2021 Atlantic Hockey Tournament

2021 Atlantic Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
Dates	March 8–20, 2021
Teams	10
Finals site	MassMutual Center; Springfield, Massachusetts
Champions	American International (2nd title)
Winning coach	Eric Lang (2nd title)
MVP	Justin Cole (American International)
← 2020	2022 →

The 2021 Atlantic Hockey Tournament was the 17th edition of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament. It was played between March 8 and March 20, 2021 entirely at home campus locations. On March 5, 2021, Holy Cross withdrew from the tournament due to a positive COVID test.^[1] This resulted in Sacred Heart receiving a bye into the quarterfinal round. First Round and Quarterfinal games took place at home venues while Semifinal a Championship games were held at the MassMutual Center, the home of American International. By winning the tournament, American International earned Atlantic Hockey's automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

Format[]

The tournament featured four rounds of play. The tournament participants were split into east- and west-brackets. In the first round, after the withdrawal of Holy Cross, the two lowest-seeded teams from each region, as determined by the conference regular season standings, played a single game with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals. The top six teams from the conference regular season standings received byes to the quarterfinals. There, the first seed from each region and the winner of the first round game of the same region and the second and the third seeds of each region will play single-elimination games, with the winners advancing to the semifinals. In the semifinals, the highest remaining seed of each region will play the lower remaining seed of the opposite region in single games, with the winners advancing to the championship game. The tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.^[2]

Conference Standings[]

2020–21 Atlantic Hockey Standings v • d • e
	Conference record											Overall record
	GP	W	L	T	OW	OL	SW	PTS	PT%	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#15 American International †*	12	11	1	0	1	0	0	32	.889	47	18	19	15	4	0	67	40
Army	15	10	4	1	3	1	1	30	.667	42	33	22	15	6	1	71	48
Robert Morris	15	10	5	0	2	1	0	29	.644	58	48	24	15	9	0	85	69
Canisius	13	8	5	0	1	1	0	24	.615	42	34	17	11	6	0	59	46
RIT	13	7	5	1	0	0	1	23	.590	43	40	20	9	9	2	68	70
Sacred Heart	13	6	6	1	1	2	0	20	.513	35	38	18	6	10	2	43	59
Mercyhurst	16	7	8	1	1	1	1	23	.479	54	50	21	8	12	1	64	67
Bentley	15	4	11	0	1	5	0	16	.356	35	48	16	5	11	0	42	51
Niagara	15	3	9	3	0	2	1	15	.333	39	53	22	7	12	3	57	70
Air Force	13	3	9	1	2	1	0	9	.231	32	49	14	3	10	1	35	56
Holy Cross	12	3	9	0	2	0	0	7	.194	22	38	16	4	12	0	30	52
Championship: March 20, 2021 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Bracket[]

Teams are reseeded for the semifinals

First round
March 8–9

Quarterfinals
March 12–14

Semifinals
March 19

Championship
March 20

E1

American International

—

E1

American International

2

E4

Bentley

7

E4

~~Bentley~~

—

W5

Niagara

1

E5

Air Force

3

East Division

E2

Army

4

4***

—

E3

Sacred Heart

0

3

—

E1

American International

5

W2

Canisius

2

W1

Robert Morris

3*

2

1

W4

Mercyhurst

2

W5

Niagara

2

3**

2

W5

Niagara

3

West Division

W2

Canisius

5

6

—

E2

Army

3

W3

RIT

2

—

W2

Canisius

4*

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

Results[]

First Round[]

(W4) Mercyhurst vs. (W5) Niagara[]

March 8, 2021
5:00 PM

Mercyhurst

2 – 3
(1–0, 1–2, 0–1)

Niagara

Mercyhurst Ice Center, Erie, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 163


Kyle McClellan	Goalies	Chad Veltri	Referees: Michael Shubert C.J. Hallman
(Schneider, Kitt) Josh McDougall (1) – 02:45 (Sheriff, Reifenberger) Carson Brière (5) – 22:07	1–0 2–0 2–1 2–2 2–3	28:42 – PP – Ludwig Stenlund (6) (Evingson, Kendall) 32:12 – Ryan Cox (7) (Stanley, Edgerton) 55:53 – GW – Walker Sommer (6) (Herrmann, Stenlund)
4 min	Penalties	2 min
31	Shots	35

