Atlantic Hockey Preview - UConn

Now we get to the teams that are projected to have home ice in the first round of the AHA playoffs. I predict that UConn will be the fifth place team in the conference.

UConn enjoyed it's finest season since the 1999-2000 season when the Huskies posted 16 wins. They rallied with 7 wins in their last 10 games to get the achivement. That included a AHA tournament win before they lost to Army in the AHA semifinals.

The offense for UConn will feature a lot of new players. They lost a lot of scoring from last year. Leading the charge for the Huskies will be junior Chris Myhro. Myhro had 20 goals and 11 assists last year. He will be counted on to do the same this year. There were some freshman last year that chipped in last year. They will need to improve the power play from last year. The Huskies only scored on 14.9% of their chances last year. If some of last year's freshman improve from last year and some of this year's freshman step up, the Huskies could find themselves in the AHA Final Five again.

The defensemen for the Huskies will be a mix of youth and experience. They have 5 returning defensemen from last year. They were decent last year - allowing 31.8 shots on goal last year. They also allowed scores on 18.7% of opponents power plays. They are bringing in 5 freshman to attempt to replace the 3 seniors from last year. They will be counted on to keep up these stats.

The real backbone and strength of the Huskies is at goaltender. Beau Erickson is one of the better goaltenders in the league and will definately be a factor in the AHA race. Erickson had great numbers last year. He posted a 2.92 goals against average last year with a .907 save percentage. He was a big reason why UConn made it as far as they did last year. He will be the reason why I don't think they will slide that far back in the standings.

UConn has holes in it's team from last year. They lost a lot of seniors from last year's outstanding season. However, they found a goaltender that they can hang their hat on for the next couple years. If the freshman do real well, they could be higher. But I think this is the ceiling for UConn at this time.

Projected record: 16-12

Atlantic Hockey Preview - Holy Cross

My picks for 6th place in the Atlantic Hockey Association makes it's home in Worcester, MA - Holy Cross.

A couple years ago, the Crusadors made history as the first Atlantic Hockey Association team to win an NCAA tournament game with a victory over Minnesota. However, they could not follow up that majical season with a good one last year. Last year, Holy Cross only won 10 games, their lowest amount of wins since the 2000-01 season.

The offense was not deep last year lose a couple of key players. This may put more pressure on Dale Reinhardt to lead this group. He is by far the best returning forward from last years team. He scored 16 goals and had 18 assists. The next highest leading goal scorer had 7. They bring in 4 freshman forwards, and they may be looked at to make some major contributions right away.

The defensive side of the ice is very experienced. The Crusadors have 4 senior defensemen this year. They were very good last year as well. They only allowed 28.4 shots on goal per game. When you do that, you give yourself a change to win. They allowed goals on 20.1% of opponent's power play chances, which could be improved upon. This group should play well and keep the Cross in many games.

Holy Cross will need better contributions from their goaltending to get back to being an elite team in the conference. Ian Dams played the most games and had the best stats. He had very ordinary stats at best with a 3.23 goals against average and a .888 save percentage. Charlie Lockwood is the other returning goalie - and he wasn't much better. Freshman Adam Roy could come into play for Holy Cross if neither goalie does well.

The problems at goaltender could really be the downfall of Holy Cross. The defense should be solid and the offense could do enough. I think this group will be incosistant early on at least.

Projected record: 14-14

Atlantic Hockey Preview - Mercyhurst

My tour of the Atlantic Hockey Association finds us in Erie, PA to talk about the Mercyhurst Lakers. They are my pick to finish 7th.

Mercyhurst has traditionally been one of the stronger teams in Atlantic Hockey. They have 2 regular season titles and 3 conference tournament titles. However, last year was a down year for the Lakers as they only managed 9 wins.

The offense for the Lakers was the strong suit last year, and should be pretty solid again this year. They scored 3.5 goals per game, among the best in the conference. The top scorer from last year, Ben Cottreau returns for his senior year. He has scored an impressive 120 points during his carreer. He was a big part of a solid power play unit that scored 19.2% of the time. They also have a couple of double digit scorers that return as well in Matt Pierce and Ryan Toomey. I think this will be a big reason for Mercyhurst wins.

The defense, however, really struggled last year. They gave up a whopping 38.2 shots on goal per game in conference. They brought in some large defensemen as fresman this year to help shore up that department. It was a young defense last year, and with 3 freshman it will get younger. This may help the team down the road and I think they could be better towards the end of the year.

The Lakers have no returning goalies this year. They brought in Matt Lundin as a transfer from Maine and he will likey take the starting job. He posted solid numbers for Maine in his action there. I think he controls the destiny of the Lakers. The backup job will be Ryan Zapolsky.

This team could be a very good team if Lundin is as advertised. I think that they will be dangerous later in the season as the defense gets better. The beginning of their schedule is difficult and that could put them in a small hole. I'll give them a low number and hope they surprise.

