Styles make the fight. Last weekend, Air Force struggled but advanced against a Sacred Heart team that played like a sparring partner.

Today’s game against Bentley (19-16-2) in the Atlantic Hockey Association semifinals figures to be nothing like last weekend. Despite the danger, Air Force (25-10-2) looks forward to playing an opponent with a knockout punch.

“We have a lot of respect for the game they play,” senior defenseman Greg Flynn said.

More than anything else, Bentley’s game is fast, which offers the possibility that the battle of Falcons in Rochester, N.Y., will be at the very least entertaining.

“They like to play our style of hockey, which is a little more up and down the ice,” Air Force senior forward Brent Olson said. “That’s kind of a plus for us, hopefully, whereas Sacred Heart really likes to trap it up. They try to get a lead and just play defense.”

Both teams were extended to three games in the quarterfinals. Air Force, after two grinding and rather ugly games with Sacred Heart, blew out the Pioneers 8-1 in Sunday’s Game 3. Bentley beat Canisius 6-3, lost 7-3 in a game dominated by penalties (sound familiar?), then won 4-2 in Game 3.

“You never know what you’re going to see,” Air Force coach Frank Serratore said. “Right now, we’ve got to get our guys healthy, and we have to go in there ready to do what we do well.”

Air Force played throughout last weekend with adversity. Captain Mike Phillipich played only in the finale against Sacred Heart, coming off an ankle injury. The No. 2 line of Jeff Hajner, Matt Fairchild and Derrick Burnett was sick with the flu. Blake Page played while recovering from a separated shoulder.

And, of course, there was the burden of the top-seeded regular-season co-champion and two-time defending tournament champion having to win a Game 3.

“I think you’ll see a lot looser team, a lot looser coach, going into (today’s) game,” Serratore said.

Air Force won three of four games against Bentley during the regular season. But while the fall games at Cadet Ice Arena were one-sided (5-1, 8-2), the February games in Massachusetts were tight. Air Force won the opener 3-2 on a short-handed goal by Phillipich with 1 second left, then lost 4-1.

“They played us tough all year,” Phillipich said. “We … know what they’re all about and they know what we’re all about. It’s going to be a battle.”

Flynn called Bentley’s leading scorer, Dain Prewitt (21 goals-21 assists), one of the fastest skaters in the league. Jeff Gumaer (17-20) scored three goals in Sunday’s quarterfinal clincher against Canisius, with Prewitt and Anthony Canzoneri (8-27) assisting on all three.

All three are seniors.

“I think a lot of our focus will be trying to shut down their rush offense and taking the play to them,” Flynn said.

And if Air Force can do that and advance to Saturday’s title game, it will face either Rochester Institute of Technology – a rematch of the regular-season-ending showdown – or Mercyhurst – a rematch of last year’s memorable double-overtime final.

Air Force’s Josh Frider tried to take the puck from Bentley’s Justin Kemmerer back in November. Photo by KIRK SPEER, THE GAZETTE