(E4) Bentley vs. (E5) Air Force[]

March 9, 2021
5:05 PM

Bentley

7 – 3
(3–2, 2–1, 2–0)

Air Force

Bentley Arena, Waltham, Massachusetts
Attendance: 0


Nicholas Grabko	Goalies	Zack LaRocque Alex Schilling	Referees: Brendan Blanchard Ryan Sweeney
(Villella) Cole Kodsi (1) – 08:40 (Orysiuk) Jakov Novak (7) – 11:39 (Schlagenhauf) Joe Winkelmann (1) – 14:17 (Bavaro, Novak) Brendan Walkom (3) – GW – 32:15 (Walkom) Matt Gosiewski (6) – PP – 33:46 (Novak, Walkom) Matt Gosiewski (7) – EN – 58:16 (Novak) Brendan Walkom (4) – EN – 59:51	0–1 1–1 2–1 3–1 3–2 3–3 4–3 5–3 6–3 7–3	00:20 – Willie Reim (6) (unassisted) 17:39 – PP – Brandon Koch (3) (Levin) 22:10 – PP – Max Harper (4) (Koch, Horn)
19 min	Penalties	4 min
27	Shots	31

Quarterfinals[]

(E1) American International vs. (E4) Bentley[]

Bentley withdrew from the tournament due to an increase of COVID-19 positive tests on campus.^[3] American International received a bye into the semifinal round.

(E2) Army vs. (E3) Sacred Heart[]

March 12, 2021
5:05 PM

Army

4 – 0
(0–0, 0–0, 4–0)

Sacred Heart

Tate Rink, West Point, New York
Attendance: 102


Trevin Kozlowski	Goalies	Luke Lush	Referees: Brendan Blanchard Casey Terreri
(Farrell, Krueger) Mitch Machlitt (5) – GW – 41:25 (Butte, Hatten) Ricky Lyle (2) – 45:17 (Krueger, Machlitt) Colin Bilek (17) – 53:08 (Zimmerman, Felker) Daniel Haider (2) – 53:30	1–0 2–0 3–0 4–0
6 min	Penalties	6 min
34	Shots	30

March 13, 2021
5:05 pm

Army

4 – 3 (3OT)
(0–1, 2–2, 1–0, 0–0, 0–0, 1–0)

Sacred Heart

Tate Rink, West Point, New York
Attendance: 96


Trevin Kozlowski	Goalies	Josh Benson	Referees: Andy O'Brien Casey Terreri
(Hatten, Haider) Eric Butte (6) – PP – 26:09 (Bilek, Firriolo) Mason Krueger (5) – 36:34 (Machlitt, Krueger) Thomas Farrell (4) – 52:21 (Machlitt, Krueger) Colin Bilek (18) – GW – 113:20	0–1 0–2 1–2 2–2 2–3 3–3 4–3	18:41 – PP – Braeden Tuck (6) (Johnstone, Magera) 23:00 – PP – Austin Magera (7) (Johnstone, Godbout) 38:54 – Patrick Dawson (1) (Johnstone, Lombardi)
10 min	Penalties	10 min
72	Shots	45

Army Won Series 2–0

(W1) Robert Morris vs. (W5) Niagara[]

March 12, 2021
7:00 PM

Robert Morris

3 – 2 (OT)
(0–1, 2–1, 0–0, 1–0)

Niagara

Clearview Arena, Neville Township, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 0


Noah West	Goalies	Chad Veltri	Referees: Michael Shubert Joseph Genovese
(Kramer, Hebert) Aidan Spellacy (5) – 20:11 (Michaelian, Love) Jordan Timmons (9) – 29:20 (Hebert, Head) Darcy Walsh (2) – GW – 64:42	0–1 1–1 2–1 2–2 3–2	09:26 – Eric Cooley (4) (Naumovski, Zielinski) 32:12 – PP – Justin Kendall (3) (Cooley, Cox)
4 min	Penalties	2 min
36	Shots	25

