RMU Hockey Retains Top Spot In Atlantic Hockey Conference Power Rankings
By Larry Snyder
Last weekend, the folks at the Fuller Brush Company would have been happy to supply the brooms to the Atlantic Hockey Conference which posted four series sweeps on the scoreboard.
Air Force secured two from Army, Rochester Institute of Technology took all four points from Sacred Heart, Mercyhurst claimed a pair of victories over Holy Cross, and Robert Morris doubled up against American International. All of which combined to tighten the race for the prime spots in the conference tournament.
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Robert Morris still commands the top spot. Canisius, in second place, is only one point ahead of Mercyhurst, while Holy Cross and Bentley are knotted up at 19 points in a tie for fourth place. RIT and Air Force have both climbed back up the standings and find themselves tied for fifth with 18 points apiece.
Meanwhile, both polls are keeping tabs on Derek Schooley‘s Colonials. There were just two AHC schools in the “others receiving votes” section of the United States College Hockey Online rankings. RMU was first and Mercyhurst was the other, in the No. 4 slot. In the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine survey, Robert Morris was the only AHC team to be in the “others receiving votes” category.
As the standings grow closer, let’s take some time to review this week’s City Of Champions Sports AHC Power Rankings. The conference tournament remains just six weekends away.
1) RMU Colonials (15-5-4 overall / 12-3-3, 27 points AHA) – Last Week #1: Senior left wing Cody Wydo became the leading scorer in program history with his three goals and three assists for six points in the two wins over American International. On Saturday, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound forward had his second hat trick of the season and the fifth of his career against the Yellow Jackets.
Senior center Scott Jacklin, Wydo’s linemate, tied a Colonial single-game record with five points in Saturday’s victory. The 6-foot, 180-pound forward had a total of seven points on two goals and five assists in the two-game sweep of AIC.
Their contributions allowed them to both be awarded the AHC Co-Players of the Week accolades. Robert Morris travels to Worcester, MA for two against Holy Cross. (PairWise Ranking #25)
2) Mercyhurst University Lakers (12-7-3 overall / 10-4-2, 22 points AHA) – Last Week #2: It was senior defenseman Tyler Shiplo’s second goal of the game at 3:09 into overtime on Saturday that gave Mercyhurst a 5-4 victory and a sweep of visiting Holy Cross. In 141 career games, it was the first multiple-goal contest for the Oakville, Ontario native. Mercyhurst went 2-for-3 on the power play against the Crusaders in the matchup. The Lakers load up the bus to head to Fairfield, CT for a pair of contests with Sacred Heart. (PairWise Ranking #30)
3) Canisius College Golden Griffins (10-8-6 overall / 9-4-5, 23 points AHA) – Last Week #3: Senior goaltender Keegan Asmundson helped his team collect three points last weekend as Canisius tied Bentley on Friday and then beat the Falcons on Saturday. The 6-foot-5, 234-pound netminder put up a 0.96 goals-against-average and a .963 save percentage. His performance earned him AHC Goaltender of the Week honors. The Griffs play the Purple Eagles on Thursday and Saturday at Niagara. (PairWise Ranking #44)
4) Bentley University Falcons (10-10-3 overall / 8-6-3, 19 points AHA) – Last Week #5: Bentley has been on the road for six consecutive games and concluded their travels going 2-2-2. They seek to get back on track as they return to John A. Ryan Skating Arena this weekend where they are 5-3-1 this season. The Falcons host RIT for two. (PairWise Ranking #43)
5) RIT Tigers (8-10-4 overall / 7-5-4, 18 points AHA) – Last Week #6: Freshman right wing Myles Powell was the difference-maker in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Sacred Heart. He became the first RIT player to have his first career goal also be a game-winner since teammate Alexander Kuqali accomplished it, also against Sacred Heart, on Dec. 7, 2012. (PairWise Ranking #48)
6) Air Force Falcons (9-13-3 overall / 8-6-2, 18 points AHA) – Last Week #7: Air Force is soaring on a four-game win streak. Freshman goaltender Connor Girard and sophomore defenseman Johnny Hrabovsky both earned AHC weekly honors for their contributions that helped lead the Falcons to a sweep over Army.
Girard was named Rookie of the Week for his 25 saves in his first career start on Saturday, Jan. 17 in the 3-1 victory over the Black Knights. Hravosky claimed Defensive Player of the Week as he blocked nine shots in the two-game series against Army. He put up a game and career high seven blocks on Saturday. The Falcons come East for two matchups with American International. (PairWise Ranking #50)
7) Holy Cross College Crusaders (8-10-5 overall / 7-5-5, 19 points AHA) – Last Week #4: The Crusaders are first in the conference in defense with 2.22 goals allowed per game. Junior defensemen Karl Beckman and Joe McNamara lead the team in blocked shots with 42 and 35 respectively. (PairWise Ranking #47)
8) Sacred Heart University Pioneers (6-15-3 overall / 5-10-3, 13 points AHA) – Last Week #8: While other teams are surging in the standings, the Pioneers are in a spiral having only won one game since the beginning of December. SHU has scored two goals or less in five consecutive contests and seven of their last eight. (PairWise Ranking #55)
9) Army Black Knights (5-16-2 overall / 5-13-2, 12 points AHA) – Last Week #9: Sophomore Clint Carlisle is one of the players to watch as the 5-foot-10, 168-pound forward has points in five of his last six games and reached double digits with two goals and eight assists for 10 points on the year. The Black Knights are back at Tate Rink for a game on Saturday against the Royal Military College of Canada as part of alumni weekend. (PairWise Ranking #57)
10) American International College Yellow Jackets (3-16-5 overall / 3-10-5, 11 points AHA) – Last Week #10: After the top scoring line of Orszulak-MacMillan-May, two other players to keep an eye on are junior left wing Chris Porter, who leads the team in shots with 70 while sophomore defenseman Dominic Racobaldo leads the squad with 42 blocked shots. (PairWise Ranking #58)
11) Niagara University Purple Eagles (3-17-2 overall / 3-11-2, 8 points AHA) – Last Week #11: Niagara’s arduous season can be looked at through their special teams. They are last in the conference with the man advantage as they own a 6.9 percentage on the power play, and they are last in the conference with 75.0 percentage on the penalty kill. (PairWise Ranking #59)