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Atlantic Hockey Weekly Award Winners for Games Through December 10
Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week
	ALEXANDRE PARENT - SACRED HEART Senior, Forward, Boisbriand, QUE  Parent registered two goals and two assists in the Pioneers win over Bentley Wednesday night. He figured in on four straight SHU goals, assisting on the third goal, scoring the fourth and fifth goals and then assisting on the sixth goal, which turned out to be the game winner. The captain has now taken over the team lead with six goals on the year.
Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week
	ANDREW LOEWEN - CANISIUS Sophomore, Goaltender, Winnipieg, MAN  Loewen had an outstanding weekend in net, recording 72 saves to help lead the Griffs to two ties against Atlantic Hockey's top team. In the first game of the series, the sophomore posted 32 saves against the league's top scoring team and held the Falcons without a power play goal in seven attempts. During the finale, Loewen stopped a season-best 40 shots, including 20 in a scoreless third period and three in overtime, to help the Griffs earn the tie. Loewen stopped the last 30 shots on goal and once agains was impressive on the power play. The Falcons went only 1-for-6 on the extra-man advantage with its lone conversion on a 5-on-3 power play. In total, Loewen helped kill 12-of-13 power plays against the Falcons, who entered the game converting 44.4 percent of its power play attempts in their last three games.
Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week
	DAN RAMIREZ - AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL Freshman, Goaltender, Rochester, N.Y. Ramirez earned two victories in three total contests this week. He stopped 21 shots giving up only one goal against UConn before stopping 25 shots and again giving up only one goal against RIT. He turned away 30 shots in Saturday's setback to the Tigers. For the week, Ramirez had a 2.33 goals-against-average and a .904 save percentage.
Atlantic Hockey Honor Roll
Jeff Hajner, Air Force (So, F, Las Vegas, Nev.) - Currently has a five-game scoring streak (3-3-6), the longest active streak on the team...On Friday, he assisted on Josh Schaffer's goal that tied the game at 2-2 after AFA trailed 2-0 in the game...Hajner then gave AFA a 3-2 lead with his goal at 12:07 of the third period. Canisius came back to tie the game and force the overtime tie...On Saturday, his goal broke a 2-2 tie early in the second period and gave AFA a 3-2 lead. Canisius came back to tie the game and force the overtime tie...AFA's second-leading scorer with 14 points in 16 games. Jereme Tendler, American International (Sr, F, Viceroy, SASK) - Tendler recorded the first goal of the game in Friday evening's 4-1 victory over RIT. He also tallied an assist on the final score of the contest. In Tuesday's win over UConn, Tendler earned two assists giving him four points for the week. Tom Dickhudt, Bentley (Jr, F, Woodbury, Minn.) - Dickhudt scored a goal on Saturday at Massachusetts-Lowell after tallying an assist on Wednesday against Sacred Heart. Erik Peterson, Bentley (Fr, F, Shorewood, Minn.) - Peterson scored his fourth goal of the season to tie the game on Wednesday against Sacred Heart. Dain Prewitt, Bentley (So, F, Westminster, Colo.) - Prewitt scored two goals and added an assist this week, all in the third period on Wednesday against Sacred Heart. Three points in a period matches Bentley's Division I record. David Kasch, Canisius (Sr, F, Sault Ste. Marie, ONT) - Kasch helped lead the Griffs to two ties against the Atlantic Hockey-leading Air Force Falcons. During the two-game series, Kasch totaled three points on one goal and two assists. He tallied two assists in the opener, including setting up the Griffs first short-handed goal of the season in the first period. Kasch skated down the ice and then waited for multiple Air Force defenders to collapse around him before finding a wide-open teammate for the score. Then with the Griffs trailing late in the game, Kasch assisted on the game-tying score with just 1:27 left in regulation. During the finale, the senior helped the Griffs fight back from an early 2-0 deficit. He scored with just four seconds left in the first period with his first power-play goal of the season to lead the Griffs to a tie for the second-consecutive night. Kasch was also a key defender during the series. He anchored a penalty kill unit that allowed only one power-play goal in 13 chances (on a 5-on-3 power play). Air Force entered the series converting 44.4 percent of its extra-man opportunities during its last three games. He also blocked numerous shots in the Canisius defensive zone, including