Air Force’s Frank Serratore more excited by offseason moves than preseason hockey poll
Facility and scholarship upgrades have the Atlantic Hockey Conference coaches excited about the future.
If only Air Force’s Frank Serratore was as thrilled about Monday’s release of the annual coaches preseason poll, which picked the Falcons second behind the Rochester Institute of the Technology.
“Second?” Serratore said with obvious sarcasm, not caring about preseason projections. “That’s great. We have been working really hard in the preseason and it’s nice to see us be rewarded. Anyway.”
And then the topic switched to what truly had the AHC coaches hyped up; the offseason news that the league will allow its programs to award the NCAA-maximum 18 scholarships next year instead of 14.
American International and Sacred Heart will move into larger, professional facilities this fall.
Those off-ice commitments and the July announcement that Bentley, which used a community rink well below Division 1 standards, will open a new 2,000-seat on-campus facility in 2018, show the conference’s member schools are no longer satisfied with their league’s perception as the bottom tier of college hockey.
“That is a game-changer for us in regards to recruiting,” said American International College coach Eric Lang. “We just got back from the USHL showcases and we are talking to guys who would not have given us the time of day before.”
“These commitments have put us in position to truly compete for an NCAA championship in the future,” Sacred Heart coach C.J. Marottolo said. “Every recruit wants to know the commitment is there so that they can develop.”
If the usual bottom-tier AHC programs improve in the next three to four years, the perception outside the league benefits, RIT coach Wayne Wilson said. But those off-ice commitments need to pay off with nonconference wins in the regular season.
The league was a Division 1-worst 15-49-2 (.276) last season.
The Northeast-based league needs to schedule home games against Hockey East and ECAC schools instead of taking the check and playing on the road to improve on that, Serratore said.