Two Atlantic Hockey teams received votes in the USCHO Men’s Hockey Poll this week as the conference continues to garner national attention. However, there’s a clear-cut top dog in the conference, as Bentley leads the way at 9-4-1 and 8-2-0 in AHA play.

The Falcons received 22 votes in the USCHO Poll, trailing only Union (38) and UMass (29) among teams outside the top 20, along with 16 votes in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll. Niagara also received a vote in the USCHO poll.

As for Bentley’s impressive start, the Falcons have out-scored their opponents 45-30 and received contributions from all over the lineup – giving them a two-point lead atop the standings. 

Bentley currently has 24 points, two ahead of second-place Niagara and three up on Sacred Heart. Army is currently fourth with 15 points.

Much of Bentley’s success starts between the pipes, as Connor Hasley has been simply tremendous. The junior has posted shutouts in three consecutive starts and four of his last five, making 114 of a possible 119 saves in that stretch. Hasley has made 238 of a possible 260 saves overall.

Hasley is now 7-3-1 on the season with a .915 save percentage and 2.05 GAA, along with 7-1-0 in conference play with a .922 and 1.83 respectively. The New York native is now 23-22-4 in his career with seven shutouts, which is a Bentley program record. His four shutouts have also already set a single-season program record and are tied with Boston College’s Jacob Fowler (MTL) for the NCAA lead.

Bentley has a new King of the Crease!

Connor Hasley posted two shutouts over Air Force this weekend to set the school record. pic.twitter.com/Csrnew7cj5

— Bentley Athletics (@BentleyFalcons) November 24, 2024

On top of the strong play between the pipes, Bentley is also averaging an AHA-leading 3.6 goals per game through its first 10 conference tilts.

Graduate forward Nik Armstrong-Kingkade also has three goals over his past three games and fellow grad Ethan Leyh has points in seven of his past 10 games, along with a team-leading 14 (4-10-14) on the season.

Bentley has won four straight and seven of its last eight but the Falcons are about to embark on an eight-game road trip – starting at Northeastern this Sunday.

The Falcons will return home Jan. 17-18 to play Holy Cross before three more road games at AIC and Princeton (twice) to close out January.

Atlantic Hockey America News And Notes

Men's Hockey

• Robert Morris gave No. 12 North Dakota all it could handle last weekend in Grand Forks, ultimately falling 4-3 (overtime) and 1-0 in the two games. RMU sophomore defenseman Michael Craig is up to a team-leading 11 points (3-8-11) on the season, including an assist in the overtime loss.
• Canisius forward Matteo Giampa leads the way with 14 points (5-9-14) in conference play as the sophomore has done it over seven AHA games.
• Air Force (8-8-0, 5-3-0) has allowed just 11 goals through its first eight AHA games. Goaltender Guy Blessing continues to be one of AHA’s best and has a 5-3-0 record, 1.28 GAA and .951 save percentage in conference play.
• Niagara fell to AIC last Sunday, 5-2, which snapped a four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1). The Purple Eagles still remain over .500 at 7-5-3.
• Niagara forward Glebs Prohorenkovs has had a knack for the clutch this season as the junior has a conference-leading three game-winning goals. Prohorenkovs has three goals and 10 assists, and those 13 points are tied for third on Niagara’s roster.

Women's Hockey

• Penn State (13-3-0, 6-0-0) leads the way with 16 points – four ahead of Mercyhurst. The Nittany Lions recorded back-to-back shutouts of Robert Morris last weekend and are out-scoring their opponents 27-7 in AHA play. Penn State will play in Nashville this weekend at the Women's Collegiate Hockey Showcase.
• Penn State is ranked No. 12 in this week's USCHO Women's Poll and came in at No. 11 in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll.
• RIT defenseman Emma Pickering has seven goals, which leads all AHA defensemen. The sophomore is tied for third among all skaters in the conference with those seven tallies.
• Syracuse graduate goaltender Allie Kelley has been tested early and often this season as she’s already made 450 saves. Kelley is 4-10-0 but has a .926 save percentage and 2.59 GAA, along with a pair of shutouts. She’s also played a league-leading 833:37.
• Mercyhurst freshman forward Julia Schalin has five goals in conference play, including a hat trick against Robert Morris on Nov. 16 and a goal in each game last weekend against RIT. Mercyhurst split the series and also split its games against New Hampshire on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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