Atlantic Hockey Preview - Bentley

Next up on the Atlantic Hockey preview is at the team I pick to be #4. That spot is set for The Bentley Falcons.

Bentley made a big statement last year when they made a run in the Atlantic Hockey tournament finals last year. This year, they look to go one better. They did lose quite a bit of seniors to graduation. However, they still have their offensive threats from last year. The top three scorers on the team were freshman. That makes this team a possible contender, especially if the underclassmen continue to improve.

This is a team that could be on the verge of breaking through top be one of the elite teams in the conference. The freshman got some great experience, prticularly in their playoff run. They have a very good goalie. They will be my darkhorse team to win the regular season title and the automatic berth come Atlantic Hockey tournament time.

Key number: 3 - The top three scorers on the team were freshman. That is a good sign for this team now and in the future.

Key returnee: Ray Jean (G) - He posted some outstanding numbers in leading Bentley as far as they went. He had a solid 2.86 goals against average and a ,916 save percentage. He will need to at least duplicate those numbers for Bentley to make that run again.

Player to watch: Jeff Gumaer (F) - He was the second leading scorer on the team as a freshman. However, he lead the team in goals with 16.

Key loss: Paul Markarian (F) - He had 32 career goals and 75 career points last year. The forward was also the team captain last year.

Key series: 12/20-21 at Sacred Heart. This starts a stretch of where Bentley plays 6 of their 8 games against the top three teams in the conference.

Projected record: 15-13

Atlantic Hockey Preview - Air Force

My Atlantic Hockey preview takes a trip out west for this edition. We go all the way to Colorado Springs for the #5 team in the conference - Air Force.

Air Force jumped conferences from the CHA last year to play in Atlantic Hockey. They were a middle of the road team there, but could be more of a contender here in Atlantic Hockey. They do bring a tough home ice advantage with their altitude. I think this will be an issue, particularly for teams in the bottom end of the conference where there is no depth. I do think they will struggle with upper end Atlantic Hockey teams as they adjust to the new teams.

Air Force brings back most of their offence, which was good for 2.88 goals per game. Their best scorers are underclassmen. However, their goaltending will need some work. The goalies last year had a combined .857 save percentage last year. That will have to get better for the Falcons to be a contender this year.

Key number: 11 - The number of goals lost to graduation.

Key returnee: Brian Reese (F) - Had a breakout season last year. He posted 10 goals and 8 assists last year. For his college career so far, he has 11 goals and 15 assists.

Player to watch: Eric Ehn (F) - He lead the team with 14 goals and 21 assists last year. He also has 57 career points and is only a sophomore. Big things could come from him.

Key loss: Brook Turnquist (D) - He was the leading scorer among seniors, with 4 goals and 11 assists. Brook had 55 career points from the blue line. He was also the team captain.

Key series: 1/19-20 against Army. Army swept Air Force last year. The Falcons will want to avenge that on their home ice.

Projected record: 14-14

Atllantic Hockey Preview - RIT

My Atlantic Hockey preview rolls on with my pick to be #6 in the standings when it is all said and done - RIT

The Tigers had a relatively successful first year of Division 1 hockey. They battled hard, and didn't lose a game by more than 3 goals in spite of some pretty tough teams. RIT will again have a young team, but a little older than last year. One thing RIT will need is a bit more scoring than last year, particularly when it comes to the power play. Much of the recruits brought in were to help fix this problem.

RIT will get an early chance to make a big statement about where they fit into the conference. They will play 6 of their first 9 conference games at home. If the Tigers get off to a good start, they will indeed prove that they will be a force to be reckoned with in conference.

Key number: 10 - The number of 1 goal losses the Tigers suffered. They only posted 1 such victory. RIT will need to improve on that to have success.

Key returnee: Simon Lambert (F) - He was an amazing scoring machine for the Tigers. He scored 16 goals and 18 assists. He ranked 22nd in points per game and 11th in goals per game nationally. He will be expected to help carry the Tiger offense again.

Player to watch: Jocelyn Guimond (G) - The numbers aren't spectacular - .907 save percentage and 3.32 goals against average. But he made his mark with his 66 save performance in a win over St. Lawrence.

Key loss: Darren Doherty (F) - He was third on the team in scoring with 8 goals and 11 assists. He was also a co-captain.

Key series: 2/16-17 home against Mercyhurst - It will be a chance to see late in the year how close RIT is to being able to play with one of the consistantly better teams in AHA.

Projected record: 13-15

Atlantic Hockey Preview - Army

Our tour of the Atlantic Hockey previews leads us to my pick to be #7 - the Army Black Knights.

The Black Knights will look to improve on their very solid 10-12-6 record from last year. They will have a young squad going in, similar to last year. They did lose some offense, and their top goalie from last year. The returning goalies played 2 games. One of them will have to step up to repeat the moderate success they had last year. They may need to find some offense as well.

Army could make some noise early in the schedule, though. They play 3 games against American International, 2 against UConn, and Sacred Heart in their first 6 games. If they win these games, it could make for a very good season for the Black Knights.

Key number: 4 - The number of seniors on the team. They will have to lead the team to any success they have.

Key returnee: Chase Podsiad (D) - Scored 7 goals from the blue line. He added 13 assists to be among the scoring leaders for the team.

Player to watch: Luke Flicek (F) - Leading scorer from last year returns. Flicek had 9 goals and 16 assists last year.

Key loss: Brad Roberts (G) - Played 36 games last year. He had ok stats - .909 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average. What makes this loss key is that the remaining goalies don't have much experience.

Key series: 1/29-30 @ Air Force - These military academies usually play each other during the season, now they are conference games.

Projected record: 11-17

Atlantic Hockey Preview - Canisius

This is the latest team in my Atlantic Hockey preview. I pick Canisius College to finish as the 8th place team this year.

The Golden Griffins have typically been a tough team in conference play. However, last year was bad as they went 8-18-2. This included a 9 game losing streak in conference in the middle of the season. This lead to major changes in the program. Yhey only have 15 returning players on their site. They have quite a few seniors though, and they will have to mentor the whopping 15 recruits on the Heisenberg site.

This team will have some tough games out of the blocks. They start their conference play against Sacred Heart, followed by a game against RIT, and two at Holy Cross. I think this team will get some surprise wins at the end of the year. But the early part of the schedule will doom them to the lower half of the conference.

Key number: 15 - the number of recruits on the Heisenberg site. How well they work as a team will be key to the Griffins season.

Key returnee: Joey Coccimiglio (F) - He is one of the top returning scorers. He set career highs in assists and points last year. He will need to step it up a little more this year.

Player to watch: Michael Cohen (F) - Cohen had 12 goals and 20 assists to lead the team in points. He also has 79 points in his career.

Key newcomer: Bryce Luker (G) - He has a great chance to be the Grifs #1 goalie. Bryce transfered out of Michigan Tech. If he secures that spot, it will be a big boost to the team.

Key loss: Andrew Dowe (F) - Andrew was second on the team in goals last year with 11. He has posted 62 career points.

Key series: 10/27 - home against RIT. This is their best chance to win an early season conference game.

Projected record: 9-19

Atlantic Hockey Preview - UConn

This is the next team in my Atlantic Hockey preview and team I pock to be the 9th place team - The University of Connecticut.

For as much of a brand name that Connecticut has in other sports, it is surprising how little success that the Huskies have had in hockey. They have been under .500 in conference play all three years. They have a senior laden team this year, with 12 listed on their roster. However, the schedule does not do them much favors. They play conference tournament finalists Holy Cross and Bentley 4 times. They also have Sacred Heart 4 times as well.

The previous years have had an up and down feel with it, and I think this could as well. The seniors will have to play very well if this team will break the .500 mark. With the schedule breaking the way it is, I don't see that happening. I look for another season similar to last year.

Key number: 4 - Number of wins over Sacred Heart last year. Truly an odd stat since they only won 11 games last year.

Key returnee: Matt Scherer (F) - He has 40 career goals, the most of any returning player. He also has 29 assists on his career.

Player to watch: Chris Myhro (F) - He has an excellant freshman year, scoring 13 goals and 14 assists to place 3rd in scoring on the team.

Key newcomer: Alec Kirschner (F) - He tallied 52 points in 44 games in the EJHL. He will also add speed to the team.

Key loss: Chris Uber (F) - Had second most points on the team last year with 28 points (8-20).

Key series: 10/20-21 - home against Army. The Huskies will need a good start to conference season.

Projected record: 8-20

Atlantic Hockey Preview - AIC

This will start my preview of the Atlantic Hockey season. I will go in reverse order of predicted order of finish. So, I will start with the team that I predict will be #10 - The American International College Yellowjackets.

What can be said about this consistant celler dweller. The Yellowjackets have won 15 games total in conference play in the last three years. Last year, they won 6 conference games, which is a high for them. They also scored more goals than they did in conference play as well. They are making some strides towards respecatability. But they are still behind everyone in the conference. The recruiting class (per the Heisenberg site) does seem to address the scoring needs that this team has. This team will susprise some teams, but will lose more than they win again. This team will get better as the season goes on. I just think there is too much of a talent gap for them to move up in the standings.

Key number: 64 - goals scored in conference play. That ranked last in the conference.

Key returnee: Tom Fenton (G) - His stats weren't that bad. He allowed 3.51 goals per game with a .900 save percentage. But he faced almost 36 shots per game. If he can repeat the performance, and the offense picks up, he will get more wins.

Player to watch: Jereme Tendler (F) - He was the leading scorer for AIC, with 15 goals and 11 assists. He also lead the team in power play goals and game winning goals.

Key newcomer: Dean Yakura (F) - He had 34 goals and 40 assists. His offense will be huge to help Tendler in the offensive end.

Key loss: Andy Walbert (F) - He had the most career points of anyone on last years roster.

Key series: 2/16-17 home and home against UConn. That could help determine who gets home ice in the 8/9 game of the tournament.

Record: 6-22