It’s been a busy calendar year so far for the Atlantic Hockey conference, including 10 games between January 12-13.

This past weekend, Mercyhurst, Holy Cross and Air Force all skated away with pairs of wins. Meanwhile, Niagara, RIT and Sacred Heart failed to find success this weekend.

Here are the Atlantic Hockey standings, as of January 14:

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

The Riley Bunch

It was an exciting weekend for the Riley brothers, as they accounted for all three goals in the Lakers’ 3-2 win over Niagara on January 13.

After Niagara went ahead halfway through the first, Jack Riley scored on the power play to tie the game for Mercyhurst. The Purple Eagles regained their lead in the second, but Brendan Riley scored twice, including the game-winning goal two minutes into the third period, to help lead the Lakers to the win.

Jack, a redshirt senior, has registered 15 points (8-7) and 53 shots on goal so far this season. Brendan, a sophomore, has seen limited action this season.

The other piece of the Riley bunch in Atlantic Hockey is, of course, their father, who is the head coach of Army. Both sons were born in West Point, NY.

Brian’s Army team tied Bentley 3-3 on Friday before beating them 4-0 Saturday. Michael Wilson notched a hat trick in Saturday’s shutout victory.

Christopoulos’ First Shutout

Air Force netminder Billy Christopoulos notched his first career shutout in the team’s 4-0 win over RIT on Saturday.

The junior stopped all 30 shots faced in the win, which was Air Force’s third straight. Ben Kucera, Marshall Bowery (2) and Matt Serratore (empty-net) all scored in the win.

Falcons head coach Frank Serratore called Christopoulos “the best player on the ice all weekend.”

Plenty of Action Still to Come

It’s another busy week ahead for Atlantic Hockey, with a pair of games on Tuesday and a full slate on the weekend. Sacred Heart and Bentley, and RIT and Mercyhurst, respectively face off on Tuesday evening.

Niagara visits Holy Cross for a pair, while AIC travels to Mercyhurst for two games. RIT hosts Canisius twice, and Bentley visits Robert Morris. Sacred Heart and Air Force also face off in a pair of games.

In non-conference action, Army travels to Kingston, Ontario to face the Royal Military College in a game on January 20.

Sunday, January 14th, 2018 - 5:05 pm | Atlantic Hockey, Commentary, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings