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North Dakota has to replace offense, but it has plenty of motivation

October 7, 2013

Rocco Grimaldi is expected to help lead North Dakota’s offense (photo: Bradley K. Olson).

No sports team at any level can afford to spend too much time thinking about past accomplishments and former greats on its roster.

This is something known all too well by North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol, charged this season with leading a young UND squad into a new conference.

UND’s 4-1 NCAA West Regional final loss March 30 at the hands of eventual national champion Yale stung on several levels. It meant the end of a strange season for UND, but it also prompted the departure of a group of six seniors that supplied over 43 percent — 59 of 135 — of the team’s goals in its 2012-13 campaign.

What’s worse, despite getting major contributions from two Hobey Baker Award finalists in then-senior forwards Danny Kristo and Corban Knight, UND’s men’s hockey team’s final season in the WCHA wasn’t the program’s finest. It was the first season in the last 11 in which North Dakota failed to win either the WCHA’s regular season or playoff title or qualify for the Frozen Four.

Now, though, Hakstol and a UND team that includes eight freshmen has a chance to restore order as it tries to make hay in the inaugural season of the NCHC.

Hakstol said last season won’t be UND’s sole motivation to improve this time around. Not that it could be, anyway, with so many new players on the roster.

“It’s a different year, and this is a very different group,” Hakstol said. “We’re going to be a young team this year, and while that doesn’t change the fact that I’m not happy with our ending from last year, that has nothing to do with how this season is going to begin or, more importantly, how this season is going to progress.

“I’m sure there’s motivation for all the returning players based on a lot of different things, not just the ending of last year, but this is a very different team.”

This is one of the younger teams Hakstol has had since he took the reins at UND in 2004, but that’s not to say it’s an underwhelming one on paper.

Eight newcomers, including six 2013 NHL draft picks and Canada’s Junior A 2012-13 goaltender of the year in Matt Hrynkiw, will try to quickly jell and compete with the veterans in the squad.

UND also boasts returning veterans that pack plenty of firepower. UND’s scoring output may not turn out to be quite as prolific as it was last season, but third-year sophomore Rocco Grimaldi, junior Mark MacMillan and sophomore Drake Caggiula will be expected to lead the lines up front.

UND will miss departed defensemen Joe Gleason, Derek Forbort and Andrew MacWilliam, but senior Dillon Simpson is set to be this season’s team’s rock in defense. Junior Nick Mattson is also a solid, veteran blueliner.

Goaltending might be UND’s biggest strength this season. Senior Clarke Saunders and sophomore Zane Gothberg make up one of the NCHC’s best goalie tandems, and both were among the WCHA’s top four goaltenders in both major statistical categories between Feb. 1 and the end of last season.

Between what returns this season and the new talent coming in, the potential is there for UND to improve upon what the 2012-13 team managed to accomplish. As for worrying how much the team might miss last season’s stellar senior class, however, that isn’t a thought Hakstol’s willing to entertain.

“We’re really proud of that senior group, and they were great players and great leaders and a lot of those guys are going to go on to good careers playing the game and doing other things, but [their departure] is where you turn the page now to a new team,” Hakstol said. “Everyone might look at them and compare stats with who you lost, but I don’t.

“As a staff, we’re just really focused on looking at who we have on this year’s team. And we’re going to be young, but that doesn’t really matter. We feel like we’ve got 26 guys in our locker room that can help us become a good team this year.”

About North Dakota

2012-13 overall record: 22-13-7

2012-13 WCHA record: 14-7-7 (Third)

2013-14 predicted finish: Candace third, Matthew second

Key losses: F Danny Kristo, F Corban Knight, F Carter Rowney, D Andrew MacWilliam, D Joe Gleason, D Derek Forbort

Players to watch: F Rocco Grimaldi, F Mark MacMillan, F Drake Caggiula, D Dillon Simpson, G Zane Gothberg, G Clarke Saunders

Impact rookies: F Luke Johnson, F Wade Murphy, F Adam Tambellini, D Paul LaDue

Why UND will finish higher than predicted: One or both of North Dakota’s veteran goaltenders — or perhaps even Matt Hrynkiw — could catch fire, and yet another solid UND recruiting class will jell in a hurry with the team’s veterans.

Why UND will finish lower than predicted: UND’s goaltending and defense might be strong, but, considering how prolific last year’s seniors (apart from third-string goaltender Tate Maris) were at the other end of the ice, huge shoes have been left that require filling.

Nebraska-Omaha’s depth will get tested, but Walters, offense expected to produce

By Matthew Semisch

October 7, 2013

Nebraska-Omaha’s Ryan Walters tied for second nationally with 52 points last season (photo: Michelle Bishop).

Looking at Nebraska-Omaha’s roster for the 2013-14 season, one might wonder if that list is a bit short on numbers and depth.

It is. On both counts.

UNO just experienced a second consecutive offseason that included the introduction of a new assistant coach as well as players leaving school early. The most recent summer was arguably worse than the one before, though, as the Mavericks were forced in August to jettison a player that wore a “C” on his sweater last season.

On Aug. 16, UNO coach Dean Blais announced he was releasing two players and suspending a third after the three student-athletes were ticketed for disorderly conduct in connection with an Aug. 3 incident in downtown Omaha that allegedly involved the use of racial slurs.

One of the two players dismissed was Matt White, a team captain from last season who finished third on the club in goals (16) and fourth in points (34).

Would-have-been incoming freshman defenseman Preston Hodge was also dismissed. Senior forward Alex Simonson, who appeared in 18 games in 2012-13, is suspended and will miss the beginning of the new season.

However, White, who arguably would have been UNO’s best returning playmaker, is easily the most prominent of the three. Blais said the absence of White and Hodge makes for a big change in what this season’s Mavericks team is going to look like.

“Every year, we’ve had something like this happen that we haven’t expected to happen in the summer when school’s not in session,” Blais said. “We hadn’t even gotten going [with preseason training] and school wasn’t on, but they got here in July and come the middle of August, bam, we’re without a defenseman and a forward, and that affects a lot.

“It affects the team because we’re down to seven defensemen, and one forward line doesn’t have a winger with White out of there, so instead of 15 forwards, we’re down to 14 and down to seven defensemen from eight, so it makes a huge difference.”

The early departures didn’t end with White and Hodge, though. Two other former UNO defensemen signed NHL contracts in the offseason, with Andrej Sustr and Tony Turgeon linking up with Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, respectively.

Some defensive stalwarts such as senior Michael Young and sophomore Nick Seeler return, but UNO’s biggest strength coming into this season is unquestionably the offense. Apart from White, every forward from last season’s roster returns.

This season’s senior class will be heavily relied upon. 2012-13 Hobey Baker Award candidate Ryan Walters is the headliner after a 22-goal, 52-point season, but Johnnie Searfoss, Zahn Raubenheimer and Brock Montpetit also will be looking to end their college careers on a high note.

For as strong as the offense will be, though, the Mavericks’ goaltending is by far the team’s biggest question mark going into this season.

Junior Ryan Massa is UNO’s lone returning netminder. He sat out the majority of the last season for what were initially cited as personal reasons, and he practiced with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL before rejoining the Mavericks in January.

John Faulkner was one of only three UNO seniors last season, and the Mavericks parted ways with would-be junior Dayn Belfour in the summer. This leaves Massa ahead of incoming freshmen Reed Peters and Kirk Thompson.

Blais said he feels prognosticators’ questioning of UNO’s goaltending depth this season is fair.

“With Ryan Massa, last year he didn’t come back with the numbers he’d put up the year before,” Blais said. “Which is understandable as he missed half a year of practicing with the college guys and instead worked with the Lancers, where it’s different shooting and a different speed. But he’s back now to where he was two years ago, and he’s looked upon [this season] to be our starter.

“After him, we’ll see what happens.”

Questions surrounding UNO’s goaltending and defensive depth influenced 16 NCHC media members in placing the Mavericks last in the league’s inaugural preseason media poll. Finishing at the bottom of the eight-team conference, however, is something Blais won’t tolerate.

“Eighth is not going to be acceptable to this team,” Blais said. “[Our players] will tell you they want to win, and do we have a legitimate chance to win? We’ll see, but we’re short [due to late dismissals] already, and that’s strike two, and that’s a factor.

“[White and Hodge] were two players that we were going to count on, and now we’re short. Does that mean we can’t be successful, though? Absolutely not.”

About the Mavericks

2012-13 overall record: 19-18-2

2012-13 WCHA record: 14-12-2 (Seventh)

2013-14 predicted finish: Candace seventh, Matthew seventh

Key losses: F Matt White, F Brent Gwidt, D Bryce Aneloski, D Andrej Sustr, G John Faulkner

Players to watch: F Ryan Walters, F Josh Archibald, F Dominic Zombo, D Michael Young, D Jaycob Megna, G Ryan Massa

Impact rookies: F Jake Guentzel, F Austin Ortega, D Ian Brady

Why the Mavericks will finish higher than predicted: Although White’s situation was unfortunate, UNO’s offense still comes into this season stacked and shouldn’t have much difficulty finding the back of the net.

Why the Mavericks will finish lower than predicted: Goaltending is UNO’s biggest question mark coming into the 2013-14 campaign, with defensive depth another issue. What’s worse, the Mavericks have made a habit of stumbling down the stretch (2-14 in March in UNO’s past three seasons).

Minnesota-Duluth hopes another young team doesn’t fall victim to inconsistencies

By Candace Horgan

October 7, 2013

Tony Cameranesi scored 14 goals as a freshmen for Minnesota-Duluth (photo: Bradley K. Olson).

