RMU Hockey Drops One In This Week’s AHC Power Rankings
By Larry Snyder
This week a pair of Robert Morris University Colonials claimed Atlantic Hockey Conference weekly honors.
Senior center Greg Gibson collected five goals last weekend in RMU’s two match-ups against Niagara. He recorded his first career hat trick on Saturday. That performance got the Burlington, Ontario native selected at the AHC Player of the Week.
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Defenseman Chase Golightly kept the offense humming by handing out five assists in the two-game set with the Purple Eagles. The senior from Temcula, California was named the AHC Defensive Player of the Week.
Everyone continues to take notice of Robert Morris. Earlier this week, RMU captured votes in each of the two college hockey polls. The Blue and White is just four spots out of the top 20 in the USCHO.com rankings, and is 25th overall in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine survey.
This week saw Mercyhurst and Bentley among the 12 programs in the “others receiving votes” section of the USCHO count. I feel that we will soon see one of these programs break through in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine rankings.
Here is the latest edition of the Atlantic Hockey Conference Power Rankings:
1) Mercyhurst University Lakers – (5-3-0 / 4-0-0) – Last Week #2: The sweep of Army last weekend allowed head coach Rick Gotkin to reach 498 career victories. He can become the 23rd coach in the history of college hockey, at any division, to reach the 500 career wins mark. The Lakers are in Columbus, Ohio this weekend for a two-game series with Ohio State. (PairWise Ranking #20 / KRACH Ranking #22)
2) Robert Morris University Colonials – (2-0-2 overall / 2-0-2 AHC) – Last Week #1: Derek Schooley’s squad had nine different players put up points last Saturday in the Colonials’ 8-2 victory over Niagara. The 23 total points that night tied for the third most points ever scored in a single contest by RMU. Robert Morris travels to Michigan this weekend for a two-game set with the Wolverines. (PairWise Ranking #9 / KRACH Ranking #16)
3) Sacred Heart University Pioneers – (2-1-1 / 1-0-0) – Last Week #3: Sophomore forward Kory Kennedy leads the Red and White with three goals in four contests. SHU hosts Canisius this weekend. (PairWise Ranking #21 / KRACH Ranking #21)
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4) Bentley University Falcons – (2-2-0 / 0-2-0) – Last Week #4: The Falcons had a bye last week. They clash with the Black Knights of Army this weekend. The first match-up is Saturday at West Point while Sunday’s contest is at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It is the first college hockey game ever to take place at that arena. (PairWise Ranking #36 / KRACH Ranking #39)
5) College of Holy Cross Crusaders – (1-4-0 / 1-1-0) – Last Week #7: The Crusaders laid claim to the other pair of conference awards. The AHC named freshman goaltender Tommy Nixon as their Goalie of the Week. The 6-foot-1, 182-pound netminder picked up his first collegiate victory last Saturday in the 4-1 win over Canisius. Freshman Michael Laffin was the AHC Rookie of the Week. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward led his squad with two goals and four points as the Crusaders went 1-1-0 against the Golden Griffins. Holy Cross plays Brown on Saturday. (PairWise Ranking #41 / KRACH Ranking #46)
6) Canisius College Golden Griffins – (1-3-0 / 1-1-0) – Last Week #8: Junior Shane Conacher, with three goals and three assists in four contests, ranks 13th in the country with 1.50 points per game. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward is 25th with 0.75 goals per game. The Blue and Gold skates at Sacred Heart this weekend. (PairWise Ranking #48 / KRACH Ranking #47)
7) Air Force Falcons – (1-4-1 / 0-1-1) – Last Week #6: Senior forward Ben Carey and sophomore defenseman Phil Boje are tied for the team lead in shots with 19 apiece. The Falcons are idle until Nov. 6-7 when they have a two-game series against the Lakers at Mercyhurst. (PairWise Ranking #34 / KRACH Ranking #28)
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8) Niagara University Purple Eagles – (0-3-1 / 0-1-1) – Last Week #10: Freshman forward Sam Rennaker has the team’s only power play goal in four games this season. The Purple and White have a home-and-home series this weekend with the Cornell Big Red. (PairWise Ranking #46 / KRACH Ranking #42)
9) Army Black Knights – (0-3-0 / 0-2-0) – Last Week #9: Freshman forward Trevor Fidler leads the team with two power play goals in three contests. The power play stands at 18.8 percent with three goals on 16 chances. The Black, Gold and Gray is ready for two against Bentley this weekend. (PairWise Ranking #50 / KRACH Ranking #50)
10) Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers – (0-4-1 / 0-0-0) – Last Week #5: Last Saturday, RIT president Bill Destler challenged the Tigers community to sell the game out against Colgate and the fans responded. Because the rink was full, Destler had his hair dyed orange during the second intermission. The Tigers are on the road this weekend for their first conference contests of the season when they visit AIC. (PairWise Ranking #49 / KRACH Ranking #49)
11) American International College Yellow Jackets – (0-6-0 / 0-1-0) – Last Week #11: Junior Austin Orszulak leads the Jacks with three goals and three assists for six points in six games. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound forward also leads in shots with 24. The Black, Gold, and White welcomes RIT to Springfield, Massachusetts for a pair of contests this weekend. (PairWise Ranking #51 / KRACH Ranking #53)
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