WALTHAM, Mass. - No. 1 Bentley took the 2026 Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) Championship with a 3-2 win over No. 2 Sacred Heart on Saturday at Bentley Arena.

With the victory, the Falcons have earned a spot in the 2026 Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship as AHA’s automatic qualifier.

The opening period saw no scoring, but Bentley edged Sacred Heart 12-10 in shots on goal.

The home team got on the board first as sophomore forward Michael Mesic found the back of the net 2:43 into the middle frame for a ninth consecutive game. At the 5:59 mark of the second period, sophomore forward Vitaly Levyy evened the score 1-1 for the visiting Pioneers.

At the 14:03 mark of the middle frame, the contest saw its first power play after a tripping call against Bentley. Sacred Heart capitalized on the man-advantage opportunity with a goal tipped in off the stick of freshman forward Gavin Bryant to take a 2-1 lead, its first of the night. Sacred Heart senior blueliner Mikey Adamson added two helpers in the middle frame.

3:12 into the third period, Bentley made it a 2-2 game, as junior forward Kellan Hjartarson buried a one-timer on a beautiful pass from Mesic. Nearly 10 minutes later, Mesic once again connected with Hjartarson to take a 3-2 lead in what would eventually serve as the game-winning goal.

Hjartarson (2G-1A) and Mesic (1G-2A) each finished the title game with three points.

Freshman goaltender Lukas Swedin made 24 saves in the Bentley victory, and Sacred Heart sophomore Ajeet Gundarah stopped 32 shots on net.

2026 AHA MEN’S POSTSEASON ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Forward: Michael Mesic*, SO, Bentley - 4 GP, 8 PTS (5G-3A)
Forward: Marcus Joughin, SR, Sacred Heart - 6 GP, 7 PTS (3G-4A)
Forward: Kellan Hjartarson*, JR, Bentley - 5 GP, 8 PTS (3G-5A)
Defenseman: David Helledy, SO, Bentley - 5 GP, 7 PTS (2G-5A)
Defenseman: John Babcock, FR, Robert Morris - 6 GP, 4 PTS (1G-3A)
Goaltender: Lukas Swedin, FR, Bentley - 5 GP (5-0), 1.16 GAA, .939 SV%, 2 SO

*Tournament scoring leader

Howies Hockey Tape Most Outstanding Player: Michael Mesic, SO, Bentley

SCORES
NO. 1 BENTLEY 3 - NO. 2 SACRED HEART 2
BOX SCORE
Bentley Goals: Michael Mesic, Kellan Hjartarson (2)
Sacred Heart Goals: Vitaly Levyy, Gavin Bryant

ABOUT ATLANTIC HOCKEY AMERICA
Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) is in its second season following the merger between the Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America. The conference fields 10 Division I men's teams and seven women's teams. For more information, visit atlantichockeyamerica.com.

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