By Paul Harber, Globe Staff, 10/11/2003

Goodbye, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Hello, Atlantic Hockey. It looks like the five-year-old Division 1 hockey league simply changed its name, but it was more than cosmetic.

No longer operated under the MAAC, Atlantic Hockey can govern itself and make its own rules, such as scholarship numbers, and market its game.

For instance, while NCAA Division 1 hockey permits a maximum of 18 athletic scholarships, under the MAAC rules teams were limited to 11. When Atlantic Hockey schools met last week, they tabled the scholarship question until a later date, but don't be surprised if schools increase the number of scholarships to 18 to compete against the likes of Boston College and Harvard.

The number of scholarships won't matter at Holy Cross, which offers athletic aid only to its men's and women's basketball teams, yet is able to compete against teams such as four-time champion Mercyhurst and Quinnipiac, who have been picked by a poll of coaches to finish 1-2 this season.

League coaches selected Holy Cross to finish third in the preseason poll, ahead of Sacred Heart, Canisius, Army, Bentley, UConn, and AIC.

But picking how this league will finish is impossible, according to Holy Cross coach Paul Pearl. "It's going to be all bunched up. This league has made huge strides over the last four years. And this year, whoever has the hot goaltender is going to win. Our league is very even."

He endorses the move away from the MAAC. "The MAAC had something like 27 sports to govern," said Pearl. "Atlantic Hockey is focused on just one. Another huge move for us was hiring Bob DiGregorio, an experienced hockey guy, as our commissioner."

DiGregorio, who served as commissioner of Hockey East in its formative years, will be busy finding sponsors and working on a marketing and television strategy to elevate the level of the game and make it a success.

If Holy Cross is going to be a success this year, it will need solid goaltending for the sophomore duo of Tony Quesada and Ben Conway.

Captain Greg Kealey (11 goals, 22 assists) is closing in on the century scoring mark for his career. So are fellow seniors Jeff Dams (8 goals, 19 assists) and Tim Coskren (4 goals, 12 assists). Tyler McGregor (13 goals, 16 assists) led all freshmen in scoring a year ago.

R.J. Irving, and J.R. Walker return to backstop the Crusaders' defense.

Mercyhurst, with 18 returning players, is the best bet to take the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. At forward, juniors David Wrigley (17 goals, 24 assists) and Rich Hansen (15 goals, 21 assists), both all-conference selections, are a strong 1-2 punch. Add to the mix sophomore Scott Reynolds (10 goals, 19 assists), the league's co-offensive Rookie of the Year.

Senior linemates Peter Rynshoven and Adam Tackaberry missed a combined 18 games last season but still combined for 19 goals and 31 assists. They will share captain duties.

T.J. Kemp, who scored six of his 11 goals on the power play, leads an experienced defensive corps. That includes junior Mike Kirby, sophomores Conrad Martin and Preston Briggs, and seniors Jamie King and Nolan Brown.

Sophomore Andy Franck is the only returning goaltender. He finished the campaign with a 20-6-0 record, a .906 save percentage, and a 3.20 goals-against average.

Add recruits such as Scott Champagne, Jon Asselstine, and Jim Gehring, who had successful junior careers.

If any team is going to upend Mercyhurst, it is Quinnipiac, which has arguably the best player in the league. Junior forward Matt Craig was selected as preseason Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year. He finished the 2002-03 season tied for the MAAC Hockey League lead in scoring with 41 points. The Bobcats forward posted 18 goals and 23 assists and was named first-team all-league.

Also garnering individual recognition is junior goaltender Jamie Holden. The Quinnipiac netminder finished the season 13-8-1 with a 2.55 goals-against average. Holden was selected as a preseason second-team pick.

Bentley, last year's surprise team that soared into the conference semifinals, is out to prove last year was no fluke. Junior goalie Simon St. Pierre has spent the last two seasons rewriting the school record books. He broke the single-season saves record twice, the first time as a rookie with 832 and last year with 882. Bentley's top line of senior Joe Lovell (team-leading 33 points) and sophomores Ryan Mayhew and Paul Markarian (29 points each) is formidable. The M&M boys, Mayhew and Markarian, were the highest-scoring Bentley freshmen tandem in a decade.

If there is a dark horse to come out of the pack, it is Canisius. The Griffs were hurt by injuries last season. This year, Canisius has 21 returnees and eight recruits who could make an impact. Bryan Worosz returns in the net. He was a workhorse last season, playing in 36 of 37 games. He posted 890 saves, the second-highest total in Canisius's 23 years of hockey.

Sacred Heart will rely on Garrett Larson (13 goals, 26 assists), who led the Pioneers in power-play goals with seven and was second on the squad with a plus-19. Forwards Chuck Metcalfe and Marc-Andre Fournier and defenseman Konn Hawkes are the captains. Metcalfe was twice named to the MAAC All-Academic Team in his first three seasons with the Pioneers.

Sophomore Brad Roberts, tabbed the league's top goalie, is the key to Army's success. He rewrote the record book last year, establishing a new standard for saves in a season with 905. He brings a 2.67 goals-against average and a great deal of respect among the league's coaches. Army coach Rob Riley is just six wins shy of his 300th career victory.

Senior Eric Nelson is the top returnee for Connecticut. A defenseman and this year's UConn captain, Nelson played in 30 games as a junior and tallied three goals and nine assists. The Huskies, coming off an 8-23-3 record, were picked to finish eighth in the nine-team association as voted upon by the league's head coaches.

Senior Guillaume Caron is the big gun for American International. He had 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) last season and will do his best to lift AIC from the sub-.500 club for the first time since 1993-94 when the Yellow Jackets finished with a 14-12 mark.