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Service Academy Hockey Roundup: Midseason check-in

02/11/2022, 11:30am EST
By Joe Kramer

All service academy hockey teams are already a few games deep into the new year. For some of the teams, it’s time to hit midseason stride and jockey for solid postseason positioning, while for others 2022 presents a fresh slate of games to turn things around.

Here’s what you might have missed in service academy hockey…

ACHA Men’s Hockey

Navy ACHA D1

Navy’s D1 squad hit the ground running to start 2022. The Mids played a total of four games in January, claiming four wins over Temple, West Chester, Towson, and Lehigh. Navy rounded it out its regular-season schedule this past weekend with two wins, one over George Mason, and then a blowout victory, 9-1, over Towson.

The Midshipmen will host the annual Crabpot Tournament this upcoming weekend, welcoming Towson, Stevenson, and Maryland to McMullen Arena. Towson and Stevenson open the tournament Friday afternoon at 5:30pm ET, with Navy vs Maryland following at 8:30pm. The losing teams will skate in the Consolation game at 5:40pm on Saturday, and the winning teams will face off at 8:30pm for the Championship game.

Army ACHA D2

Army, as well as Navy D3, Coast Guard, and the Merchant Marine Academy ultimately decided to withdraw from the Service Leaders of Tomorrow Tournament, originally scheduled for January 7th-9th. A number of factors, including poor communication from tournament organizers as well as a hefty entry fee for each team, led to the unanimous decision.

The Black Knights then took on Marist in a pair of games January 21st and 23rd, coming away two wins plus a #6 ranking in the ACHA D2’s Northeast Region. A last-minute outdoor matchup against Stockton last weekend fell through due to the inclement weather and Sunday’s league matchup against Central Connecticut State fell through due to CCSU having too many players out with COVID.

With the game resulting in a forfeit and Army win, the Black Knights have clinched the SECHL Regular Season title (going undefeated in league play). Army also scheduled a final exhibition matchup with Rutgers, winning handily, 10-1. Next up is the SECHL Tournament this weekend, where Army has a first-round bye.

Air Force ACHA D3

The Falcons opened up 2022 on the road, taking on New Mexico January 7th and 8th. Air Force split against New Mexico, losing 6-2 before rebounding for a 4-3 win in the second game. Next, the Falcons welcomed Akron to the Cadet Ice Arena, sending the Zips home with a pair of losses.

Colorado School of Mines became the next victim to run into USAFA’s buzzsaw, falling 5-0 and 4-1 to the Falcons January 21st and 22nd. A January 6th matchup against University of Denver’s ACHA D2 team was ultimately postponed. Air Force currently holds the #20 spot in ACHA D3 rankings with a 14-5 overall record.

Coast Guard ACHA D3

Despite pulling out of the Service Leaders of Tomorrow Tournament, Coast Guard participated in a Military Appreciation event on January 8th along with Navy D3 and the Merchant Marine Academy D3 teams. The Bears dismantled the Merchant Marines, 10-1, before defeating Navy, 6-1, to win the event.

A January 22nd matchup against UConn was postponed, and Coast Guard dropped a hard-fought 5-2 loss to Worcester Polytechnic Institute the following day. The Bears had to postpone another game, this time against Harvard on January 29th, but did see action this past weekend against New Haven (no results found) and Worcester Polytechnic (a close 2-1 loss).

Next up for Coast Guard is the NECHA playoffs this weekend.

Merchant Marine ACHA D3

The Merchant Marine Academy also opened up 2022 in the Military Appreciation event in early January with Navy and Coast Guard. The Mariners loss 10-1 to the Coast Guard Academy, but managed a win over Navy. USMMA followed up with a narrow 1-0 win over SUNY Maritime College on January 15th.

The following weekend the Mariners hosted a pair of games, beating Suffolk Country Community College, 3-1, and losing a tight 7-6 game to Sacred Heart in overtime. Much like other service academy teams, USMMA had games on January 28th and 29th, against Farmingdale State and Western Connecticut State, postponed.

The Mariners fell to Sacred Heart, 5-3, this past weekend, and will make up one game against Western Connecticut State this week.

ACHA Women’s Hockey

Air Force

The Falcon’s Women’s team has struggled against fellow ACHA Women’s D1 competition. Air Force has played four games thus far in 2022, including a matchup against Colorado State, two games against Utah, and one against the University of Colorado. USAFA’s Women’s team unfortunately fell against all 3 opponents, losing by double digit margins in all but one instance.

Navy

Navy’s Women’s team has fared much better at the ACHA Women’s D2 level. The Mids skated away with two wins in January, over Rowan and Loyola University of Maryland, respectively. With a 13-1 record, USNA’s Women’s team is ranked #2 in the Women’s D2 Southeast Region.

Next up is a matchup against No. 1 Delaware this Saturday.

(Originally published at https://www.againstallenemies.com/2022/2/11/22929990/service-academy-hockey-roundup-midseason-ncaa-acha-army-navy-afa)

Tag(s): Home  Men's D1