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RMU Hockey: Still Masters Of Atlantic Hockey Conference Power Rankings

By Larry Snyder

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Derek Schooley‘s RMU Colonials have opened a significant gap, with a nine-point lead over the second place Bentley Falcons in the Atlantic Hockey standings. Deservedly, they moved up another notch to No. 18 this week in the United States College Hockey Online rankings.

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Bentley, who took over second place from Canisius, was the only other AHC program in the “others receiving votes” section of the USCHO survey in the No. 7 slot. This week RMU is in the seven spot in the “others receiving votes” category in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.

As we move into Valentine’s weekend, there is a total of just six points that separate third through seventh place in the AHC standings. There are still points to be earned as Canisius, Mercyhurst, Holy Cross, Air Force, RIT and Sacred Heart come down the home stretch.

The conference tournament edges ever closer with it just three weekends away. The wind and snow continue to blow outside, the temperature is dropping, so let’s grab another hot cup of coffee and look over this week’s City Of Champions Sports Atlantic Hockey Conference Power Rankings.

1) RMU Colonials (20-5-5 overall / 17-3-4, 38 points AHA) – Last Week #1: Junior defenseman Tyson Wilson was busy last weekend as he stacked up six blocked shots on the scoresheet in the Colonials’ win and tie against Canisius. The Brockville, Ontario native was named the Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week. The Colonials are idle this weekend. (PairWise Ranking #25 – Tied with Western Michigan / KRACH Ranking #32)

2) Bentley University Falcons (15-11-3 overall / 13-7-3, 29 points AHA) – Last Week #3: Freshman left wing Andrew McDonald had three goals to help the Falcons last weekend sweep Holy Cross. For his efforts, the 5-foot-9, 165-pound forward was awarded AHC Rookie of the Week honors. Bentley welcomes Sacred Heart for a pair of games this weekend. (PairWise Ranking #37 – Tied with Ferris State / KRACH Ranking #47)

3) Mercyhurst University Lakers (14-10-4 overall / 12-7-3, 27 points AHA) – Last Week #4: Freshman goaltender Brandon Wildung turned away 27 of 28 shots in Friday’s 3-1 victory over AIC. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound netminder came on in relief of senior starter Jimmy Sarjeant midway in Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Yellow Jackets. The Nassau, Minn. native was named the Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week. The Lakers are home this weekend for two against Niagara. (PairWise Ranking #38 – Tied with Ohio State / KRACH Ranking #45)

4) RIT Tigers (11-12-5 overall / 10-7-5, 25 points AHA) – Last Week #5: Junior right wing Josh Mitchell recorded one goal and four assists in a victory and tie for the Tigers against Niagara. The Osoyoos, British Columbia native was named the AHC Player of the Week. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound forward is second on the squad with 35 points on 10 goals and 25 assists this season. RIT is on the road this weekend to play Holy Cross on Friday and Saturday. (PairWise Ranking #45 – Tied with Maine / KRACH Ranking #52)

5) Canisius College Golden Griffins (12-9-7 overall / 11-5-6, 28 points AHA) – Last Week #2: Canisius is now 1-1-7 in overtime contests this season with the seven draws just one shy of the program’s record set back during the 2003-2004 campaign. The defensive effort has been there in their nine conference games in 2015 as the Golden Griffins surrendered just 14 goals for a 2.55 average per game and more than two scores only once. The Griffs host the Black Knights of Army this weekend for a pair of contests. (PairWise Ranking #42 – Tied with Rensselaer / KRACH Ranking #49)

6) Holy Cross College Crusaders (10-14-5 overall / 9-9-5, 23 points AHA) – Last Week #6: Last weekend, senior goaltender Matt Ginn was back in the Crusaders lineup and came with another save on Friday for another of his back-to-back 30-save performances. Meanwhile, sophomore forward Mike Barrett has put up at least one point in five straight contests. He leads the squad this season with 20 points on seven goals and 13 assists. (PairWise Ranking #50 / KRACH Ranking #54)

7) Sacred Heart University Pioneers (9-15-6 overall / 8-10-6, 22 points AHA) – Last Week #8: The Pioneers are 3-0-3 in their last six matchups. It is the longest unbeaten streak since the 2009-2010 campaign. Sophomore right wing Jordan Minello is helping the team move forward with six goals and eight points over the last six games. (PairWise Ranking #53 / KRACH Ranking #54)

8) Air Force Falcons (11-17-3 overall / 10-10-2, 22 points AHA) – Last Week #7: Air Force, for the second time this season, is on a four-game losing streak. Three of the four losses have come by one goal with two of the defeats in overtime. They have played in 10 overtime contests this season which is the second most in program history. The Falcons prepare for a visit from AIC this Friday and Saturday.(PairWise Ranking #51 / KRACH Ranking #53)

9) Army Black Knights (6-18-2 overall / 6-14-2, 14 points AHA) – Last Week #9: Junior forward Joe Kozlak leads the team in shots with 80 while senior defenseman Maurice Alvarez gets the job done at the end of the ice as he is the leader with 38 blocks. (PairWise Ranking #57 / KRACH Ranking #57)

10) American International College Yellow Jackets (3-20-7 overall / 3-14-7, 13 points AHA) – Last Week #10: It was announced Wednesday, Feb. 4 that sophomore forward Austin Orszulak was one of 20 semifinalists for the 63rd Walter Brown Award. It is given annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England. (PairWise Ranking #58 / KRACH Ranking #58)

11) Niagara University Purple Eagles (3-22-3 overall / 3-16-3, 9 points AHA) – Last Week #11: The Purple Eagles do not quit as they have 21 of their 56 goals this season in the third period. Niagara has 18 scores in the first period and 16 in the second frame. (PairWise Ranking #59 / KRACH Ranking #59)

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