WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass.-The American International College hockey team dropped a 4-1 decision to the Bentley Falcons at the Olympia Ice Center in the regular season finale before the start of the Atlantic Hockey Championship Tournament.

The first period was fairly even, despite two AIC power plays, but the Falcons once again victimized the Jackets late, as freshman right wing Max French was left alone in front and was able to drive a puck home at 19:39 for his eleventh of the year.

Bentley took the momentum into the second period and quickly expanded their lead, as junior center Alex Kubiak scored his second at 1:33, and senior left wing Justin Breton netted his sixth at 5:04 to extend the lead to 3-1.

The Jackets got one back as senior defenseman Nick Campanale (Chester Springs, Pa.) blocked a shot in his own end and passed to senior left wing Jon Puskar (Canton, Mich.); Puskar then sent the puck over two lines to freshman right wing David Norris (Calgary, Alb.) to spring him on a breakaway, and Norris unleashed a forehand-backhand-forehand move that ended up in the net for his fifth of the year at 15:41.

However, Bentley scored the only goal of the third, as senior left wing Jared Rickord ended any hopes of a comeback with his ninth of the year at 9:20 to close out the scoring.

Senior Ryan Kerpan (Saskatoon, Sask.) stopped 31 shots in the loss, while his classmate Branden Komm had 25 saves in the victory; Bentley held a 24-21 edge in faceoff wins.

AIC ends the year 10-23-1 and 9-17-1 in the AHA, and is seeded eleventh; they will head to Buffalo, N.Y. to take on the Niagara Purple Eagles, who finished the season at 11-17-5, including an 11-10-5 mark in league play, as the sixth seed. AIC split a series earlier this year at Niagara, winning 6-2 and losing 5-0.