WALTHAM, Mass. – After reveling in winning the Atlantic Hockey championship for the second straight year, this week Bentley has been getting back to the business of preparing to face the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

The teams square off in the Albany Regional at 5:30 pm. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

The Falcons punched their ticket back to the NCAA Tournament with a 3-2 win over Sacred Heart in Saturday's AHA championship game. That capped a second straight, 5-0 unbeaten run through the AHA playoffs.

This is the second straight time Bentley goes against the number one overall seed. Last year they faced Boston College in the Manchester Regional and fell just short in a tightly played contest, 3-1.

The Falcons (23-11-5) go into Friday's game having tied the program record for wins in a single-season. They are ranked #20 in this week's USCHO poll.

Michigan (29-7-1) was the unanimous #1 in this week's poll. They won the Big Ten championship on Saturday with a 7-3 victory over Ohio State.

Bentley has excelled at limiting goals over the last several seasons. They have ranked in the top-10 nationally in fewest goals allowed per game in each season since 2023-24. This year they are eighth at 2.28 goals allowed per game.

The penalty kill is ranked 14^th at 83.2 percent.

Freshman goalie Lukas Swedin has been a standout in the postseason with a 5-0 record and .939 save percentage.

Limiting goals will be crucial against a Michigan team that leads the country in goals scored per game at 4.60. They also boast the nation's top ranked power play at 31.1 percent. Two players have eclipsed with 50 points with senior T.J. Hughes at 53 (20 goals, 33 assists) and sophomore Michael Hage at 51 (13 goals, 38 assists). Sophomore Will Horcoff leads the team with 24 goals.

Bentley sophomore forward Michael Mesic, a native of Plymouth, Michigan, has a goal in nine straight games. That is tied for the third longest streak in college hockey over the last 20 years (h/t College Hockey Inc.).

Mesic was named the Most Outstanding Player of the AHA Tournament after scoring five goals and notching three assists in four games.

The team's overall leading scorer coming into the game is senior Jake Black, with 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points. Next on the scoring list is junior Kellan Hjartarson with 10 goals and 24 assists for 34 points. Hjartarson scored two goals in the third period of the championship game to help Bentley overcome a 2-1 deficit.

Team captain Stephen Castagna, who recently moved into fourth all-time at Bentley in career games played (147) is fourth on the squad with 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists).

The winner between Bentley and Michigan will get the winner of the other game in the Albany Regional, which pits Penn State against Minnesota Duluth, with a berth in the Frozen Four on the line. That game is scheduled for Sunday with the time and TV network yet to be determined.