Bentley Falcons Hockey (Atlantic Hockey America) @ Bentley Arena (Waltham, MA)

A very hidden gem of the Boston hockey scene

*This trip occurred on February 24, 2024.

Once again, I have a situation where two teams had their home opener on the same day. This time, I’m doing Bentley second - mainly as this game happened after the UNH game I talked about yesterday. Also, yesterday was (technically) Bentley's SECOND home game; they had an exhibition game against a school from Canada back on October 4th, but I decided to wait for a non-exhibition game as I was WAY too backed up then.

Another university many readers may be unfamiliar with, Bentley University is located just west of Boston in Waltham, Massachusetts. It’s probably best known for its business school, but somehow, someway, it’s neither the only school that starts with a “B” in Waltham (Brandeis University), nor is it the only “B” school west of Boston known for its business school (Babson College in nearby Wellesley, which is PURELY a business school¹).

Their hockey team has formally been around since the 1970s, but only became a D-I program in 1998 (as a member of what is now Atlantic Hockey America). While they VERY MUCH don’t have the reputation/prestige of the Boston schools a few miles away (nor have they had any alumni play in the NHL), they did win their conference in 2025, thus making their first ever NCAA tournament appearance². Of note: Bentley does not have a women's hockey team; of the schools I've visited so far for hockey, they're one of three (the other two being the two Umass campuses with D-I hockey).

Tickets for Bentley are REALLY inexpensive if you’re looking for (college) hockey near Boston - every seat has the same (relatively) low cost, so not only can you get one of the more intimate atmospheres available in the area, you can get front row seats super cheap³! However...parking is another story altogether. There’s VERY limited parking at the arena, and to guarantee a spot in the adjacent lot, it cost almost double the ticket price when I went; I could not find any information on how much it costs now. There are other options that are free, but it seems some of them are quite a ways away from the arena (as the campus offers shuttles for them). I ended up parking down the street from the arena, which was free (but also quite a walk - especially in Boston winter).

The aptly named Bentley Arena itself is actually pretty nice. It was opened in 2018 to provide a modern home for the school’s hockey team (they were previously at a community rink in nearby Watertown, MA), and is LEED Platinum rated - the highest rating for sustainable construction in the United States. Similar to some other arenas, the entrance lobby is at "floor" level (as in it's the same level as the rink itself), and then there's a concourse a level above.

There weren’t a ton of students at the game, but there was a band (unlike some games I went to at the supposedly “bigger” schools); the student section is the only part of the arena with bench seating (if that’s a concern). In addition, I found out that apparently Bentley has a “senior trip” to some tropical location; I don’t remember many of the details about it or this game as it was almost two years ago (outside of Bentley “winning” a tied game via shootout), but I wish my university sponsored a trip...well either that or not make us go to class on federal holidays.

One other important note about the game: I mentioned in the prior paragraph that this game ended in a shootout. College hockey is WEIRD in that games tied after 60 minutes of regulation plus five minutes of overtime officially end in ties, but have shootouts to determine a "winner"; you may remember me mentioning that MLS Next Pro does this as well when I saw New York Red Bulls II. Like MLS Next Pro, in-conference games award an extra standings point to the team that wins the shootout, but non-conference games...just do it for funsies I guess? I'll stop here as I could go on, but I will end with the fact that this rule was put into effect for in-season tournaments recently (i.e. tournaments outside of the conference/national championships), and fans of one particular tournament weren't fond of that...

(P.S.: If you want to hear bits and pieces of the game’s audio broadcast, sit to the left of the goal Bentley defends twice - unless they moved it since my visit)

MERCH

I was surprised to learn that not only was there merch at this game, but a pretty decent selection of it as well!

The merch area was neatly tucked away under the stairs leading to the main arena, and to my surprise, they had jerseys (one of which I got). However, it didn’t seem like they sold a bunch, as no one in the crowd was wearing them (they’re those “fan” replica jerseys, and they’re not exactly the best IMO).

Concessions, however, were extra limited. There’s a physical concession stand on the same side as the main entrance, but it was closed the night I went; fans had to settle for a snack shack in one corner and drinks in another near the entrance. There is also beer and wine in a different corner if you’re into that kinda stuff, as well as a premium club with catering (not sure what you need to do to get in though). Waltham has some interesting food options, but campus is a bit disconnected from them, so be aware of that (not to mention the fact that very few things are open late in Massachusetts - even the places close to colleges).

As an aside, this game is, as of now, my only visit to Bentley, so I haven’t seen any other parts of campus (including the bookstore).