Three things from this past weekend in Atlantic Hockey
Very special
Four of the five weekend series resulted in sweeps, a high number for a league that prides itself on parity.
Robert Morris and Holy Cross traded wins, while Bentley, Mercyhurst, Air Force and Canisius picked up four points each.
It was the first sweep of the season for both Mercyhurst and Bentley, which took four points from Niagara and Rochester Institute of Technology, respectively.
Bentley’s special teams were the difference in its road sweep at RIT. The Falcons were 3-5 on the power play for the weekend, and held the Tigers off the scoreboard in eight attempts.
“Our PK was great,” said Bentley coach Ryan Soderquist after Saturday’s game. “Special teams in the first half of the year was a disaster for us.
“We left Christmas break at nine percent on the power play, and we’ve been about 35 percent since then. The PK struggled as well and we spent a lot of time this week on it, and we felt like it paid off.”
Fifteen minutes of fame
Robert Morris was certainly clicking on all cylinders on Saturday, scoring six times in the opening 15:07 of the contest.
The Colonials scored two even strength, two power play and two shorthanded goals over that span.
Timmy Moore had a pair of goals, and Brady Ferguson recorded a goal and three assists. Ferguson, a junior, recorded his 100th career point with a shorthanded tally. He now has 42 points on the season, including 16 goals.
The Colonials won the game 6-0, earning a split with the Crusaders.
Streaking
Canisius swept American International this weekend, extending its winning streak to five games. The Golden Griffins are undefeated in their last seven games, tied for the longest unbeaten streak in the nation.
Mercyhurst picked up some steam with of a sweep of Niagara. The Lakers are unbeaten in their last four games, their longest stretch this season without a loss.
On the other end of the spectrum, RIT has lost five in the row, its longest losing streak since it dropped five straight to open the 2009-2010 season, the year the Tigers advanced to the Frozen Four.
Niagara is also on a five game skid, looking to get into the “W” column with a game against rival Canisius on Tuesday.
