Well, we’ve reached the halfway point of the season as teams get some time off for finals and winter break. It’ll be a couple weeks before we get a full slate of conference games again. We’ll see you in 2012 for the next Power Rankings. Here are this week’s rankings.

1. Air Force – The Falcons didn’t play this past weekend but have done enough this season to remain in first in the standings and No. 1 in the Power Rankings. Stephen Caple continues to play well in net and continues to get offensive support. Kyle De Laurell and Cole Gunner are proving to be a dynamic duo as the top two scorers in Atlantic Hockey.

2. RIT – The Tigers have won three straight and have allowed their opponents to score more than three goals just three times this season. They’re 2-1 in those games. Michael Colavecchia has points in eight of the last 11 games and is just six points shy of tying his freshman year production. Adam Hartley also has a three game point streak.

3. Mercyhurst – The Lakers are led by a strong freshmen class. Four of the top five scorers on this team are freshmen, led by Nardo Nagtzaam. The Lakers have lost only two conference games through the first half of the season.

4.Robert Morris – The Colonials have rise to fourth in the standings and the Power Rankings thanks to a seven game undefeated streak. The Colonials haven’t lost in over a month and have out scored their opponents 31-16 during this streak, including a 10 goal outing against Sacred Heart.

5. Holy Cross – The Crusaders have won four of the last five games, including two shutouts. Andrew Cox has recorded a point in three games during this stretch, while Mike Daly has added two assists in each of the last two games.

6. Niagara – The Purple Eagles are soaring. They are on a six game unbeaten streak that ha seen them vault up to fifth in the standings. Marc Zanette has led the Purple Eagles in this stretch. He has at least one point in five of the six games. Zanette has had help as Patrick Divjak has at least one point in four of the six games.

7. Bentley – After a brief two game losing skid, the Falcons have taken points in back-to-back games. Brett Gensler continues his follow-up to his freshman season. He has 11 assists, which ties his total from last season, and leads the team. Brett Hartung continues to lead the team with five goals.

8. Canisius – It was only a matter of time before this happened to the Golden Griffins. With 12 freshmen on the roster, there were going to be struggles this season. Well, the Golden Griffins have lost four straight, being outscored 15-7. Kyle Gibbons has recorded at least one point in three of the four games during the losing streak.

9. UConn – The Huskies have won just once in the last six games. Brant Harris has continued to play well this season. His 10 goals lead the Huskies. And the Huskies power play is still the best in Atlantic Hockey, converting at 25.4 percent.

10. AIC – The Yellow Jackets have not lost six straight. They’ve scored more than two goals just twice during the stretch.

11. Army – The Black Knights have a trend of alternating losses and ties. They haven’t lost consecutive games since the first three games of the season.

12. Sacred Heart – The losing streak is up to four games. They’ve given up a minimum of four goals in each game, while scoring more than two goals just once during than the four game span.

Thursday, December 15th, 2011 - 3:48 pm | Atlantic Hockey