AHA First Round and Quarterfinals Playoff Preview

The AHA will be kicking off the 2026 Atlantic Hockey Postseason with the start of the playoffs on Thursday with the First Round single game playoff game followed by Saturday's single game quarterfinal games.

Today, we will preview the first two rounds of the playoffs by breaking down how the playoffs work, looking at the final regular season record for each team in the rounds, and sharing which player to keep an eye on.

The Format:

The AHA welcomed a new program to the conference this season with the addition of Delaware. So, the playoff format needed to change. The First Round single game has the seventh place team in the standings face the sixth team at the home of the third place team. Delaware finished seventh so they'll face Robert Morris University in Maryland Heights after Lindenwood finished in third. Whichever team wins that first game will remain in Missouri to face the Lions on Saturday. Later that day in Rochester, fifth place Syracuse will face off against fourth place RIT.

First Round Preview

No. 7 Delaware vs. No. 6 Robert Morris on Thursday Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. ET

Delaware's inaugural season ended one week before the rest of the AHA so the Blue Hens will be entering the playoffs off a long break from game play. The team ended their first season with a conference record of 1-23-0 and an overall record of 2-30-0. They will face RMU who are entering the playoffs after a sweep in the final weekend of the regular season at the hands of Lindenwood. While RMU put together an overall record of 12-20-2 their AHA record was an 8-14-2.

The two teams met for the first time in a late October series where the Colonials swept the weekend and posted back-to-back shutouts with two 5-0 wins behind two different goaltenders in Lucy Phillips and Maggie Hatch. The two then met again less than two weeks ago where RMU won the first game 3-2 and the second game 6-0.

The Blue Hens may only have two wins but their first win came against Holy Cross, a team that currently has a winning record this season and their second was against AHA opponents Lindenwood. It's the playoffs and really, anything can happen.

Who to Watch

Delaware Blue Hens: Kaitlin Finnegan

The captain is one of three players on the team to reach double digit points and finished the season with 11. She's also top 10 in the conference in blocked shots with 62; which is good for eighth in the conference. She's no stranger to the conference as she spent the previous almost five seasons with Lindenwood. That expertise and leadership will be counted on as Finnegan leads the brand new team into the conference playoffs.

RMU Colonials: Maggie Hatch

It was a toss up between Hatch and Jessica MacKinnon but I am going with Hatch. She put together a great season given her record of 10-14-2 and had six shutouts too. Hatch finished with a 2.51 goals against average and a .917 save percentage which I believe can carry her and the team past this first round. Hatch was also the winning goalie for three of the four meetings against Delaware this season and posted two shutouts and allowed only two goals. While RMU didn't end the season on the best foot, I see Hatch bouncing back and helping her team move on to the next round.

Quarterfinals Preview

Though we don't know who will play against Lindenwood in the quarterfinals yet, we do know they will play at 10:45 am CT. We can still preview the three teams who may take part in Saturday's first game.

We've talked a lot about Lindenwood already in this story and rightfully so. The Lions ended the regular season on a high note by winning four of their final six games including a sweep of RMU this past weekend. They ended this season with a 13-19-2 overall record and an 11-12-2 AHA record. Their final game ended with an 8-5 score which was huge for the team as it was the most goals scored this season. It was also a great game for Hannah Dods, Molly Henderson, and Zsofia Pazmandi who each scored two goals in Saturday's season finale.

Who to Watch

Lindenwood Lions: Molly Henderson

Henderson recorded four points off two goals and two assists over the weekend and also had seven shots on goal. Last month she put together a great January where she was named AHA Forward of the Month and I am choosing her as the player who can continue to tap into the offensive prowess she currently possesses to help lead her team into the semis.

Who to Watch on Delaware/RMU

Delaware: Charlotte Payne / RMU: Jessica MacKinnon

If Delaware wins their game against the Colonials, I am choosing Payne as the player to watch. The goalie is constantly plummeted by shots each game she plays. Payne averages 39.74 saves per game with the most she's ever made being 51 which she did twice this season. Once against Penn State in October and again in a game against Brown in November. Payne has had 10 games where she faced 40 or more shots this season which is almost half of her starts. Talk about a rude awakening for a freshman goalie in college hockey. But, her save percentage isn't bad with a .913 and she was the goalie in each of the Blue Hens' two wins this season including in the one against Lindenwood. Payne's composure in net could be a driving point for the rest of the team.

On the other hand, if RMU wins, MacKinnon is the one to watch on that team. She is a master in the faceoff circle. She currently leads both the AHA and the nation in faceoff wins with 493. Winning a faceoff means control of the puck which is crucial in close games especially in those final moments. MacKinnon is the one who can step up big to keep an opponent from getting any good chances at offense.

No. 5 Syracuse vs No. 4 RIT - Saturday Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. ET

Game two of the quarterfinals will see two New York teams faceoff for a spot in the semifinal. The season series ended in a split which saw each team win two games. This game feels like it has the potential to be a close one. These two last met less than two weeks ago. The Orange took the first game 3-2 while the Tigers took game two by a score of 4-2. In October, Syracuse won 5-2 in the first game while RIT's 4-1 win ended the Orange's three game win streak.

Syracuse ended the regular season with a conference record of 10-11-3 and an overall record of 14-16-4. Their final regular season against Mercyhurst saw them beat the 13th-ranked team in the nation in a shootout, 3-2 before falling 7-0 the following afternoon.

The Tigers are coming in with momentum after splitting their final series against the fourth-ranked Penn State. Their win on Feb. 13 came in overtime while they lost the following day 4-2. Their season ended with an 11-13-0 AHA record and a 16-17-0 overall record. Still, splitting the weekend with the Nittany Lions has to be a confidence booster for the Tigers.

Who to Watch

Syracuse Orange: Peyton Armstrong

With five points in four games against RIT, Armstrong is the player to watch. In the game on Oct. 24, she recorded four points against the Tigers. Armstrong found the back of the net once then added three assists. This playoff game is win or the season is over and Syracuse could use another performance like this from Armstrong to move them onto the next round.

RIT Tigers: Linda Rulle

The junior forward recorded seven points in four games against the Orange this season off four goals and three assists. She knows how to get around Syracuse and find the back of the net and how to set up her teammates to do the same. That's dangerous to the Orange but incredibly beneficial to the Tigers. I feel at least one goal from her in this game!

Enjoy the start of the playoffs and we'll meet back here before the semifinals to preview that next round. Until then, if you need more info check out the AHA postseason page here.