two key blocks in overtime during the opener. Vincent Scarsella, Canisius (Fr, F, Lackawanna, N.Y.) - Scarsella had a very impressive weekend to help lead the Griffs to two ties against the league's top team. In the first game, the rookie knotted the game with 1:27 left in regulation to help lead the Griffs to the tie. In the series finale, Scarsella helped lead the Griffs back from an early two-goal. Trailing 2-0 in the first, the freshman found an open Chris Forsman on the power play for the Griffs' first goal of the evening. As time was winding down in the first period, Scarsella grabbed the puck off the boards and found an open David Kasch, who scored with four seconds left in the frame. Scarsella ranks first in Atlantic Hockey for scoring among rookies with 13 points on five goals and eight assists. Iam Dams, Holy Cross (So, G, Manotick, ONT) - Dams stopped 33 of 35 shots in the 2-2 tie with Merrimack on Tuesday. Dams is now 2-1-2 on the season. Everett Sheen, Holy Cross (Fr, F, Lethbridge, ALB) - Sheen tied the game at 2-2 with his team-leading eighth goal of the season with 28 seconds left in the second period against Merrimack on Tuesday. Sheen has scored seven goals in teh last four games. Dave Grimson, Sacred Heart (Jr, F, Mozat, SASK) - Grimson figured in on half of the Pioneer goals against Bentley, registering three assists. He had the primary assists on SHU's third, fifth and the game-winning sixth goal. Grimson is now tied for the lead in scoring among SHU defensemen with two goals and five assists, seven points on the year.
Atlantic Hockey Team Notes
Air Force: AFA extended its unbeaten streak to six games, the third-longest streak in the nation...AFA is 3-0-3 in the last six games and 4-1-3 in the last eight...AFA outshot Canisius, 78-44, in the two game series...AFA's power-play had connected on 44 percent of its chances in the previous six games, but was just 1-for-13 vs. the Griffs...Brent Olson tied his career-best with two goals on Saturday...Eric Ehn's seven-game point streak ended on Friday. He came back with two assists on Saturday...Senior Josh Schaffer scored his first goal of the season on Friday. He also added an assist in the game...Air Force and Canisius have played six times in the last 12 months and each team has won two with two ending in ties...Eric Ehn is ninth in the nation with 21 points in 16 games and is second in the nation in assists with 15...With Ehn's two points, he moved into a tie for 12th place in career scoring at the Academy. He now has 142 points in 124 games. His 142 points tie as the most by any player in the last 22 years at Air Force...Defenseman Greg Flynn has an assist in four of his last five games...With his two goals on Saturday, Brent Olson has scored a goal in three of his last four games. He has a point in five of his last six games...Senior Josh Print returned to the lineup after an ankle injury and has two assists in his last three games...Over the last eight games, the Falcons are allowing just 18 shots per game...Five of Air Force's games this season have gone into overtime. AFA is 1-1-3 in those games...Air Force enters the holiday break with nine wins to tie the most in school history...The Falcons are now off for finals and the holidays until Dec. 29-30 at the Dodge Holiday Classic in Minneapolis, Minn. American International: The AIC hockey team went 2-1-0 in three contests over the week. The Jackets started by grabbing a 4-1 win over UConn Tuesday evening. AIC then went 1-1-0 against the RIT Tigers over the weekend. Friday's 4-1 win marked the first time the Yellow Jackets have recorded a victory against RIT. Prior to Friday's contest, RIT held an 8-0-1 record against AIC. The Yellow Jackets have shown significant improvement this season. The team now has four wins after Friday's contest. Last year, it took AIC until January 19th to earn their fourth triumph. Head Coach Gary Wright is now only a win away from recording his 250th career victory. AIC improved on their power-play kill over the weekend. The Yellow Jackets killed-off nine out of 10 RIT man advantages. Sophomore Mike McMillan and senior Jereme Tendler are tired for the team-lead with 15 total points. Both players have six goals and nine assists to their credit. The Yellow Jackets will head on the road to battle Mercyhurst this weekend. Army: Sophomore forward Owen Meyer was named the Atlantic Hockey Association Player of the Month ... Meyer had eight goals and eight assists during a 5-2-2- month ... Meyer is riding an eight-game scoring streak ... The Black Knights are idle until December 29 and 30 when they will compete in the Toyota/UConn Tournament. Army will play a league game against Connecticut at 7 p.m. on Saturday and play