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.

To go along with that, it’s amazing how few votes Carsen Chubak has in the Hobey Baker fan balloting. The Purple Eagles’ netminder leads the nation in save percentage (953) and is second in goals-against average (1.46). You can go to hobeybakeraward.com to vote.

The Purple Eagles continue to be the only Atlantic Hockey team ranked in the Top-20, sitting at #15 in the USCHO poll, up from #17 last week.

Air Force looks to have found their groove and are turning things around. They’ve taken points in four of their last five Atlantic Hockey games. Their only conference loss during that time was a 4-3 decision at Niagara.

While Army has ben near the top of the standings for most of the year, they could soon fall. The Black Knights have played 15 Atlantic Hockey games so far. Only Sacred Heart has played that many. Everyone else has two or three games in hand on the Black Knights. So Army will have to keep winning it wants to stay in position for a first round bye in the playoffs.

Monday, January 14th, 2013 - 5:29 pm | Atlantic Hockey