Today · 7:10 PM UTC
CT Nor'Easter vs New England
  Today · 9:10 PM UTC
Vermont vs NJ 87s
  Today · 6:30 PM UTC
Huskies vs Muskies
  Today · 9:00 PM UTC
WBS Knights vs Cubs
  Today · 9:00 PM UTC
CT RoughRiders vs Seahawks
Today · 10:00 PM UTC
Vikings vs Blazers
Today · 11:00 PM UTC
Providence vs NJ Bears
Tomorrow · 12:00 AM UTC
Bombers vs Royals
Tomorrow · 12:00 AM UTC
Springfield vs Charlotte
Tomorrow · 12:00 AM UTC
WBS Knights vs Cubs
Tomorrow · 12:00 AM UTC
BAK Roughnecks vs Sockeyes
Tomorrow · 12:20 AM UTC
Glengarry vs Ottawa
2024 RPI vs Mercyhurst - Men's

Atlantic Hockey America Notebook: Six Teams Aim To Finish First Half Strong

Atlantic Hockey America Notebook: Six Teams Aim To Finish First Half Strong

Five men's games are on the docket this week while Robert Morris is the lone AHA Women's team in action to close out the first half

Dec 12, 2024 by Jordan McAlpine
null

With just five men’s games on the schedule this week and two on the women’s side, the first half is quickly winding down in Atlantic Hockey America.

Army will play Penn State in Washington, D.C., on Thursday and a pair of series are slated for this weekend, as Robert Morris visits Canisius and RPI plays at Mercyhurst. However, the league will enter a 13-day break before returning with a pair of games on Dec. 28.

2024 RPI vs Mercyhurst - Men's


As for AHA women’s action, Robert Morris will travel to Long Island for a pair of non-conference games before the league takes a 17-day hiatus. RIT will host Cornell on Dec. 31 and the next conference games are Jan. 10, as all six AHA teams will be in action.

Sacred Heart (9-7-3, 8-5-2) and Bentley (10-5-2, 9-2-1) are currently tied atop the men’s standings with 29 points each, while Niagara (8-8-3, 7-4-2) and Holy Cross (8-8-1, 7-4-1) are right behind with 24 and 20 respectively. The Crusaders enter the break on a roll too as they’ve won four straight.

2024 Robert Morris vs Canisius - Men's


Penn State (15-4-1, 8-0-0) continues to lead the way on the women’s side as the Nittany Lions have been simply dominant, especially in conference play.

Penn State has out-scored its opponents 71-33, including a 34-11 mark in the AHA, and has three of the league’s top five goal scorers and six of the top 11 point leaders. PSU owns a six-point lead over second-place Syracuse (7-12-0, 5-3-0) and is nine points ahead of third-place RIT (9-7-3, 4-3-1).

Here are some of the top storylines heading into the final games before the break.

Men's Hockey

  • Robert Morris sophomore forward Tanner Klimpke had six points (2-4-6) last weekend and has scored in five of his last seven contests. Klimpke is tied for second on the RMU roster with 14 points (5-9-14).
  • Canisius sophomore Matteo Giampa is tied for sixth in the conference with 16 points through 16 games, including goals in three of his last five.
  • Holy Cross goaltender Thomas Gale has won his last four starts and allowed one goal or less in three of them. The senior posted a 24-save shutout last time out, which was his first of the season.
  • Army will attempt to snap a four-game losing skid on Thursday as Penn State comes to town. The Black Knights are 1-4-0 all-time against the Nittany Lions.
  • Army is averaging 15.33 blocked shots per game, which leads AHA. Mercyhurst has the most total blocked shots (271) but has played three more games.

Women’s Hockey

  • Robert Morris is 5-12-1 overall this season and will look to snap a seven-game skid against LIU.
  • Robert Morris has blocked an AHA-leading 342 shots this season. Graduate captain Allyson Hebert leads the conference with 51 blocks through 18 games.
  • RIT defenseman Emma Pickering scored two more goals last weekend and leads all AHA defensemen in goals with nine. Pickering ranks fourth among all AHA skaters.
  • Syracuse forward Bryn Saarela scored five goals last weekend and added a pair of assists in a sweep of Robert Morris. Saarela is third in the conference with 10 goals and tied for fourth in points (18) through 19 games.
  • Five AHA players are competing in Finland this week at the 2024 Six Nations Tournament. Penn State's Tessa Janecke (United States) and Nicole Hall (Sweden) will be joined by Mercyhurst's Sofia Nuutinen (Finland), Julia Schalin (Finland), and Thea Johansson (Sweden).

NHL Prospect Coverage On FloHockey

Looking for more? The best, and most complete, coverage of the NHL minor league hockey and NHL Draft is found on FloHockey. Don't miss the latest new prospect guides, rankings and more from Chris Peters and the FloHockey staff.

Watch ECHL, USHL And More On FloHockey 

FloHockey is the streaming home to some of the best hockey leagues in North America, including the ECHL and more. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more hockey.

Join The Hockey Conversation On FloHockey Social