow Jackets have usually been unsweepable by the Tigers, and I think this time is no exception, especially considering RIT is allowing 5.2 goals per game. RIT wins Friday; AIC on Saturday.

Connecticut at Niagara – These should be low scoring games featuring some of the best netminding in the league. Niagara sweeps.

Bentley at Robert Morris – RMU is tough to beat at home, but I think Bentley makes a strong recovery from its shellacking at Harvard. Bentley sweeps.

Mercyhurst at Sacred Heart – Friday’s game has been moved from Milford to Northford because the Ice Pavillion is still without power thanks to Hurricane Sandy. Saturday’s contest at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport is on as scheduled. Mercyhurst sweeps.

Saturday, Nov. 3 and Sunday, Nov. 4

Clarkson at Canisius – The Golden Griffins take on the Golden Knights. Canisius (1-4-1) is having a heck of a time scoring goals, but Clarkson is having a down year so far (0-4-1). I’m thinking each team picks up a win. Clarkson on Saturday; Canisius on Sunday.

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

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 at Holy Cross that was big for several reasons:

• The seven goals were the most scored by Army since November 28, 2009. The Black Knights had only one game last season there they scored four times.
• Army’s other points came against struggling Sacred Heart, but Holy Cross is considered to be in the top echelon of the the league and had beaten Connecticut 2-1 the night before.
• It was coach Brian Riley’s 100th career win.

- Sometimes you have to settle. Niagara trailed 3-0 at Clarkson on Saturday but managed a 4-4 tie to go with its 2-0 win against the Golden Knights on Friday. The Purple Eagles came all the way back to take the lead at one point, 4-3, but settled for the tie. Connecticut also “settled” for a 2-2 tie with No. 8 Union behind an impressive 39-save performance from Garrett Bartus. The Huskies also led in the third period.

- Penn State is up and Clarkson is down against the AHA. The Golden Knights are 0-2-1 against Atlantic Hockey competition so far. They travel to Canisius for a pair this weekend. The Griffins are coming off a 1-0 loss to No. 2 Minnesota on Sunday. Tony Capobianco allowed a Gopher goal just 12 seconds into the contest but was rock-solid after that, making 41 saves. On the other hand, Penn State would be in first place in the AHA right now, already 4-1 against the league including wins over Army and AIC this weekend. The Nittany Lions have upcoming series against Air Force, Holy Cross and Connecticut and a single game with Robert Morris.

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 tied 2-2. RIT won the first of those meetings in overtime. This time I think it will again be close but Tigers will only need regulation. RIT 4, RMU 3.

Air Force at Canisius – The Falcons and Golden Griffins also tied twice last season with Air Force winning outright in the other meeting. I think the Falcons rebound from last weekend. Air Force 3, Canisius 1.
 

Friday, Oct. 26 and Saturday, Oct.27

Niagara at Clarkson – The Purple Eagles were humbled in their last meeting with an ECAC team (10-2 loss at Colgate) but played well at Michigan State last weekend. Clarkson was defeated 3-1 by Holy Cross last Saturday and is looking for its first win. Niagara 4, Clarkson 3; Clarkson 4, Niagara 3.

Friday, Oct. 26

Connecticut at Holy Cross – This is shaping up to be a great inter-pod rivalry. I’m taking the Crusaders in their first of three meetings with the Huskies. Holy Cross 4, UConn 2.

No. 8 Union at American International - This is a plus for AIC to bring a Frozen Four team into the Olympia Ice Center. But Union is the better team and should prevail. Union 4, AIC 1.

Penn State at Army – The Nittany Lions beat RIT last weekend behind a strong showing from goaltender P.J. Musico. But I think Army gets the job done at home. Army 4, Penn State 3.

Alabama-Huntsville at Bentley - The Falcons have to be careful not to look ahead to Saturday’s game at Harvard.  If they take care of business, they’ll win by at least two. Bentley 5, UAH 3.

RIT at Colgate – The Tigers have lost a pair of one-goal games to the Raiders since moving to Division I, but I think the Raiders win by one more than that this time. Colgate 5, RIT 3.

Saturday, Oct. 27

Army at Holy Cross – The Crusaders are playing well right now, and I don’t think they’ll let up here. Holy Cross 4, Army 2.

Air Force at Robert Morris – The Colonials are tough to beat at home, and I think they’ll prevail here. RMU 3, Air Force 2.

Alabama-Huntsville at American International – AIC and UAH have finished near the bottom of the PWR in recent years, and each looks to pick up a much-needed win here. I’m going with the Yellow Jackets at home. AIC 3, UAH 2.

Bentley at No. 17 Harvard – This is probably a bigger game for Bentley than it is for Harvard, which means its ripe for an upset. I’m still going with the high ranked team, despite this being the Crimson’s first game of the season. Harvard 4, Bentley 3.

Penn State at Sacred Heart – Both teams can certainly win this game, depending on which Penn State team shows up. I think it will be the one that beat RIT. Penn State 4, SHU 3.

No. 8 Union at Connecticut – Union is looking to sweep AHA teams this weekend, and I think it will be successful. Union 4, UConn 3.

Sunday, Oct. 29

Canisius at No. 2 Minnesota – The Gophers are smarting from a loss at Michigan Tech last weekend. They play the Under 18 on Friday and then the Golden Griffins in a Sunday afternoon game. I’m not picking an upset here. Minnesota 4, Canisius 1.

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

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 Ginn led the way with 36 saves as the Crusaders beat the Golden Knights on the road 3-1. After being hooked on a breakaway, senior Brandon Nunn converted on a penalty shot in the third period to seal the deal.

“I was deciding whether or not to watch it,” Pearl told the Watertown Daily Times. “I was going to let the crowd reaction tell me what happened. But Brandon made a beautiful shot.”

The win avenged a 5-0 loss to Clarkson last year at Holy Cross. The Golden Knights have another shot at the AHA when they host Niagara this weekend.

2. Ya gotta protect the lead – In five of the the ten games Atlantic Hockey teams didn’t win this past weekend (0-8-2), the AHA team had a lead but didn’t hold it. Both nights Niagara played at Michigan State, the Purple Eagles had a 2-0 lead going into the third period, but lost on Friday and had to settle for a tie on Saturday.

Niagara lost the ensuing shootout on Saturday while Mercyhurst won theirs after losing a third period lead and tying Ferris State. Both games were in CCHA rinks, and the league uses that abominable practice. At least in these games, the shootout didn’t count. They actually award points for the thing in conference play.

3. Buffalo State is better than Michigan? If you play the game of comparing scores, this can be claimed. The Division III Bengals defeated Penn State 3-0 on Friday, and the Nittany Lions turned around the beat Rochester Institute of Technology 3-2 on Saturday. The Tigers defeated Michigan 5-4 in overtime on Oct. 11. As Mercyhurst forward Matt Zay said in reaction to this question on my Twitter feed:

“@chrislerch: Buff State beats Penn State who beats RIT who beats Michigan. My head hurts.”- It's called hockey.

October 20, 2012 10:50 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@Zay_Matt

RoZAY!