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.

The Colonials was probably the most impressive during the holidays. They went 4-0-1 in five nonconference games against Ohio State, Penn State, and Miami. It concluded with back-to-back shutouts of Penn State and Miami to win the Three Rivers Tournament. Eric Levine stopped 99 shots in those two games.

Niagara’s 12 game unbeaten streak finally came to an end against Bowling Green but they got right back to winning against Air Force. The Purple Eagles still have not lost an Atlantic Hockey game this year, 11 straight and counting, and continue to be the best in the league.

But Army is right on the Purple Eagles tail. The Black Knights have climbed to second in the standings, five points behind Niagara, and are starting to show that they are the real deal. They shutout Robert Morris just after the Colonials had won the Three Rivers Tournament. The one down side is the Black Knights have played more league games than any other team.

Monday, January 7th, 2013 - 4:29 pm | Atlantic Hockey