A first-round resurgence gives Bentley a chance to take down AIC and open Atlantic Hockey up to a new tournament champion.

The Bentley Falcons sat in first place in Atlantic Hockey in early January, but an eleven-game regulation winless streak dropped them to the No. 9 seed. 

The Falcons finished the season with a 10-14-2 conference record (14-18-2 overall) and the third worst goals-against total in Atlantic Hockey. But the threat of elimination sparked a turnaround as the Falcons won their first regulation game since January 21 and followed it up with a second straight win and sweep of No. 8 Niagara for the series upset. 

IT'S A SWEEP!!

Cole Kodsi added his 2nd of the night with 3:27 left and we win Game 2, 4-1.

The Quarterfinals against AIC are up next! pic.twitter.com/JciRNUajld

— Bentley Hockey (@BentleyHockey) March 6, 2022

Next, the Falcons will visit No. 1 seed AIC and all of the action will be streamed live, right here on FloHockey along with the entirety of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament.

The Falcons went head-to-head with AIC twice this season—they lost the first game in decisive fashion, falling 5-0. They fared better in the second half of the series, claiming a 2-1 overtime win that jumpstarted the five-game winning streak that put them atop the conference standings for a short while.

Bentley is a defensively-led program, not so much built on defensive systems, but heavily leaning on goaltender Evan Debrouwer and defensemen Drew Bavaro and Matt Lombardozzi. 

Debrouwer holds a 9-7-1 record with a 2.52 GAA and .916 save percentage. He led the program to their previous win over AIC, then won his next seven starts, and earned the win in each of their games for the sweep of Niagara.

Ahead of him, Bavaro and Lombardozzi man the blue line and eat the big minutes, but both play an offensive-minded game that helps earn goals for their team—that can also lead to goals against. Bavaro leads the team with 27 points (9 G, 18 A) in 34 games and has added three powerplay goals. Lombardozzi has eight goals, 17 points and 7 powerplay goals—AIC will need to be wary of the blue line on the penalty kill.

AIC has seen it all and no team gets to their status without learning others’ systems and staying responsible when it comes to penalties. The Yellow Jackets have grown into the powerhouse of Atlantic Hockey, winning their fourth consecutive regular season title and moving toward their third conference tournament title.

A slow, uncharacteristic first half of the season certainly had some guessing, but at the turn of the calendar the Jackets reminded everyone of their ability with an 11-game winning streak that catapulted the program to first place, where they remained for the rest of the regular season. 

Skating Over the Thin Line ... AIC's Millette Continues to Use Hockey to Channel Adversity Into Strength - https://t.co/VOTQ1m1TaA @AIC_hockey pic.twitter.com/OhFLJz8IcT

— College Hockey News (@chnews) March 1, 2022

In their resurgence the Jackets finished with a 17-7-2 conference record (18-12-3 overall) on the way to the most goals scored in the conference and fewest allowed. They remain the team to beat and have a target on their backs as conference rivals look to dethrone them.

But the Jackets are deep and dangerous with five double-digit goal scorers, seven 20-point scorers, and a goalie tandem with no remorse.

With three of their 20-point scorers coming as graduate transfers, the NCAA’s eligibility changes are on full display for the Jackets and coach Eric Lang’s team grew older, wiser, deeper, and stronger off the transfer portal. 

It will take a lot to knock AIC off, but Bentley will give it a try this weekend and you can catch the quarterfinal series live, right here on FloHockey along with the entire Atlantic Hockey Tournament.

Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @Jacob_Messing.