2024-25 NCAA Preview: Atlantic Hockey America

Formerly known as the College Hockey Association, the Atlantic Hockey America’s inaugural season should be an interesting one.

The name change comes with a rebrand, as the CHA joined forces with the Atlantic Hockey Association, a men’s hockey conference that had shared administrative duties with the CHA since 2010. Hopefully, the merger of the two conferences will allow them to pool resources and better serve their schools.

Reigning Champs

Penn State (22-13-3, 14-4-2) won the championship for the second year in a row, defeating Mercyhurst and cementing themselves as the team to beat in the AHA. The Nittany Lions were the only AHA team ranked at the end of the season at No. 13 and will look to stay in the rankings this coming season.

Penn State ended their season in the first round of the NCAA playoffs, losing in overtime 0-1 to St. Lawrence. The Nittany Lions have a lot of travel planned for the upcoming season and are scheduled to play in three tournaments: the Smashville Tournament in Nashville, the Ice Breaker Tournament in Columbus, and the East West Showcase in Minneapolis. 

Their star player, Tessa Janecke, is returning for her junior year and should only get better the more she plays. Janecke played in all 38 games for the Nittany Lions and was the only player in the AHA to be named CCM/AHCA All-American and is the 13th player in conference history to get the nod.

Another student-athlete to keep an eye out for will be goaltender Katie DeSa, who was named tournament MVP and was eighth in the country in goals against average (1.391).

DeSa will be a crucial piece for Penn State, as longtime goaltender Josie Bothun transferred to Bemidji State for her graduate year. Bothun won Rookie of the Year in 2020-21, which made her Penn State's first-ever USCHO.com national award winner, and played 1265 minutes this past season. Her transfer is a massive loss for the Nittany Lions.

Always A Bridesmaid, Never A Bride

After losing to Penn State in the conference final two years in a row, Mercyhurst (20-17-1, 14-6-0) will be looking to break through this season.

The first half of the season will make or break the Lakers, who will face a string of talented non-conference opponents such as Cornell, Colgate, and St. Lawrence. 

One player to watch out for is forward Sofia Nuutinen, who scored 11 goals and 23 assists and was named to the USCHO All-Rookie Team. She will surely make a substantial impact on the Lakers in her sophomore year.

Two notable losses for Mercyhurst are graduates Sara Boucher and Ena Nystrøm. Boucher was the fourth-highest scorer in the AHA last season, and second-highest for Mercyhurst with 18 goals and 22 assists. Her offensive production will be sorely missed as Merychurst tries to go toe to toe with Penn State.

On the defensive end, goaltender Nystrøm played in 38 games last season, with a .928 save percentage and six shutouts. Nystrøm previously won CHA goaltender of the year twice and will be hard to replace this upcoming season. 

Formidable Opponents

Robert Morris (15-19-1, 11-8-1) will once again play against women’s hockey powerhouse conference the WHCA for the majority of their non-conference games, facing off against St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, Wisconsin, Bemidji State, and St. Thomas.

RIT (13-19-3, 7-12-1) has a similar strategy this season, facing four top 15 teams, all of whom played in the NCAA tournament last season (Colgate, St. Lawrence, Cornell, and Penn State).

Both Robert Morris and RIT will look to strengthen their skills against tough opponents in the hope of improving their rankings this coming season. 

The Neitzke Show

A high point of Lindenwood’s (11-19-2, 6-12-2) season last year was forward Morgan Neitzke, who broke a whopping seven program records last season. On a national level, Neitzke was tied for fourth in goals per game (.75), 9th in points per game (1.44), and led with five shorthanded goals. Her success caught the eye of the USA Hockey and she recently play in the USA Hockey Women’s National Festival. 2024-25 will be Neitzke’s senior season with the Lions and is definitely one to keep an eye on. 

Syracuse Struggles

Syracuse University (7-24-3, 4-14-2) did not put up the numbers they wanted last season, finishing last in the CHA with only four conference wins after winning the CHA championship in 2022. It will be hard for the Orange to come back stronger this season, as 12 of their players graduated last season, including their lead goal scorer Darci Johal.

Syracuse will either need some fresh blood or their younger players to step up if they don’t want a repeat of last season. 

Free for All

All six teams will play for the Robert DeGregorio Cup this coming season, making it a free for all for the conference championship.

There’s certainly a large gap between the top and the bottom of the AHA, but at the end of the day all you need is one win to make or break your season, and all six teams are capable of winning one game. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone is able to pull off an upset come February.