At A Glance:
Last week’s record: 1-1
Overall Record: 70-35-2
This Week’s Picks*:
*All games are subject to change.
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
Quarterfinal Round (best of three series)
Friday, March 12-Sunday, March 14
Bentley at American International
With Bentley’s withdrawal from the tournament, AIC gets a bye into the semifinals and will host the semifinals and championship on March 19-20.
Sacred Heart at Army West Point
Dan: It’s incredibly hard to beat a team five times in a season, let alone six, but Army’s going to need to do that in order to get past Sacred Heart. I think the Pioneers get one of the three based on knowledge of the Black Knights and on pure talent, but I think the Black Knights move on with a statement case for an at-large bid. Army West Point in three.
Chris: Army brings a 12-game unbeaten streak into this series, including three outright wins and a shootout victory over the Pioneers during that stretch. It’s hard to pick against the Black Knights at this point. Army West Point in two.
Niagara at Robert Morris
Dan: Niagara returned to a full roster earlier this week when it beat Mercyhurst, but it’s always difficult to beat a team on the road in the playoffs. Two of the four games this year went to overtime between these two teams. The other two were blowouts by the Colonials. Again, I think it’s hard to win six games, so I’m going with the distance. RMU wins in three.
Chris: Niagara is getting hot at the right time, going 3-1 in its last four games after notching just two wins in its previous 15 games. Couple that with RMU coming off a pair of losses, and this could look like an upset waiting to happen. But I think the Colonials find a way to win and advance. Robert Morris in three.
Rochester Institute of Technology at Canisius
Dan: I am always wont to choose a team based on the hot goaltender, and I believe Canisius enters the postseason with the best tandem in the league. RIT, meanwhile, had shaky numbers over the course of the season but received a big lift from Ian Adriano in that last series against RMU. You know what, let’s go do something weird and pick one upset, although I don’t know if it’s a true upset in a series this evenly matched. RIT wins in three.
Chris: Canisius is smarting from its final game of the regular season, a loss to Niagara that cost the Golden Griffins the West Pod regular season title. RIT has been a streaky team this season and a late-season sweep of Robert Morris has to bolster the Tigers’ confidence. This is a tough one to pick, since I think it will go the distance. I’m going with the home team. Canisius in three.
