60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less): Bentley

Bentley

2018-19 Record: 17-15-5 (15-9-4, 2nd in Atlantic Hockey)
Head Coach: Ryan Soderquist, 18th Year
Top returning scorers: Luke Santero (11G-25A) and Jonathan Desbiens (15G-16A)
Top returning goaltender: Aidan Pelino (Sr.)

Let's kick off the middle third of the "60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less)" series with Bentley and working our way through a bunch of firsts for Ryan Soderquist's program.

The team rolled into the year with the program's first-ever NHL draft pick, Jakov Novak (Ottawa Senators), suiting up for Soderquist in its first full season in a new arena. Bentley started slow and only won a single non-conference game, but it was a program-changer. The Falcons went on the road nine miles east to Boston College and defeated BC for the first time in school history.

And Bentley had a season where the Falcons went from second-to-last in Atlantic Hockey to second-to-first. Okay, there's no real first in that previous sentence. However, it does lead to another one. Since the Falcons joined MAAC/Atlantic Hockey in 1999-2000, Bentley's second-place finish stands as the highest regular-season finish for the program.

What's New: Besides a series of firsts? One thing new for Bentley and the rest of Atlantic Hockey is the addition of 3-on-3 OT and shootout. AHA is the first Eastern conference (and the fourth of six NCAA D1 men's hockey conferences) to adopt the OT method for deciding conference points.

Joel Beal, previously at Sacred Heart and Miami, joins Bentley as an assistant coach.

The Falcons also welcome New Hampshire, St. Lawrence (former team of Sam Kauppila), Brown, and Arizona State to Bentley Arena, continuing a trend of brand name non-conference visitors.

All four opponents are for one game apiece. (Bentley also travels to Dartmouth for a two-game non-conference series, returning the favor after the Big Green played at Bentley Arena last season.) Single-game or not, it speaks to how the new rink has raised the bar for talent and more since opening in February 2018.

Closing Thoughts: Along with the caliber of non-conference visitors to an Atlantic Hockey rink on the outskirts of Boston, the expectations for Bentley have gone up since the Falcons broke free of the JAR. The program is getting the train moving out of the station (although since this is Bentley, maybe it's more the car is getting out of the garage) towards the next tier.

Whether it's a 12-game unbeaten streak to kick off 2019 or developing players such as Novak and Luke Santero, there are reasons for Bentley to look up. This season marks a point where more players were recruited with the new arena. On the blue line, the Falcons played well when Luke Orysiuk was in the lineup. It's something to continue for a team that gets back the majority of its core yet needs to replace the graduated Tanner Jago. Aidan Pelino made the most of his first season not in a goalie platoon.

Despite the optimism, Bentley's run of firsts does come with a couple caveats. No team in Atlantic Hockey had a higher PDO last season. It's just as possible for the Falcons to regress to the mean than keep a conference-leading goal margin while being outshot.

There's also the deal of losing again in the conference quarterfinals leaving another first unchecked: making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

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