THE WEEK AHEAD
The 2026-27 season drops the puck this weekend with all nine Atlantic Hockey America teams in action in either exhibition or regular-season play, including one conference series.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
Merrimack at Sacred Heart (Scrimmage)
4 p.m. ET
Martire Family Ice Arena
Fairfield, Conn.
Watch on FloHockey

RPI at Army West Point (Exhibition)
6 p.m. ET
Tate Rink
West Point, N.Y.
Watch on FloHockey

Ferris State at Canisius
7 p.m. ET
LECOM Harborcenter
Buffalo, N.Y.
Watch on FloHockey

Maine at Holy Cross
7 p.m. ET
Hart Center Rink
Worcester, Mass.
Watch on FloHockey

RIT at Niagara
7 p.m. ET
Dwyer Arena
Niagara University, N.Y.
Watch on FloHockey

Robert Morris at #6/6 Wisconsin
8 p.m. CT
Kohl Center
Madison, Wis.
Watch on B1G+

Omaha at Air Force (Exhibition)
7:05 p.m. MT
Cadet Ice Arena
Air Force Academy, Colo.
Watch on FloHockey

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
Union at Army West Point
4 p.m. ET
Tate Rink
West Point, N.Y.
Watch on FloHockey

Ferris State at Canisius
5 p.m. ET
LECOM Harborcenter
Buffalo, N.Y.
Watch on FloHockey

Niagara at RIT
5:05 p.m. ET
Gene Polisseni Center
Rochester, N.,Y.
Watch on FloHockey

Carleton at Bentley (Exhibition)
6 p.m. ET
Bentley Arena
Waltham, Mass.

Maine at Holy Cross
7 p.m. ET
DCU Center
Worcester, Mass.
Watch on FloHockey

Robert Morris at #6/6 Wisconsin
7 p.m. CT
Kohl Center
Madison, Wis.
Watch on B1G+

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4
Carleton at Sacred Heart (Exhibition)
2 p.m. ET
Martire Family Ice Arena
Fairfield, Conn.
Watch on FloHockey

Rankings listed are from the USCHO.com Preseason Poll / USA Hockey Preseason Poll

TEAM NOTES

AIR FORCE

• Head coach Frank Serratore, entering his 30th season at Air Force, announced Tuesday his plans to retire at the end of the 2026-27 season. Associate head coach Joe Doyle has been named the Falcons’ next head coach.

• Air Force went 8-4-2 down the stretch last season to secure the Falcons’ first winning season since 2018-19.

ARMY WEST POINT

• After a Friday exhibition game against RPI, Army West Point opens the season Saturday vs. Union. The two teams tied, 1-1, at Union to open last season.

• Tate Rink underwent renovations this summer and now features an NHL-sized 200x85 ice surface.

BENTLEY

• After Saturday’s exhibition vs. Carleton, the defending league champion Falcons will raise their championship banners next Friday, October 9, prior to hosting Vermont.

CANISIUS

• Head coach Trevor Large faces his alma mater, Ferris State, for the first time since October 14-15, 2022, a series the teams split in Big Rapids, Mich.

HOLY CROSS

• Holy Cross welcomes Maine to two venues this weekend, with Friday’s opener on campus at the Hart Center Rink and Saturday night’s game downtown at the DCU Center. It marks the Crusaders’ first DCU Center game since 2021.

• The Crusaders’ top returning scorer is a Worcester native, junior forward Matthew Kursonis.

NIAGARA

• The Purple Eagles, who started last season 3-0-0 in non-conference games, open with an AHA home-and-home series against RIT this season.

• Three of the four meetings between Niagara and RIT last year were decided by one goal, and the exception was one plus an empty-netter.

• Five of Niagara’s top six scorers from 2025-26 return. Graduate student Noah Hackett (Ponoka, Alta.) and sophomore Marshall Finnie (Lethbridge, Alta.) shared the team lead with 12 goals each last season.

RIT

• The Tigers open their 65th season with a home-and-home against Niagara, hoping to start the season with a win for the first time since a 2020 upset of No. 9 Clarkson, 8-5, at the Gene Polisseni Center.

• RIT is 11-6-3 in AHA openers all-time, including an 8-3-1 mark over its last 12.

• The Tigers return seven of their top 10 scorers from a season ago, including four sophomores headlined by 2025-26 AHA All-Rookie Team selections Zach Wigle (Oakville, Ont.) and Evan Konyen (Newmarket, Ont.).

ROBERT MORRIS

• The Colonials are the only conference team without a home game this weekend, venturing to No. 6/6 Wisconsin. The only prior meetings between the teams was a Badger sweep in Madison, October 19-20, 2007.

SACRED HEART

• The preseason league favorites for the third year in a row, Sacred Heart is the only AHA member still seeking a league championship on its resume.

• Junior goaltender Ajeet Gundarah (Richmond, B.C.) is the Preseason Player of the Year and leads all active NCAA goaltenders in career save percentage at .933.

STAT OF THE WEEK

The 266 players on AHA men’s rosters hail from 10 countries, 32 U.S. states and eight Canadian provinces. AHA players are 57% American and 38% Canadian.

Most Players by State, AHA
31 Minnesota
18 New York
13 California
11 Massachusetts
9 Michigan
7 Pennsylvania

Most Players by Province, AHA
51 Ontario 
20 British Columbia
13 Alberta
9 Quebec

THE AHA SHOW

The Atlantic Hockey America Show is published each Thursday during the season on AHA’s YouTube page and wherever you find podcasts. 

This week, host Mike Puzzanghera will welcome Commissioner Michelle Morgan to preview the 2026-27 season.