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Robert Morris, Mercyhurst aim to open men's hockey seasons in mid-November
Atlantic Hockey, the conference which includes Robert Morris and Mercyhurst, announced it is targeting Nov. 13 to open its men’s 2020-21 season.
Schedules have yet to be announced but according to a release from the conference, each school will play between 24 and 28 games. The season will conclude with a tournament involving all 11 of the conference’s member schools.
Because of the risks associated with travel and the coronavirus pandemic, 10 schools will be separated into two separate “pods” composed of five schools. Each team will have five games against each pod member.
Robert Morris and Mercyhurst will be part of the western pod along with Canisius, Niagara and RIT. The eastern pod will include American International, Army, Bentley, Holy Cross and Sacred Heart.
Air Force, based in Colorado Springs, will play the all other conference members two times each while Long Island, an independent program entering its inaugural season, will compete as a “scheduling partner” with two games each against each school in a pod. Air Force and Long Island will play four games against one another.
“First off, I’m extremely excited to be announcing we have an approved league schedule for the 2020-21 season. It’s been a long process, and involved quite a bit of discussion, but it’s a testament to all those involved that we have managed to get Atlantic Hockey on the ice in 2020-21,” Commissioner Robert DeGregorio said in a statement.
“We put this schedule together to maximize the student-athlete experience during such uncertain times. We found a way to schedule up to 28 games while maintaining a focus on the health and safety of all parties by reducing travel times and overnight trips as much as we could.”
Conference standings will be based on point percentage as opposed to total points.
The NCAA cancelled the remainder of the 2019-20 season March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Robert Morris finished the 2019-20 season with a 12-19-5 record while Mercyhurst was 5-28-2.
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