Atlantic Hockey Association’s annual board of directors meetings ended in Waltham, Mass., this week with changes to league policies that begin taking effect in the 2014-15 season. The addition of two scholarships and one game to the conference schedule for each school headlined those changes.
Teams will play 28 conference games – 14 at home and 14 on the road – one more than they played this past season. Schools also will be allowed 13 scholarships – one more than in past seasons – starting in the 2014-15 season and a 14th scholarship in the 2015-16 season. The directors also determined that any supplemental discipline of two games or fewer cannot be appealed to the executive committee.
They also received AHA commissioner Bob DeGregorio’s proposal regarding the conference’s potential expansion following Connecticut’s move to Hockey East Association following the 2013-14 season. Two unnamed schools have expressed interest in replacing the Huskies.

Follow live updates from the Atlantic Hockey Association championship game between Mercyhurst and Canisius at on Twitter at www.twitter.com/goeriehockey … game time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Mercyhurst men’s hockey team can focus on playing for the Atlantic Hockey Association championship now.
All week long, the Lakers and coach Rick Gotkin wouldn’t look past Friday night’s semifinal matchup against Connecticut. That mindset worked, as Mercyhurst scored four unanswered goals to overcome the Huskies’ early lead on the way to a 4-1 win in front of 1,095 fans at Blue Cross Arena.
The sixth-seeded Lakers (19-16-5) face seventh-seeded Canisius (18-18-5) in today’s 7:05 p.m. championship game at Blue Cross Arena for a chance to earn Mercyhurst’s first AHA title and automatic bid into the NCAA Division I tournament since 2005. The Golden Griffins shocked top-seeded and 15th-ranked Niagara 5-3 in the opening semifinal, one week after upsetting two-time defending champion Air Force in the quarterfinals.
Paul Chiasson scored two goals for Mercyhurst, while Ryan Misiak and Zac Frischmon added one apiece.

Atlantic Hockey Association final four schedule
at Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.
Semifinals – Friday
No. 7 Canisius 5, No. 1 Niagara 3
No. 6 Mercyhurst 4, No. 4 Connecticut 1
Championship game – Saturday
Canisius (18-18-5) vs. Mercyhurst (19-16-5), 7:05 p.m.
Note: Champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.

SUMMARY

Mercyhurst 4, Connecticut 1
Mercyhurst 0 2 2 — 4
Connecticut 1 0 0 — 1
1st Period — 1. Connecticut, Trevor Gerling 12 (Sharib, Pauly), 7:36. Penalties — DeWald (M) boarding, 15:02; Blakey (M) slashing, 15:23.
2nd Period — 2. Mercyhurst, Zac Frischmon 4 (unassisted), 9:15. 3. Mercyhurst, Paul Chiasson 14 (Jones, DeWald), 15:59. Penalties — Latta (C) slashing, 5:13; Poe (C) holding, 6:58; Harris (C) hooking, 11:56; Shiplo (M) slashing, 13:03.
3rd Period — 4. Mercyhurst, Ryan Misiak 18 (Just, Shiplo), 13:19 (pp). 5. Mercyhurst, Chiasson 15 (Tibbett), 18:06 (en). Penalties — Bouchard (C) slashing, 11:34.
Shots on goal — Mercyhurst, 9-10-14—33; Connecticut, 12-12-8—32.
Goaltenders — Mercyhurst, Jordan Tibbett 7-6-1 (32 shots, 31 saves); Connecticut, Matt Grogan 14-4-3 (32 shots, 29 saves).
Power plays — Mercyhurst (1-4), Connecticut (0-3).
Attendance — 1,095.