Projected record: 12-16

Atlantic Hockey Preview - Bentley

We move to Waltham, MA for my pick for the 8th place team in the conference - the Bentley Falcons.

A couple years ago, Bentley nearly sent shock waves throughout the NCAA when they made it to the AHA championship game and a win would have put them in the tournament and Holy Cross would have been an at-large bid. This made them a dark horse last year. However, they scuffled last year, particularly at the end.

The offense that was supposed to be much better only had marginal improvement. The good news is that most of their top scorers are returning. Jeff Gumaer and Dain Prewitt each had double digit goals and are juniors this year. But they need to gel better this year, particularly on special teams. They scored on a paltry 11.8% of their power play chances. This unit must improve though in order to be competitive in the AHA.

Defensively, the Falcons were not that bad. They allowed only 30.1 shots on goal per game. They were respectable in penalty kill - only allowing goals on 17.9% of opponents power plays. This in an experienced bunch as well. The three seniors will be expected to mark opponents and keep the other teams from getting good chances.

The weakest link for Bentley is their goaltending. Jason Kearney is the most experienced goalie on the roster. But in two years, he has only played 18 games. His numbers are respectable on his career - 3.44 goals against average and .898 save percentage. Nick Moise is also a junior but has only played 4 games in this career. Joe Calvi is a freshman and may get some playing time if Kearney and Moise can't do the job.

I don't know what to make of this team. Last year, I picked them too high and they dissappointed. This team could be like UConn last year. However, I think inexperience in net will really do in the Falcons as they don't have the offense to make up for it.

Projected record: 8-20

Atlantic Hockey Preview - AIC

AIC is the next team I will preview. I predict they will finish 9th in the AHA this year.

American International has traditionally been one of the bottom teams in the Atlantic Hockey Association. However, they have shown a LITTLE improvement - increasing their win totals the last couple years. There is a chance that this could continue, but I am taking a bit of a show me on them.

The offense for AIC has been the biggest problem over the years. Jerome Tendler was their only double digit goal scorer last year. Fortunately, he comes back for his senior season. There some seem to be some help in this area in the recruits. TJ Smith, Tom Mele, and Steve McLeod had some impressive statistics in their junior leagues. They are especially needed to help an anemic power play that only connected on 10% of their chances last year. Getting those stats up should be a top priority for the team.

The defence showed some improvement last year. They allowed only 30.6 shots on goal in conference action. The penalty kill allowed goals on only 17.6% of opponent's chances. When you do that, you have an opportunity to win games. They graduated one defenseman, so the rest of the group will need to step up. If that happens, AIC will be in some games and could steal some.

The main goalie for AIC is one of their best players. Tom Fenton's return from his groin injury was a big reason for them getting 6 wins after the new year when only getting 2 before then. His numbers are not great - 3.75 goals against average and .876 save percentage. He is certainly capable of better numbers - especially if he gets some offensive support. Coby Robinson and Matt Tourville backed Fenton up - and they are adequate at best. Fenton will get the vast majority of the time.

This team is going to win some games that it should not. I don't know if they have the offense yet to play with the top teams. I think they start to escape the cellar and will put some wins together. I'm giving them a low projection, but I think they could do better.

Projected record: 6-22

Atlantic Hockey Preview - Canisius

This is the first in my series of AHA previews as I count down where I think everyone will finish. My pick for 10th place - Canisius.

The Canisius Griffins have hit hard times on the ice lately. The last couple of years have seen them win 19 games combined. I think it will be hard pressed for them to get that much more.

One of the problems the Griffins have is the last of scoring punch on the team. Only 3 players posted double digits in goals last year - and one of those players graduated. The team only scored 2.46 goals per game overall and 2.71 goals in conference play. The good news is that they are a young team and will be able to gel into a good team. Some really key players to watch for are Jason Weeks and Josh Heidinger. Teams will be keying on those two players for the most part. If these players can get some of the other players going, this team will surprise some teams.

The defence is the most expecienced part of the team. There are 2 seniors and 1 junior among the blue liners. They did allow a respectable 31 shots on goal per game in conference play. But when you average over 19 PIMS per game, you have to be on your toes. This team will need to help lock down some of the key scorers for other teams. If they can keep things close, they have a chance.

Starting in goal will likely be Andrew Loewen. He is a freshman who played pretty will for the Griffins. He allowed 2.75 goals per game in conference action and had a .910 save percentage. Those are solid numbers for a freshman. He will be asked to step up a little more. Backing him up will be senior Bryce Luker and freshman Taylor Anderson. Luker is coming off a miserable senior season where he did not win a game and posted a 4.98 goals against average and a .851 save percentage.

I don't see this team being much of a factor in the chase for the Atlantic Hockey title this year. I expect that they may improve as the season goes on, but I think this program has hit rock bottom and will go back up from here next year.

Projected record: 5-23