WALTHAM, Massachusetts - The American International College ice hockey team clinched home ice in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey Conference playoffs by posting a 3-2 win against Bentley University on Saturday, February 24.

FAST FACTS:
Final score: AIC 3, Bentley 2
Records: AIC moves to 12-18-4 and 11-13-4 in conference play; Bentley is now 12-16-6 and 9-14-5 in Atlantic Hockey.
Location: Bentley Arena

STATS LEADERS:
AIC:
Stefano Durante (22 saves)
Nicolas Luka (game-winning goal)
Jared Pike (one goal, +2)
Martin Mellberg (one goal, four shots on goal)

Bentley:
Jonathan Desbiens (one goal, one assist)
Kyle Schmidt (one goal)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The scoring opened with a power-play goal from Bentley just 3:40 into the first period, recorded by Jonathan Desbiens.
• AIC quickly tied things up at the beginning of the second period, though, when sophomore right wing Martin Mellberg notched his fourth goal of the year only 29 seconds into the frame.
• The Yellow Jackets took a 2-1 lead at 10:03 of the second period when sophomore left wing Jared Pike got his 10^th goal of the year.
• Bentley evened things up before the conclusion of the period, with Kyle Schmidt scoring with 41 seconds to go before the second intermission.
• Sophomore defenseman Nicolas Luka had the game-winning goal at 7:58 of the third period, with an unassisted tally for his third goal of the year.
• Freshman goaltender Stefano Durante made eight third-period saves to preserve the victory.

BUZZWORTHY:

• AIC tied its Division I program record for wins in a season, earning its 12^th of the year. The team previously won 12 games in the 2012-13 season. The 11^th conference win also matches a program record for league wins, also recorded in 1998-99.
• With the victory, the Yellow Jackets secured home ice for the first round of the playoffs, marking the first time AIC has hosted a postseason game in the Division I era.
• Saturday's win was AIC's first victory over Bentley since November 8, 2013. Six of AIC's last seven matchups with Bentley have resulted in draws.
• Durante moves into third place in Division I program history for single-season wins, posting his ninth victory of the year on Saturday for a 9-10-2 record on the year. He leads all Atlantic Hockey goalies with a 2.21 goals-against average.

COACH'S CORNER:

• "We talk a lot about celebrating small victories," said AIC head ice hockey coach Eric Lang. "Hosting a playoff series for the first time in our D-I history is a significant step. However, we know that's not the goal or the standard for our program.I was proud of our effort and thought we were gutsy.
• "We played winning hockey - AIC hockey - and we got what we deserved," Lang added. "Bentley is a well-coached, highly skilled team. We had to be stingy in those last few minutes. It was a high-anxiety game that will help our group moving forward in the playoffs. I am especially happy for our seniors.We will enjoy tonight and get our heads right for a tough anticipated series with Niagara."

PLAYERS' CORNER:

• "We've just got to keep sticking to the process," Luka said. "We can't try to do a different identity - just stay with AIC hockey."
• "Since I came here, day one as a freshman, you see the improvement we've made as a team," Pike said. "It's amazing, obviously, to get that first-round home ice. It's huge for us. We're moving in the right direction."

NEXT UP:

• AIC begins postseason play on Friday, March 2 as the eighth seed, and will host ninth-seeded Niagara University at the MassMutual Center in a best-of-three first round series.

STAY CONNECTED:

• For more updates about the AIC ice hockey team, follow @AIC_Hockey on Twitter and Instagram, and like American International College Ice Hockey on Facebook. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow @AICAthletics on Twitter and Instagram, and like AIC Yellow Jackets on Facebook.