Streaky might be the best word to describe the 2012-13 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. Inconsistent would be another.

After opening last year with series splits against Ohio State and Notre Dame, the Bulldogs went 1-4-2 before closing the first half strong with four wins and a tie in six games.

After going 3-1 in January, the Bulldogs hit their nadir in February, with a 0-6-2 stretch before winning their last four of the regular season. They were then swept by Wisconsin in the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

“I didn’t think we had a ton of offensive depth up front, and goaltending, too,” Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin said. “We lost Kenny Reiter. We had Aaron Crandall back, but at the end of the day with Matt McNeely being a freshman goalie who played a majority of the games, we were young in certain spots.”

Such streaks of inconsistent play might be expected for what was a young team. The Bulldogs had seven seniors on last year’s squad, but only one, Mike Seidel, was counted on to score. Seidel led the team in scoring, tying with freshmen Austin Farley and Tony Cameranesi, while defenseman Wade Bergman finished with 17 points.

The bad news is that if youth leads to inconsistency, the Bulldogs are even younger this year, sporting only four seniors and five juniors. They might be hard-pressed to improve an offense that ranked only 35th nationally with 2.61 points per game, and a defense that was 38th nationally in allowing 2.87 points per game.

“I think we are younger this year, freshmen- and sophomore-wise, just based on our numbers,” Sandelin said. “I think we have 17 or 18. In terms of underclassmen, we are pretty young. … It is how it is, and a lot of teams are going through it.

“It was hard to pinpoint last year. It’s tough when you struggle to score goals. Our power play was certainly big for us last year, and when you score 41 of your 99 goals on the power play, certainly that’s great, but we need to be a little better five-on-five. I think there were a lot of little things that led up to some inconsistencies.”

The bright spot for the Bulldogs is at forward. Cameranesi and Farley, who finished 17th and 25th, respectively, in the WCHA in scoring as freshmen and were tied for the team lead in points with Seidel, return. Also back and looking to step up as a junior is Caleb Herbert.

“We didn’t score a lot five-on-five last year, so I think this year we have potential if those guys continue to produce, Cameranesi and Farley certainly, along with Herbert, who is a junior and I think will be key for us offensively,” Sandelin said. “I think we have a little more depth and talent. I think the potential to score more is certainly better.”

The Bulldogs are also young on the back line. Sophomore Andy Welinski is expected to be the big gun on defense; he finished with 18 points last year as a freshman. Tim Smith and Derik Johnson return as juniors and are expected to provide a calming influence.

“We certainly hope that players like Willie Corrin, who showed some good things last year in limited playing time, can step up and fill some holes that we have,” Sandelin said. “That’s probably where we lost the most with [Drew] Olson and [Wade] Bergman and then [Chris] Casto leaving early. There are some big holes to fill there.

“We have some guys who have experience, the guys you don’t hear a lot about, like Timmy Smith, Derik Johnson and Luke McManus — guys who have been around and played — so we are hoping those guys will be the steady forces back there and use their experience. Guys are going to need some time to acclimate to the speed of the league. Willie [Raskob] is coming out of Shattuck. Carson Soucy has played one year of junior in Alberta. Dan Molenaar has played two years in the USHL and has had some injuries. They’re still a little green back there.”

Sophomore Matt McNeely and senior Aaron Crandall are back in net for the Bulldogs. McNeely played 25 games as a freshman, sporting a .902 save percentage and 2.67 GAA. Crandall had a .891 save percentage.

Also in net is sophomore Alex Fons, who saw limited playing time as a freshman. For now, Sandelin expects McNeely to be the starter.

“I think right now, Matt’s likely ahead just based on what I saw last year,” Sandelin said. “Obviously, Crandall is a fifth-year senior and has played the most games for us and has 20-some wins for us, and the other guy, Alex Fons, started a game in Bemidji and played part of another game for us.

“I think a lot of it is going to depend. I like our goalies. We need those guys to be good. I think that will be a huge key to how successful we are this year, is how good our goalies play. We need an overall save percentage around 91 or 92.”

About the Bulldogs

2012-13 overall record: 14-19-5

2012-13 WCHA record: 10-13-1

2013-14 predicted finish: Candace sixth, Matt fifth

Key losses: F Mike Seidel, D Wade Bergman, D Drew Olson, D Chris Casto

Players to watch: F Austin Farley, F Tony Cameranesi, F Caleb Herbert, F Joe Basaraba, D Andy Welinski, G Matt McNeely

Impact rookies: D Willie Raskob, D Dan Molenaar, D Carson Soucy

Why the Bulldogs will finish higher than predicted: McNeely should continue to progress, and the team returns a lot of experience from last season.

Why the Bulldogs will finish lower than predicted: If Farley and Cameranesi fall prey to the dreaded sophomore slump, scoring could be an issue for the Bulldogs.

After winning with youth, Miami returns a confident bunch

By Matthew Semisch

October 7, 2013

Miami’s Austin Czarnik returns after a 40-point sophomore season (photo: Rachel Lewis).

Teams featuring a lot of youth often struggle, but Miami’s dozen-strong freshman class last season experienced a most impressive debut campaign.

RedHawks coach Enrico Blasi welcomed 12 newcomers to Oxford, Ohio, last season, infusing even more youth into a Miami squad that featured only eight upperclassmen. Blasi’s 2012-13 team looked like it’d been together for years, though, and came away with the final CCHA regular season title on the slate’s final day as a result.

Miami’s season ended prematurely when it dropped a 4-1 decision to St. Cloud State in the NCAA Midwest Regional final on March 31. Blasi is confident, however, that last season’s huge freshman class’ good fortune can turn into something bigger and better for the 2013-14 RedHawks in the inaugural season of the NCHC.

“The freshmen last season did great,” Blasi said. “The experience we had of winning a championship on the last day of the regular season last year and going to the national tournament and only losing in the regional final, those are all good steppingstones that hopefully the guys can use as experience to hopefully take the next step.

“I’m not sure what that means just yet, but we’ve got some new challenges this year with our new league, and travel will be different, all that stuff, so there will be some unknowns as we go through the first part of the season. But hopefully as we settle in, we’ll feel good about what we’re doing.”

Confidence isn’t an issue going into the new campaign. Both members of the CCHA’s best goaltending tandem last season are back, only three defensemen from the stingiest team defense in the CCHA last season (1.91 goals conceded per game) are gone, and the players Miami did lose after last season accounted for only 18 of the RedHawks’ 106 goals scored.

This isn’t to say graduated forwards Curtis McKenzie and Marc Hagel and defenseman and 2012-13 team captain Steven Spinell won’t be missed. This season’s team isn’t quite as young as the last one, though, and Blasi is confident that added experience will come in handy.

“We’re a year older and a little bit more experienced,” Blasi said. “Last year, we had so many young guys and had to really focus on teaching our system and culture and making sure our guys understood how we do our business here.

“This year, it’s a little bit of a different approach. The guys are a little more comfortable and understanding what we need to do so we can do a little bit more detail-oriented stuff that we probably did a little more of the second half of last season so that we have that base coming into this year.”

Miami’s offense finished third in the CCHA last season (2.66 goals per game) and wasn’t quite as dominant as the RedHawks’ blueliners, but they return plenty of weapons at both ends of the ice. Five of Miami’s top six scorers last season return, and the forwards are led by junior Austin Czarnik and sophomore Riley Barber.

Although sophomore defenseman Matthew Caito contributed 21 points to the cause as a freshman last season, Miami’s blueliners are better known for locking things down in their own zone. They teamed up in 2012-13 with a pair of talented freshman goaltenders in Ryan McKay and Jay Williams that are primed to keep stymying opposing teams’ attackers.

Both netminders played in 17 games in their first season with the RedHawks, and, as long as both McKay and Williams keep performing well, Blasi’s rotation policy isn’t going away.

“I know what we have in our locker room in terms of the competitiveness, and both Jay and Ryan are at a high level,” Blasi said.

“They get along really well, they spend a lot of time learning their craft, and our goalies have always been very professional. It’s our job to develop both of them and make sure both can play and are ready to go, and their job is to play. So I think we have a pretty good formula for our goaltenders to just go and do what they need to do.”

All the pieces appear to be in place, then, for Miami to hit the ground running in the NCHC. As for just how well the RedHawks can do in their new league, though, Blasi is less keen to talk about expectations and more interested in seeing his team go out and do the business.

“We don’t talk about expectations for results in our locker room,” Blasi said. “And that’s been a focus for our program for a number of years now. We don’t talk about winning championships and we don’t talk about going to the national tournament or anything like that.

“For us, our focus is on today and daily improvement, and every day we focus on the day at hand. We don’t worry about the past and we don’t worry about the future. I always tell our guys that if you worry about the past, you’re looking at guilt, and if you worry about the future, you’re putting too much pressure on yourself, so we’ll just focus on what we need to do today and move forward.

“That’s the approach that fits our culture at Miami, and we’ll continue to do that.”

About the RedHawks

2012-13 overall record: 25-12-5

2012-13 CCHA record: 17-7-4-4 (First)

2013-14 predicted finish: Candace second, Matthew first

Key losses: F Marc Hagel, F Curtis McKenzie, D Steven Spinell

Players to watch: F Riley Barber, F Austin Czarnik, F Cody Murphy, D Matthew Caito, G Ryan McKay, G Jay Williams

Impact rookies: F Justin Greenberg, F Devin Loe, F Anthony Louis

Why the RedHawks will finish higher than predicted: Only two of Miami’s top 10 scorers from last season are gone. The RedHawks boasted the CCHA’s stingiest defense last season (1.91 goals conceded per game). And 11 sophomores are now a year older and more experienced within Miami’s coaching staff’s system.

