Over the past couple of seasons, Atlantic Hockey’s grown a reputation of having a rough and tumble, unpredictable playoff series where anything is possible. In the true spirit, thereof, two playoff series will go to three games this year in the first round, including the 5-vs-12 matchup reserved for the best team not to get a bye and the so-called worst team in the league. Since playoff matchups reseed for the second round, I figured it might behoove fans of teams to try and measure up who they could be playing by the time they wake up tomorrow. Let’s have a look.
• Everything is contingent on who wins the Robert Morris-Army series. It’s not shocking to some that Army’s gone to a third game with the way they’ve been playing as of late, and tonight they’ll try to become the first last place team to win a playoff game since American International beat the Black Knights in the weird divisional playoff single-game format of 2011. Rochester Institute of Technology and Holy Cross are also in a third game at 5 p.m. today out in Worcester. But we won’t know the matchups until after the RMU-Army game at 7 p.m. down in Pennsylvania.
• Canisius and Niagara advanced with two-game sweeps. One of those two teams is going to Air Force next week.
• If Army wins, the Black Knights automatically lock into going to Mercyhurst next week. That would send the winner of RIT-Holy Cross to Bentley, with Canisius going to Air Force and Niagara going to UConn.
• If Robert Morris wins, everyone slots up one seed in their opponent because the Colonials are locked into a series at fourth-seeded UConn, should they advance. That would mean Niagara is the lucky recipient of a trip to Air Force, with Canisius going to Bentley, and the RIT-Holy Cross winner going to Mercyhurst.
