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Atlantic Hockey Showdown: Playoff Round #3

"Canisius Wins 2013 Championship"
Courtesy Canisius Athletics
Round #2 Recap: 

#7 Mercyhurst (1) Vs. #3 Army (2) 
The Army Black Knights barely avoided one of the largest upsets of the tournament thus far by beating the Mercyhurst Lakers in a very close 3 game series 2 games to 1. On Friday night Army exploded with 6 goals to take game #1 6-4, the Golden Knights were lead by freshman forward Brendan Soucie with 2 goals. In game #2 it took overtime but Mercyhurst was able to pull out the victory and extend their visit to West Point for another day with a 3-2 overtime victory, Sophomore Forward Matthew Whittaker led Mercyhurst with two goals including the overtime winner. On Sunday night Army managed to sneak away with a 4-3 victory after being down 3-1 in the 2nd period. 

#8 Bentley (0) Vs. #2 Air Force (2)
Air Force won the battle of the Falcons this weekend by sweeping Bentley 2 games to nothing to advance to Rochester. In game #1 Air Force scored 3 goals in a 6 minute span in the second period and used a shutout by Sophomore Goaltender Shane Starrett to roll over Bentley 4-0. In Game #2 Air Force closed out the series with a 2-1 victory over Bentley, with Junior Forward Ben Kucera scoring the game winning goal early in the 3rd period.  


#11 Niagara (0) Vs. #1 Canisius (2) 
The #1 overall seed Canisius Golden Griffins flew past the Niagara Purple Eagles in two straight games to give themselves a trip to the Semifinals in Rochester next weekend. In Game #1 between these two teams, Canisius used three goals and yet another shutout performance from 5th year Senior Goaltender Charles Williams to beat the Eagles 3-0. On the second night Canisius used a two goal third period to sweep the Purple Eagles with a 2-1 victory. These past two wins for the Griffins has pushed their unbeaten streak to 18 games, which is also longest in the Nation. 

#5 Holy Cross (0) Vs. #4 RMU (2) 
The Robert Morris Colonials defeated Holy Cross in two consecutive games to advance to the 2017 Atlantic Conference Semi-Finals next weekend.  In Game #1 the Colonials used a 5 goal 3rd period push to defeat the Crusaders by a score of 6-3 on Friday night, Sophomore Forward Alex Tonge led the team with two goals. In Game #2 RMU jumped out to a 2-0 lead and weathered a furious comeback by Holy Cross to come out on top 3-2 and sweep the series.


Round #3: 

#4 RMU Vs. #1 Canisius 
The RMU Colonials will face of with the Canisius Golden Griffins in the first of the Semifinal matchup this upcoming weekend. Canisius won the two game regular season series between the two teams winning the first game 6-3 behind a Hat-Trick performance from Sophomore Forward Felix Chamberland, Canisius would then go on play RMU to a tie on Saturday night 2-2. RMU will be tasked with breaking up Canisius' 18 game unbeaten streak which is currently the longest active streak in the NCAA.

#2 Air Force Vs. #3 Army 
The Air Force Falcons will square up against the Army Black Knights in an all service school Semifinal matchup. Air Force won the 4 game regular season series with the Black Knights, dropping the first game 4-2 but winning the final 3 games 3-1, 3-2, and 3-1. This will also feature a matchup between two Goaltenders who have been nominated for the Mike Richter award (best goalie in the NCAA) with both Sophomore Air Force goaltender Shane Starrett and Senior Army Goaltender Parker Gahagen* both playing in this game (Canisius Goaltender Charles Williams was also nominated)

*Gahagen left game #3 of the Round #2 matchup with Mercyhurst and did not return

Where to Get Tickets: 
Rounds 3-4 will be played at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY. Semifinals will take place on Friday March 17th, game #1 at 4:30 with game #2 at 7:00. The championship game will take place on Saturday March 18th at 7:05. Tickets can be purchased here or at the box office of the Blue Cross Arena. 
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