March 22, 2025 - Bentley defeated Holy Cross by a score of 6-3 in the 2025 AHA Men's Championship Game on Saturday. It's the first AHA postseason title for the Falcons, and Andy Jones' squad will now gear up for the NCAA Tournament.

FINAL SCORE/RECAP

Bentley 6
Holy Cross 3
Box Score

• It was a tale of two periods in the first 40 minutes, as Holy Cross jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st period before Bentley stormed back for three goals in the 2nd period. 
• Holy Cross tied the game 3-3 in the 3rd period. Bentley would then score three straight goals down the stretch en route to a 6-3 victory.
• Nine skaters found the score sheet for the Falcons, with Nik Armstrong-Kingkade leading the way with four points on two goals and two assists. Nick Bochen (1g, 1a), Kellan Hjartarson (2a), and Ethan Leyh (2a) also collected multiple points for Bentley.
• Liam McLinskey orchestrated a three-point night for Holy Cross on a goal and two assists. Matthew Kursonis (1g, 1a) and Mack Oliphant (2a) also had multi-point nights for the Crusaders. All three of Holy Cross' goals came on the power play.
• Bentley goaltender Connor Hasley made 17 saves in net for the Falcons. Holy Cross goaltender Thomas Gale made 24 saves between the pipes for the Crusaders.

Scoring Summary:

• Holy Cross' Liam McLinskey opened the scoring with a power play goal at 13:54 of the opening period. William Elias and Matthew Kursonis assisted on the play.
• The Crusaders would extend their lead to 2-0 thanks to a power play goal from Kursonis at 16:52 of the 1st. McLinskey and Mack Oliphant picked up assists on the goal.
• Bentley would cut the lead in half with a goal from Tucker Hodgson at 6:34 of the 2nd period. David Helledy and Kellan Hjartarson collected assists on the play.
• The Falcons would then even the score at 7:11 of the middle frame on a goal from Nik Armstrong-Kingkade, with Stephen Castagna and Nick Bochen assisting.
• Bentley took a 3-2 lead on a goal from Bochen at 10:38 of the 2nd period, with Armstrong-Kingkade assisting on the play.
• Holy Cross' Devin Phillips tied the game with a power play goal at 6:53 of the 3rd period. McLinskey and Oliphant assisted. 
• Sam Duerr gave the Falcons a 4-3 lead with a goal at 9:16 of the 3rd on assists from Armstrong-Kingkade and Ethan Leyh.
• A.J. Hodges gave Bentley some insurance with his goal at 14:38 of the 3rd. Hjartarson assisted.
• Armstrong-Kingkade added an empty netter on an assist from Leyh at 17:08 of the 3rd to seal the win for the Falcons.

2025 AHA MEN'S POSTSEASON ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Name	Pos.	Class	School	Hometown
Liam McLinskey	F	Sr.	Holy Cross	Pearl River, N.Y.
A.J. Hodges	F	Gr.	Bentley	Littleton, Colo.
Nik Armstrong-Kingkade	F	Gr.	Bentley	Mannheim, Germany
Mac Gadowsky	D	So.	Army	State College, Penn.
Nick Bochen	D	Gr.	Bentley	North Vancouver, B.C.
Connor Hasley	G	Jr.	Bentley	North Tonawanda, N.Y.

Most Outstanding Player: Connor Hasley, Jr., G, Bentley

F: Liam McLinskey, Holy Cross: McLinskey led all AHA skaters in scoring during the postseason with 11 points on four goals and seven assists. He tallied four multi-point efforts, which included three-point games in Game 2 of the semifinal round vs. Army and in the title game vs. Bentley. 
F: A.J. Hodges, Bentley: Hodges tallied seven points on four goals and three assists in the AHA postseason. He orchestrated a four-point game which included a hat trick in Game 1 of the semifinal round at Sacred Heart, and potted a goal in the championship game.
F: Nik Armstrong-Kingkade, Bentley: Armstrong-Kingkade scored four goals and dished out three assists for seven points in five postseason games. He led the Falcons to victory in the title game with a four-point performance that included two goals and two assists.
D: Mac Gadowsky, Army: Gadowsky's four goals in the AHA postseason led all defensemen in the league and was tied for the lead among all skaters. He also dished out three assists, giving him seven points in five postseason games. He scored the game-winner in double overtime of Game 1 of the quarterfinal round at Niagara.
D: Nick Bochen, Bentley: Bochen collected five points (2g, 3a) in five postseason games, blocked 12 shots, and finished the postseason with a league-best +9 rating. His two goals were second among AHA blueliners in the postseason, and he collected two points on a goal and an assist in the title game.
G: Connor Hasley, Bentley: Hasley posted a perfect 5-0 record and collected three shutouts in the postseason. He earned back-to-back shutouts vs. Canisius in the quarterfinal round, and recorded a shutout in Game 2 of the semifinal round at Sacred Heart. In total, Hasley made 114 saves on 119 shots in the AHA postseason, which was good for a save percentage of .958.

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.