Coast To Coast is FloHockey’s bimonthly, cohesive news on North American hockey and live-streaming partnerships.

With conference play wrapped up in [category:Atlantic Hockey] for the calendar year, some programs are appearing to adapt to the pandemic-related changes better than others as the New Year approaches.

In this issue of our team-by-team Atlantic Hockey season preview, Sacred Heart loses three All-Conference team members, but returns an abundance of talent and depth at each position; Air Force returns most of their scoring while adding 10 freshmen to their 2020-21 squad; and Mercyhurst searches for scoring and goaltending, as they return a talented group of defensemen. 

The Sacred Heart Pioneers posted their best record since the 2009-10 season thanks to a dynamic offense, but as the regular season comes to an end their hope for their first-ever NCAA tournament berth has come down to the Atlantic Hockey tournament.

A three-goal surge in the second period earned the Sacred Heart Pioneers the title at the inaugural Connecticut Ice Tournament, where two definitive wins appear to have them back on track.

As Sacred Heart and Army pull away from their Atlantic Hockey colleagues, the natural question to wonder about is whether either program has the ability for a first-round upset at the 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament.

Sacred Heart capped off a perfect week on Sunday with a 4-2 win over Robert Morris, claiming all nine possible points to lift the Pioneers to the top of Atlantic Hockey.