The standings are becoming a little more clear. Niagara clinched the regular season title a few weeks ago and now Air Force has joined them in the first round bye. The Falcons hold a three point lead over third place UConn. If the Falcons just win, they’ll clinch the number two seed. This leaves two first round byes left, with UConn, Holy Cross and Robert Morris all in the running. Mercyhurst, RIT and Bentley can also gain the first round bye, but they need some help.

UConn has been on a roll at the right time, going 6-2 in February so far. That streak has propelled them to third in the standings and in position for a first round bye. A lot of the credit goes to Matt Grogan, who has gone 11-3-2 since taking over for Garrett Bartus. Grogan had played just 10 games entering this season.

RIT also continued to climb the standings. They split two games with Air Force and are in position to potentially get a first round bye. The Tigers have a huge weekend with Canisius coming up. They’re only one point our of fourth.

Sacred Heart is undefeated in it’s last three games, going 2-0-1. The Pioneers had a chance to make it three wins but blew a 5-1 lead against Bentley. The Pioneers could be a challenge in the playoffs as they appear to be turning a corner.

The Pioneers aren’t the only ones who have been turning a corner. American International lost to Holy Cross this weekend but they’re still 4-1-3 in their last eight games. If they can earn points against Bentley this weekend, they could jump Army for tenth place.

Monday, February 25th, 2013 - 12:55 pm | Atlantic Hockey