either Ferris State or Brown a day later ... Senior alternate captain Luke Flicek is approaching the 100-point mark. Flicek has 33 goals and 63 assists over his four years and needs four points to reach triple figures ... Army will continue to practice this week before exams and a short holiday break. Bentley: Bentley dropped a pair this week, falling to Sacred Heart on Wednesday by a 6-5 score and losing at Massachusetts-Lowell on Saturday by a 4-1 margin ... The Falcons are now winless in their last five games, going 0-4-1 in that stretch ... Junior Dain Prewitt recorded his second three-point game on the season, scoring two goals and adding an assist all in the third period of Wednesday's game against Sacred Heart ... Three goals in a period ties the Bentley Division I record ... Freshman Jeremy Robert notched his first career point with an assist on junior Tom Dickhudt's goal on Saturday at Massachusetts-Lowell ... Bentley is back in action on Jan. 4, visiting Canisius to open a two-game series in Amherst, N.Y. Canisius: The Griffs battled to two draws against the Atlantic Hockey-leading Air Force Falcons during the weekend. It was the first time since Jan. 10 and 11, 2003 that Canisius posted back-to-back ties in a weekend series (Lake Superior State). Sophomore Andrew Loewen anchored a strong defensive showing against the league's top-scoring offense, posting 72 saves during the two-game set. Loewen recorded a season-best 40 saves in the finale, including the last 30 shots he faced. On the offensive end, senior David Kasch and freshman Vincent Scarsella led the Griffs with three points each on one goal and two assists. Scarsella now leads Atlantic Hockey for scoring among freshmen with 13 points on five goals and eight assists. Sophomore Jason Weeks also posted two goals during the series, extending his goal-scoring streak to a career-best four games. After a slow start, Weeks, who led the Griffs with 15 goals in his rookie season, has now recorded seven points on five goals and six assists. Sophomore Josh Heidinger and junior Spencer Churchill also added two assists each for the Griffs during the weekend. For Heidinger, it raised his career point total to 50 points, becoming the 17th player in school history since Canisius moved to Division I to reach the plateau. He is also only the second sophomore to reach the 50-point plateau in the program's Division I history (David Deeves). This season, Heidinger ranks fifth in Atlantic Hockey with 16 points, eighth with seven goals and seventh with nine assists. Churchill's two assists gave him nine on the season, setting a new career-best for assists and matching his personal-best total in points. Churchill is tied with Heidinger for seventh in Atlantic Hockey with nine assists. Canisius started the games strong on the offensive end. The Griffs had not scored a first-period goal since Nov. 10 and had only totaled five goals in the opening frame during the first 15 games of the season. However, during the weekend, Canisius scored four first-period goals, nearly doubling its season total. The Griffs continued to be impressive on the penalty kill during the weekend series. Canisius killed 12-of-13 power plays against Air Force with the Falcons' only goal coming on a 5-on-3 power play. Air Force entered the series converting 44.4 percent of its extra-man opportunities during its last three games. The Falcons power-play goal on Saturday was the first allowed by the Griffs in league play since Nov. 9. It was also the first allowed by Loewen in league play since Oct. 26. Canisius is off for the next three weeks before resuming play against Niagara on Dec. 30. The two rivals will meet at the Buffalo State Sports Arena in a Battle of the Bridge contest. Connecticut: Sean Erickson continues to rise in the national statistics compared to other defensemen. With 11 points in 13 games, his 0.85 points per game average ranks him in a tie for 10th among all Division I defenseman. Andrew Olson has also positioned himself on the points list in the forwards category. His nine points in 14 games gives him a 0.64 points per game average, which ranks in a tie for 36th. Olson is also in a tie for 64th among all players with a 0.43 goals per game average. In the five seasons of Atlantic Hockey, the Huskies have traditionally struggled in the first 10 conference games of the season. Their records over the past five years are: 2003-04 - 2-5-3; 2004-05 - 2-7-1; 2005-06 - 4-6-0; 2006-07 - 4-6-0; 2007-08 - 3-6-1. Connecticut traditionally has gotten better as the season has gotten further along, especially after the holiday break. The best example of that would be last season, where the Huskies closed on a 11-5-0 run in their last 16 AHA games