WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass.—A third period goal by sophomore center Alexander MacMillan (Calgary, Alb.) broke a 1-1 deadlock as the American International College men's ice hockey team (11-15-6, 8-12-6 AHA) earned a 2-1 victory on senior night over the archrival Bentley Falcons (12-17-3, 10-13-3 AHA).

Bentley got off to a fast start, scoring at the 1:49 mark as freshman center Derek Bacon (Calgary, Alb.) hit senior right wing Brett Hartung (Tallahassee, Fla.) behind the net with a pass; Hartung then gave a saucer pass into the slot to senior left wing Joe Campanelli (Pierrefonds, Que.) for a one timer that beat senior goalkeeper Ben Meisner (Halifax, N.S.) high for his sixth of the year.

However, the Jackets struck back later in the frame, with senior defenseman Jeff Ceccacci (Placentia, Calif.) laying a puck behind for junior center Blake Peake (Lethbridge, Alb.), who in turn found senior right wing Adam Pleskach alone in front for a blast that beat junior goalkeeper Branden Komm (Williamsville, N.Y.) to tie the game at 12:00 of the period. It was Pleskach's fifteenth of the year.

After a scoreless second in which both Komm and Meisner stopped double-digit shot totals, AIC got the game-winning goal on a brilliant passing play. Sophomore defenseman Steven Hoshaw (Vista, Calif.) passed across to classmate and defenseman Jake Williams (Duluth, Minn.), who then lifted a pass across the ice to MacMillan in the seam on the far side; MacMillan ripped a wrist shot that darted over the glove of Komm and into the far top corner of the net, becoming lodged in the goal frame, at 3:22 of the period for his seventh of the year.

Komm ultimately took the loss in the game, though he was brilliant in stopping 34 of the 36 shots AIC threw at him in falling to 11-16-1 on the year; Meisner kept out 31 of 32 shots, elevating his record to 10-13-6 for the campaign, and in the process moved to sixteenth all-time on the NCAA career saves list, with 3,597 stops.

AIC heads to Bentley tomorrow for a 7:05 PM start, the final regular season game before the playoffs; although they cannot have home ice in the first round, AIC can pass Bentley in the standings for ninth place with a win tomorrow, and clinched no worse than tenth in the conference with the win tonight and the 6-3 win for Holy Cross at Army.