NCAA Championship Saturday recap: Bentley, Cornell, Denver, and Western Michigan win conference titles

WORCESTER, Massachusetts — No matter who won, this game was bound to be historic.

Bentley was playing for its first-ever Atlantic Hockey title, and the guaranteed first-ever NCAA tournament bid that came with it. Meanwhile, host Holy Cross was striving for their first title and NCAA appearance since 2004.

And in a game between two clubs with top-12 defenses in the country, why wouldn't it end 6-3, with the lower-seeded team coming back from a two-goal first-period deficit? Bentley came out on top in a wild, physical affair that marked the first AHA title-game win by a lower seed since 2018.

"The one word that always comes in mind: Belief," said Bentley captain Ethan Leyh. "Down 2-0, there's no there's no like, 'Oh God, what's happening?' Like, we knew we were gonna win that game, I'm telling