Preview of Inaugural Atlantic Hockey Championship Hosted by Army

December 22, 2003

Wakefield Mass. - - Army's Tate Rink will make history this year as it has been selected to host the inaugural Atlantic Hockey Championship. The single elimination tournament begins on Friday, March 12 with the play-in game followed by the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 13 and the semifinals on Sunday, March 14. The pairings for the tournament are determined by regular season standings. The first Atlantic Hockey Champion will be crowned on either Friday, March 19 or Saturday, March 20. Game time for the championship is still to be determined. The Atlantic Hockey Tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA's.

Tate Rink opened its doors for the first time on October 25, 1985. On that night, the Black Knights skated to a 5-0 win over Ryerson Tech. Army's home ice boasts the largest seating capacity of any Atlantic Hockey rink at 2,648. In addition, the facility offers several amenities that make it one of the best rinks in the East. The ice is serviced by a state of the art "direct liquid-refrigerant circulation system," which is operated by two 68-ton defoggers for dehumidification. The press box is a three tiered set up, which includes a camera deck for television and radio broadcasts.

The seating in the rink is comprised of chair back seats, fixed bench bleachers, standing room areas and handicapped-access platforms. All seating is close to the ice so there is not a bad seat in the house.

Atlantic Hockey is comprised of nine teams all of which will compete for the championship. The nine charter members are: American International College (Yellow Jackets), Army (Black Knights), Bentley College (Falcons), Canisius College (Golden Griffins), University of Connecticut (Huskies), Holy Cross (Crusaders), Mercyhurst (Lakers), Quinnipiac (Bobcats), and Sacred Heart University (Pioneers).

Please continue to support your favorite Atlantic Hockey team by following them on www.atlantichockeyonline.com. Starting January 7, 2004 a feature article of each Atlantic Hockey member institution will appear on the website.

Championship Schedule

Play-in Game March 12 at 7 p.m.

Game 1 - #9 Seed vs. #8 Seed

Saturday, March 13

Session 1

Game 2 - 10:00 a.m.

Game 3 - 1:15 p.m.

Session 2

Game 4 - 5:30 p.m.

Game 5 - 8:45 p.m.

Sunday, March 14

Game 6 - 4:30 p.m.

Game 7 - 7:45 p.m.

Championship Game - Friday or Saturday, March 19 or 20, 2004 - Game time TBA