SUNYAC Hockey Power Rankings

SUNYAC Power Rankings by Josh Carey
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We all know records don’t tell the whole story, but the SUNYAC Power Rankings do. Teams are rated based on past performance and future expectations. The ratings are constructed such that any two teams playing at a neutral site, with a neutral crowd, equidistant from the two campuses, would have the higher seeded team beat the lower seeded team.

Rank (Last week rank) Team (Record;Conference Record). Last week (Score)
Analysis
This week.

1 (LW: NR). Oswego (2-0). Last week: W @ Morrisville (9-1), W vs. Utica (4-3).

The Lakers put up the best effort of any team against a Mustangs team that will compete against many teams in the SUNYAC this season if other performances are any indication. Combine that with a strong effort against an ECAC-West foe and you get Oswego at the top of the rankings to start the season. Letting Utica back into a game the Lakers had firmly in hand is a point of concern, as are the 10 penalties. However, the Pioneers also spent 24 minutes in the box, and tough officiating seems to be a storyline to open this season. Don’t get too excited about that victory over Morrisville, however, as it seems coach Earl Utter realized Cody Williams came back from Cortland for a reason. A huge home-and-home this week will likely determine if the Lakers can hold on to this spot.

This week: @ Elmira, vs.Elmira

2 (LW: NR). Geneseo (1-0). Last week: W vs. Morrisville (5-3), W vs. St Clair (7-4, ex).

The Ice Knights started out sloppy at home against Morrisville, trailing 2-0 after one period. They quickly turned it around, putting 56 shots on goal in that matchup. Too many penalties marred both their games this weekend, and seven goals against each weekend won’t cut it in the SUNYAC. However, three shorthanded goals in the exhibition prove something’s going right (his name is Mitch Stephens) and puts them in the 2 slot.

This week: vs. Neumann, vs. Neumann.

3 (LW: NR). Plattsburgh (1-0): Last week: W vs. Morrisville (6-3).

Why are the Cardinals behind an Ice Knight team with the same record who beat the Mustangs by one less goal? First, the Ice Knights also put up a solid game against the Saints, plus two of the Cardinals’ goals against Morrisville came in the last 90 seconds of the game, by which point the Mustangs were likely reeling from two tough opponents and two consecutive nights on the road. It might have been a concern for the Cardinals that they only played one game before opening league play early against Potsdam, but the Bears are reeling.

This week: at Potsdam (conference game), vs. US Under-18 team (Sun, exhibition).

4 (LW: NR). Cortland (2-0). Last week: W @ Brockport (3-0), W vs. Fredonia (2-1, neutral site).

I hesitate to put Cortland this high, despite their two wins and only one goal against (can that be right?). They are, after all, still the Red Dragons. However, you can’t ignore the play of freshman goaltender Ben Binga facing 37 shots in his first D3 action and stopping all of them. Follow that up with a one goal effort against the Blue Devils and Cortland might have something special between the pipes. They get credit for these wins being against SUNYAC opponents, but be on watch Red Dragons, slip at the Giant Center and your position in the rankings will drop accordingly. This week: @ Lebanon Valley.

5 (LW: NR). Brockport (1-1). Last week: L vs. Cortland (3-0), W vs. Buffalo St (5-3).

This is a team that I am completely confused about right now, which is pretty much the only reason they get this ranking. They lose to a Cortland team that I also can’t figure out, and beat a Buffalo State team that had a dreadful weekend, and do it with a late third period rally. Is that really a fair analysis? No, but it’ll have to do. It’s not so much that the Golden Eagles deserve this spot, but more that I don’t think anyone else does. Expect to see somebody else here after next week.

This week: @ Manhattanville, @ Manhattanville.

6 (LW: NR). Fredonia (1-1). Last week: W vs. Buffalo St (5-4, neutral site), L vs. Cortland (2-1, neutral site).

This is a Fredonia team I expressed concern about on the SUNYAC Spotlight Preseason Special, and it seems like I was right. They were able to put 46 shots on Cortland, but only able to convert on 1 of 11 power play chances. The win against Buffalo State is similarly unimpressive considering the Bengals held out seven players for being late to a meeting, including goalie Sheehan, and forwards Hill and DeMarco. The Blue Devils lucked out, and having only three freshmen goalies on the roster for the first half of this season will not bode well for their chances in league play. Oh, and look who’s coming to town this week…

This week: vs. Marian, vs. St. Norbert.

7 (LW: NR). Buffalo St. (0-2). Last week: L vs. Fredonia (5-4, neutral site), L @ Brockport (5-3).

I already touched on the suspensions of seven players for the Friday night loss against the Blue Devils, and I think the Bengals would have had a completely different weekend if those players showed up on time. As it is, Buffalo State was forced to put out a second rate team that lost to Fredonia, and then had no team chemistry on the ice Saturday, especially when it came down to crunch time and they melted. They gave the Golden Eagles numerous chances on the power play, which cost them a game they had been in control of up to that point. A week of practice should get the team back on the same page, but it might not matter this week.

This week: vs. St. Norbert, vs. Marian.

8 (LW: NR). Potsdam (0-2). Last week: L vs. Neumann (6-2), L vs. Neumann (6-3, Sunday).

We knew Neumann was going to be an improved team, and that the Bears were going to feel the loss of T.J. Sakaluck, but this was a little ridiculous. Barnhardt had an underwhelming .850 save percentage on Saturday, and Cuccaro wasn’t any better on Sunday, with a .837 save percentage. The Bears were only able to generate 23 shots on goal in each game. We also start up right where we left off regarding Potsdam’s penalty kill. This team looks like a team that could compete at even strength (they outscored Neumann 2-1 at even strength on Sunday), but they gave the Knights 18 power play opportunities in the same game. I need to type that again to believe it…. 18 power play chances! And Neumann converted on 5 of those, a solid 27.8% clip. And the news only gets worse, as Ryan McCarthey was seen heading off to the locker room favoring his shoulder on Saturday and it doesn’t appear he played Sunday. Plus the Bears start out conference play a week earlier than anyone else. The cards are stacked against Potsdam early in the schedule, and they might be looking up at the rest of the league for a while.

This week: vs. Plattsburgh (conference game), @ Hobart.

9. (LW: NR). Morrisville (0-3). Last week: L vs. Oswego (9-1), L @ Geneseo (5-3), L vs. Plattsburgh (6-3).

While not yet officially a member of the SUNYAC, I’m going to include Morrisville in these rankings to gauge their progress in the SUNYAC and Division III. It was a wakeup call for the Mustangs, as they played the top 3 teams in the conference in a row. Even though they got two of those games at home, the Mustangs were generally outmatched more than these scores would suggest. They were outshot 53-11, 56-19, and 52-26. That’s 53.66 shots against per game for anyone keeping score at home (Oh, you weren’t keeping score at home? That’s why I do it for you). The Mustangs need to improve on what is just above a .800 save percentage if they want to compete at this level. That starts with the defense getting in the way of the opposition and preventing those shots from getting on net. Then the Mustangs need to work on getting control of the puck and spending some time in their offensive end. That being said, if they hang around in early season games against top teams like Geneseo and Plattsburgh (The Cardinals scored two goals in the last 90 seconds), later in the season when their conditioning improves and they’re more used to playing at this level they will be a force to be reckoned with for middle of the road teams in the conference.

This week: vs. Becker, vs. Becker.