Air Force Falcons Hockey Falls to Bentley on Late Goal in AHA Action

The Air Force Falcons found themselves at the mercy of a late goal in a loss to Bentley in Atlantic Hockey America action.
A large collection of ice hockey sticks that have been donated to the Clark Park Hockey Association. A few members of the association spent Tuesday, October 31, 2023, in the facility at Clark Park sorting through gloves, helmets and other hockey items to get organized for the upcoming youth hockey season.
A large collection of ice hockey sticks that have been donated to the Clark Park Hockey Association. A few members of the association spent Tuesday, October 31, 2023, in the facility at Clark Park sorting through gloves, helmets and other hockey items to get organized for the upcoming youth hockey season. / Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Air Force Falcons men’s ice hockey team were hoping to pull off an upset against the second-best team in Atlantic Hockey America but instead came away with a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Bentley on Friday at Cadet Ice Arena.

The Falcons (10-12-1, 7-6-0 AHA) will get another crack at Bentley (12-7-2, 10-4-1) on Saturday at 5:05 p.m. mountain. Bentley snapped its two-game losing streak while stopping the Falcons from starting a winning streak after they upended AHA leader Sacred Heart.

Air Force’s record against Bentley in the all-time series fell to 40-23-7. Earlier this season the Falcons lost two games at Bentley by a combined 4-0. Bentley has won five of the last nine meetings. The Falcons’ record against Bentley at home dropped to 20-10-4.

The contest came down to a third-period goal at the 18:55 mark, as Bentley’s Kellan Kjartarson scored an even-strength goal, with assists from Jimmy Doyle and Nick Bochen.

It was the only goal that senior goaltender Guy Blessing gave up as he faced 30 shots. Entering the game, he was second in the AHA with a 1.29 goals against average and a .950 save percentage. His record dropped to 7-6-0 and he’s only allowed 15 goals in 12 league games.

The Falcons also entered the series with AHA’s top scoring defense, as they were allowing just 1.58 goals per game. The loss dropped their record in one-goal games to 6-3.

Air Force took 33 shots at Bentley netminder Connor Hasley, who was starting his 18th game this season. The shutout was his fifth of the season and improved his record to 10-6-2.

Connor Hasley has started 17 of the 20 games this season and has a 2.19 GAA and a .921 saves percentage with a 9-6-2 record and four shutouts.

Air Force senior forward Austin Schwartz took five shots on Halsey, the most of any Falcons player. The two teams went a combined 0-for-8 on the power play.

Bentley won in part because it was able to hold some of Air Force’s top offensive weapons in check. Falcons defenseman Chris Hedden — the AHA defenseman of the month for December — had just three shots. He entered the game tied for the national lead for goals by defensemen with eight.

The Falcons’ leading scorer, Clayton Cosentino, didn’t take a shot and was called for two penalties. He did win 13 faceoffs, adding to his national lead in the category, which is now 298.


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