The 2016–17 ACHA season was the first season since the league’s inception. It was an eventful season, to say the least. The regular season had plenty of thrills and excitement, and the playoffs were even more so. For the first time, regular-season games were decided by a single goal, and some of the games were even more exciting than others. It’s safe to say that the ACHA is a competitive league, and the competition is certainly growing.
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First Season In North America
One of the most talked about things this past season was the fact that for the first time in the league’s short history, four of its teams – including the defending champions – broke into the playoffs. The ACHA began its existence in 2014 as a merger between the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Association (CIAA) and the University of Prince Edward Island’s (UPEI) athletics department. While the CIAA had teams in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the U.S. College Athletics Association (CIAA), UPEI had a single team that went by the name of the Red Foxes – the hockey team. The merge between the two leagues was a response to the growing issue of over-saturation in the hockey world. One of the biggest concerns was the fact that college hockey is typically played in the winter, which means that the season is often too long. The ACHA was created with the intention of shortening the season and making it more exciting for the fans – which is exactly what happened. Not only did the league have a shortened season compared to what is typically seen in other leagues, but the excitement during the regular season was unprecedented in ACHA history. While the league did struggle with some growing pains in its first season, it ultimately proved to be a successful merger and a new wave of hockey was born.
The Playoffs Were Unprecedented
The ACHA may have had four teams make it to the playoffs for the first time ever, but that wasn’t the only unique thing about the league’s first season. The first round of the playoffs were a six-game series with the second round being a straight five-game matchup. The top-seeded Hamilton Huskies won the first round handily, thanks in large part to some strong goaltending from Hayden Aldridge. The second-seeded Brockville Patriots also did exceptionally well, advancing to the league’s final four thanks to some dominant puck-moving defensemen and an offensive attack led by Nick Mattson and Jordan Schmaltz. Although they were the two lowest-seeded teams to make the playoffs, the Nova Scotia Warriors and the Cape Breton Eagles proved that they were no pushovers either, as both teams advanced to the league’s final four as well. The ACHA playoffs was certainly a showcase of the league’s talent, with all four teams being competitive throughout, and the competition getting stiffer as the season progressed. This was reflected in the scores as well, with only one game ending in a shutout, and six of the 12 games going to overtime, including the final two.
A Flawless Season By Any Measure
Even if you weren’t a hockey fan, you’d have to admit that the 2016–17 ACHA season was a pretty entertaining one. The league had four teams with a chance to win the Stanley Cup – including the defending champions Hamilton Huskies – and they did so. The regular season was filled with excitement and a high degree of parity, and the playoffs were both exciting and unpredictable. There were no clear favorites coming into the season, and that’s exactly what made it so interesting. We may never know how the season would have played out if Brockville had defeated Hamilton in the semifinals, as the game was stopped by game officials because of darkness in the second overtime period. It’s certainly a season that will go down in the history of the ACHA and will continue to grow the sport in North America.