Sept. 29, 2005
Atlantic Hockey Media Day Notebook
Mercyhurst, Holy Cross tied in coaches' poll
By Elliot Olshansky
CSTV.com
"I expect that the competition with eight teams this year will be just as tight [as last year's], all the way through the season," said league commissioner Bob DeGregorio, referring to the 2004-05 season that saw a seven-point gap between first and fifth place at the end.
2005 champion Mercyhurst and 2004 champ Holy Cross were in a dead heat in the coaches' poll, tying for first place with 59 points, with Sacred Heart also picking up a first place vote while finishing third. Moreover, a very close league race is expected, especially with the move to 28 conference games, as each team will play four games against every league opponent.
"When you add this fourth game that everybody's going to be playing each other, the parity is going to continue to draw everybody into that great middle," said Holy Cross coach Paul Pearl. "It's great for the league. It's really exciting."
Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin is also expecting a very competitive season from top to bottom. "Polls are for the fans," Gotkin said, "and I think that it's great that we do those things. I'm not sure how much any of the coaches put into that. What we see is a league that's clearly emerging as a very competitive league game in and game out, every single night. I've felt this way for a long time. We've never had an easy game, whether we played the team that was in ninth place or first place. It's great to be part of this conference."
HOLY GROUND
The location of the 2006 Atlantic Hockey Championship was a topic of some discussion Wednesday, as Holy Cross has been chosen to host the event on campus at the
The decision to move to a predetermined site didn't sit well with all of the coaches. "It's a little disappointing to me," Gotkin said of the decision. "Our guys have competed, our guys have done a great job, our guys have done everything they're supposed to. We have never had a chance to host the playoffs at
League-wide, Gotkin saw the extra motivation and intensity that the opportunity to host the championship brought to the league.
"I just think that it made the regular season so much more competitive. Every game, especially toward the end, had that playoff feel, because you knew, `Hey, we're a point out,' or `We're three points out, what's Holy Cross doing tonight? What's Sacred Heart doing tonight? Personally, I'm disappointed that we don't have the same playoff setup that we did last year, but I totally understand why the league did what they did."
Still, overall, the move is seen as a good one. While Sacred Heart coach Shaun Hannah acknowledged that the chance to host the championship was a great motivating factor last season - "that was exciting, a lot of motivation for the players and the coaches," he said - overall, he sees this as the right move. "I think the tournament at a predetermined site is a good thing," Hannah said. "I think that it's positive on a lot of fronts. The fact that we can't host because of it? I don't think that's a big issue
MAKING GOLD GLITTER
There was a familiar face in a new place on Wednesday. Former Mercyhurst assistant Dave Smith was at the
"They weren't happy with the reputation that they had earned," Smith said of his players. "Without question, they have stepped up and done everything and more that's been asked of them in repairing their image. They're really a great group of guys that are committed to getting Canisius hockey back into a positive light."
Under Smith's guidance, the Griffs have thrown themselves into extensive community outreach. "Our guys have been out a lot," Smith said. "We're very involved with youth hockey, we're involved with the Alzheimer's association, and city mission. The reception for the community has been outstanding.
"At the same time, we know that we're not out of the woods just because we've been good for a month. We know that we need to be good citizens, good people, and do good things all year."
THE FORCE WILL BE WITH YOU
The pending addition of Air Force to the league beginning in the 2006-07 season had coaches throughout the league talking. Army head coach Brian Riley was particularly excited to see his team's biggest domestic rival join the league.
"Obviously, for the league itself, to be able to add RIT and Air Force is a great situation," Riley said. "Although we have some games with teams in this league that are very competitive, it's nothing like what we have with Air Force."
The move also opens up the possibility of an Army-Air Force playoff game somewhere down the road. "Our games, even without having affiliation of being in the same league, are so intense," Riley said. "I would imagine a playoff game would be a great game for spectators to watch, and it would be a great game for players to be involved in. Hopefully, that can happen in the future."
Before Riley's Black Knights take their shot at the Falcons this fall, though (they meet Air Force in November at West Point), the league's other Falcons will form a `welcoming committee' of sorts for the league's newest member, as Bentley opens its season against Air Force at the Quinnipiac Cup on Oct. 14. "We're excited that Air Force is coming into the league," Bentley coach Ryan Soderquist said. "We're excited to go head-to-head and, hopefully, hand them their first loss since the announcement."
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Being picked to finish last in the league is never comfortable, but for American International coach Gary Wright - whose Yellow Jackets checked in at the bottom of the preseason poll with 11 points - there's a painful familiarity. Wright also coaches the AIC men's golf team, which finished last at the Northeast 10 Conference golf championships last weekend. "I guess the only good news for me is that I don't coach three sports," Wright joked.
|
|
 |
|
|