Why the RedHawks will finish lower than predicted: The RedHawks are joining a smaller and stronger conference from top to bottom than what they experienced before, and it’s tough to predict a winner from a new league featuring such an even playing field among the eight teams.

In first season, Montgomery has young roster at Denver

By Candace Horgan

October 7, 2013

Sam Brittain is one of only two players left from the group of Denver players that entered school in 2010 (photo: Michelle Bishop).

It seemed like the world’s worst April Fool’s joke when the news leaked that Denver coach George Gwozdecky, who had coached the team to back-to-back national championships in 2004 and 2005, was fired as Pioneers coach.

In the end, another first-round exit from the NCAA tournament likely cost Gwozdecky his job, with a first-round exit in the WCHA playoffs to archrival Colorado College on home ice possibly contributing.

So for the first time since 1994, when current Air Force coach Frank Serratore made way for Gwozdecky, the Pioneers will have a new coach running the show. Denver hired Jim Montgomery, a former Maine standout and NHL player who most recently coached the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, inherits a roster that is much younger than it has been in previous years.

The departure last spring of junior Nick Shore for the Los Angeles Kings left only two players remaining from the seven members of the 2010 freshman class at DU in defenseman David Makowski and goalie Sam Brittain. Among the standouts from the class no longer in Denver are Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Beau Bennett.

“Our freshman class is unique,” Brittain said. “We have a lot of guys playing in the NHL right now, which is tough on a program. Usually, you look at your juniors and seniors to lead for a championship. The teams that had success last year were built around juniors and seniors. Bringing in 10 freshmen this year, maybe there are a few first or second rounders, which will only benefit us in the future when they stick around for three or four years.”

One of those freshmen, forward Brad Hawkinson, was hurt in a captain’s practice and may be lost for the year, so Denver already might be down a player. If it looks like Hawkinson will be out for the year, he will be redshirted. Junior forward Zac Larraza broke his clavicle in an early practice and will miss up to eight weeks.

Montgomery has said that he won’t announce a captain until possibly after the second weekend against Alaska, as he waits to see who steps up as a leader.

However, he expects to build on the successful tenure of Gwozdecky, and during a preseason news conference, he did not shy from the expectations that come with coaching at Denver, going so far as to say he anticipated being able to win a national championship within five years.

“That’s why I wanted this job,” Montgomery said. “I think Denver is a place where you can expect to have a chance at winning a national championship and winning your conference every year. I wanted to come to an institution that wanted to do great things on the ice, in the classroom and in the community.”

Montgomery even responded to a question from the local media about whether the last seasons at Denver had been disappointing, and offered his expectations as a measuring stick.

“I know that if my next five years are comparable to the last five years, I will view it as a disappointment,” he said.

Time will tell if Montgomery’s optimism is misplaced. For now, for the first time since 2001, the Pioneers enter the season not ranked in the top 15 in either national poll; the Pioneers are 17th in the USCHO.com Division I men’s poll and are receiving votes USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.

“Whether the media ranks us or doesn’t rank us, what’s in the dressing room is what counts,” Brittain said. “We know where we stand. We know the talent we have and what we’re capable of. I think that’s the most important thing. I don’t remember the last time they gave the trophy out to the team ranked first at the beginning of the season.”

About the Pioneers

2012-13 overall record: 20-14-5

2012-13 WCHA record: 14-9-5

2013-14 predicted finish: Candace fourth, Matt fourth

Key losses: G Juho Olkinuora, F Nick Shore, F Chris Knowlton, F Shawn Ostrow, D Paul Phillips, D Scott Mayfield

Players to watch: G Sam Brittain, D Joey LaLeggia, D David Makowski, F Daniel Doremus, F Quentin Shore, F Ty Loney

Impact rookies: D Will Butcher, F Trevor Moore

Why the Pioneers will finish higher than predicted: Sam Brittain, who lost the starting job to Juho Olkinuora, is “in the best shape of his life,” according to Montgomery, and is backed by a solid corps of defensemen. It will be hard to score on the Pioneers.

Why the Pioneers will finish lower than predicted: The best defense in the world won’t help if Denver can’t score goals. The offense is more unproven than it has been in years, and young to boot. Unless some of the freshmen step up, Denver’s offense could hit anemic streaks.

Colorado College hopes to build on finish, but lineup has lost big names

By Candace Horgan

October 7, 2013

Captain Eamonn McDermott says Colorado College can learn from last season’s finish (photo: Tim Brule).

After having an up-and-down season, including a stretch that started with a Nov. 16 loss to Denver where they went 2-11-2, the Colorado College Tigers caught fire at the right time in 2012-13.

After rallying to beat Denver in a three-game road series in the first round of the WCHA playoffs, the Tigers rode that momentum to a strong showing in the Final Five, upending North Dakota in overtime and blanking Minnesota before losing in the championship to Wisconsin.

Unfortunately for CC, it was too little, too late, for the NCAA tournament at that point, but the mood in Colorado Springs is energized by that run.

“I think last year was really good for everyone,” senior captain Eamonn McDermott said. “To make a run and play our best against the best, if we can learn from that it will help us win games.”

Looking at the roster this year, it seems like CC will be hard-pressed to match even that success, as the Tigers lost four of their top five scorers. Top scorer Rylan Schwartz and his 53 points and 1.29 points per game are gone, as are starting goalie Joe Howe and his .915 save percentage, to graduation. However, coach Scott Owens sees a lot of positives.

“We’ve lost some pretty big names, players that we have leaned on in the past,” Owens said. “You know what, I’m also optimistic with some of the play we saw at the end of the year. [Alexander] Krushelnyski, [Archie] Skalbeck. But I’m also looking for Charlie Taft, who had a good last month, Hunter Fejes and Cody Bradley to emerge. They were ’94s last year, freshmen and very young.

“We do have six freshman forwards coming through that I think are going to be able to contribute, whether it’s Alexander Roos or Sam Rothstein, Matt Hansen, some of these guys. I do think that while it looks on paper bleak, I think a combination of some of the upperclassmen taking a step and the defensemen contributing a little more, we get a lot out of the defensive corps, I think we’ll be fine.”

Krushelnyski was second in team scoring last year with 43 points, and is expected to anchor the top line.

Fejes proved to be a Pioneers killer last year, getting three points in a win at Denver on Feb. 9 and then scoring a goal and assist in the series-clinching win on March 17.

“He and Bradley played the third line for us all last year,” Owens said. “Really in that last playoff series in Denver and over in St. Paul, they had started to come in on the second line. I think Hunter, he works so hard and he’s such a gamer that he has the ability to contribute.

“Do I think he is going to score 20 goals? Not necessarily, but I think he has the ability to make big plays and I think his overall game will pick up immensely with a year under his belt. You know, Cody Bradley is the one who has shown some real signs of skill coming through as a junior player. We took him a little bit young last year as a ’94. He’s pretty talented. You might see him stepping up on the top line with Krushelnyski, to be honest with you.”

Defensively, things look strong for the Tigers. In addition to McDermott, the blue line is anchored by Peter Stoykewych and Aaron Harstad, as well as Carolina fourth-round pick Jaccob Slavin and Minnesota second-round pick Gustav Olofsson.

“It all starts with defense,” McDermott said. “You can’t really win without defense. I think that will be a focus for us this year. Six guys that play defense, but also all our forwards who are willing to pick it up as well. I think going into the season, team defense is going to have to carry us, not just five or six guys.”

Lost in Howe’s shadow for much of last season was goaltender Josh Thorimbert, but Owens pointed out that Thorimbert was an all-league player as a sophomore.

“That position is a little open,” Owens said. “Josh comes in as a senior now, and hopefully he learned from last year and will make it a great senior year and regain the form he had his sophomore season. Tyler Marble comes in eight months older than Josh, so he’s an old freshman and has a lot of seasoning from the junior leagues. I think he has the ability and talent level to compete.”

About the Tigers

2012-13 overall record: 18-19-5

2012-13 WCHA record: 11-13-4

2013-14 predicted finish: Candace fifth, Matt sixth

Key losses: F Rylan Schwartz, F William Rapuzzi, F Scott Winkler, G Joe Howe, D Mike Boivin, D Andrew Hamburg

Players to watch: F Alexander Krushelnyski, F Archie Skalbeck, F Cody Bradley, F Hunter Fejes, D Eamonn McDermott, G Josh Thorimbert

Impact rookies: F Matt Hansen, F Sam Rothstein, D Jaccob Slavin, D Gustav Olofsson

Why the Tigers will finish higher than predicted: CC’s offense isn’t as down as it might first appear, and with more playing time, Cody Bradley and Hunter Fejes could emerge as top offensive threats to complement Alexander Krushelnyski and Archie Skalbeck.

Why the Tigers will finish lower than predicted: While goalie Josh Thorimbert had a good sophomore year, goalie Joe Howe had the X-factor that could calm a team in front of him. Unless Thorimbert regains his form or Tyler Marble emerges in goal, the backstop could be shaky.

Expect another unpredictable season for Atlantic Hockey in 2013-14

By Chris Lerch and Dan Rubin

October 6, 2013

Canisius earned a spot in the NCAA tournament with a memorable run through the Atlantic Hockey tournament last season (photo: Omar Phillips).

Hockey is a game of anticipation. There are moments that seem frozen in time: the second before the puck drops, the time between the wind up and a blast from the point, the moment when a player finds the puck on his stick and the net open.

Anticipation is always high at this time of the year with a new season laid out before us. For Atlantic Hockey, expectations have risen coming off arguably the best season in league history.

