Weekend Preview: Battle For First Takes Place Friday Night
Home Ice Picture Will Gain Focus After Weekend
Weekend Preview (PDF)

Sacred Heart entered the week with a slim lead in the Atlantic Hockey standings, and before the Pioneers were able to hit the ice this coming weekend, they found themselves knocked into second place. Holy Cross gained the advantage with a Tuesday night shutout of Connecticut on the road, 5-0, moving back into first with a one point lead over the Pioneers. Now the two teams are on a collision course for Friday evening in Milford for the final meeting between the two squads this season. The winner of the series may have the extra edge needed come the end of the regular season in Atlantic Hockey.

The last time the Crusaders made the trip to Sacred Heart on January 4, they had to mount a comeback from a two-goal deficit before finally winning the contest in overtime. Sacred Heart returned the favor last Friday night in Worcester, scoring twice in the first and second frames for an empty-net 5-3 win over Holy Cross. Both teams have impressed down the stretch - Holy Cross is 5-2-1 in its last eight Atlantic Hockey outings, while Sacred Heart is 6-2-0 in its last eight league contests. Scheduling seems to favor the Crusaders after the weekend, as they will host Mercyhurst for two and close out the season with a home-and-home series against Bentley. Sacred Heart will wrap up the weekend of play on the road at American International on Saturday. Two games each against Quinnipiac and Mercyhurst still remain for the Pioneers.

While the top two teams in Atlantic Hockey duke it out Friday evening, third-place Canisius will head to fourth-place Quinnipiac in another battle for positioning. The Golden Griffins and Bobcats have already met once this season in Buffalo, a 4-4 tie on January 4, and both teams are still in the thick of a battle for home ice in the Quarterfinal round of the Atlantic Hockey playoffs. Neither squad can afford to fall victim to a weekend sweep, with Mercyhurst nipping at the heels of both squads.

Speaking of the Lakers, Mercyhurst may have the best opportunity to regain admittance back into the top four in the standings this weekend. Just two points behind third-place Canisius, the Lakers will host Connecticut for a pair this weekend. While Mercyhurst has already lost the season series to both Canisius and Quinnipiac, a four-point weekend combined with a split by the Griffs and Bobcats will put the Lakers into fourth place. The Huskies aren’t out of the home ice picture yet, but they need points plus a lot of help from above them in the standings in order to stay within striking distance.

Bentley will travel to Army for two in the final series of the weekend. Both teams will be looking for some momentum heading into the postseason, and a weekend sweep by the Black Knights could not only vault them ahead of American International, but also put them within four points of seventh-place Bentley.

The home ice picture won’t come into focus until after the weekend is over. Holy Cross is the closest to securing the advantage in the quarterfinals, holding a magic number of seven over Mercyhurst. Seven points either gained by the Crusaders or lost by the Lakers will guarantee Holy Cross hosting duties. The maximum number of points either team can gain or lose this weekend is six. The two teams are slated to meet for two next weekend in Worcester.