Atlantic Hockey preview/watch list: Can anyone knock off AIC?

Similar to its regional counterparts in ECAC Hockey and Hockey East, the 2020-21 Atlantic Hockey season was delayed for over a month and didn't feature as many games as usual.

When things finally got underway, the 10-team conference was split into a pair of regions, East and West, to limit travel and potential exposure to COVID-19. The two groups of teams only played one another during the regular season, with a limited number of non-conference games mixed in.

The separation of regions continued through the conference tournament semifinals. In the end, three-time defending regular season champion American International defeated Canisius to earn the conference's lone bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Yellow Jackets were knocked out by North Dakota in the first round of the national bracket.

With conference play on track to return to normal for 2021-22, New England Hockey Journal previews each of the 10 AHA teams to see how they are preparing for the new campaign, which kicks off Saturday, Oct. 2.

Air Force

Air Force played fewer games (14) than any Atlantic Hockey team during this past COVID-impacted season, but there is reason for optimism after the freshman class played a key role in the offense. The two leading contributors were rising junior forward Willie Reim and defenseman Brandon Koch, but the next three scorers are all set for their second collegiate seasons in forwards Will Gavin (Durham, Conn.), Nate Horn and Thomas Daskas. Reim scored two of his six goals in overtime. Sophomore Luke Robinson and junior Dalton Weigel were regular players on defense. Senior Alex Schilling started nine of the 14 games in goal including four of the last six. The Falcons will incorporate another large class of freshmen, as their 12 newcomers include NAHL All-Rookie defenseman, Mitchell Digby.

American International

The shortened 2020-21 season didn’t alter the course for American International, which is coming off its second Jack Riley Memorial Trophy and NCAA appearance in three years. The Yellow Jackets lost their best goal scorer (Tobias Fladeby), defenseman (Brennan Kapcheck) and goaltender (Stefano Durante) from a year ago. Plenty does return as Chris Theodore’s 19 points led the team as a junior, senior Justin Cole scored nine goals, and seniors Chris Dodero and Elijah Barriga potted seven apiece. Senior captain Parker Revering and juniors Zak Galambos and Brett Callahan will contribute again on defense, while Providence transfer Jake Kucharski won all five starts behind Durante. Five of the team’s nine newcomers are transfers including former UConn forward Brian Rigali, goalie Alec Calvaruso from RPI, and Chris Van Os-Shaw, a three-time WCHA champ at Minnesota State.

Army West Point

Army West Point looks to build upon an outstanding season during which it compiled a 13-game unbeaten streak that ended in the Atlantic Hockey semifinals. The Black Knights boast the league’s top returning goal scorer in senior Colin Bilek, a former member of the NAHL’s Northeast Generals whose 18 goals were six more than the competition. Senior Eric Butte (Belmont, Mass.) and sophomore Mitch Machlitt are leaders up front after recording 11 assists apiece. Now-junior defenseman Thomas Farrell joined Bilek on the All-AHA first team, and Lincoln Hatten was the East Pod’s Rookie of the Year. Junior Justin Evenson played three games behind graduated All-American Tevin Kozlowski in net. The freshman class includes the NAHL’s reigning South Division MVP Joey Baez and the NCDC’s top netminder, Evan Szary.

Bentley

The departures of Jakov Novak (Northeastern) and Luke Santerno (Clarkson) will leave a void on the first line, but Bentley still returns an experienced group. Junior Matt Gosiewski (Wilton, Conn.) tied for the team lead with seven goals, while sophomore defenseman Drew Bavaro was one of three Falcons to post double-digit assists. Senior Ethan Roswell and junior Marcus Walter are key defensemen and captains along with senior forward Brendan Walkom. Up front, Michael Zuffante and Brendan Hamblet (Hopkinton, Mass.) are back for their fifth seasons and will have a slew of transfers alongside them including Kohei Sato (New Hampshire), Collin Rutherford (Dartmouth) and Phil Knies (Miami). Nicholas Grabko played 12 of the 16 games last year in goal, where Arizona State transfer Evan DeBrouwer will be a new competitor.

