AHA announces divisions for winter season
Oct. 3, 2011
The AHA Fall Tournament was held this past weekend and the league took the opportunity to draw divisions for the upcoming winter season. As was previously announced, the league added a C3 tier with the bulk of the old D1 moving to C3 with several of the top teams moving all the way to C2.
A total of 30 teams will make the C2 level their home this season. Divisions and 2010-11 records are below.
| Team | 2010-11 Record |
|---|---|
| Spiders | 15-3-1-1 |
| M’s | 13-3-4-0 *C2 champions* |
| Chaos Black | 9-10-0-1 |
| Northern Horde | 18-1-0-1 in D1 *D1 semi-finalist* |
| Norsemen | 0-19-1-0 in C1 |
| Aces | 6-12-2-0 |
| Roadrunners | 4-15-1-0 |
| Warriors | 5-14-1-0 |
| Zephyrs | 13-3-3-1 |
| Yellow Jackets | 6-11-0-3 |
The M’s are the favorites in the North after winning the C2 championship last season. They also went a perfect 4-0 while winning the recent AHA Fall Tournament. The Zephyrs had a successful regular season last year before falling flat in the playoffs with an 0-3 record. The Northern Horde move up to C2 after a strong showing in D1. The Norsemen are a wild card as they went winless in C1 but take a step down to C2. The Chaos Black, one of two Chaos teams playing C2 this season, return after an up-and-down freshman year at the level. Filling out the division will be well-known foes in the Warriors and Roadrunners as well as the Aces and Yellow Jackets.
| Team | 2010-11 Record |
|---|---|
| ShameOnIce | 5-14-1-0 |
| Thunder Chickens | 15-4-1-0 *C2 semi-finalist* |
| Lumberjacks | 15-3-1-1 *D1 champions* |
| Royals | 13-5-2-0 |
| Muskies | 4-13-2-1 |
| Beavers | 8-12-0-0 |
| Rack Attack | 10-7-3-0 *C2 semi-finalist* |
| Chaos Gold | 8-7-3-2 in D1 |
| Sting | 12-5-2-1 |
| Nemesis | 7-12-1-0 |
The Thunder Chickens, Royals, Rack Attack, and Sting all made the playoffs last season and are expected to be strong again. The Rack Attack came on strong at the end of the season, advancing to the playoff semi-finals after squeaking into the playoffs. The Lumberjacks move up to C2 after winning the D1 title last season, beating the D1 Spiders in the championship game. Also moving up to C2 are the former D1 Chaos, now known as the Chaos Gold.
| Team | 2010-11 Record |
|---|---|
| Sled Dogs | 11-6-1-2 |
| Renegades | 6-11-3-0 |
| Saints | 7-12-1-0 |
| Sharks | 5-13-1-1 |
| Jets | 11-8-0-1 |
| Blizzard | 13-4-3-0 *C2 runner-up* |
| Admirals | 11-8-0-1 |
| Bulls | 11-7-2-0 |
| Dragons | 6-13-1-0 |
| Fighting Piranhas | 15-3-2-0 |
The West looks to be the deepest this year. In addition to the C2 runner-up Blizzard, who took the M’s to a shoot out in the title game, the Sled Dogs, Jets, Bulls, and Fighting Piranhas all made the playoffs last season. The Admirals just missed the playoffs and enter the season with some momentum as they took second in the AHA Fall Tournament. The Sharks had an uneven inaugural season but come back with a new goaltender and several solid recruits and should be improved.
The schedule for the season (or at least the first couple weeks) will be released on Monday, October 17. Opening day is expected to be Saturday, October 29.
