Atlantic Hockey returned from its break with a handful of games on Friday, Dec. 29 and Saturday, Dec. 30 to finish off the 2017 calendar year. Many teams faced non-conference action over the past few days, including games against Minnesota, Colorado College, Ohio State and Clarkson.

Here are the Atlantic Hockey standings, as of January 3:

1. Canisius
2. Holy Cross
3. Niagara
4. Robert Morris
5. RIT
6. Army
7. AIC
8. Bentley
9. Mercyhurst
10. Air Force
11. Sacred Heart

RIT vs. Mercyhurst Series Postponed

Two games that were scheduled for this past weekend in Atlantic Hockey were postponed, as a massive amount of snow dumped on Erie, PA in a short span of hours. As a result, the RIT vs. Mercyhurst series that was scheduled for Friday and Saturday was postponed.

The series has been rescheduled, with the Lakers and Tigers set to meet on Tuesday, January 16 in one make-up date. The other game will be made-up on Monday, February 12. Both games will start at 7:05 p.m. at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

Looking Ahead at 2018

As the calendar year shifts, the focus of Atlantic Hockey moves almost exclusively to conference action. There are only two months of regular-season play left, with the majority of games happening between conference foes.

The exceptions: a pair of Canisius games vs. St. Lawrence; a Bentley meeting with Northeastern; Army facing the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario; and AIC visiting UMass Lowell in early February.

Looking Back

This past weekend was filled with losses for Atlantic Hockey. Niagara dropped a pair to Ohio State, while Canisius fell to Cornell and Clarkson. Army lost both of their games against Minnesota, and AIC fell to Northeastern.

There were some highlights, though. Holy Cross beat Sacred Heart 4-1 on Friday and then tied them 5-5 Saturday. Junior forward Michael Laffin had five points over the pair of weekend games, including his first career hat trick in the tie. He also recorded a goal and assist the night prior. Laffin was named Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week as a result. Sacred Heart’s Liam Clare earned Defensive Player of the Week as well.

Robert Morris topped Lake Superior State 5-0 on Friday, with Brady Ferguson notching a goal and two assists. Air Force, meanwhile, topped Colorado College 6-3 Friday. Both RMU and Air Force would suffer losses Saturday.

Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018 - 4:25 pm | Commentary