Canisius

Canisius has built plenty of experience over the last couple of seasons, returning the majority of a club that made its first AHA title game appearance since 2014 in March. Junior Keaton Mastrodonato and senior Mitchell Martan are back after pacing the Golden Griffins during an 11-6 campaign and welcome in former Robert Morris forward Randy Hernandez, the league’s freshman scoring champion from a year ago. The most experienced defender is gone in Logan Gestro, but Jackson Decker posted a league-leading plus-14 mark as a freshman. Junior Jacob Barczewski and senior Matt Ladd were both strong while taking over the net. Three more of the team’s seven total transfers come from New England schools: forward Jake Witkowski (Melrose, Mass./Boston University) and defensemen Joey Matthews (Dartmouth) and Cory Thomas (Vermont).

Holy Cross

Holy Cross commences a new era with Bill Riga (Westboro, Mass.) taking over as head coach after 13 years on Rand Pecknold’s staff at Quinnipiac. Junior Alex Peterson and senior Ryan Leibold return as two of the team’s top three scorers for a team that looks to improve upon a 4-12 mark. Senior Anthony Vincent (Wilton, Conn.) is a third-year assistant captain. Defenseman Michael Kane (Guilford, Conn.) and Jack Robilotti took on regular roles as freshmen on a unit that will be captained by senior Matt Slick. Senior Erik Gordon and senior Matt Radomsky both saw action in net a year ago, while former Deerfield star Thomas Gale joins the goaltending corps. Also among the six new Crusaders is St. Sebastian’s grad Liam Connors (Westboro, Mass.), a two-time All-ISL forward.

Mercyhurst

Mercyhurst carries an extremely experienced roster into 2021-22 as just one senior graduated last year and goaltender Hank Johnson returns for an extra season. All of the Lakers’ top six offensive contributors were underclassmen, with sophomore Carson Briere and junior Jonathan Bendorf leading the team with 19 points and 11 goals. Austin Heidemann also added double-digit points during his debut campaign, while junior defenseman Joseph Maziarz earned All-AHA honors. Owen Norton and Michael Bevilacqua will be seniors on the back end, while Geoff Kitt led their seven-man class in points last year. Three of the team’s four newcomers are freshmen as defensemen Mickey Burns and Philip Waugh come from Vermont, and forward Pierce Crawford is a Notre Dame graduate.

Niagara

Niagara emerged among the AHA’s final four playoff teams for the second time in three years with a junior-laden roster last season. However, only two of the team’s top five scorers return in senior Walker Sommer and junior Ryan Naumovski. Grad student Chris Harpur remains on the back end as a 126-game veteran. The Purple Eagles lost forward Ludvig Stenlund to his native Sweden and defenseman Croix Evingson to the Winnipeg Jets organization, so there will be room for new leaders to emerge despite an experienced overall team. Forwards Jack DeBoer (Boston University) and Albin Nilsson (Providence) join from Hockey East schools. Junior Chad Veltri has started in goal for two years, but senior Michael Corson joins the race as a Denver transfer.

RIT

RIT has its top six scorers from a season ago returning including West Pod Co-Player of the Year Will Calverley, a senior who was the AHA’s leader in per-game production with 12 goals and 25 points in 18 games. Junior Elijah Gonsalves and senior Jake Hamacher were both 20-point scorers, while seniors Nick Bruce and Kobe Walker also return up front. Dan Willett anchors the defense as a reigning All-AHC pick with 70 career points. Goalie Ian Andriano rounds out the foursome of fifth-year seniors back in the fold, entering the year with the most experience following Logan Drackett’s graduation. Gianfranco Cassaro adds college experience to the back end as a transfer from defending national champion UMass.

Sacred Heart

A mix of new and old should have Sacred Heart in the AHA mix again as three of the top four scorers, all but two regular defensemen and two goaltenders — senior Josh Benson and junior Luke Lush — return and 11 newcomers join C.J. Marrotolo’s club. Junior Kevin Lombardi and senior Austin Magera combined for 15 goals, and sophomore Braeden Tuck had six while matching the team lead with 16 points. The top blueliners were underclassmen in now-sophomore Grant Anderson and junior Patrick Dawson (Medway, Mass.). The Pioneers welcome in players with experience in five Division 1 conferences, Arizona State and three junior leagues including forwards Dante Palecco (Yale), Neil Shea (Northeastern/Marshfield, Mass.) and Troy Conzo (Colorado College), and defenseman Logan Britt (Quinnipiac).

NEHJ’s preseason rankings:

1. AIC
2. Canisius
3. Mercyhurst
4. Army
5. Sacred Heart
6. RIT
7. Bentley
8. Niagara
9. Air Force
10. Holy Cross