WORCESTER, Mass. - The Holy Cross men's hockey team is hosting Army West Point in the semifinals of the Atlantic Hockey playoffs this weekend in a best of 3 series.  The games are Friday and Saturday night at 7pm and if necessary Sunday at 5pm.  Last weekend the Crusaders beat AIC two games to one in the best of three series with the final game going into overtime, you can't overstate how big it is to have home ice in the playoffs, Holy Cross won the regular season title, thus earning home ice throughout the playoffs it's a huge deal.  "It's big I mean people in the league will say they have a hard time playing here,"  said Head Coach Bill Riga, "and it can be loud, it's a little smaller ice surface a little bit it seems, so things happen quick and things happen fast and we're used to it here.  We've had a good record here so they know that when they come in here it's going to be difficult.'

"It's a huge thing,"  said Captain Matt Shatsky, "we were so close last year for having it for the entire time, but we just finished short finishing in 2nd for the regular season.  So that was a focus of ours all year and really a goal for us and our group was really to try and finish in 1st try to get home ice advantage.  And really have the opportunity to play in front of our fans and the students we have at the school."