With the first half of the Atlantic Hockey season in the books, let’s hand out some mid-term grades:
Air Force (6-10-2, 2-7-1 AHA)
Atlantic Hockey Standings: Ninth
Points Per Game: 0.70 (Ninth)
PairWise Ranking: 55
The Lowdown: The Falcons have some quality wins, including over Colorado College and RIT. But they’ve dropped five in a row and have one win in their last eight games. Under the AHA’s new playoff format, Air Force would be on the outside looking in if the season ended today.
First-Half Grade: C-
American International (10-7-4, 8-5-2 AHA)
Atlantic Hockey Standings: Second
Points Per Game: 1.80 (Tied for third)
PairWise Ranking: 31
The Lowdown: The four-time defending champs may actually be a bit ahead of schedule. For the past few seasons, things came together for AIC after the holidays when the Yellow Jackets started their move from the middle of the pack to the top of the mountain. This season, after a 5-6-2 start, AIC is 5-1-2 in its last eight games and moved from sixth to second in the standings. The Yellow Jackets have the top defense and second-ranked offense in the conference.
First-Half Grade: B+
Army West Point (6-9-2, 5-5-1 AHA)
Atlantic Hockey Standings: Tied for sixth
Points Per Game: 1.36 (Seventh)
PairWise Ranking: 52
The Lowdown: After a 1-7-1 start to the season, the Black Knights are 5-2-1 since, picking up points in their last four conference series. Army West Point has 15 conference games remaining, nine on home ice.
First-Half Grade: B
Bentley (4-13, 2-8 AHA)
Atlantic Hockey Standings: Tenth
Points Per Game: 0.60 (Tenth)
PairWise Ranking: 58
The Lowdown: The Falcons’ defense will look to improve on a league-worst GAA of 4.29. The good news is that Bentley still has 16 conference games left to make up ground. The potentially bad news is that 10 of those games are against teams currently in the top half of the standings, including four against first-place RIT.
First-Half Grade: D
Canisius (5-11-2, 3-5-2 AHA)
Atlantic Hockey Standings: Eighth
Points Per Game: 1.10 (Eighth)
PairWise Ranking: 54
The Lowdown: Canisius has played the second-toughest overall schedule in Atlantic Hockey to date (ranked 47th in Division I, behind Sacred Heart’s 45th), and faces some challenges in the second half of the season, including six straight road games against league opponents. In all, the Golden Griffins will play only five more regular season games on home ice.
First-Half Grade: C
Holy Cross (5-12-1, 4-7-1 AHA)
Atlantic Hockey Standings: Tied for sixth
Points Per Game: 1.25 (Sixth)
PairWise Ranking: 51
The Lowdown: The Crusaders have exceeded expectations so far. Picked to finish last in the preseason coaches poll, Holy Cross sits in the middle of the standings at the break, thanks in part to ending its first half on a three-game winning streak. The Crusaders will play 10 of their final 16 games at home after getting just five home games in the first half.
First-Half Grade: C+
Mercyhurst (6-10-2, 5-3-2 AHA)
Atlantic Hockey Standings: Fifth
Points Per Game: 1.80 (Tied for third)
PairWise Ranking: 48
The Lowdown: Don’t sleep on the Lakers, who are lurking in the middle of the pack with games in hand over the teams ahead of them. Mercyhurst had a five-game winning streak snapped by Army West Point in their last game, and faces crucial series with Sacred Heart, AIC, and RIT to open the second half of their season.
First-Half Grade: B
Niagara (9-5-2, 5-5-2 AHA)
Atlantic Hockey Standings: Fourth
Points Per Game: 1.59 (Fifth)
PairWise Ranking: 28
The Lowdown: The Purple Eagles have been the league’s bright spot in terms of non-conference play at 4-0. They’ll return to action after the break with series against Miami and St. Lawrence. Niagara has shown to be a legitimate contender in Atlantic Hockey this season and can make up some ground with a few more home wins. The Purple Eagles are 6-2-1 on the road compared to 3-3-1 at Dwyer Arena so far.
First-Half Grade: B+
Rochester Institute of Technology (12-4, 10-2 AHA)
Atlantic Hockey Standings: First
Points Per Game: 2.5 (First)
PairWise Ranking: 18
The Lowdown: The Tigers are off to their best start in the D-I era, holding a three-point lead over AIC in the standings but with three games in hand. They also hold tiebreakers over AIC and third-place Sacred Heart. RIT is the only AHA team within striking distance of an at-large NCAA bid, currently 18th in the PWR. The Tigers boast the top power play, offense, and second-ranked defense in the conference. RIT begins the second half with a home-and-home series with No. 5 Penn State,
First-Half Grade: A
Sacred Heart (8-7-1, 7-4-1 AHA)
Atlantic Hockey Standings: Third
Points Per Game: 1.92 (Second)
PairWise Ranking: 30
The Lowdown: This season has all the makings of a memorable one for the Pioneers, who will open the Martire Family Arena
on Jan. 14. SHU has had some on-ice success as well, currently sitting in third place, but second in points per game. The Pioneers are ranked third in Atlantic Hockey in both offense and defense. A rough non-conference slate lies ahead, including Boston College, Quinnipiac, and possibly Connecticut based on the first-round results of the annual Connecticut Ice Tournament.
First-Half Grade: B+
