Atlantic Hockey America Men's Season Preview

BOSTON, MA – October 1, 2024 – Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) opens the men's regular season this weekend. The 2024-2025 season marks the first men's season for Atlantic Hockey America following the merger between the Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America.

Four AHA teams receive votes in the preseason national polls

RIT (55), Sacred Heart (29), Holy Cross (14) and AIC (4) all received votes in the USCHO Division I Men's Poll released on September 23. In addition, RIT (20) and Sacred Heart (3) received votes in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live Division I Men's Poll released on September 30.

Sacred Heart tops AHA preseason coaches poll

The Sacred Heart Pioneers topped the Atlantic Hockey America Men's Preseason Coaches' Poll released by the AHA on September 17. The Pioneers received a total of 102 points and five first-place votes in the voting among AHA head coaches (coaches could not vote for their own teams). Sacred Heart finished third in the Atlantic Hockey standings last season and posted a 14-10-2 record in league play. After practice matches on October 5-6, CJ Marottolo's squad begins the 2024-2025 regular season with a two-game non-conference road series against Colgate on Oct. 11-12. The first AHA conference game for the Pioneers comes Oct. 25 at home against Holy Cross.

McLinskey named AHA Preseason Player of the Year

Holy Cross senior forward Liam McLinskey was named the 2024-2025 AHA Preseason Player of the Year. McLinskey was named Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year last season as he scored 19 goals and dished out 28 assists this season. He recorded at least one point in 31 games and registered 14 multi-point games. For his efforts, McLinskey was named a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.

Preseason All-AHA team

F – Liam McLinskey, Sr., Holy Cross
F – Matteo Giampa, So., Canisius
F – Matthew Wilde, So., RIT
D – Chris Hedden, Jr., Air Force
D – Mac Gadowsky, So., Army
G – Thomas Gale, Sr., Holy Cross

Season openers

Below are the regular season openers for all 11 AHA men's teams:
Air Force: Friday October 4 vs. Arizona State / 7:05 PM MT
AIC: Saturday, October 5 at (12/11) Maine / 7:00 PM ET
Army: Sunday, October 6 at Union / 4:00 PM ET
Bentley: Saturday, October 5 vs. (14/14) Massachusetts / 7:00 PM ET
Canisius: Saturday, October 5 at (RV/RV) Clarkson / 7:00 PM ET
Holy Cross: Saturday, October 5 at (3/3) Boston University / 7:00 PM ET
Mercyhurst: Friday, October 4 vs Bowling Green / 7:00 PM ET
Niagara: Friday, October 11 at Clarkson / 7:00 PM ET
RIDE: Saturday, October 5 at (RV) St. Lawrence / 7:00 PM ET
Robert Morris: Thursday, October 17 in Miami (OH) / 7:00 PM ET
Sacred Heart: Friday, October 11 at (RV) Colgate / 7:00 PM ET

According to the numbers:

• 456: Air Force wins for head coach Frank Serratorewho will begin his 28th season at the helm of the Air Force program in 2024-2025.
• 14: Goals from AICs John Lundy last season, leading the Yellow Jackets. In addition, Lundy recorded eight assists and 22 points in 26 games last season.
• 6:Army Power Play Goals Joey Baez last season, leading the Black Knights. The Tampa, Florida native also led Army in goals (15), points (31), shots (92) and game-winning goals (4).
• 2.22: Goals-against average for Bentley's Connor Hasley last season, which finished in second place in Atlantic Hockey. Hasley recorded 10 wins and three shutouts on the season while posting a .905 save percentage.
• 35: Points for Canisius' Matteo Giampa last season, earning him Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year honors. The Virgil, Ont.native was selected to the 2024-25 Preseason All-AHA Team.
• .917: Savings percentage for Heilig Kruis' Thomas Gale last season. Gale was named to the 2024-25 Preseason All-AHA Team and the 2024 Mike Richter Award Watch List.
• 37: Seasons behind the bench at Mercyhurst's Rik Gotkin when the Lakers drop the puck on the 2024-2025 season on Oct. 4 against Bowling Green.
• 30: Points for Niagara's Tyler Wallace in his freshman season in 2023-24, leading all returners for the Purple Eagles. His 13 goals last season also led the team.
• 3.90: Goals per game scored by RIT last season, which led Atlantic Hockey and ranked 6th nationally.
• 605: Blocks from Robert Morris last season, who managed Atlantic Hockey. The Colonials blocked 15.51 shots per game.
• 124: Games at Heilig Hart for graduate students John Jaworski. The Grinnell, Iowa native set career highs in goals (10), assists (16) and points (26) last season.

About Atlantic Hockey America

Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) will begin its inaugural season in 2024-2025 following the merger between the Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America. The conference features eleven men's teams (American International College, Bentley University, Canisius College, The College of Holy Cross, Mercyhurst University, Niagara University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Robert Morris University, Sacred Heart University, the United States Air Force Academy and the United States Military Academy) and six women's teams (Lindenwood University, Mercyhurst University, Penn State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Robert Morris University and Syracuse University). In 2025-2026, Delaware University will join the women's league. For more information, visit atlantichockeyamerica.com.