Atlantic Hockey Picks: March 6-8

Last Week:

Dan: 6-4-0
Chris: 5-5-0

On The Season:
Dan: 142-55-23 (.698)
Chris: 133-64-23 (.657)

This Week’s Picks:

Friday, March 6 through Sunday, March 8
Atlantic Hockey Tournament – First Round
Best of Three Series

Canisius at Bentley
Chris: Canisius took four of six points in the teams’ only regular season meetings, but I like the home team in a series that will go the distance. Bentley in three.
Dan: Since 2013, Bentley has played exactly one series that didn’t go three games, in 2016, when it lost at Air Force in the quarterfinal. It also hasn’t played a home series without an overtime game since 2012, when it took two out of three to beat Sacred Heart. It’s the postseason, which means two things for me: a late night and an extra large bottle of Maalox. Bentley in three.

Holy Cross at Robert Morris
Chris: The teams have met three times before in the AHA tournament, with RMU advancing every time so far. I think that will be the case again here. Robert Morris in three.
Dan: I don’t like what happened to Robert Morris at the end of the season, when the Colonials lost two to Niagara to force a rematch of last year’s first round sweep. Holy Cross is a tough team capable of pushing an opponent for a full 60 minutes, especially when it has Matt Radomsky cooking in net. I’m riding the hot hand in net, especially with the time share over the past couple of weeks between Justin Kapelmaster and Reid Cooper. Sorry RMU, here we go again… Holy Cross in three.

Mercyhurst at Air Force
Chris: Don’t count Mercyhurst out – 11 seeds have had a knack for knocking off six seeds in recent years. But I like the Falcons to win on home ice. Air Force in two.
Dan: The AHA low seed hasn’t been eliminated in a sweep since 2013, but the league still had 12 teams back then. The standings didn’t go to 11 teams until after the next year, and since then, the No. 11 seed almost always sees its share of success. But the trip west is a wild card; Air Force went 7-5-2 on home ice against league opponents this year, and the Lakers’ only road win came in November against Bentley. Air Force in two.