Last season was unprecedentedly unpredictable, with traditional powerhouses finishing in the bottom half of the standings and some usual suspects making early playoff exits. The sixth and seventh seeds played for the title, and Canisius skated away with its first banner in school history.

Canisius and Niagara combined to make history. For the first time, Atlantic Hockey sent two teams to the NCAA tournament, and both represented the league well, holding leads but falling in one-goal decisions in the first round.

Expect more of the same this season.

“I think clearly it’s great, our league is great,” Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin said. “With what transpired last year, for us to get home ice in playoffs, to get to the final four in Rochester. It was all highlighted by Niagara’s regular season championship and Canisius’ tournament championship, and both teams going to the NCAA tournament and representing our league very well.”

As usual, there are many questions to be answered and subplots to be analyzed as we embark on Atlantic Hockey’s 11th season:

Can Niagara do it again? The Purple Eagles are picked to repeat as regular season champions, but lost a Hobey Baker Award finalist in net as well as some firepower.

Who has the best chance to unseat the Purple Eagles? Mercyhurst returns almost intact, hoping to build on a season that saw the Lakers get better and better. Air Force was arguably the best team in the league on the final weekend of the regular season last year.

Can Bentley finally rise? Selected by many as the dark horse last year, the Falcons ended brutally and finished 10th. With a Walter Brown Award winner, two AHA rookies of the year and a full year under the defense, can Bentley win the east’s first league title since 2006?

Can Canisius put together another amazing run? The Golden Griffins may be even better this season.

Can Connecticut win one for the road? A new coach, a new logo and a new attitude are in Storrs; what’s the Huskies’ ceiling before Hockey East comes calling?

Will the Tigers roar once more in downtown Rochester? Rochester Institute of Technology missed the semifinals and a short bus ride to Blue Cross Arena for the first time since becoming full members of the league in 2006.

Will Robert Morris rebuild or reload? The Colonials had significant losses to graduation but can’t be counted out.

Which team could emerge from the back of the pack? American International emerged as a contender last season. Will the Yellow Jackets be able to keep pace? Or will Army put together a complete season equal to its strong start last year? Will Sacred Heart make some noise?

Here are our picks for the final standings in Atlantic Hockey for the 2013-14 season. Click on each team for a more detailed preview:

1. Mercyhurst

The Lakers seem to have it all: goaltending, defense and an explosive group of forwards. Read more

2. Niagara

The Purple Eagles have unfinished business after a terrific regular season in 2012-13. Read more

3. Air Force

The Falcons’ season ended earlier than it ever has in the AHA last season, but they’re poised for a return visit to Blue Cross Arena. Read more

4. Canisius

The Golden Griffins return most of their AHA championship roster, but it’s tough to repeat (unless you’re Air Force). Read more

5. Bentley

The Falcons had a horrendous finish last year to end up 10th, but their entire roster is back from a team selected fifth before last season. Read more

6. Rochester Institute of Technology

The Tigers didn’t get it going until it was too late last season. A better start will be key to finishing in the top half of the standings. Read more

7. Connecticut

The Huskies have nearly every piece returning, including a top national goalie, before leaving for Hockey East. Keep an eye on how they respond to a new coach and new attitude. Read more

8. Robert Morris

The Colonials will rise or fall based on how their inexperienced goaltending fares. Read more

9. Holy Cross

The Crusaders always reload, not rebuild, but they could be the odd man out of a tightly-packed middle tier. Read more

10. Army

The Black Knights will have a tough defense and stable goalie, but their offense lost its top scoring threat from a team that struggled to score goals. Read more

11. American International

The Yellow Jackets are hoping the loss of their best class ever doesn’t bring them back to earth after a magical ninth-place finish. Read more

12. Sacred Heart

The Pioneers hit rock bottom with only two wins last year despite never quitting in any of their games. Still, there’s a lot of struggle ahead for a rebuilding program. Read more

Sacred Heart finds reasons for optimism after trying season

By Dan Rubin

October 6, 2013

Sacred Heart will try to build off the small successes it had last season (photo: Shelley M. Szwast).

The 2012-13 hockey season is not something for which anyone will ever hang a banner at Sacred Heart.

The Pioneers’ 28-game winless streak to start the season came one short of tying a 51-year-old record held by Colorado College. Their two wins nearly rivaled the winless seasons held by the 1961 Brown, 1962 Colorado College and 1981 Alaska teams.

And their 30 losses marked the first 30-loss season by an eastern school since Fairfield posted 31 in 1998, just off the mark set of 34 set by the 2000 Michigan Tech squad.

Anybody would be hard-pressed to find positives in a season ranking among the NCAA’s dubious elite. But they were there for the Pioneers. There were tight games played against Mercyhurst, Princeton, Niagara and Connecticut. And there was the breakthrough of going 2-0-1 stretch across two weekends to gain a measure of hope at the end of a trying season.

“There were stretches in games of about three or four minutes where we just lost it,” Sacred Heart coach C.J. Marottolo said. “We lacked confidence that came with the ebbs and flows of the game, and we struggled with handling momentum. When we had momentum, we lost it, and then we couldn’t get it back.

“But we kept getting better and better, and our guys never let go of the rope no matter how tough it got. I was very proud of them at the end of the season when we finally fought and fought and got that momentum and kept it. That’ll be something for our returning guys to learn from.”

Arguably among the biggest additions to this year’s team will be Alex Vazzano, a goaltending transfer from Vermont. Last year’s team posted a GAA over 5.00.

“He was here last year and practiced with us,” Marottolo said. “He’s a part of the team, and he’ll compete for the starting job.”

That type of optimism is what’s permeating through the program’s athletic department. At the end of last year’s hockey season, Sacred Heart named a new athletic director in former Major League Baseball manager Bobby Valentine, a person who’s bringing a different culture to all aspects of the department.

“Bobby Valentine is a guy with enthusiasm through the roof,” Marottolo said. “He’s always helping all of the programs in every interview he does. He’s always talking about Sacred Heart, and he’s made it very clear he’s here to help in any way he can.”

Valentine’s arrival injects life into a hockey program flying under the radar of a growing hockey culture in Connecticut. Quinnipiac and Yale went to the national championship game out of ECAC Hockey a year ago, with Quinnipiac holding the No. 1 ranking for much of the season. And Connecticut is elevating its status with its jump to Hockey East next year.

“Quinnipiac and Yale very obviously had great years,” Marottolo said, “and that’s something that’s going to help the game in Connecticut. Our goal has to be to beat them, and we have to expect to compete with them in all aspects. We realize the way to compete with them is to get it done on the ice.”

About the Pioneers

2012-13 overall record: 2-30-4

2012-13 conference record: 2-21-4

2013-14 predicted finish (coaches poll): 12th

Key losses: F Eric Delong, F Ben Ketchum, F Kyle Verbeek

Players to watch: F Brian Sheehan, F Nick Curry, G Alex Vazzano

Impact rookie: Vazzano isn’t necessarily a rookie, but the transfer from Vermont should help stabilize a team averaging the most goals-against in college hockey a year ago. In two years with the Catamounts, he appeared in 11 games and had a GAA of just over 3.00.

Why the Pioneers will finish higher than the coaches poll: Vazzano’s first season in goal stabilizes the position. The defense gets better with a big recruiting class, and the offense scores in bunches.

Why the Pioneers match the coaches’ prediction: Vazzano can’t stabilize the defensive unit, leading to another year of goals in bunches.

Robert Morris hopes its big-game play carries over to league contests

By Chris Lerch

October 6, 2013

Cody Wydo is expected to be the offensive catalyst for Robert Morris (photo: Candace Horgan).

Atlantic Hockey had an unprecedented pair of teams in last season’s NCAA tournament field. Robert Morris wasn’t one of them, barely missing an at-large bid. But Niagara’s at-large bid was bolstered by the league’s improved success in nonconference games, and the Colonials played a key role.

Robert Morris was 5-1-1 in non-conference play last season, best in Atlantic Hockey. That included wins over Quinnipiac and Miami.

But the Colonials failed to capitalize in league play, putting up a 13-11-3 record and a fifth-place finish. That inconsistency wasn’t lost on coach Derek Schooley, who’s entering his 10th season behind the RMU bench.

“I think over the history of our program we’ve proven we get up for big games,” Schooley said. “We beat Miami twice when they were No. 1; beat BU and Notre Dame. Our guys have to realize that there’s 34 games in our schedule, not six or seven, or one. We have be consistent from start to finish.

“We were on a seven-game winning streak and then we go to Army on national television and lose 5-0. We have to be consistent from start to finish.”

Consistency will start in net as Robert Morris looks to find a replacement for Eric Levine, who played all but 220 minutes last season, recording a .929 save percentage.

“That’s going be the big question mark of our season,” Schooley said. Between [sophomore Terry] Shafer, [freshman Dalton] Izyk and [freshman Brandon] Lane, one needs to step up. It’s one of the most important positions in sports. We like our goaltending; it’s just a matter of who steps up and gets the job done.”

Up front, junior forward Cody Wydo is expected to again be the offensive catalyst. He led the team last season with 21 goals.

“He finds ways to score goals,” Schooley said. “It doesn’t matter who you put him with, he’ll find ways to score goals.

“Cody had a good summer, he got stronger, had a good experience at Devils prospect camp, and he’s ready to take the next step. He hasn’t gotten any Atlantic Hockey accolades. I think this might be the year you see Cody really break out and become a notable name in Atlantic Hockey.”

The Colonials need players like Wydo, senior forward Colin South and junior winger Scott Jacklin to carry the team offensively in the early going as they find their way on the blue line and in net.

“We’re looking to have everybody take a step,” Schooley said. “We’ve got a big sophomore class and we’re looking for them to take steps. Everybody just needs to be a bit better. We had 20 wins last year, but we weren’t satisfied. You can’t rely on what happened last year. You just have to look forward, look to the future and get better every day.”

Learning from last season, Schooley said there will be an emphasis on battling in every conference game as hard as against nonconference opponents.

“Quite honestly, I think anybody can win this league; eight or nine teams have the ability to be in the upper echelon and get a first-round bye,” he said. “You’re going to have a bad game or two, you just have to limit that. The coaches know every game can be a battle. You can’t take anybody lightly because it’ll come back and bite you.”

About the Colonials

2012-13 overall record: 20-14-4

2013-13 AHA record: 13-11-3 (Fifth)

2013-14 predicted finish (coaches poll): Seventh

Key losses: G Eric Levine, F Adam Brace, D Andrew Blazek

Players to watch: F Cody Wydo, F Scott Jacklin, F Colin South

Impact rookie: Defenseman John Rey totaled 89 points in his last two seasons with the Amarillo Bulls of the NAHL, and was plus-47 last season. He was named the league’s defenseman of the year in 2012, when he was plus-64.

Why the Colonials will finish higher than the coaches poll: Wydo is poised to have an MVP-caliber season. If he gets some help and the defense doesn’t take a hit, the Colonials could win 20 games again.

Why the Colonials will finish lower than the coaches poll: The departed Eric Levine had over 2,000 minutes in net last season, leaving the untested Terry Shafer and two rookies to handle goaltending duties. Three defensemen also have graduated, leaving big holes on the blue line.

RIT seeks defensive improvements to reverse downward trend

By Chris Lerch

October 6, 2013

Matt Garbowsky should be a big part of Rochester Institute of Technology’s offense (photo: Omar Phillips).

The 2013-14 season is an especially critical one for Rochester Institute of Technology.

RIT is coming off its worst campaign since joining Atlantic Hockey seven years ago. The Tigers had never finished below third place in the standings but settled for eighth last season.

A loss to Niagara in the conference quarterfinals kept RIT away from Blue Cross Arena for the first time.

With all that in mind, the Tigers are on a mission to show that last year was an aberration.

“We weren’t happy,” coach Wayne Wilson said. “We were only a few points away but you are where you are. We put ourselves in a hole, and suddenly we were playing Niagara, who was the top of the league. I was excited with how we finished, not with the results but how we played.”

The Tigers had the ninth-best offense in Division I last season but were plagued by inconsistent defense (eighth-worst). Things improved the second half of the season, but the story for RIT wasn’t big goals scored, but big goals allowed in critical situations.

“We were second in the country on the power play; our offense was top-10,” Wilson said. “[Our] penalty kill was middle of the pack, but defensively we were near the bottom.

“This year we’re a little bit older, and that will be important. We’ve got to tighten up and we did a much better job down the stretch. We’re going to get tested early when we play Colgate and Michigan, and we’ll see how that goes.”

The Tigers platooned a pair of goaltenders last year, but junior Jordan Ruby took the reins late in the season and will carry the initial load with a pair of underclassmen waiting in the wings.

“Jordan Ruby will start off as our No. 1,” Wilson said. “He really took charge at the end of the year. We have to see what Kenny [MacLean] or [Mike] Rotolo can do. In the past we just alternated and I think that might have hurt us a little last year. Neither guy could get traction early on.”

The Tigers return about 80 percent of their potent offense, led by junior captain Matt Garbowsky (33 points last season), and seniors Mike Colavecchia (30 points) and Ben Lynch (26 points).

The defense took a hit with the graduation of Chris Saracino (73 career points) but returns high-scoring senior Greg Noyes (29 points last season) and a pair of sophomores, Alexander Kuqali and Brad Shumway, who got better and better during the course of their rookie seasons.

For Wilson, the objective is to get one goal better a game and take it from there.

“Last year came down to an overtime game and a one-goal game against the top team,” he said. “A single goal is going be the separation between winning and losing in a lot of games.”

About the Tigers

2012-13 overall record: 15-18-5

2012-13 AHA record: 11-12-4 (Tie, seventh)

2013-14 projected finish (coaches poll): Fifth

Key losses: D Chris Saracino, F Jeff Smith, F Adam Hartley, G Josh Watson

Players to watch: F Matt Garbowsky, F Michael Colavecchia, G Jordan Ruby

Impact rookie: Todd Skirving captained Sioux Falls of the USHL last season, scoring 45 points.

Why the Tigers will finish higher than the coaches poll: RIT is picked to finish higher than it did last season, and the consensus is that this is an improving team. If the defense and goaltending can get back to where it was two seasons ago and the offense doesn’t skip a beat, the Tigers will contend.

Why the Tigers will finish lower than the coaches poll: RIT is looking at a downward trend that includes last year’s 15 wins, the fewest since its inaugural Division I season in 2005-06. This year’s team needs some early nonconference wins to reverse the momentum.

Big things expected again from Niagara, but departures leave holes

By Chris Lerch

October 6, 2013

Ryan Murphy is Niagara’s top returning scorer (photo: Melissa Wade).

Every team goes through a few rough patches during a season. For Niagara, those times happened at the beginning and the end of the 2012-13 campaign.

The Purple Eagles opened with one win in their first five games, but lost just four more times until the last weekend of the regular season, going 20-4-2 from November through February.

That was more than enough to allow Niagara to run away with the Atlantic Hockey regular season title. But Dave Burkholder’s squad got swept at Air Force on the final weekend of league play, and after rebounding by winning a pair of spirited games against Rochester Institute of Technology in the semifinals, Niagara was ousted 5-3 in the semifinals by archrival Canisius.

Despite the loss of Hobey Baker Award finalist Carsen Chubak in net, two of its top three leading scorers and three defensemen with a combined 370 games played, the league’s coaches picked Niagara to repeat as regular season champions.

“We’re certainly not ordering and plaques or trophies, but the AHA is a great league and to be picked is a great honor for our guys and we’ve got something to live up to,” Burkholder said. “The guys that we lost are huge and you just don’t know. Three senior defensemen in [Jason] Beattie, [Dan] Weiss and [C.J.] Chartrain. We also lost three seniors up front. You can’t put a price tag on senior leadership.”

For leadership this season, three Ryans will assume big roles. Ryan Murphy is the Purple Eagles’ top returning scorer, racking up 64 career points so far, including 36 last season. Classmate Ryan Rashid was fourth on the team with nine goals last year, and defenseman Kevin Ryan led Niagara with 23 assists in 2012-13.

“[Ryan Murphy’s] our leading scorer, the guy we’re going to lean on to lead this team offensively,” Burkholder said. “He’s a big, strong kid, power forward, he led us with 36 points. The team will go the way Ryan goes. We will start three senior forwards [Murphy, Rashid and Patrick Divjak] as our top line and hopefully again Ryan Murphy will be the guy to get our offense going.”

Niagara’s three goalies have a combined zero minutes of collegiate experience, but a pair of highly touted rookies will compete for time in net, as will a returning sophomore.

“Carsen Chubak was a Hobey Baker finalist, and he decided to take a pro contract,” Burkholder said. “We’ve filled that space with two freshman goalies. Adrian Ignagni is from St. Mike’s in Toronto. I expect his transition to D-I will be seamless. Jackson Teichroeb is a USHL goaltender, the best league in North America, and he had over 50 career wins there. [Sophomore] Chris Paulin is a hardworking kid who will be in the mix for playing time as well.”

Niagara is the first Atlantic Hockey team to see regular season action, opening Saturday with a 2-1 home loss to Clarkson to end a 22-game unbeaten streak at Dwyer Arena.

The rematch with Canisius comes a week later.

“They’ve ended our season twice,” Burkholder said. “Last year was devastating. I remember loading the bus at Blue Cross Arena and I thought we had lost our chance for an [NCAA] at-large bid. That certainly added to our side of the rivalry. We’re going to play the second week of the schedule. That should get a lot of interest and really stir the pot locally.”

Niagara is going to need to rely on freshman to extend that home unbeaten streak and again contend for a title.

“Expectations are huge around here,” Burkholder said. “If we don’t make the NCAA tournament it’s a huge disappointment. We have 10 freshmen and they’re all expected to contribute. It’s like putting a puzzle together. All 10 of these will come in and help keep us at the top of the league.”

About the Purple Eagles

2012-13 overall record: 23-10-5

2012-13 AHA record: 20-5-2 (First)

2013-14 projected finish (coaches poll): First

Key losses: G Carsen Chubak, F Giancarlo Iuorio, F Marc Zanette

Players to watch: F Ryan Murphy, D Kevin Ryan, F Ryan Rashid

Impact rookie: A pair of well-regarded freshmen goalies will look to lead the way: Adrian Ignagni led St. Michael’s to the OJHL championship last season, posting a .938 save percentage. Jackson Teichroeb had 47 wins over seasons with Lincoln and Dubuque in the USHL.

Why the Purple Eagles will match the prediction from the coaches poll: Niagara lost a lot to graduation but depth has been a clear strength for the Purple Eagles since joining the league. If the rookie goalies play well and former role players can assume key roles, Niagara can repeat as regular season champions.

Why the Purple Eagles will finish lower than the coaches poll: There’s nowhere to go but down after last season’s first-place finish. The loss of Chubak in net and a third of the Niagara offense could spell trouble.

Mercyhurst appears to have the tools to again finish near the top

By Chris Lerch

October 6, 2013

Matthew Zay (right) led Mercyhurst in scoring last season (photo: Omar Phillips).