to finish the season at 15-11 and a fifth place conference finish. Coach Marshall's Toyota UConn Classic is running its 15th annual edition later this month. Army, Brown and Ferris State are this year's invitees. As has been a tradition for UConn since joining Division I, their opening round game will double as a conference game as they face Army in the second game on December 29. In the first 14 years, Connecticut has won the tournament three times. Last season they made it to the Championship game after defeating AHA rival Holy Cross 2-1, but fell 3-1 to Colgate in the final. Brown won the tournament in 2004, the only year it has participated in the event. Ferris State participated in 2002, while Army participated in both 1995 and 2005. Despite being less than halfway through his sophomore year, and only being the starting goaltender for 21 out of 36 games his freshman year, with 50 more saves (he currently has 939), Beau Erickson will move into fifth place all-time on the Husky Division I career list. Holy Cross: With the 2-2 tie with Merrimack on December 4, Holy Cross is now 3-1-1 in its last five games against teams from Hockey East. This season the Crusaders won at Providence by a score of 6-4 on October 20, 2007. Last season, the Crusaders fell to Northeastern, 7-2, on December 30, 2006, while they defeated Merrimack, 2-1, on October 24, 2006. Two seasons ago the Crusaders earned a 3-2 win at UMass-Amherst on October 21, 2005. Holy Cross' 29.6 power play percentage is ranked first in the nation. The Crusaders are 21-71 on power play opportunities, including a 3-5 performance at Providence (10/20), a 3-7 performance at Mercyhurst (10/26), a 3-8 performance against Army (11/4) and a 3-8 performance against Connecticut (12/1). Freshman Everett Sheen has scored seven goals in the last four games as his eight goals so far this season lead the team. Senior Dale Reinhardt has at least one point in 10 games this season. Mercyhurst: Mercyhurst will conclude the 2007 portion of the schedule next weekend when it entertains American International College at 7pm Friday and Saturday. The Lakers lead the all-time series 21-2-1, but split two games in Springfield, Mass. last season. The Yellow Jackets 4-2 win on Friday, December 1, 2006, snapped a 15-game losing streak in the series. The Lakers came back to win the next evening 8-3. AIC has never beaten Mercyhurst in Erie (0-9-1). The Lakers haven't played since a 5-2 win over Canisius December 1. After being blanked 4-0 by the Golden Griffins the previous night in Buffalo, 12 different players recorded points the next evening in Erie. Senior Kerry Bowman recorded the second two-goal game of his career and tallied the second shorthanded goal of his career. Junior defenseman Kirk Medernach also scored shorthanded. It was his 3rd career goal and second goal in his last three games. The Lakers have scored 4 shorthanded goals this season. They had only two in all of 2006-07. Freshman Dan Bremner scored his first collegiate goal Saturday. Freshman Mike Gurtler also scored in the 5-2 win and has two goals in his last three games. The win was the 350th in the Mercyhurst coaching career of head coach Rick Gotkin. Rochester Institute of Technology: The Tigers had a five game unbeaten streak snapped on Friday with a 4-1 loss at AIC. The loss was also the first for RIT against the Yellow Jackets in 10 games. RIT had a 9-1-1 all-time record versus the Yellow Jackets. The Tigers rebounded with a 5-0 win on Saturday. Matt Crowell and Jesse Newman each scored a pair of goals. Stevan Matic and Anton Kharin each posted their first points of the season on Saturday. Each had a pair of assists. Simon Lambert also chipped in a pair of assists. Louis Menard had to make just 17 saves on Saturday as RIT's defense tightened. The Tigers stopped AIC in all three of their power play attempts. RIT is off until December 29 when they travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota. They will play the Gophers in the Dodge Holiday Classic. Sacred Heart: The Pioneers posted a 6-5 win over Bentley Wednesday night. Senior Alex Parent had two goals and two assists while Dave Grimson had three helpers to lead the SHU attack. Parent's two assists give him 71 for his career, moving him into fourth place all-time in assists. Sophomore Nick Johnson had two assists to extend his point scoring streak to 10 straight games. Bear Trapp had an assist while Erik Boisvert had two points. Both players have now recorded points in eight of nine games. Junior Stefan Drew made 31 saves in net and has now stopped at least 25 shots in 11 of his 12 starts. The Pioneers are off until December 28 when they face Denver University in the first round of the Denver Cup.