No. 6 Mercyhurst (18-16-5) vs. No. 4 Connecticut (19-13-4)
When: Friday, 7:05 p.m.
Where: Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), WMCE-FM/88.5 & wmce.mercyhurst.edu (radio), www.atlantichockeyonline.com (live scores)
Up next: Championship game (Saturday, 7:05 p.m. at Blue Cross Arena)*
What to expect: Mercyhurst has reached the Atlantic Hockey Association semifinals for the second straight season. The Lakers lost to eventual champion Air Force 5-2 in this round a season ago. … The Lakers rebounded from an eight-game winless streak with a sweep of 11th-seeded Army at Mercyhurst Ice Center two weeks ago and a series win at No. 3 Holy Cross last weekend. … Mercyhurst hasn’t reached the title game since consecutive trips in 2008 and 2009 (lost to Air Force both times). … The Lakers haven’t won an AHA championship since beating Quinnipiac 3-2 in the 2005 title game. They also beat Quinnipiac 6-5 to capture the 2001 title, when the league was known as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. … Mercyhurst and UConn split their two-game, regular-season series in Storrs, Conn., with the Lakers losing 5-4 Jan. 18 and winning 5-0 the following night. … The Lakers lead the all-time series 32-13-3. Yet they have lost three straight and four of six games against the Huskies in the postseason, including a UConn sweep in the 2011 AHA quarterfinals. … With top-seeded and 15th-ranked Niagara (23-8-5) facing seventh-seeded Canisius (17-18-5) in the other semifinal, the conference will have a champion from a school other than Air Force and Rochester Institute of Technology for the first time since Holy Cross in 2006. Air Force, which lost to Canisius in the quarterfinals, had won five of the last six titles (2007-09, 2011-12). RIT, which lost to Niagara in the quarterfinals, won in 2010 on the way to the first NCAA Division I Frozen Four appearance for the Tigers and the AHA. … Senior F Grant Blakey has five goals and seven points in the Lakers’ five playoff games. … UConn senior G Matt Grogan has a 14-3-3 record, 1.88 goals-against average and .939 save percentage since taking over as starter midway through the season. He was the Huskies’ only player to earn all-conference honors (third team). Mercyhurst features three all-stars – junior D Nick Jones (first team), sophomore F Ryan Misiak (second) and sophomore F Matthew Zay (third). … Niagara has never reached the title game. Canisius hasn’t reached the final since 1999 (lost 4-3 to Holy Cross). … Niagara junior G Carson Chubak leads the nation with six shutouts and ranks among the top five in winning percentage (.773), goals-against average (1.81) and save percentage (.941). He’s one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which honors the nation’s top men’s hockey player. … Freshman F Ralph Cuddemi, a former Erie Otters draft pick, has two goals and seven points in 34 games for Canisius.
* If the Lakers win tonight

- Victor Fernandes

Atlantic Hockey Association final four schedule
at Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.
Semifinals – Friday
No. 1 Niagara (23-8-5) vs. No. 7 Canisius (17-18-5), 4:05 p.m.
No. 4 Connecticut (19-13-4) vs. No. 6 Mercyhurst (18-16-5), 7:05 p.m.
Championship game – Saturday
Semifinal winners, 7:05 p.m.
Note: Champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.

Junior defenseman Nick Jones was one of three Mercyhurst men’s players named to the Atlantic Hockey Association’s all-conference teams, which were announced Tuesday. Jones earned first-team honors for ranking fourth among all defensemen with 18 points. Sophomore forward Ryan Misiak was named to the second team for totaling 30 points, while sophomore forward Matthew Zay earned a spot on the third team after leading the Lakers with 34 points.

