All 12 Hockey East teams are in action this weekend with four playing home-and-home series in the league standings. Let’s take a look around the league with 12 thoughts for 12 teams …
It was a rather disappointing weekend for Atlantic Hockey, going 1-8-2 in non-conference games. Holy Cross’ victory over Clarkson prevented the league from having a winless weekend. And so here are this week’s Atlantic Hockey Power Rankings.
1. Holy Cross – The Crusaders are the only unbeaten left in Atlantic Hockey, albeit they’ve only played two games. Paul Pearl’s team scored six goals in their first regular season game and followed it up with a win over ECAC foe Clarkson. Brandon Nunn has four points in the two games while Jake Youso looks primed for a big sophomore season.
2. Niagara – Aside from a 10-2 blowout lose at Colgate, the Purple Eagles have had a chance to win every game so far this season. Unfortunately, they’ve only come out with one win so far. In both games against Michigan State this weekend, the Purple Eagles led 2-0 going into the third period but could only muster one tie.
3. Bentley – Like Holy Cross, the Falcons have only played two games so far this season. They beat Sacred Heart before falling to Michigan. Brett Gensler, fresh off a 50-point season, already has six points in two games. (more…)
Several Atlantic Hockey teams put up strong showings in the weekend of play, but no AHA teams earned a victory.
Air Force had a lead on North Dakota entering the third period before the Fighting Sioux scored twice to steal a win. While the Falcons didn’t get the win, the fact that they stayed with and were beating the No. 3-ranked team for most of the game must give them some confidence. And, without Jacques Lamoureaux and Derrick Burnett this season, this should make Falcon fans very happy.
One of the more surprising teams this weekend was American International. The Yellow Jackets were swept by Michigan Tech, but they were very competitive and even had a lead entering the third period of the first game. And while they couldn’t hold the lead, it’s definitely a good sign for the future of the Yellow Jackets.
