Another weekend in the AHA is done and while its still early in the season, things are already muddled. The last two undefeated teams in conference play lost this weekend and the league appears to have more parity than past years. With surprise teams Bentley and Mercyhurst near the top of the standings, and teams like RIT and UConn struggling to start the season, the league is set for a fun season. The fun really began this past weekend.

Air Force  – The Falcons entered the weekend undefeated in conference play and facing rival RIT and surprising Mercyhurst. But the Falcons left the weekend with no wins, just two loses. The Falcons fell behind early in both games and their comebacks fell short both times. Tim Kirby was the bright spot for the Falcons, having a hand in all three Falcon goals on the weekend. He had two goals and an assist.

AIC – The Yellow Jackets have had trouble scoring this year and that trend continued this weekend, as the scored just three times as they went 0-1-1. The Yellow Jackets were able to jump out to a 2-0 lead over UConn on Saturday but couldn’t hold. AIC also fell to Bentley on Friday. In both games, the Yellow Jackets out shot their opponents but ti didn’t translate into goals.

Army – The Black Knights are finally in the in column. Their 2-1 victory over Sacred Heart gave Army it’s first win of the season. But the momentum from that win wouldn’t carry over to Saturday as the Black Knights fell to Bentley. The Black Knights continue to struggle scoring goals and keeping the puck out of their own net. The Black Knights have given up the second most goals against AHA opponents while being tied for the least scored.

Bentley – The Falcons gave up just two goals on the weekend, unfortunately both of them cam on the power play. Since losing 6-1 to Quinnipiac, the Falcons haven’t given up more than three goals in the seven games. The Falcons had seven different goal scorers for their seven goals on the weekend. Brett Switzer led the offense with a goal and two assists. He is tied with Brett Gensler for the team lead in points with 10.

Canisius – The Golden Griffins traveled to Bowling Green this weekend and were swept. Canisius scored just two goals in the two games. The Golden Griffins have scored the least amount goals of any AHA team. But their weekend isn’t done. They face rival Niagara on Tuesday.

UConn – The Huskies played just once this weekend and had to come from behind to tie AIC. Brant Harris scored his team leading seventh goal in the game. The Huskies haven’t won since they beat Holy Cross on Oct. 27 but they have a great chance to end that streak when the face Sacred Heart on Wednesday.

Holy Cross – After being blown out by UMass 7-2 on Friday, the Crusaders responded by earning a 6-4 win against Sacred Heart. Jay Silvia had two goals and an assist on the weekend while Eric Vos also added two goals. Silvia’s two goals were the first of the season for the senior.

Mercyhurst – The Lakers continued their strong start to conference this weekend, but did suffer their first conference loss. The Lakers gave up four second period goals to Robert Morris and were never able to recover. On Saturday, the Lakers matchup with Air Force lived up to it’s billing as the Lakers came out with a 3-2 victory. Nardo Nagtzaam continued his fantastic start to the season with a goal and an assist on the weekend.

Niagara – The Purple Eagles struggles continued this weekend. While they did manage a split against Holy Cross, the win was only the first AHA win for the Purple Eagles. In both games the Purple Eagles fell behind early and were required to mount comebacks. Unfortunately the comeback was only successful on Friday. Giancarlo Iuorio might be showing signs of breaking out. After having only one point on the season entering the weekend, Iuorio scored twice and added an assist on the weekend.

Robert Morris – The Colonials were upended by AIC before defeating previously undefeated Mercyhurst. The Colonials scored four times in the second period against Mercyhurst and then held on in the third. Nick Chiavetta scored twice and added an assist, all in that four goal second. The Colonials went 0-10 on the powerplay.

RIT – The Tigers’ lone game this weekend marked the return of Shane Madolora to net. He stopped 25 of 26 shots in the Tigers 3-1 victory over Air Force. Madolora had been suspended because of eligibility issues. Bryan Potts scored twice in the win, giving him a team leading four goals on the season.

Sacred Heart – The Pioneers struggles continue. When the Pioneers keep the puck out of their own net, they can’t get it past the opposing goal keeper. And when they do score, they can’t stop the puck. Those scenarios played at this weekend. The Pioneers lost 2-1 to Army and 6-4 to Holy Cross. Matt Gingera had a goal and two assists for the Pioneers.

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011 - 2:10 am | Atlantic Hockey