One way or another, year in and year out, Mercyhurst contends for the Atlantic Hockey title. Despite never finishing first in the regular season, the Lakers have made the semifinals in seven of the league’s 10 seasons, including two titles and five trips to the championship game.

Last year, despite a sixth-place finish, Mercyhurst was a win away from another conference championship.

Only once in 14 years as a Division I program have the Lakers won fewer than 15 games.

“We pride ourselves on our consistency,” said coach Rick Gotkin, who has amassed 453 wins in 25 years with Mercyhurst.

“The league is getting better and better and it’s a challenge. It’s tighter and tighter, and last year was the tightest and this year is [going to be] no different. Last year you had the six and seven seeds playing for a championship. Anyone can win and it’s going to be a great year.”

Mercyhurst again has the tools to finish at or near the top of the heap. The Lakers return over 80 percent of their offense, including a quartet of junior forwards that combined for 63 goals and 132 points last season.

Matthew Zay led the team in scoring last season, while classmates Ryan Misiak and Chris Bodo shared the team lead in goals with 18 each.

“The way we look at it is we were a pretty good young team the last couple of years and we expect to be good again,” Gotkin said. “We’ve been through it with a lot of these guys, and we expect to play for a championship.

“If those guys have average years we won’t be where we want to be, but I’m confident they’ll have good years and we’ll be where we want to be.”

Nick Jones leads a defensive squad that lost just one player to graduation. The senior captain has 60 points in 115 games, including 26 last season.

Mercyhurst lost half of the goaltending tandem it used last year with the graduation of Max Strang. But Jordan Tibbett emerged in the postseason last year as the go-to guy in net.

“Jordan went into last year behind Max Strang,” Gotkin said. “The coaching staff saw it; we said we need to get both of these guys in. Max is going to graduate and Jordan will be here and we need a guy with experience. We ended up with a rotation — one guy would play Friday, one Saturday, then one Saturday and one Friday. It worked out well.

“At the end of the day we got into that small playoff situation, Jordan played great against Holy Cross and both played great at Army. Jordan played great and [the job] ended up being his the rest of the way. We believe he is as good as anybody when he’s at the top of his game.”

Mercyhurst starts the season with a killer nonconference schedule that starts off at the Ice Breaker Tournament against fifth-ranked Minnesota and either Clarkson or No. 13 New Hampshire. The Lakers also travel to Merrimack and Alaska and host Ferris State before beginning conference play.

About the Lakers

2012-13 overall record: 19-17-5

2012-13 AHA record: 12-11-4 (Sixth)

2013-14 projected finish (coaches poll): Tie, second

Key losses: F Grant Blakey, F Paul Chiasson, G Max Strang

Players to watch: F Ryan Misiak, F Matthew Zay, G Jordan Tibbett

Impact rookie: Stephen Hrehoriak averaged 50 points a season in three campaigns in the Central Canadian Hockey League.

Why the Lakers will finish higher than the coaches poll: Mercyhurst returns five of its top six scorers and goaltender Tibbett, who emerged in the postseason as the Lakers’ go-to goaltender.

Why the Lakers will finish lower than the coaches poll: The league’s coaches showed confidence in the Lakers, picking them second after a sixth-place regular season finish in 2012-13. Even though Mercyhurst will be better, so will some other teams that could get in the Lakers’ way.

After back-to-back 20-win seasons, Holy Cross aims for more than just consistency

By Dan Rubin

October 6, 2013

Shayne Stockton posted 28 points for Holy Cross last season (photo: Melissa Wade).

It’s an amazing type of consistency that permeates through the walls of Holy Cross’ Hart Center. Back-to-back 20-win seasons, three straight years over .500 and overall control of Atlantic Hockey’s eastern division hang from the purple walls in Worcester, Mass.

The only things the Crusaders have been missing lately are a league championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament. But they’re hoping that their consistency and ability to adapt to new conditions every season will finally help them over that hump this year.

“It’s not to dismiss the good players who graduated from this program, but we always look at how we can keep moving forward,” coach Paul Pearl said. “We try not to lament the losses of who’s left the program, and we try to focus on the guys that are currently here. We like to think that each year is our time and that the guys who are here, it’s their time to shine.”

Shayne Stockton returns after posting a 28-point season last season, and Adam Schmidt leads a pack of scorers trying to seamlessly transition from Brandon Nunn, Rob Linsmayer and Kyle Fletcher. Castan Sommer had six goals in his first year last season, and Jake Youso scored nine goals in just 25 games.

No Crusaders player scored more than 16 goals, meaning they should be able to do better than just tread water against their eastern divisional mates.

“Our goal is to find our identity every year,” Pearl said. “Some years you have a better offense, and some years you have a better defense. Our guys have bought into whatever they are; they’re going to work hard and they’re going to find themselves. Everyone knows that teams change every year, and once you find out who you are, you have to work to be the best you possibly can be.”

For a team that is able to remain consistent year in and year out, the perfect example is in net, where Matt Ginn returns for a junior year after appearing in all but two games last season. Last year, he won 19 games with a 2.63 GAA and was six saves short of 1,000 on the season.

“Matt Ginn is one of the best goalies in the league,” Pearl said. “We want to improve our goals against average, but that’s more of a team thing.”

The Crusaders have the added benefit of playing an aggressive nonleague schedule, one of their biggest in years. They’ll play a “mini-Beanpot” against Hockey East teams, taking on Boston University, Boston College and Northeastern.

They’ll play the defending national runner-up when they play a home-and-home series against Quinnipiac. And they’ll play a weekend set where they’ll play conference foe Bentley at Fenway Park before playing the defending national champion the next night at Yale.

“We set out to play the best possible schedule,” Pearl said. “It grabs people’s attention if it’s as front-loaded. It’s a huge opportunity for us to that we’re in a great position. Hockey East is going to be looking for newer opponents with their new scheduling format. Boston University is now in the Patriot League, so we can start to develop a relationship through that. Northeastern is always a good team to play against being in Hockey East. And it’s always great to play Boston College — our alumni base in Boston after Thanksgiving will really enjoy that game given the historical rivalry between our schools.”

About the Crusaders

2012-13 overall record: 20-14-3

2012-13 conference record: 15-9-3

2013-14 predicted finish (coaches poll): Eighth

Key losses: F Brandon Nunn, F Rob Linsmayer, F Kyle Fletcher, F Erik Vos

Players to watch: F Shayne Stockton, F Adam Schmidt, F Castan Sommer, F Jake Youso, G Matt Ginn

Impact rookie: Of the freshmen forwards coming in, mighty mite Cameron Lawson (at 5-foot-9) is the most highly touted. He scored 21 goals and 21 assists last year for the Prince George Spruce Kings.

Why the Crusaders will finish higher than the coaches poll: Consistency is king. Defying more neutralized expectations this year, the Crusaders freshmen keep the machine rolling, and Holy Cross continues its reign as a top team in the league and the face of the eastern division.

Why the Crusaders will finish lower than the coaches poll: With Karl Beckman injured to start the year, the defense struggles in front of Ginn. The offense suffers after losing its top pieces from a year ago, and without an identity, they start losing games they used to win.

Grogan could star in goal as Cavanaugh enters and Connecticut prepares to exit

By Dan Rubin

October 6, 2013

Matt Grogan led Connecticut with a 1.93 GAA (photo: Omar Phillips).

First year head coach Mike Cavanaugh knew he’d have an interesting job to start at Connecticut.

The Huskies are in their final year in Atlantic Hockey before heading for Hockey East. He’d also have to come in a year after the Huskies overcame every obstacle imaginable to finish the year with their second-best winning percentage in their Division I program history.

But if UConn wants to make a splash on the way out the door, it has the chance to do it.

The Huskies return one of the AHA’s breakout stars from a year ago in Matt Grogan. Grogan replaced stalwart Garrett Bartus last season thanks in part to 14 wins and a 1.93 GAA.

He stopped 94 percent of all shots on net, and he allowed seven fewer goals than Bartus despite playing 300 more minutes. Not bad for a goalie who played in 10 career games across three seasons before that.

Grogan has a year of eligibility remaining, meaning he’s back for an encore as the Huskies look to win one for the road.

“He finished strong last year, and having that experience and leadership in goal will be a big strength for us,” Cavanaugh said.

Grogan headlines a team that returns the majority of its offense. Gone are Sean Ambrosie’s 105 career points in 150 career games, but every other offensive weapon is back.

Brant Harris and Jordan Sims both had 31 points last year, one fewer than Ambrosie’s team high. And Trevor Gerling and Shawn Pauly are both coming off 20-point seasons. Cody Sharib, Billy Latta and Tyler Bouchard round out the returnees of a front line that helped score 102 goals last season.

Perhaps most exciting for UConn, though, will be how it helps the AHA with this season. A Hockey East-ready school, it’ll get to battle under the AHA flag, which means it could score big nonconference wins for the league in games against teams like Minnesota State, Boston University and Union.

And the Huskies will do it with a first-time head coach who cut his teeth under the legendary Jerry York at Boston College.

“Our focus is to get better every day,” Cavanaugh said. “Our long-range goals are to win an AHA championship and make the NCAA tournament. When we look through the microscope, our goal is to beat Minnesota State, then focus on Union, who I’m very familiar with from my time at BC. After that, we focus on Brian Riley’s Army team, which is always well prepared.

“The biggest challenge for any program trying to win a championship is making them believe they can do it. [Interim coach] Dave Berard did a great job making these guys believe they can win. Because of the work Dave did at the end of last year, there are lots of guys who believe they can do it. Now it’s just go out, work hard every day and believe we can accomplish that goal.”

