ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A number of firsts happened at the Atlantic Hockey semifinals today. A few:
• The game between Mercyhurst and Connecticut marked, surprisingly, the first use of video replay in Atlantic Hockey history. Trevor Gerling’s wrist shot in the first period trickled through goalie Jordan Tibbett’s legs and across the goal line before getting scooped out by a Laker defenseman. Referee Shayne Ferrier awarded the goal after review.
• It’s the first time that the sixth and seventh seeds will compete in the Atlantic Hockey championship.
• All three Atlantic Hockey championship games will be broadcast on cable for the first time.
• Atlantic Hockey has a chance to have two teams in the NCAAs for the first time, pending the results on Saturday and Sunday.
• It’s the first opportunity for Canisius to play for an automatic bid.
• For the first time since Air Force and Rochester Institute of Technology joined Atlantic Hockey and for the first time the tournament was moved to Rochester, N.Y., both teams were absent from the semifinals.