March 13, 2021
7:05 PM

Robert Morris

2 – 3 (2OT)
(1–2, 1–0, 0–0, 0–0, 0–1)

Niagara

Clearview Arena, Neville Township, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 0


Noah West	Goalies	Chad Veltri	Referees: Michael Shubert Joseph Genovese
(Prkusic, Hernandez) Justin Addamo (8) – PP – 16:03 (Hernandez, Schaeffer) Nick Prkusic (7) – 26:41	0–1 1–1 1–2 2–2 2–3	11:23 – Jack Billings (5) (Cooley) 16:55 – Ludwig Stenlund (7) (Herrmann, Billings) 87:31 – GW – Jack Billings (6) (Stenlund, Edgerton)
8 min	Penalties	8 min
51	Shots	40

March 14, 2021
7:05 PM

Robert Morris

1 – 2
(0–1, 0–1, 1–0)

Niagara

Clearview Arena, Neville Township, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 0


Noah West	Goalies	Chad Veltri	Referees: Michael Shubert Joseph Genovese
(Jenny, Michaelian) Randy Hernandez (11) – EA – 59:48	0–1 0–2 1–2	02:59 – Jack Billings (7) (Edgerton) 23:51 – GW – Walker Sommer (7) (Evingson, Mysak)
19 min	Penalties	6 min
45	Shots	32

Niagara Won Series 2–1

(W2) Canisius vs. (W3) RIT[]

March 12, 2021
7:05 PM

Canisius

5 – 2
(1–1, 4–1, 0–0)

RIT

LECOM Harborcenter, Buffalo, New York
Attendance: 89


Jacob Barczewski	Goalies	Ian Andriano Logan Drackett	Referees: Chris Leavitt William McGoldrick III
(Mastrodonato, Alger) Ryan Miotto (1) – 13:32 (Gestro, Virtanen) Cooper Haar (1) – 23:32 (Martan, Miotto) David Melaragni (2) – GW – 28:39 (unassisted) J. D. Pogue (2) – SH – 31:42 (Lapid) Austin Alger (3) – 32:47	1–0 1–1 2–1 3–1 4–1 4–2 5–2	14:48 – Will Calverley (12) (Walker, Willett) 32:25 – PP – Dan Willett (3) (Gonsalves, Moretz)
8 min	Penalties	2 min
23	Shots	37

March 13, 2021
7:05 PM

Canisius

6 – 2
(1–2, 2–0, 3–0)

RIT

LECOM Harborcenter, Buffalo, New York
Attendance: 109


Jacob Barczewski	Goalies	Logan Drackett	Referees: Chris Leavitt William McGoldrick III
(Meyer, Virtanen) Max Kouznetsov (3) – 02:50 (unassisted) Keaton Mastrodonato (9) – 23:39 (Lapid, Mastrodonato) Grant Meyer (2) – PP GW – 34:09 (Gravel, Gestro) Lee Lapid (5) – SH – 55:11 (Decker) Mitchell Martan (5) – EN – 57:22 (Martan, Mastrodonato) Ryan Miotto (2) – EN – 58:53	1–0 1–1 1–2 2–2 3–2 4–2 5–2 6–2	10:46 – PP – Jake Hamacher (7) (Gonsalves, Willett) 14:51 – PP – Dan Willett (4) (Gonsalves, Hamacher)
12 min	Penalties	10 min
25	Shots	31

Canisius Won Series 2–0

Semifinals[]

(E1) American International vs. (W5) Niagara[]

March 19, 2021
2:00 PM

American International

2 – 1
(0–0, 0–1, 2–0)

Niagara

MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Attendance: 0


Stefano Durante	Goalies	Chad Veltri	Referees: Chris Leavitt Michael Schubert
(Galambos) Elijiah Barriga (6) – 51:22 (Baum, Kapcheck) Justin Cole (8) – GW – 54:19	0–1 1–1 2–1	37:50 – Walker Sommer (8) (unassisted)
2 min	Penalties	4 min
35	Shots	18

(E2) Army vs. (W2) Canisius[]

March 19, 2021
7:05 PM

Army

3 – 4 (OT)
(1–0, 0–2, 2–1, 0–1)

