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AIC just beat Penn State in OT. Another huge OOC win for the AHC!
You have to wonder if the bump in the scholarship numbers are starting to help the AHC. A hot shot coming out of juniors can make an immediate impact on an AHC team while maybe not so on some of the traditionally strong teams in other conferences, maybe you have to wait your turn those first few years of D1 on account of the depth of the traditional powerhouses... Regardless of the reason, it is good to see...
It is extremely early in the season for Atlantic Hockey, however I have been impressed by so much of what I have seen so far in 2017/2018. The standings quite simply have too few data points to make anything firm, as three teams have not yet seen any action in conference play and a few additional teams only having a single contest. We are also short on Bentley & AIC who face off tonight to make an exciting battle if you are fortunate to have a front row seat!
I have sorted by winning percentage for the moment…………
Some big surprises early for sure with AIC battling every night and coming off some games that they wholeheartedly should have straight out won.
I am delighted to see some early goaltenders emerge to fill the void left from departures, while others are standing tall and giving their teams a chance to take some points.
Early thoughts from others, what has surprised you so far??
The relatively good early success in non-conference action has been a pleasant surprise.
2006-07 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
2008-09 Atlantic Hockey Co-Champions!
2009-10 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
2010 Frozen Four participant
2010-11 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
Still very early in the season things however has been quite surprising in some ways while not too surprising in others.
Niagara many suspected would improve under new leadership, do not think anyone would have them at a .800 clip seven games in.
AIC many thought would continue their upward trend again under new leadership of last season, maintaining a .500 clip after 8 games played.
Robert Morris having mixed results, a .389 pace to start the season.
Bentley struggling to find their consistency, .312 win percentage at the moment.
Air Force not putting up the wins, only six games played in conference but a worrying .250 clip.
With in-conference games numbering between 5 and 10 there is plenty of time for things to balance out, it has been tough for predictions this year in the “AHC Pick Em” thread and that is refreshing seeing on any night any team can win.
Has there ever been a Bottom Feeder tournament with 2 - yes, 2! - Atlantic Hockey teams? The AHC has gotten better of late, this is sure an indication of how much.
Only two teams in bottom 16, with AIC right on the cusp at #16. Preppy impressive how far we've come in just a few years and a great indication of how the bright the future could be.
Expanding scholarships, spiffy new rinks and impressive parity across the league. Things are looking up for Atlantic Hockey!
There is a lot of parody in the conference, and that helps. The conference as a whole still had the worst OOC record among conferences and for any chances of getting at large bids, that has to change. However, every team managed at least 2 "points" in non-league play. Sacred Heart has the best winning percentage of the last place teams in the conferences.
2006-07 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
2008-09 Atlantic Hockey Co-Champions!
2009-10 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
2010 Frozen Four participant
2010-11 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
Parity is helping and hurting the league. You've got a tighter concentration of AHC teams in the PWR (from Mercyhurst at #29 to AIC at #52). The good news is having the lowest ranked AHC team eight places from the bottom might be the best season so far in terms of not have 3-4 teams at or near the very bottom, which has often been the case. The bad news is that having the highest team at 29 is also unusually low - there's typically an AHC team or two lurking near the bubble in the high teens or low 20s.
Going into today's Sacred Heart vs. Air Force game, the standings are a hot mess:
Canisius can finish from 1-7
Mercyhurst 1-9
Holy Cross 1-9
Robert Morris 1-11
RIT 1-11
Army West Point 1-11
Air Force 1-11
Niagara 4-11
AIC 2-11
Bentley 4-11
Sacred Heart 2-11
So yes, with 4-5 games left, there are four teams in the middle of the pack (RMU, RIT, AWP, AFA) that can finish from first to last. Dan will have more in his column this week, and then I will update the odds going into the final weekend.
There is a lot of parody in the conference, and that helps. The conference as a whole still had the worst OOC record among conferences and for any chances of getting at large bids, that has to change. However, every team managed at least 2 "points" in non-league play. Sacred Heart has the best winning percentage of the last place teams in the conferences.
And yet... The 2nd worst ranked team in the nation went on the road and beat a middle of the pack AHC team by an 8-3 score.
The Pairwise still has a difficult time ranking teams from different conferences against each other with such limited sample sizes when it comes to non-conference games.
Can't we all just get along?
Always remember... This is just a game we're talking about here. Let's not take it all too seriously.
There is a lot of parody in the conference, and that helps. The conference as a whole still had the worst OOC record among conferences and for any chances of getting at large bids, that has to change. However, every team managed at least 2 "points" in non-league play. Sacred Heart has the best winning percentage of the last place teams in the conferences.
Getting more home games will help. The league was 9-11-4 (.458) at home in non-conference games (including "home" games played at BCA in Rochester and PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh). On the road, AHC teams were only 11-30-2 (.302).
Getting more home games will help. The league was 9-11-4 (.458) at home in non-conference games (including "home" games played at BCA in Rochester and PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh). On the road, AHC teams were only 11-30-2 (.302).
That's 24 home games vs. 43 road games.
As teams like Bentley improve their facilities, hopefully that will help that situation a little.
2006-07 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
2008-09 Atlantic Hockey Co-Champions!
2009-10 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
2010 Frozen Four participant
2010-11 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
As teams like Bentley improve their facilities, hopefully that will help that situation a little.
Actually, Bentley pulled their weight in OOC games this year, and earned a tie against nationally ranked and HEA leader Northeastern in their only OOC game at the JAR.
Actually, Bentley pulled their weight in OOC games this year, and earned a tie against nationally ranked and HEA leader Northeastern in their only OOC game at the JAR.
I was referring to getting home games OOC. RIT has been fortunate to get the Blue Cross game and usually 2 other home games.
2006-07 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
2008-09 Atlantic Hockey Co-Champions!
2009-10 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
2010 Frozen Four participant
2010-11 Atlantic Hockey Champions!
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