AHA TOURNAMENT – QUARTERFINALS
No. 6 Mercyhurst (16-15-5) at No. 3 Holy Cross (19-12-3)
When: Today and Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m.*
Where: Hart Center – Worcester, Mass.
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), WMCE-FM/88.5 & wmce.mercyhurst.edu (radio), www.goholycross.com (live statistics)
What to expect: Mercyhurst earned a spot in the Atlantic Hockey Association quarterfinals with a two-game sweep of 11th-seeded Army in the first round last weekend. … With those wins, the Lakers snapped an eight-game winless streak (0-5-3) and swept a series for the first time since winning two games at Sacred Heart Nov. 2-3. … They also won consecutive games for the first time since 8-1 victories against Army and Robert Morris Feb. 2-5. … The Lakers and Crusaders meet in the quarterfinals for the second straight season. Mercyhurst won in three games at Mercyhurst Ice Center to advance to the AHA’s final four in Rochester, N.Y., a season ago Fifth-year senior G Max Strang stopped 111-of-115 shots in that series. … The Lakers split two games with the Crusaders at MIC in the regular season, losing 2-1 Jan. 11 and winning 4-2 the following night, but lead the all-time series 27-12-5. … The Lakers are 15-5-1 all-time at Hart Center. … They have a 3-1 record against Holy Cross in AHA tournament play and a 4-1 overall playoff mark dating back to a 2000 meeting in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (which became the AHA in 2003). … Rick Gotkin became the 26th college coach to reach 450 career wins last weekend. … Junior Fs Daniel O’Donoghue and Kyle Just and sophomore F Zac Frischmon combined for four goals and 11 points last weekend. They were teamed on a line for the first time this season in those games. … Holy Cross earned a first-round bye with a third-place finish in the regular-season standings. … The Crusaders enter this series with a five-game unbeaten streak. … They need one win to record consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history. … They have their best record through 34 games since posting a 23-9-2 mark in the 2005-06 season.
* Sunday’s game if necessary

Atlantic Hockey Association tournament schedule
Quarterfinals (best-of-3 series)
Friday-Sunday*
No. 6 Mercyhurst (16-15-5) at No. 3 Holy Cross (19-12-3), 7 p.m.*
No. 8 Rochester Institute of Technology (15-16-5) at No. 1 Niagara (21-8-5), 7:05 p.m.
No. 5 Robert Morris (20-12-4) at No. 4 Connecticut (17-13-4), 7:05 p.m.
No. 7 Canisius (15-18-5) at No. 2 Air Force (17-11-7), 9:05 p.m.
* Game 3 on Sunday (if necessary) would begin at 5 p.m.
Semifinals – March 22
at Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.
Quarterfinal winners, TBA
Championship game – March 23
at Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.
Semifinal winners, TBA
Note: Champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.

- Victor Fernandes

The Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team is headed back to the Atlantic Hockey Association quarterfinals.
Several Lakers made sure that happened.
Grant Blakey and Daniel O’Donoghue scored two goals apiece, while Max Strang made 36 saves, to lead the Lakers to a 5-2 win over Army in front of 912 fans Saturday night at Mercyhurst Ice Center and a two-game sweep of their first-round series. Sixth-seeded Mercyhurst (16-15-5) travels to No. 3 Holy Cross next weekend for a best-of-three series in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals won by the Lakers in three games.
“I thought we played a little better as a team Friday night,” said Lakers coach Rick Gotkin, referring to his team’s 2-1 win against the Black Knights (7-22-5) in the series opener. “We had five or six guys that really stepped up and played well (Saturday).” Kyle Just had three assists for the Lakers, while Nick Jones and Zac Frischmon had two assists apiece. “We’re really happy that our season continues,” Gotkin said.
* News and notes: Mercyhurst and Holy Cross meet in Game 1 Friday, followed by Game 2 Saturday and, if necessary, Game 3 Sunday. All three games are scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. … Gotkin became the 26th college coach to reach 450 career wins. … Mercyhurst didn’t have any power-play chances Saturday.

- Victor Fernandes

Atlantic Hockey Association tournament
First round (best-of-3 series)
No. 6 Mercyhurst vs. No. 11 Army
Game 1 – Mercyhurst 3, Army 1
Game 2 - Mercyhurst 5, Army 2
Mercyhurst wins series 2-0

Quarterfinals
March 15-17 (best-of-3 series)
No. 8 Rochester Institute of Technology (15-16-5) at No. 1 Niagara (21-8-5), 7:05 p.m.
No. 6 Mercyhurst (16-15-5) at No. 3 Holy Cross (19-12-3), 7:05 p.m.
No. 5 Robert Morris (20-12-4) at No. 4 Connecticut (17-13-4), 7:05 p.m.
No. 7 Canisius (15-18-5) at No. 2 Air Force (17-11-7), 9:05 p.m.
Note: All three games in each series start at the same time.

