For the first time in what seems like forever, all 12 Atlantic Hockey teams played two conference games this weekend. And 10 of those teams earned points. Only Sacred Heart (still winless) and American International went pointless. Currently six points separate second place Army and tenth place RIT. While not where the Tigers were expected to be, the standings show that they still have a chance to move up.

At this point, I don’t think anyone has a chance of catching Niagara. They hold an eight point edge over Army with two games in hand. The Purple Eagles have yet to lose an Atlantic Hockey game this year and haven’t allowed more than three goals in those games. (more…)

It’s time to get back into the swing of things. After the holiday break saw some teams play in tournaments while others had a break, it’s time to get the season going again. While there were not many conference games during this stretch, Atlantic Hockey teams certainly made their presence felt around the country. For starters,Niagara (17) continues to be ranked in the USCHO rankings. Atlantic Hockey teams are also in the Pairwise with Niagara (16) and Robert Morris (17).

Atlantic Hockey teams beat Maine, Clarkson, Penn State, Miami, Yale, St. Lawrence, and Northeastern over the break. Atlantic Hockey’s .383 inter-conference win percentage this season is the highest it’s ever been. Atlantic Hockey is currently 25-44-12 in out of conference games with just two more nonconference games to go. (more…)

BOSTON — Bentley defeated Northeastern, 6-3, Saturday night at Matthews Arena. Brett Hartung scored twice for the Falcons, and Branden Komm made 45 saves in the win. The victory was Bentley’s first since Nov. 24 against Mercyhurst. Meanwhile, the loss drops Northeastern to 2-6-0 in its last eight games.

What I Saw

• Northeastern’s defense missed assignments and reads that led directly to all of the Bentley goals. The Falcons’ converted on their chances efficiently, but Northeastern’s issues created the chances. Following the game, NU coach Jim Madigan said defensive play around the net was a focus area for his team. Regardless of the pairing, it’s clear NU still has some work to do. Bentley’s first goal came following a misplay behind the net and leaving Alex Grive open in the slot. Chris Rawlings wasn’t perfect on the night, but his teammates need to support him with more consistent play throughout the rink. (more…)

Portland, Maine- The first period was evenly played as Mercyhurst and Maine traded goals. Mercyhurst would score the first goal at three minutes, two seconds of the period on the power-play, as Nick Jones would take a point shot and Paul Chiasson would get the tip. Maine would score the second goal of the period as Steven Swavely won a faceoff right back to Joey Diamond and Diamond ripped one past the Laker goaltender, Jordan Tibbett to send the game into the first intermission knotted up at one apiece. The second period was a stalemate where neither team scored a goal to send the game into the third period tied at one.

In the third period Maine would score the only goal on the power-play as Kyle Beattie passed from the right corner to Ryan Lomberg, and Lomberg buried it to make it 2-1. Maine would hold on to that lead and defeat the Lakers, 2-1. Maine improves to 5-11-2 on the season and wins their third game in a row, while Mercyhurst falls to 8-7-1. (more…)

We’ve reached the midpoint of the season and the standings are starting to take shape. While Niagara is starting to pull away from everyone else, the rest of the standings are still jumbled. But its holiday time which means non-conference games and holiday tournaments. At the midpoint, it’s starting to look like no one is going to beat the Purple Eagles. They hold a five point lead over second place Holy Cross with a game in hand.

1. Niagara – The Purple Eagles are undefeated in their last 12 games but there could be some cracks in the armor. They’ve fallen behind 2-0 in each of the last two games. That can’t happen against better opponents. (more…)

NORTH ANDOVER – Merrimack freshman Vinny Scotti came up with the biggest goal of his young career, netting the game-winner with just over seven minutes to play as Merrimack defeated Army on Tuesday night at Lawler Arena, 4-2.

Scotti beat Army goalie Rob Tadazak with a shot after a wide shot by fellow freshman Justin Hussar found its way to his stick at the bottom of the left circle.

What I Saw

- Merrimack threw 94 shot attempts on Army sophomore goaltender Rob Tadazak. The Black Knights blocked a whopping 23 shots, with 46 making their way to Tadazak, who turned aside 42 of the 45 shots he faced (the Warriors added an empty netter). The Warriors offense shrunk the ice for large stretches, with some of the best work in the offensive zone that the Warriors have displayed all season.

- Mac Lalor, normally a defenseman, played the wing on Army’s second line. He potted a pair of goals in just 36 seconds in the third period on the power play, but both goals came from his more familiar spot on the point. Army was in the midst of a power play when Merrimack’s Kyle Bigos was whistled for holding the stick, giving Army a 5-on-3 advantage. They stuck just 10 seconds into the two-man advantage, and 36 seconds later, struck again to, at the time, tie the score at 2-2.

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This past weekend could have been a make or break weekend for Air Force and RIT. And both managed to keep hope alive that they can turn around their seasons. The Falcons earned three points against Bentley, winning 7-4 on Friday before tying 2-2 on Saturday. The Tigers, like the Falcons, swept Sacred Heart to get a huge confidence boost, scoring five times in each game. Both teams have an trouble sustaining winning streaks. They’ll need to if they want to reclaim their spots at the top of the standings. But there is still a long ways to ge before that happens. The Falcons are eight points behind first place Niagara while the Tigers are 10 points back. (more…)

Another week and the same No.1 in our Power Rankings. The standings are still tight but Niagara is starting to pull away at the top. Only four points separate second place and sixth place. Just like many thought at the beginning of the season, the race to Rochester is going to be a tight and highly contested one.

1. Niagara – Could there possibly be a chink in the Purple Eagles armor. They fell behind in both games against Sacred Heart and needed to come from behind. They face RIT tonight and travel to Bowling Green on Saturday.

2. Holy Cross – The Crusaders earned just one point and suffered their first conference loss since Nov. 3 and they won’t have a chance to make up those points until after the New Year. They face Penn State for a pair this weekend. (more…)

Another week in Atlantic Hockey is done and some things have stayed the same while other have changed. Niagara, surprise surprise, swept Sacred Heart and are now clear of second place Holy Cross by four points. The Purple Eagles are clearly the team to beat and I have a feeling it’s going to be a while until someone beats them. They ride the nation’s longest unbeaten streak at 11 games, going 9-0-2 during that time. The Purple Eagles are one of just two teams in the country not to lose a conference game yet this year. The other being Quinnipiac of the ECAC. This week saw the Purple Eagle rise to No. 18 in the USCHO rankings. (more…)

There were only six Atlantic Hockey games played last week, along with three non-conference games, but there were still some major shake ups in our power rankings. Even with the shake ups there is still one constant: Niagara. For the fifth consecutive week the Purple Eagles top the power rankings.

1. Niagara – Even with the weekend off, the Purple Eagles are without a doubt the best team in Atlantic Hockey at the moment. They’ve won six straight are 7-0-2 in their last nine games. It’s the second longest active streak behind only Boston College (10-0-0). The Purple Eagles host Sacred Heart for two games this weekend.

2.Holy Cross – The Crusaders had a 2-0 lead after the first period at Brown but couldn’t hold on as they fell 3-2. They host Robert Morris for an important two game series this weekend. (more…)