THE SKINNY
In the ever-changing landscape of college hockey, Atlantic Hockey has remained unchanged … for now.
A handful of western-based schools in the league’s footprint held informal discussions with the shrinking Central Collegiate Hockey Association and decided Atlantic Hockey is still the best place to do business for the near future.
The league championship remains the exclusive property of Air Force and Rochester Institute of Technology. Air Force has won four of the past five playoff titles, reclaiming the championship by virtue of a hard-fought 1-0 victory over RIT in last season’s finals. RIT has plenty of regular-season championship banners but only one playoff title, in 2010. By count of the coaches’ preseason votes, RIT and Air Force will battle it out for first place once again with 2006 champ Holy Cross primed to make a run as well.
The league will change playoff formats for the ninth year in a row, only this time it seems to meet approval with most if not all of the coaches. Scheduling will remain weighted based on geography but gone is the controversial East and West pod playoff format for the opening round. The league standings are based on one division with the top four teams receiving first-round byes and the next eight paired off regardless of geography. The single-game playoffs for the first round have been replaced with best-of-three series.
PRIMED FOR A FALL
Don’t be surprised if Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin has to resort to using name tags for a Laker roster that has undergone major changes. Gone are 10 skaters and long-time starting netminder Ryan Zapolski, who had 48 wins in 109 appearances. Top scorers Scott Pitt (41 points) and Mike Gurtler (28 points) have graduated, leaving junior Paul Chiasson (17 goals, 37 points) as the leading returnee. Taylor Holstrom earned Atlantic Hockey’s rookie of the year award following a 33-point season, but decided to take his talents to Happy Valley for the Penn State’s upcoming varsity program. Same too for defenseman Nate Jensen. New to the team are a dozen freshman, making it one of the largest recruiting classes in the nation. Gotkin has done a fine job bringing in top scorers to the league through the years. but talent needs time to develop.
PRESSURE TO PERFORM
RIT goaltender Shane Madolora led the NCAA with a .935 save percentage last season and ranked third nationally in goals against average and winning percentage.
Rochester Institute of Technology has excelled since its addition to the league but the Tigers have only one playoff title to their credit. The Tigers stunned the college hockey world with a run to the 2010 Frozen Four and came within one goal of returning to the NCAAs last season. The regular-season banners are nice but now that the fans have had a taste of NCAA success, anything short of that will be a disappointment.
TOUGHEST ACT TO FOLLOW
Air Force won its fourth Atlantic Hockey playoff title in five seasons and put another scare into a quality foe in the NCAA Tournament by taking Yale into overtime before succumbing, 2-1. A return trip will be a bit more challenging with the loss of seven skaters who accounted for 50 goals and 128 points last season and 450 points in their careers. However, the Falcons are sound defensively and have a bona fide rising star in netminder Jason Torf—that should give time for the forward units to find their games.
BEST PLAYER
RIT netminder Shane Madolora burst onto the scene in a big way last season. The sophomore posted the nation’s best save percentage (.935) and ranked third in goals against average (1.93) and fourth in winning percentage (.759) with his 17-3-7 record. Madolora, who will graduate after this season with one year of eligibility remaining, deserved a better fate than his 1-0 loss to Air Force in the league championship finals, and perhaps that reminder will serve him well in his final collegiate season.
IMPACT NEWCOMERS
Army freshman Robert Tadazak, a goalie for the Michigan Warriors, was named the MVP of the North American Hockey League. The 20-year-old posted a 27-9-5 record and led the team with nine shutouts and a .944 save percentage. However, the Army goalie job is junior Ryan Leets’s to lose headed into the season.
Robert Morris freshman Cody Wydo, who played for the Motor City Metal Jackets, was named the NAHL forward of the year. Wydo won the scoring title with 91 points and paced the league in goals (40) and assists (51). He had a plus-minus rating of plus-26.
Four additional incoming players earned all-division honors in the NAHL. Mercyhurst’s Zac Frischmon (Coulee Region Chill) and Nargo Naagtzaam (Alexandra Blizzard) were all-Central Division picks. AIC’s Jake Williams (Alaska Avalanche) and Canisius’ Doug Beck (Kenai River Brown Bears) were all-West Division honorees.
Six recruits hail from the top-tier United States Hockey League—Niagara’s Pat Conte (Youngstown Phantoms) and Blake Roubos (Sioux Falls Stampede); Mercyhurst’s Justin Stevens (Youngstown); Robert Morris’ Greg Gibson (Youngstown); RIT’s Woody Hudson (Indiana Ice); and, Air Force’s Max Hartner (Green Bay Gamblers).
BURNING QUESTIONS
Connecticut, led by sophomore forward Cole Schneider, should challenge for a top-four finish in the league standings.