SUMMARY

Mercyhurst 5, Army 2
Army 0 1 1 — 2
Mercyhurst 1 1 3 — 5
1st Period — 1. Mercyhurst, Grant Blakey 9 (Zay, Bodo), 5:24. Penalties — Just (M) slashing, 1:06.
2nd Period — 2. Mercyhurst, Daniel O’Donoghue 11 (Just, Frischmon), 4:38. 3. Army, Willie Faust 5 (Pomarico, Zaremba), 13:39 (pp). Penalties — Just (M) holding the stick, 8:55; Roberts (A) hooking, 8:55; Gettinger (M) hooking, 12:42.
3rd Period — 4. Mercyhurst, Blakey 10 (Just, Jones), 8:56. 5. Army, Joe Kozlak 7 (Clark), 15:07. 6. Mercyhurst, O’Donoghue 12 (Frischmon, Just), 16:28. 7. Mercyhurst, Ryan Misiak 17 (Jones), 19:10 (en). Penalties — None.
Shots on goal — Army, 11-18-9—38; Mercyhurst, 15-9-15—39.
Goaltenders — Army, Rob Tadazak 3-13-4 (38 shots, 34 saves); Mercyhurst, Max Strang 12-9-3 (38 shots, 36 saves).
Power plays — Army (1-2), Mercyhurst (0-0).
Referees — Steve Marofsky, Ryan Sweeney. Linesmen — Aaron Wallace, Tori Carissimo.
Attendance — 912.

Three stars
* Grant Blakey, Mercyhurst (2 goals) ** Daniel O’Donoghue, Mercyhurst (2 goals) *** Kyle Just, Mercyhurst (3 assists)

The Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team captured its first win in a month Friday night.
Another win tonight will send the Lakers into the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Hockey Association playoffs.
Mercyhurst scored three goals in the third period, including sophomore forward Zac Frischmon‘s go-ahead score with 5 minutes, 26 seconds left, to beat Army 3-1 in front of 1,015 fans at Mercyhurst Ice Center and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three, first-round series. The sixth-seeded Lakers (15-15-5) can complete the series sweep over the 11th-seeded Black Knights (7-21-5) with a win in Game 2 at 7:05 p.m. today at MIC.
Mercyhurst had been winless in its previous eight games. The Lakers hadn’t won since an 8-1 at Robert Morris Feb. 5. Meanwhile, a valiant effort couldn’t keep the Black Knights from extending their winless streak to 16 straight games. They haven’t won in nearly two months.

- Victor Fernandes

Atlantic Hockey Association tournament schedule
First round (best-of-3 series)
No. 6 Mercyhurst vs. No. 11 Army
Game 1 – Mercyhurst 3, Army 1
Game 2 – Today at Mercyhurst, 7:05 p.m.
Game 3 – Sunday at Mercyhurst, 7:05 p.m.*
Mercyhurst leads series 1-0
* If necessary

SUMMARY

Mercyhurst 3, Army 1
Army 1 0 0 — 1
Mercyhurst 0 0 3 — 3
1st Period — 1. Andy Starczewski 11 (Richards, Lalor), 17:49. Penalties — Richards (A) slashing, 3:30; Ikkala (A) cross checking, 7:55; Blakey (M) hooking, 15:47; Hearn (A) elbowing, 18:15.
2nd Period — None. Penalties — O’Donoghue (M) boarding, 5:13; Heller (A) elbowing, 6:47; Shiplo (M) slashing, 13:48; Ikkala (A) interference. 17:14.
3rd Period — 2. Mercyhurst, Kyle Just 4 (O’Donoghue, Mastrodicasa), 10:38. 3. Mercyhurst, Zac Frischmon 3 (Misiak, O’Donoghue), 14:34. 3. Meryhurst, Chris Bodo 17 (Zay, Blakey), 19:03 (en). Penalties — Chiasson (M) roughing, 4:10; Schultz (A) cross checking, 11:51; Jones (M) interference, 16:05.
Shots on goal — Army, 5-10-6—21; Mercyhurst, 11-8-9—28.
Goaltenders — Army, Rob Tadazak 3-12-4 (27 shots, 25 saves); Mercyhurst, Jordan Tibbett 4-6-1 (21 shots, 20 saves).
Power plays — Army (0-5), Mercyhurst (0-6).
Referees — Jim Troup, Jay Durfee. Linesmen — Aaron Wallace, Cory Carissimo.
Attendance — 1,015.

