SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – American Int'l took game one of the Atlantic Hockey quarterfinal series over Bentley 5-2 on Friday night at the Olympia Ice Center.

Bentley took a 1-0 lead when grad student Kohei Sato (Nishitokyo, Japan) scored his 5^th goal of the season at the 8:33 mark of the 1^st period. The goal came shorthanded after Sato came up with the puck in the defensive zone and fed a short pass to senior Dylan Pitera (Culver, Indiana) to get a rush going down the other end of the ice.

Pitera then threaded a pass through two AIC defenders to Sato down the left wing. Sato then sped past another AIC defender and beat AIC goalie Alec Calvaruso with a backhander for the goal.

AIC tied the game with a power play goal from senior center Eli Barriga just over a minute later to make it 1-1.

The Yellow Jackets then got an even-strength goal from left wing Chris Theodore at 16:22 of the 1^st period to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

Bentley though responded in the 2^nd frame when Pitera netted his 7^th goal of the year 2:37 into the period to tie the game 2-2. AIC attempted to advance the puck out of Bentley's offensive zone with a series of passes, but Pitera jumped in front of one and gained possession inside the right face-off circle. A quick wrist shot then beat Calvaruso to his stick side for the goal.

The score stayed tied 2-2 into the final minutes of the 2^nd period until AIC center Jake Stella scored on the power play with 1:36 remaining to give them a 3-2 lead.

AIC extended its lead to 4-2 in the third period on a goal by Chris Van Os-Shaw at the 12:14 mark, and an empty-net goal by right wing Justin Young with 1:50 remaining sealed it.

The Falcons will look to stay alive in the series in Game Two on Saturday night.