• Will Atlantic Hockey stay in one piece? Given the mass changes that have already taken place, it’s hard to imagine the 12-team circuit will retain all its members for very long. The CCHA made overtures to all of the Western-based teams and met with representatives from Canisius, Mercyhurst, Niagara, and Robert Morris. Now, there wasn’t any urgency to join a once-mighty conference left in ruins, but there are still machinations in play that could free up opportunities in the WCHA, Hockey East, and ECAC Hockey, all of which have better clout, a larger TV presence, and strong regional appeal.
• Will there be grumbling about the new playoff format? Hardly. The coaches have given a resounding thumbs up for what is clearly the fairest method, rankings teams one through 12. The expansion of the first round from one game to a best-of-three is also an improvement, protecting the higher seeds from upsets.
• Will the league ever be considered for a second NCAA tourney berth? Not likely. The NCAA selection committee relies on Ratings Percentage Index information. The first two facets of that equation are winning percentage of a team and its opponents. The third facet, the winning percentage of the team’s opponents’ opponents, will always work against Atlantic Hockey because the league cannot secure enough high-profile matchups—especially on home or neutral ice—to raise those numbers. And when AHA teams venture out of conference, they have not fared particularly well: the league was 17-50-9 (.283) last season, and the only two schools to post winning marks (Robert Morris and Niagara) failed to reach the conference semifinals. Also, when college hockey splits into six or seven leagues in two years, there will be one or two fewer at-large bids available.
MARK IT DOWN
Recruiting has improved throughout the league so you can expect much more impact from the freshman ranks. Don’t be surprised to see a couple rookies earn starting nods in goal and crack the scoring leaders.
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INCH’s Predicted Finish
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No.
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School | Of Note |
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1.
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RIT | A 1-0 setback to Air Force in the finals was the only thing separating this team from another NCAA run. The Tigers return the best goaltender, are well-stocked offensively and are benefitting from last year’s tremendous recruiting class, fresh off a Frozen Four run. |
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2.
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Air Force | The Falcons return nine of their top 12 scorers and rookie goalie sensation Jason Torf. The lineup is still on the young side but these Falcons gained valuable championship experience. |
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3.
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Holy Cross | The Crusaders enjoyed a 10-1-3 closing stretch losing to Air Force in the league playoff semifinals. Juniors Kyle Fletcher and Rob Linsmayer and freshmen Shayne Stockton and Adam Schmidt jump start a potent offense. If Thomas Tysowski returns to his freshman form, this team should challenge for the title. |
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4.
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Connecticut | UConn returns eight of its top nine scorers, including all-rookie pick Cole Schneider. The Huskies have to make inroads against the elite (2-9-1 mark against top five in league) if they want to move up in the standings. |
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5.
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Niagara | The Purple Eagles have big holes to fill with the loss of Paul Zanette and Bryan Haczyk—the pair accounted for 57 goals and 100 points. Three additional grads take 54 points with them. Niagara suddenly becomes a youth movement with nine freshmen and eight sophomores in the mix. |
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6.
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Robert Morris | The Colonials lose three of their top five scorers, including first-team all-stars Nathan Longpre and Denny Urban, who accounted for 82 points last season and 250 throughout their careers. A senior class of 11 players, including all-star goalie Brooks Ostergard, should keep RMU relevant. |
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7.
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Army | The loss of leading scorer Cody Omilusik (18 G, 31 Pts) is substantial for a team that struggles for goals. The defense—led by all-star Marcel Alvarez— is sound, though, and the Black Knights are counting on the leadership of 11 seniors. |
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8.
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Mercyhurst | The Lakers are going through a changing of the guard, losing 10 skaters and Ryan Zapolski, who had 48 wins in 109 appearances. Mercyhurst loses 55 goals to graduation but always seem to re-stock. Paul Chiasson is a promising young forward. |
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9.
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Canisius | The Griffins lose nine seniors and their top three scorers—Cory Conacher and Vincent Scarsella take 273 games of experience and 280 points with them. The cupboard is not bare, though, with eight returnees producing double-digit points. |
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10.
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Bentley | Brett Gensler had a productive rookie season with 13 goals and 24 points, but he’s going to need a lot of his teammates to step up the offense for a team that averaged just 2.5 goals per contest and was absolutely woeful on the power play. |
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11.
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Sacred Heart | The Pioneers have 30-point scorers Matt Gingera and Eric Delong back again but the team has lost more than a quarter of its goal production and needs much-better production in goal. |
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12.
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American International | The Yellow Jackets return their top four scorers, including Adam Pleskach and Nielsson Arcibal. AIC has to do a better job in nets and defending its home ice. |
