BOSTON, Mass. - March 20, 2025 - A postseason champion will be crowned on Saturday night, as Bentley and Holy Cross are set to battle in the 2025 AHA Championship Game. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 22. See below for a full recap of the action.

No. 3 Bentley (22-14-2, 16-9-1) at No. 1 Holy Cross (24-13-2, 19-5-2)

Need to Know:

• Saturday will be the 88th all-time meeting between Bentley and Holy Cross, but just the second in the postseason. The only other meeting to occur in the postseason was the 2006 title game that Holy Cross won 5-2.
• The winner of Saturday's contest will earn Atlantic Hockey America's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The selection show for the tournament is scheduled for Sunday night.
• Three Crusaders earned AHA Individual Awards this season: Liam McLinskey (Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, Scoring Champion), Thomas Gale (Goaltender of the Year, Goaltending Champion), and Bill Riga (Coach of the Year).
• Bentley's Ethan Leyh was named a co-winner of the Best Defensive Forward Award.

Holy Cross top scorers:
Liam McLinskey, Sr., F: 51 points (23g, 28a)
Matt DeBoer, Jr., F: 31 points (11g, 20a)
Devin Phillips, Jr., F: 30 points (10g, 20a)

• Holy Cross is 4-1 in its run to the title game. The Crusaders defeated AIC in the quarterfinals two games to one, and then swept Army in the semifinals.
• Senior forward Liam McLinskey leads the league with eight points in the postseason on three goals and five assists. McLinskey was named a Top-10 Hobey Baker Finalist for the second consecutive year earlier this week.
• Forward Matt DeBoer (2g, 4a) and defenseman Mack Oliphant (1g, 5a) have collected six points apiece across five postseason games.
• Michael Abgrall is the only AHA skater to have two game-winning goals so far in the postseason. He netted the game-winner in overtime of Game 3 vs. AIC in the quarterfinals, and scored the eventual game-winner in Game 2 of the semifinals vs. Army.

Bentley top scorers:
Ethan Leyh, Gr., F: 38 points (16g, 22a)
Nick Bochen, Gr., D: 27 points (8g, 19a)
Nik Armstrong-Kingkade, Gr., F: 23 points (10g, 13a)

• Bentley is 4-0 in its run to the title game with a sweep of Canisius in the quarterfinals and Sacred Heart in the semifinals. 
• Three of Bentley's four wins in the postseason have been shutouts courtesy of junior goaltender Connor Hasley, who leads all of college hockey with 11 shutouts on the season. He is one away from tying Niagara's Greg Gardner (1999-2000) for the all-time NCAA lead for shutouts in a single season.
• Forward A.J. Hodges leads the Falcons with six points on three goals and three assists in four postseason games. Hodges potted a hat trick and added an assist for a four-point game in Game 1 of the semifinals at Sacred Heart.
• Forward Ethan Leyh has tallied five points on three goals and two assists in four postseason games. 

The Falcons and Crusaders met three times during the regular season:
Jan. 17: Holy Cross 3 at Bentley 2 (OT) Box Score
Jan. 18: Holy Cross 5 at Bentley 1 Box Score
Feb. 20: Bentley 3 at Holy Cross 0 Box Score

MORE:
Inside Atlantic Hockey Podcast Episode 139: Andy Jones, Bentley & Bill Riga, Holy Cross

About Atlantic Hockey America
Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) embarks on its first season in 2024-25 after the merger between the Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America. The conference fields 11 men’s teams (American International College, Bentley University, Canisius University, The College of Holy Cross, Mercyhurst University, Niagara University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Robert Morris University, Sacred Heart University, the United States Air Force Academy, and the United States Military Academy), and six women’s teams (Lindenwood University, Mercyhurst University, Penn State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Robert Morris University, and Syracuse University). In 2025-26, Delaware University will join the women’s league. For more information, visit atlantichockeyamerica.com.