Three stars
* Zac Frischmon, Mercyhurst (GW goal) ** Daniel O’Donoghue, Mercyhurst (2 assists) *** Andy Starczewski, Army (goal)

No. 11 Army (7-20-5) at No. 6 Mercyhurst University (14-15-5)
When: Today at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 7:05 p.m.*
Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), www.hurstathletics.com (live statistics)
What to expect: Mercyhurst slid from second place and a first-round bye to sixth and a first-round series in the Atlantic Hockey Association playoffs by going winless in their final eight games of the regular season (0-5-3). … The Lakers earned a first-round bye a season ago on the way to the AHA semifinals. … They haven’t won since consecutive 8-1 wins against Army and Robert Morris Feb. 2 and 5. … Sophomore F Ryan Misiak had three goals and an assist and senior F Paul Chiasson hd two goals, while fifth-year senior G Max Strang stopped 42-of-44 shots in the two earlier meetings with Army. … Sophomore F Nardo Nagtzaam (lower-body injury) is out for the season. … Freshman F Kyle Cook (upper body) has begun skating for the first time in a month. Lakers coach Rick Gotkin doesn’t expect him to play this season, but Cook hasn’t been ruled out. … Gotkin needs two wins to become the 26th college coach to reach 450 career wins. … Sophomore F Chris Bodo finished the regular season third in NCAA Division I with 10 power-play goals. … Junior F Daniel O’Donoghue was tied for the national lead with three short-handed goals. … Mercyhurst has the nation’s best scoring offense (3.18 goals per game). Army ranks 56th out of 59 D-I programs with 3.53 goals allowed per game. … Army also is 54th in scoring offense (2.19 goals per game). … The Lakers are 36th in scoring defense (2.82 goals per game). … The Black Knights are winless in their past 15 games (0-12-3). They last won a D-I game Jan. 4 (5-0 against Robert Morris). Their only other win in this stretch was in an exhibition game Jan. 26 against Royal Military College of Kingston, Ontario.
* Sunday’s game if necessary

- Victor Fernandes

Atlantic Hockey Association tournament schedule
First round (best-of-3 series)
Game 1 – Friday
No. 12 Sacred Heart (2-28-4) at No. 5 Robert Morris (18-12-4), 7:05 p.m.
No. 10 Bentley (12-18-3) at No. 7 Canisius (13-18-5), 7:05 p.m.
No. 9 American International (12-15-6) at No. 8 Rochester Institute of Technology (13-16-5), 7:05 p.m.
No. 11 Army (7-20-5) at No. 6 Mercyhurst (14-15-5), 7:30 p.m.
Game 2 – Saturday
Sacred Heart at Robert Morris, 7:05 p.m.
Army at Mercyhurst, 7:05 p.m.
Bentley at Canisius, 7:05 p.m.
AIC at RIT, 7:05 p.m.
Game 3 – Sunday (if necessary)
Sacred Heart at Robert Morris, 7:05 p.m.
Army at Mercyhurst, 7:05 p.m.
Bentley at Canisius, 7:05 p.m.
AIC at RIT, 7:05 p.m.
Quarterfinals (best-of-3 series)
March 15-17
First-round winner at No. 1 Niagara (21-8-5), 7:05 p.m.
First-round winner at No. 3 Holy Cross (19-12-3), 7:05 p.m.
First-round winner at No. 4 Connecticut (17-13-4), 7:05 p.m.
First-round winner at No. 2 Air Force (17-11-7), 9:05 p.m.
Semifinals – March 22
at Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.
Quarterfinal winners, TBA
Championship game – March 23
at Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.
Semifinal winner, TBA
Note: Champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.