Atlantic Hockey Season Preview on Inside College Hockey

Click here to read Ken McMillan's article on the Inside College Hockey website.

THE SKINNY

It’s a brand new world in Atlantic Hockey, which seems to defy its name with the addition of two programs located closer to the Great Lakes than the ocean shoreline. The arrival of Robert Morris and Niagara brings membership to an all-time high of 12 schools, matching ECAC Hockey and the WCHA for the most members. The consensus seems to be that Robert Morris and Niagara will be able to fit in quite nicely and compete for spots in the upper half of the league.

Rochester Institute of Technology won its first Atlantic Hockey tournament and stunned some folks with NCAA tourney wins over Denver and New Hampshire in the East Region. Wisconsin put an end to matters with an 8-1 victory at the Frozen Four. The Tigers return their offense practically intact, but the defense took some major hits.

Mercyhurst has enough scorers and a solid starter in nets to make things interesting. Air Force has been the most successful team since joining the league, and if coach Frank Serratore can find a suitable replacement for Andrew Volkening in nets, these Falcons can still fly.

Atlantic Hockey can thank the National Hockey League and its turn to the outside for Winter Classics for beefing up its profile. Robert Morris and RIT will play a Dec. 30 game at Pittsburgh’s new Consol Energy Arena, a prelude to the New Year’s Day outdoor contest between the Penguins and Capitals at Heinz Field. The University of Connecticut will host Sacred Heart in an outdoor game at Rentschler Field on Feb. 13.

The league will feature a unique playoff format for the coming season. The schedule will feature more games inside two pods: the Western pod includes Air Force, RMC, Niagara, Mercyhurst, Canisius and RIT; the Eastern pod includes Army, Holy Cross, Connecticut, Sacred Heart, Bentley and American International. While the standings are technically one division, the league will be split into East and West pods for the first round with the top two teams receiving byes and the next four paired off. For the quarterfinals, all the remaining eight teams will be paired off based on the standings.

PRIMED FOR A FALL

Sacred Heart may have surprised some people by responding well to a late coaching change but C.J. Marottolo did a fine job leading the Pioneers to 21 overall wins and a berth in the Atlantic Hockey finals. The team, however, lost eight seniors from last season, including their first-, second-, fifth- and seventh-leading scorers, accounting for 66 of the team’s 131 goals. Nine freshmen will be introduced to the lineup so there should be quite a bit of shuffling in the units.

PRESSURE TO PERFORM

With a two-game sweep by Canisius, Mercyhurst failed to reach the semifinal round of the Metro Atlantic or Atlantic Hockey tournaments for the first time this decade. Coach Rick Gotkin has a club that is ready to challenge for another championship. Mike Gurtler and Brandon Coccimiglio both scored 14 goals a year ago, with Grant Blakey and Steve Cameron each reaching double digits – all four are back. Plus, the Lakers have one more season with Ryan Zapolski in nets. The time is now for Mercyhurst to get back in the title picture. Mercyhurst went 0-8 in out-of-conference games last season, but the Lakers got off to a good start with a 4-4 draw at Michigan. Could it be a sign of things to come?

TOUGHEST ACT TO FOLLOW

You can’t go much further than Rochester Institute of Technology did last spring, falling in the national semifinals. The Tigers have been a regular-season title contender since their arrival to Atlantic Hockey and finally broke through last season with its first playoff title. A couple wins in the NCAA tournament led to a Frozen Four visit – and subsequent quick exit thanks to Wisconsin. RIT has been picked by the coaches to win the regular season title once again but it will be a decidedly tougher road with some crucial defensive losses. Dan Ringwald and Al Mazur have graduated and Chris Tanev signed a pro deal with the Canucks after one successful season. Goalie Jared DeMichiel takes his 41 career wins to the pro ranks. Granted, Wayne Wilson has proven he can recruit and the Tigers have quite a bit of offense returning but that high-powered offense may be needed until sophomore Shane Madolora and senior Jan Ropponen settle into the nets.

BEST PLAYER

Air Force forward Jacques Lamoureux of Air Force is an All-American and a Hobey Baker finalist from two years ago, and his skills have not waned. His 42 points last season would be welcome for most players but that might have been considered a “down” year for Lamoureux, who stirred the nation with 33 goals and 53 points in 2008-09. He is a proven success on special teams, netting 28 of his 55 goals on the power play, and adding 40 helpers for 95 career points. Before he goes off to serve his country, Lamoureux would sure like one more crack at another league title.

IMPACT NEWCOMERS

Throwing a life-jacket to Niagara and Robert Morris was a good thing for Atlantic Hockey and for all of college hockey, as a matter of fact. The two programs bring instant credibility to their new digs, as evidenced by the coaches’ preseason poll selection as co-number four picks. Niagara is 8-1-1 against Atlantic Hockey foes the past three seasons and Robert Morris is 3-0-1 (all against American International).

UNSUNG PLAYER

Derrick Burnett of Air Force has recorded 25 goals and 83 points over his first three seasons, playing in the shadow of all-stars Eric Ehn and Jacques Lamoureux. Last season he ranked second on the team in goals (10) and points (33). Burnett has developed a reputation for producing in the clutch, tallying in NCAA contests against Miami and Michigan and setting up a go-ahead goal in a playoff win over Army last season. Burnett plays smart and rugged.

BURNING QUESTIONS

Many coaches have said Gary Wright has done a good job with recruiting in recent years but when will American International escape the clutches of the Atlantic Hockey basement?

The addition of Penn State to the Division I ranks will surely set in motion some major shifts in league alignments in a couple years. Some coaches are already saying a 12-team Atlantic Hockey may be too big, so will some members look to jump ship if spots open up in the other leagues?

The footprint of Atlantic Hockey covers media markets stretching from Boston to Buffalo, and Pittsburgh through New York – not to mention an outpost in Colorado. When will this league finally secure significant regional and national television deals? If you can’t expose your product, you can’t grow.

Chris Tanev left RIT after one season to sign with the Canucks. Dave Kostuch of Canisius, the 2009 league rookie of the year, set aside his final two seasons to play professionally in Poland. With the caliber of recruits in Atlantic Hockey on the rise, how many more players are going to leave early?

Will the addition of Robert Morris and Niagara contribute positively to Atlantic Hockey’s woeful out-of-conference record from recent years? Only time will tell.

MARK IT DOWN
Four things you can take to the bank in Atlantic Hockey this season

• The Atlantic Hockey tournament should be more exciting this season with the addition of Niagara and Robert Morris.

• Rochester Institute of Technology is going to struggle a bit more on the defensive end, now that the Tigers have lost goalie Jared DeMichiel, all-stars Dan Ringwald and Al Mazur, and talented freshman Chris Tanev to the pro ranks.

• The West will rise. If the coaches’ preseason poll is any indication, the top six teams all hail from the league’s “western pod.”

• The Niagara-Canisius rivalry will become more spirited now that there’s more at stake in league play.