Air Force Tabbed Tops in Atlantic Hockey by Coaches
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HAVERHILL, Mass.
-- The Atlantic Hockey Association coaches
have voted who they believe will take the regular season crown for
the 2008-09 season. Last year's tournament champion, Air
Force is the top pick in the preseason poll. The Falcons
collected seven (7) first place votes en route to 79 total
points. Air Force fell to Miami, 3-2 (OT), in the First Round
of the Northeast Regional at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.
Mercyhurst, runner-up to the Falcons in the Atlantic Hockey
Tournament, is chosen second with 70 points and one first place
vote. The other two first place votes were collected by
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), which had 68 total points
for third in the poll. Sacred Heart and Army round out the top five
with 55 and 40 points, respectively.
The final five places are garnered by Holy Cross (38 points),
Canisius (34), Connecticut (29), Bentley (26) and American
International (11). Out of the final five in the poll, only
Holy Cross (2004 and 2006) have finished atop the regular season
standings.
The 2009 Tournament will feature a different format from a year
ago. There will be two First Round contests with the
7th seed hosting the 10th seed and the
8th seed hosting the 9th seed in the single
elimination contest on Saturday, March 7. The Quarterfinal
Round will take place on the Friday, March 13-Sunday, March 15 and
feature four match-ups in a best two-out-of-three format. The
four winners will then travel to the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester,
N.Y. with the highest remaining seed facing the lowest remaining
seed in the first semifinal, with the other two remaining seeds
facing off in the second semifinal on Friday, March 20. The
two semifinal winners will then face-off in the Championship game
on Saturday, March 21 with the NCAA automatic berth on the
line.
Exhibition contests kick off the start of the Atlantic Hockey
season on Sunday, October 5 as Alberta faces Air Force, Ontario
travels to Canisius and Royal Military College takes on
Mercyhurst. Air Force and Sacred Heart open conference action
on Friday, October 10, with a two-game set in Milford.
Canisius will take on Ferris State for two, RIT will be on the road
to take on Bowling Green and Western Michigan, Mercyhurst will play
a pair at St. Cloud State, while Connecticut takes on
Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska-Fairbanks at the Kendall Hockey Classic
in Anchorage. Holy Cross will take on Prince Edward in an
exhibition contest on Friday, October 10.
The Atlantic Hockey Association arose on June 30, 2003, to found a new Division-I men's ice hockey conference. The league is comprised of ten members: Air Force Academy, American International College, Army, Bentley College, Canisius College, University of Connecticut, College of the Holy Cross, Mercyhurst College, Rochester Institute of Technology and Sacred Heart University.
2007-08 Atlantic Hockey Association Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Air Force (7)...................................................................... 79
2. Mercyhurst (1)................................................................. 70
3. Rochester Instit. Of. Tech. (2)......................................... 68
4. Sacred Heart..................................................................... 55
5. Army................................................................................. 40
6. Holy Cross........................................................................ 38
7. Canisius............................................................................ 34
8. Connecticut...................................................................... 29
9. Bentley.............................................................................. 26
10. American International.................................................. 11
(First Place votes)