About the Huskies

2012-13 overall record: 19-4-4

2012-13 conference record: 14-10-3

2013-14 predicted finish (coaches poll): Sixth

Key losses: F Sean Ambrosie, D Alex Gerke, D Tom Janosz

Players to watch: F Brant Harris, F Jordan Sims, F Trevor Gerling, D Jacob Poe, G Matt Grogan

Impact rookie: Defenseman Ryan Segalla was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins this year in the fourth round. His scouting report comes with an over-the-top compete level.

Why the Huskies will finish higher than the coaches poll: Cavanaugh is a proven winner from BC, and his assistants are rising stars in their own ranks. With a solid defensive unit and goalie, they could be this year’s Niagara.

Why the Huskies will finish lower than the coaches poll: If UConn struggles to pick up Cavanaugh’s system and Grogan can’t get lightning to strike twice, the AHA will be more than happy to rudely usher them out the door.

After dream run late last season, Canisius sees a raised bar

By Chris Lerch

October 6, 2013

Tony Capobianco stopped 90 shots in two games against Air Force in last season’s Atlantic Hockey playoffs (photo: Omar Phillips).

Canisius coach Dave Smith has been getting this question a lot: “What do you do for an encore?”

His Golden Griffins went on a dream run last March, winning eight games in a row to claim the first hockey championship in school history. Only a third-period rally by Quinnipiac prevented Canisius from advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.

“It’s been a fun challenge; there’s a much different mentality,” Smith said. “Now that we’ve raised the bar, let’s keep the bar up there. We haven’t had an official practice [yet] but the guys have come back in great shape, they’re hungry and ready to get after it now.”

It helps to have a strong returning nucleus. The two most important players down the stretch for Canisius last season are back: goaltender Tony Capobianco and forward Kyle Gibbons.

Capobianco was a wall for the Griffs in March, making 34 saves or more in each of Canisius’ final nine games. His best performance was at Air Force in a playoff quarterfinal series where he combined for 90 saves in two games.

“[Capobianco] is going to be key to our success again,” Smith said. “He’s not going to sneak up on anybody this year; teams know they need to get a lot of pucks on net.

“If your goaltender isn’t at or near the top of the standings you won’t be there as a team. We’re going to challenge him and we hope he responds well.”

Gibbons recorded only two points in his first nine games but was on fire in the second half of the season, including 18 points in his final nine contests. Gibbons had four points (two goals and two assists) in the AHA championship game.

“Kyle had a wonderful season after a very tough start,” Smith said. “From Jan. 1 on, he was in the top if not at the top of scoring in college hockey. He’s an elite talent, can absolutely fire the puck, has a wonderful IQ and his compete level is very high. When we got to the tournament, he definitely opened some eyes.”

In all, Canisius returns eight of its top 10 scorers, five of its starting defenseman and, of course, Capobianco between the pipes. Getting a taste of NCAA play for the first time should provide plenty of motivation to get back there.

“It’s a wonderful accomplishment to get there,” Smith said. “We’re going to learn from our experience. The level of play in Atlantic Hockey prepares you for the tourney and now people are seeing that. We need to take care of home base first, try and get as high as we can in the standings and get to Rochester. I wouldn’t call it unfinished business but we’ll definitely be motivated if we can get there.”

About the Golden Griffins

2012-13 overall record: 19-19-5

2012-13 AHA record: 12-13-2 (Tie, seventh)

2013-14 predicted finish (coaches poll): Fourth

Key losses: F Preston Shupe, D Torrey Lindsay, D Ben Parker

Players to watch: F Kyle Gibbons, G Tony Capobianco, D Ben Danford

Impact rookie: Shane Conacher looks to follow in his brother Cory’s footsteps. Shane was the OJHL playoff MVP last season with St. Michael’s, racking up 92 points in 74 games.

Why the Golden Griffins will finish higher than the coaches poll: Canisius’ confidence has never been higher, coming off the most successful season in team history. The Griffs return a large part of a squad that won the conference title.

Why the Golden Griffins will finish lower than the coaches poll: Canisius was the hottest team in college hockey down the stretch last season. Time will tell if this was the result of a team reaching its potential or merely a great run.

Veterans return to try to get Bentley to heights they expected a year ago

By Dan Rubin

October 6, 2013

Brett Gensler is back for his senior year at Bentley after back-to-back 40-point seasons (photo: Melissa Wade).

Coach Ryan Soderquist and his band of Bentley Falcons entered the 2012-13 season with heightened expectations and the thought that they were in for what might’ve been the best season since a record 19 wins in 2008-09.

They had arguably the league’s best player in Brett Gensler, one of the best goalies in Atlantic Hockey in Branden Komm, the 2012 league rookie of the year in Alex Grieve and multiple all-AHA honorees. Despite a defense gutted by graduation, they had the potential to make a move toward the AHA elite.

Yet when the season ended, an inexperienced defense led way to a season unraveled and a 10th-place finish. A prediction to finish in the top four of the league gave way to one win after Jan. 25, a road series at Canisius in the first round and a weekend sweep that ended the season and careers of their three seniors.

“I think we had a lot of growing pains defensively,” Soderquist said. “We graduated our top defensemen, and some freshmen got some valuable time. We got caught on Christmas break where we were the top scoring team in the country and then kind of had a defensive lapse.”

That does nothing to damper the optimism on campus, however. The team returns virtually its entire roster from a year ago and will add a couple of impact freshmen who should compete for valuable playing time. They’ll have Gensler back for his senior year after back-to-back 40-point seasons, Komm again in net and Grieve up front.

Andrew Gladiuk spent his offseason in development camp with the Vancouver Canucks after winning the Falcons’ second straight AHA rookie of the year award.

“Obviously, we return nine of 10 top goal scorers from last year,” Soderquist said. “Gensler and Gladiuk will chip in for us. We have a lot of depth in our scoring, and when I go through the third and fourth lines I think we have some guys that can produce more. We just need to be more responsible defensively. If the whole team helps out on the back, we’ll be successful because our offense is going to be there.”

Defensively, the team looks to junior Steve Weinstein to lead the way. The Los Angeles native has 43 career points and developed into a two-way threat as the team’s top blueliner. Joining him will be senior Zach Marginsky, sophomore Matt Blomquist, sophomore Kyle O’Brien and a host of players looking to make an impact in front of their netminder.

Komm, the top goalie, spent his offseason in the Ottawa Senators’ development camp and is on pace to become the winningest goalie in Bentley history.

“We have the tools to be a great team,” Soderquist said. “We return guys who really worked hard in the offseason and gained valuable experience. All we need to do is continue to work and invest the time to do the right things on both ends of the ice. Teams that win in the playoffs always get strong defense and good goaltending, so that’s an area we need to make sure we continue to improve upon and get strong at.”

About the Falcons

2012-13 overall record: 12-20-3

2012-13 AHA record: 10-14-3

2013-14 predicted finish (coaches poll): Ninth

Key losses: F Dan Koudys, F Joe Campanelli, F Brett Hartung

Players to watch: F Brett Gensler, F Alex Grieve, F Andrew Gladiuk, D Steve Weinstein, G Branden Komm

Impact rookie: Max French scored 89 points, including 46 goals, over the last two seasons in the BCHL while amassing 162 penalty minutes in 87 games. His speed is going to be a factor for teams to contain on odd-man rushes.

Why the Falcons will finish higher than the coaches’ poll: This team is too talented and has essentially the same roster picked by many to contend for a league title a year ago. The defense will jell, eliminating their biggest hole and returning their swagger.

Why the Falcons will finish lower than the coaches’ poll: The defense won’t jell, the scoring will run into the power outage that killed the second half last season, and last year’s poor finish will bleed bad karma into their 2013-14 season.

Army sees goaltender Tadazak as key to team’s improvement

By Dan Rubin

October 6, 2013

It goes without saying that things are different at Army. There’s a constant struggle against the rigors of a greater calling, the constant battle against requests for their time pulling them in multiple directions.

It starts when the new cadets arrive in July, continues through basic training and ultimately doesn’t stop as the older students arrive back on campus after a summer of military and academic instruction.

“Everyone is fighting for these guys’ time,” coach Brian Riley said. “From the time they’re back on campus, there’s meetings and academics and military exercises and training. From a hockey standpoint, it’s a fight against that stretch of their time, but it’s something that we make work. One thing about West Pointers is how they are all such great leaders. They understand the concept of a team, and they know how to rely and work with each other.

“West Point is the best leadership institute because of what it stresses, and the older guys know they have to help show the younger guys what it means it be a West Pointer. They teach those younger guys, and then the younger guys turn into the older guys showing a new group how to work hard at being leaders both on and off the ice.”

It’s that type of leadership and brotherhood bond that Riley hopes will finally propel his team back to the top of the Atlantic Hockey standings. The regular season AHA champion in 2007-08, Army has steadily fallen back into the ranks of the AHA’s third tier, winning 11 games in each of the three seasons after. Last year, the Black Knights opened up 7-8-2, 7-3-2 in conference play, then didn’t win a game the rest of the season, placing them 11th on the season. But that stands to change entering 2013-14.

The team loses its top forward in the graduating Andy Starczewski, but all of the other forwards are back. The defense loses a couple of key parts in Cheyne Rocha and John Clark, but the Black Knights return some players with the capability of rising to the occasion in Christian Pomarico, Mac Lalor, Jonathan Gehrt and Maurice Alvarez.

Rob Tadazak, after splitting games last year with Ryan Leets, will have the net to himself to start and build on his two shutouts and .907 save percentage.

