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AHA Men's Recap: Quarterfinal Game 2's

March 8, 2025 - Holy Cross, Air Force, and Niagara all force Game 3's tomorrow while Bentley moves on to the semifinal round of the AHA Men's Postseason Tournament. See below for a full recap of tonight's action.

FINAL SCORES/RECAPS

AIC 2
Holy Cross 3
(Series tied 1-1)
Box Score
  • Holy Cross earned a 3-2 win over AIC on home ice to force a Game 3 tomorrow in Worcester. 
  • The Crusaders had a two-goal lead midway through the 1st period thanks to goals from Liam McLinskey and Mack Oliphant. After scoring the second goal, AIC responded with a goal from Brett Rylance 30 seconds later to cut the deficit in half. 
  • Early in the second period, the Yellow Jackets tied the game up at two off a Casey McDonald goal. 
  • With four minutes left in the game, a Jack Stockfish goal gave the Crusaders the 3-2 advantage. Holy Cross was able to hold on and send the series to a winner-take-all Game 3 tomorrow. 
  • McLinksey (1g, 1a) and Oliphant (1g, 1a) had two-point nights for Holy Cross, while Rylance (1g, 1a) had a two-point night for AIC.
Air Force 3
Sacred Heart 2
(2OT)
(Series tied 1-1)
Box Score
  • Air Force forced a Game 3 tomorrow with the game-winning goal from Austin Schwartz with 33 seconds left in double overtime. 
  • SHU's Reid Pabich put Sacred Heart on the board just three minutes into the game. The Pioneers held that lead until early in the second period when Air Force's Andrew DeCarlo tied the game at one. 
  • Matthew Guerra gave SHU the lead again early in the 3rd period. Air Force responded five minutes later off a goal from Mitchell Digby to tie the game once again. 
  • With time running out in the second overtime, Schwartz tipped a shot from Chris Hedden from the blue line that bounced in and kept the Falcons’ season alive.
Canisius 0
Bentley 2
(Bentley wins series 2-0)
Box Score
  • Bentley became the first team to punch its ticket to the semifinal round with another shutout victory over Canisius. 
  • Both teams remained scoreless until the 3rd period. Arlo Merritt broke the scoring open just three and a half minutes into the final frame. Ethan Leyh added on the insurance with an empty-net goal two minutes left in the game. 
  • Connor Hasley recorded back-to-back shutouts to lead the Falcons to the semifinal round. He recorded 25 saves in net for Bentley. Hasley is up to 10 shutouts on the season, which leads all of college hockey.
Army 3
Niagara 4
(Series tied 1-1)
Box Score
  • Army’s comeback bid fell short as Niagara held on to win 4-3 and force a Game 3 tomorrow in Niagara Falls. 
  • Kyler Kleven opened the scoring with a goal for Niagara 12 minutes into the game. Army’s Mac Gadowsky responded early in the 2nd period with his first goal of the night. 
  • From that point, Niagara scored three consecutive goals to push its lead to 4-1 early in the third period. Jay Ahearn, Lars Rodne, and Grayson Dietrich all netted goals for the Purple Eagles during that stretch. 
  • Army nearly made the comeback with Gadowsky’s second goal and a goal from Ben Ivey late in the 3rd period, but the series heads to a Game 3 tomorrow.
NEXT UP
Sunday, March 8
AHA Quarterfinals
No. 7 Air Force at No. 2 Sacred Heart / 5:00 p.m. ET / FloHockey
No. 8 AIC at No. 1 Holy Cross / 5:00 p.m. ET / FloHockey
No. 5 Army at No. 4 Niagara / 5:00 p.m. ET / FloHockey

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.