Canisius

MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Attendance: 0


Trevin Kozlowski	Goalies	Jacob Barczewski	Referees: Ryan Sweeney Brendan Blanchard
(Berkovitz, Farrell) Jake Felker (3) – 15:06 (Krueger, Machlitt) Thomas Farrell (5) – 41:51 (Abdelnour, Hatten) Matt Berkovitz (1) – 49:56	1–0 1–1 1–2 2–2 3–2 3–3 3–4	26:02 – Simon Gravel (5) (Wareham) 26:48 – PP – Mitchell Martan (6) (Lapid, Meyer) 54:07 – Max Kouznetsov (4) (Gravel, Gestro) 73:31 – GW – J. D. Pogue (5) (Haar, Long)
10 min	Penalties	4 min
29	Shots	31

Championship[]

(E1) American International vs. (W2) Canisius[]

March 20, 2021
7:00 PM

American International

5 – 2
(0–1, 2–1, 3–0)

Canisius

MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Attendance: 0


Stefano Durante	Goalies	Jacob Barczewski	Referees: Ryan Sweeney Michael Schubert
(Dodero, Baum) Justin Cole (9) – 21:21 (Theodore, Kapcheck) Elijiah Barriga (7) – PP – 34:41 (Fladeby, Kapcheck) Chris Theodore (4) – PP GW – 43:24 (Kapcheck, Otto) Chris Dodero (8) – EN – 57:52 (Revering) Zak Galambos (4) – EN – 58:36	0–1 1–1 1–2 2–2 3–2 4–2 5–2	08:40 – Kevin Obssuth (3) (Pogue, Long) 23:12 – Grant Meyer (3) (Melaragni)
2 min	Penalties	21 min
36	Shots	17

Tournament awards[]

All-Tournament Team^[4][]

G Stefano Durante (American International)
D Logan Gestro (Canisius)
D Brennan Kapcheck (American International)
F Elijiah Barriga (American International)
F Justin Cole* (American International)
F J. D. Pogue (Canisius)

* Most Valuable Player(s)

References[]

↑ Positive COVID-19 test at Holy Cross cancels rest of Crusaders’ season; Sacred Heart gets bye into Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals. USCHO.com (March 5, 2021). Retrieved on March 5, 2021.
↑ http://atlantichockeyonline.com/tournaments/?id=10
↑ Bentley withdraws from Atlantic Hockey playoffs, advancing American International to semifinals. USCHO.com (March 11, 2021). Retrieved on March 13, 2021.
↑ "ATLANTIC HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP: American International repeats as titlists with three goals in third period to down Canisius", USCHO.com, March 20, 2021. Retrieved on March 22, 2021.

[1] Positive COVID-19 test at Holy Cross cancels rest of Crusaders’ season; Sacred Heart gets bye into Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals. USCHO.com (March 5, 2021). Retrieved on March 5, 2021.

[2] ttp://atlantichockeyonline.com/tournaments/?id=10

[3] Bentley withdraws from Atlantic Hockey playoffs, advancing American International to semifinals. USCHO.com (March 11, 2021). Retrieved on March 13, 2021.

[4] "ATLANTIC HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP: American International repeats as titlists with three goals in third period to down Canisius", USCHO.com, March 20, 2021. Retrieved on March 22, 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

2021 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournaments
Conference	Atlantic Hockey - Big Ten - ECAC - Hockey East - NCHC - WCHA
National	NCAA

2021 Atlantic Hockey Tournament

Format[]

Conference Standings[]

Bracket[]

Results[]

First Round[]

(W4) Mercyhurst vs. (W5) Niagara[]

(E4) Bentley vs. (E5) Air Force[]

Quarterfinals[]

(E1) American International vs. (E4) Bentley[]

(E2) Army vs. (E3) Sacred Heart[]

(W1) Robert Morris vs. (W5) Niagara[]

(W2) Canisius vs. (W3) RIT[]

Semifinals[]

(E1) American International vs. (W5) Niagara[]

(E2) Army vs. (W2) Canisius[]

Championship[]

(E1) American International vs. (W2) Canisius[]

Tournament awards[]

All-Tournament Team[4][]

References[]

All-Tournament Team^[4][]