“Our success on ice starts with Rob Tadazak,” Riley said. “He’s our guy. This is his third year, so he’s ready to take it. We know that telling him he’s our guy and having that confidence in him will help build his confidence in his abilities. We believe that he has the potential to be a top goalie in Atlantic Hockey, and we know the key to winning will be our goalie.”

About the Black Knights

2012-13 overall record: 7-22-5

2012-13 conference record: 7-15-5

2013-14 predicted finish (coaches poll): 10th

Key losses: F Andy Starczewski, D Cheyne Rocha, D John Clark, G Ryan Leets

Players to watch: G Rob Tadazak, F Joe Kozlak, F Thane Heller, F Zak Zaremba, D Maurice Alvarez, D Christian Pomarico

Impact rookie: Connor Costello is only 19, but the Londonderry, N.H., native had a great season last year for the Jersey Hitmen in the EJHL. He had 22 points as a defenseman, including seven goals. His 6-foot-1 frame can bring the physicality so elemental to the Army game, collecting 77 penalty minutes in 34 games.

Why the Black Knights will finish higher than the coaches poll: The continued maturation of a young roster will form a solid core, the defense will get stronger, and Tadazak will be the latest in a long line of great AHA goalies coming into his own.

Why the Black Knights will finish lower than the coaches poll: The offense doesn’t improve, and the defense runs into issues that hang Tadazak out to dry.

American International looks to keep moving up the standings

By Dan Rubin

October 6, 2013

Jon Puskar (center) and American International look to build on a ninth-place finish (photo: Omar Phillips).

Two years ago, American International did something it had never done before in the Atlantic Hockey era when it didn’t finish in last place.

While that statement is, in some parts, cause for derision and laughter, the 10th-place finish was the cause for unprecedented optimism and hope in West Springfield, Mass., especially when the team took Robert Morris to overtime in a deciding third game in the AHA’s postseason.

“We had indicators [that we could be successful] when we lost in overtime,” Yellow Jackets coach Gary Wright said. “We felt we’d grown; we had a good senior class coming back [in 2012-13], and we got better with our recruiting. It was a very encouraging time.”

That encouragement gave way to jubilation last year.

After a decade of futility, AIC rose from the ranks of the AHA’s basement to force teams to take notice in what’s been arguably the program’s best season to date. They won seven of their last 11 games of the season, losing only once, to go from a 4-12-3 team to a 12-15-6 team. Along with a couple of strokes of luck and fate, the Jackets finished ninth, the third-best team in the eastern pod, earning the spot on the season’s last day with an overtime win over Bentley.

“Ninth place might be a modest finish to others,” Wright said, “but it has significance to ours. It energized our program and it pushed us a little bit higher. We pushed past some teams along the way, and everything really came together.”

An up-and-down squad for the first part of the year, the Yellow Jackets opened 3-5-2 with marquee victories over Penn State and Quinnipiac, the latter of which went on to be ranked No. 1 for roughly two months and finished as the national runner up.

Then AIC lost seven out of eight, including back-to-back-to-back 7-2 losses, with the second and third coming at the UConn Hockey Classic.

“We had a couple of highlights early, like that win against Quinnipiac, but we were really up-and-down until after that UConn tournament,” Wright said. “We had a big downward dip after we lost [to Connecticut and Brown], but we came back in January and started playing some great hockey.”

The season was buoyed by one of the best senior classes in the league. Ben Meisner got most of the glory in net in setting the career Atlantic Hockey saves record, but he had substantial help in front of him.

“Adam Pleskach was always a choice on the postseason honors,” Wright said, “and Chris Markiewicz and Jeff Ceccacci did a great job anchoring the defense and power play. Plus four years ago, we received a full-time assistant coach, so our recruiting had progressed and improved substantially. We had a good complement of underclassmen.”

So now AIC faces the next step, which is the sustainability of last year’s success and the skepticism that their finish is going to be more than a one-shot season.

The preseason coaches’ poll has the Yellow Jackets in 11th place under the argument that they were decimated by graduation and don’t have a history to sustain the argument they’ll be able to keep that going.

“Obviously, we lose a good senior class,” Wright said. “But we have a good recruiting class, and it’s the beginning of the season. Everyone’s really full of hope.”

About the Yellow Jackets

2012-13 overall record: 12-17-6

2012-13 AHA record: 9-12-6

2013-14 predicted finish (coaches poll): 11th

Key losses: G Ben Meisner, F Adam Pleskach, F Richard Leitner, F Steve Mele, D Jeff Ceccacci, D Chris Markiewicz

Players to watch: F Jon Puskar, F Blake Peake, F Chris Porter

Impact rookie: Hunter Leisner’s last name might be one letter off from Ben Meisner, but the NAHL goaltender could step right into the role vacated by his predecessor. Leisner won 30 games for the Texas Tornado last year, saving over 90 percent of his shots faced with a GAA under 3.00.

Why the Yellow Jackets will finish higher than the coaches poll: The goaltender’s role transitions seamlessly to Leisner, and the offense transitions to Puskar, Peake and Co. The defensive unit continues as a hidden gem within the AHA.

Why the Yellow Jackets will finish lower than the coaches poll: They can’t replace Meisner, Pleskach and the program’s best senior class. The inexperienced freshmen look it, and they tumble.

Goaltending, defense give Air Force reason to think big

By Chris Lerch

October 6, 2013

Jason Torf is set for his fourth year as Air Force’s starting goaltender (photo: Omar Phillips).

After the final weekend of the 2012-13 Atlantic Hockey regular season was in the books, Air Force coach Frank Serratore had every reason to be optimistic. His team had lost just once in its final eight games, including a convincing sweep of first-place Niagara to close out the schedule.

“We were a very, very good team at the end of last year,” he said. “I thought we were going do it again.”

By “do it again,” Serratore meant win another AHA championship, what would have been the Falcons’ sixth in seven seasons.

But Canisius had other ideas, sweeping Air Force in a pair of 4-3 quarterfinal contests on its way to the Atlantic Hockey title.

“All the championships we won, the bounces always went our way,” Serratore said. “Last year, Canisius came in and they were a team of destiny. The bounces went their way; I’m not complaining. Canisius beat a good team. We played Niagara played in that final series and we beat them pretty handily. At that point I thought we were a team of destiny.

“No regrets, we were the team we wanted to be at the end of the year and it just didn’t go our way.”

The Falcons will need to find some offense if they’re going to a be a team of destiny this season. Air Force returns (soon-to-be) four-year starter Jason Torf in net and most of its defense. The question area is up front, where the Falcons must replace their top two scorers, Kyle De Laurell (36 points last season) and Stephen Carew (29 points), as well as John Kruse (22 points).

“The glaring issue is the loss of senior forwards and their 40-some goals,” Serratore said. “We’re going to have to make it up, and make it up collectively.”

That can put some pressure on junior Cole Gunner (29 points last season), senior Tony Thomas (28 points) and junior Chad Demers (24 points).

“A lot of guys are capable of chipping in a few more than they did last year, and we’re going to have to do it by committee,” Serratore said. “If we can get off to a better start with our goals-for to goals-against ratio and not give up as many points as we did early, then maybe we can make it up that way.”

Defense will be a strong point, with Torf in net and a blue line corps that came into its own in the second half of last season. Adam McKenzie, last season’s defensive player of the year in Atlantic Hockey, is back for his senior campaign. He and junior Dan Weissenhofer are expected to lead on special teams.

“When you can start out saying you’ve got the defenseman of the year coming back, that’s a nice place to start,” Serratore said. “Back him with Dan Weissenhofer — I think he’s going have a breakout year. We’ve got two juniors, Mike McDonald, who I think is ready to have a breakthrough year, and Alex Halloran, who injured his knee a few years ago but is finally over his injury and appears to be ready to step forward.”

Torf brings senior leadership and experience, with 89 games in net under his belt and a career .916 save percentage.

“I think [Torf] is a bit underrated,” Serratore said. “He brings consistency. You always know what you’re going to get with Jason. Other goalies maybe get more work and are seen as having a higher talent level but Jason is underrated. Having Jason back for his senior year means he’ll be able to provide us that consistency he’s given us for the last three years.”

One of the Falcons’ biggest losses in the offseason was behind the bench. Mike Corbett, Serratore’s right-hand man for a decade at Air Force, has moved on to assume head coaching duties at Alabama-Huntsville. It’s another challenge for Serratore and company to face in a league that has narrowed the gap between the top and bottom.

“The league keeps getting better,” Serratore said. “We’ve got great coaches. They work hard; they’re smart operators.

“The bottom [of the league] has elevated itself, it keeps moving up. On any given night, years ago the bottom teams couldn’t beat the top teams. Now, watch out, it’s going to happen and happen regularly.”

About the Falcons

2012-13 overall record: 17-13-7

2012-13 AHA record: 15-7-5 (Second)

2013-14 projected finish (coaches poll): Tie, second

Key losses: F Kyle De Laurell, F Stephen Carew, F John Kruse

Players to watch: G Jason Torf, D Adam McKenzie, F Cole Gunner

Impact rookie: Forward A.J. Reid had 94 points in 81 games over two seasons with the Austin Bruins (NAHL).

Why the Falcons will finish higher than the coaches poll: Until a shocking upset in the quarterfinals last season at the hands of Canisius, Air Force was poised to win yet another title, peaking at the right time. The Falcons’ defense and goaltending should again be solid. If their offense comes along, they’ll be in the hunt again.

Why the Falcons will finish lower than the coaches poll: If Air Force can’t replace the offense lost by the departure of their top two scorers, it will find itself out of the running for home ice.

Gallery: Maine at Boston College

By Melissa Wade

October 6, 2013

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