After 15 years of holding the semifinals and finals of the Atlantic Hockey tournament at neutral sites, the conference is moving all tournament games on campus this season.
The format will be as follows:
Quarterfinals March 3-5
Best-of-three series
#8 seed at #1 seed
#7 seed at #2 seed
#6 seed at #3 seed
#5 seed at #4 seed
Semifinals March 10-12
Best-of-three series
Lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed
Second-lowest remaining seed at second-highest remaining seed
Championship Game March 18
Lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed
Unlike past tournaments, there isn’t a “Final Four” at a single site. Instead, the semifinals will be best-of-three series and held at separate on-campus locations.
With the semifinals and finals on different weekends, in order to hold the tournament over three weekends as usual, something had to give. The league’s Athletic Directors voted to cut the field down from all ten teams to 8 and eliminate the first round as well as byes for the top teams.
That means the bottom two teams (three next year when Robert Morris rejoins the league) will have their seasons end this weekend. We already know that it will be Bentley and Air Force missing the postseason.
Not a popular idea
I polled Atlantic Hockey coaches throughout the season on the new playoff format, and their response was unanimous among the ones I talked to: a hard no.
“We’re supposed to be about the student experience,” said Army West Point coach Brian Riley. “And here we’re leaving 60 or so guys out of that.”
“The playoffs are something that every player looks forward to,” said Mercyhurst head coach Rick Gotkin. “I don’t like it.”
Besides the impact to players, several coaches brought up the unfairness of leaving anyone out when teams are playing an unbalanced schedule.
“Leaving teams out if you’re not playing the same schedule is not equitable,” said Sacred Heart coach CJ Marottolo. “It’s not a level playing field.”
Outgoing Atlantic Hockey commissioner Bob DeGregorio is also on record opposing the new format.
And while there currently is an eight-point gap separating Bentley and Air Force from the rest of the pack, both teams have had respectable wins over the top teams in the league. Air Force and Bentley have each beaten regular season champions Rochester Institute of Technology as well as second-place Sacred Heart.
Who’s to say that couldn’t happen in the postseason?
Unfortunately, we’ll never know.
The final stretch
With one weekend to go in the regular season, the top and bottom positions in the standings have been determined, but there’s still a lot to be decided.
What we know:
– RIT has won the inaugural DeGregorio Cup as regular-season champs and is the top seed. The Tigers will host the No. 8 seed in the quarterfinals.
– Sacred Heart and American International will host quarterfinal series.
– Holy Cross, Army West Point, Canisius and Niagara are still in contention for home ice in the quarterfinals.
– Mercyhurst will be on the road in the quarterfinal round.
– Bentley and Air Force have been eliminated from postseason contention.
After this weekend’s games, expect tiebreakers to come into play to determine tournament seedings. They are:
1. Head-to-head winning percentage (note: this is different from points won as overtime wins count as wins and shootouts count as ties regardless of the outcome).
2. Conference wins (note: includes overtime wins).
3. Head-to-head goal differential.
4. Goals allowed in head-to-head competition.
5. Head-to-head winning percentage in games against teams starting with the No. 1 seed down to the No. 10 seed.
6. Goal differential in games against teams starting with the No. 1 seed down to the No. 10 seed.
Here’s my take on possible outcomes this weekend. Any errors in calculations are mine.
ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Currently: First
Games remaining: Home vs. Air Force (2)
Possible seed: Has clinched first
Outlook: The Tigers have wrapped up their first regular season title since 2011 and are the inaugural winners of the DeGregorio Cup.
SACRED HEART
Currently: Second
Games remaining: At AIC, home vs. AIC
Possible seed: Second-Third
Outlook: SHU leads American International by two points heading into its final series with the Yellow Jackets. The Pioneers need three points in the two games to clinch second. In any case, SHU will host a quarterfinal series.
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL
Currently: Third
Games remaining: Home vs. Sacred Heart, at Sacred Heart
Possible seed: Second-Fourth
Outlook: The Yellow Jackets saw their streak of four straight regular season titles come to an end but are in the hunt for their fourth consecutive playoff crown. Their series this weekend with Sacred Heart will determine the No. 2 seed. AIC has clinched home ice in the quarterfinals.
HOLY CROSS
Currently: Fourth
Games remaining: Home vs. Canisius (2)
Possible seed: Third-Seventh
Outlook: Five points will ensure home ice in the quarterfinals for the Crusaders, who hold a two- or three-point lead over the rest of the pack still in the running for the fourth seed.
CANISIUS
Currently: Tied for fifth
Games remaining: At Holy Cross (2)
Possible seed: Fourth-Eighth
Outlook: The Golden Griffins can clinch home ice with five points against Holy Cross and Army getting less than five points against Bentley.
ARMY WEST POINT
Currently: Tied for fifth
Games remaining: At Bentley (2)
Possible seed: Fourth-Eighth
Outlook: The Black Knights need to finish a point better than Holy Cross and with at least as many points as Canisius and Niagara to end up fourth.
NIAGARA
Currently: Seventh
Games remaining: At Mercyhurst, home vs. Mercyhurst
Possible seed: Fourth-Eighth
Outlook: Niagara has a (very) distant shot at home ice but has qualified for the postseason.
MERCYHURST
Currently: Eighth
Games remaining: Home vs. Niagara, at Niagara
Possible seed: Fifth-Eighth
Outlook: The Lakers can finish no higher than fifth, so they will be on the road for the quarterfinals.
BENTLEY
Currently: Ninth
Games remaining: Home vs. Army West Point (2)
Possible seed: Ninth-Tenth
Outlook: The Falcons are eliminated from postseason contention and will play their final games of the season this weekend.
AIR FORCE
Currently: Tenth
Games remaining: At RIT (2)
Possible seed: Ninth-Tenth
Outlook: Air Force is also eliminated and can’t be spoilers as its final opponent, RIT, has already locked up first. Pride will be on the line this weekend.
