Bentley Arena - Bentley Falcons
- Paul Baker
- Mar 15
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 16
Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57
Bentley Arena 440 Beaver St Waltham, MA 02452
Year Opened: 2018 Capacity: 1,917
Taking Flight at Bentley
Bentley University is a private university with an enrollment of 4,500 undergrads located in suburban Waltham, Massachusetts, about ten miles from downtown Boston. Founded in 1917 as the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance, the school was located on Boylston Street in Boston until it became a four-year college in 1968. Today Bentley is best known for its business programs and is annually ranked among the nation’s best by Bloomberg Businessweek and U.S. News & World Report. Bentley’s sports teams all compete in Division Two, except for its hockey team, which competes at the sport’s highest level.
The Bentley Arena, which cost $45 million to build, is part of the university’s comprehensive 10-year capital plan to modernize and expand the campus. Designed to be a “living lab”, the arena provides hands-on experience for students across many majors, with the gameday presentation run almost entirely by Bentley students.
Hockey began at Bentley in the mid-1960s as a club team, gaining varsity status in 1977. The team won consecutive ECAC3 Titles in 1980 and 1981. In 1998, Bentley moved up to Division One, becoming an inaugural member of the Atlantic Hockey Conference in 2003. The Falcons have qualified for one NCAA Tournament in 2025.
Food & Beverage 3
There is a small concession stand at the east end of the arena. The menu isn’t the most extensive you’ll come across, but all the bases are covered here.
Anchoring the menu at Bentley Arena are hot dogs, burgers, and chicken tenders. A good variety of snacks and sides are available, including pretzels, popcorn (served in a souvenir Bentley cup), assorted candy and chips. Fans looking for a healthier option can choose from Caesar salads, gluten-free sandwiches and fruit cups. Fans looking to avoid the lines at the main stand can head towards a cart in the southwest corner of the arena, which serves snacks and drinks.
Coca-Cola products are featured at the Bentley Arena. Hot coffee and tea are sold, which are welcome additions to the menu in cold winter months. Fans looking for an adult beverage can head to the Bar cart in the northwest corner of the arena, where a selection of beer and wine is sold, highlighted by Cloud Candy IPA from local favorite Mighty Squirrel Brewing.
The arena’s VIP area, “The Cube,” is open to passholders and season ticket holders during hockey games. This private lounge features a cash bar and premium food offerings.
Atmosphere 3
Stadium Journey’s most recent visit to Bentley Arena occurred during the semifinals of the 2026 AHA tournament, which coincided with spring break, so the crowd may not have been fully representative of the Falcon experience. Still, the Bentley staff put on an entertaining show for visiting fans.
The gameday experience here at the Bentley Arena is a pretty standard one for fans who frequent college hockey arenas. Without the student section in attendance, the rink was a bit quiet on this night, even though it was conference tournament time and the game went into overtime. Bentley Arena is filled with local fans, who are fairly reserved in their support of the home team.
All the standard features fans have come to expect at a college hockey game are present here at Bentley. An excellent sound system is put to good use throughout the game. The 90s alt-rock playlist was a refreshing change from the normal noise played at arenas. The PA announcer goes about his business with a theatrical style that is sure to elicit a response from visiting fans. The video board at center ice is put to good use with graphics, replays, hype videos, and more. The Bentley mascot, Flex, and staff participate in t-shirt tosses, games and giveaways to keep the younger and more casual fans engaged.
Neighborhood 4
Waltham is a city of just over 65,000 located 10 miles northwest of downtown Boston and three miles from Boston’s Brighton neighborhood. The city was a leader in the American Industrial Revolution and a prototype for early industrial city planning. It’s a decidedly blue-collar community surrounded by affluent, white-collar towns.
Given Bentley’s location in a residential neighborhood, visiting fans will not find much to do in the immediate vicinity of campus. Fortunately, there are several dining and lodging options located just a couple of miles away on Main Street near Interstate 95. Mighty Squirrel Brewing is located just a mile from the arena. With downtown Boston located a short drive from the Bentley campus, many out-of-town fans will likely want to head in that direction while visiting Waltham.
Fans 3
The building of Bentley Arena has elevated the program from an afterthought in the Boston hockey scene to a popular destination for local hockey fans. From the old days of the JAR, when attendance could be counted on fingers, Bentley has seen increased attendance and attention since the opening of their on-campus arena. Attendance has settled in consistently between 1,400 and 1,500 fans per game over the past several seasons.
Turnout from the student body is generally strong, and the building is filled with suburban hockey fans night after night. One notable characteristic of a Bentley hockey crowd is that it seems to skew younger than other local schools. Perhaps this is due to the school’s location outside of the city, where it is more accessible to families.
Access 4
Greater Boston isn’t the easiest area for motorists to get around. Traffic jams, construction projects and detours are a way of life in this part of the country. The Bentley campus is located just a few miles from the intersection of Interstate-90 (the Mass Pike) and I-95 (also known as Route 128). Detailed driving directions to Bentley Arena can be found here. Boston’s subway system does not serve Waltham, but the MBTA 554 bus reaches the Bentley campus.
The arena’s 1,917 seats (a number chosen to represent the year the college was founded) are blue, black and gray plastic stadium seats. With the small size of Bentley Arena, all seats have excellent views of the action. There is ample room in between rows to stretch out, and you will not feel cramped while at a Falcon hockey game.
An open concourse encircles the rink, containing in-demand standing room views of the action. Lining the concourse are the concession stand, history displays, murals of Bentley students and staff, and The Cube. Take a peek into the operations center, staffed entirely by students learning the trade. Lines at the concession stand can get long during intermission, but move pretty quickly. Restrooms are new, clean, and ample for a typical Bentley hockey crowd.
Parking near the arena can be an issue. There is a lot for prepaid and handicapped parking right across the street from the arena, but if you want the convenience of this lot, reserve your spot early. Otherwise, you will have to scramble for limited spots around the school’s other athletic facilities, on Access Road, or on the main campus. Bentley provides shuttles for fans parked further from the arena. More parking information can be found here.
Return on Investment 5
Tickets to Bentley hockey games are priced at 23 and 16 dollars. Stadium Journey’s most recent visit took place during the AHA tournament, so these ticket prices may not reflect regular-season prices. Parking in the lot across the street from the arena must be purchased in advance and will cost you another ten dollars. Otherwise, parking is available at no charge along Access Road and in lots on campus. Concessions are very affordable, with most menu items priced under seven dollars.
Extras 3
An extra point is awarded for the Bentley hockey history display. Located on the north side of the concourse, several panels chronicle important persons and events in Bentley’s 50 years of hockey. Banners honoring Bentley’s 2025 AHA championship and NCAA Tournament appearance hang from the rafters.
Another extra point is awarded for Bentley’s efforts at sustainability and environmental friendliness. Bentley Arena is the first standalone arena in the United States to receive LEED Platinum certification. The arena has 1,400 solar panels on its roof, which produce 40% of the energy used by the facility. In addition, high-efficiency LED lighting and water-saving fixtures ensure that the arena uses half the power and water that similarly sized buildings would use.
A statue of Bentley’s legendary baseball coach, Robert DeFelice stands in the entry plaza to the arena. The statue was erected to honor DeFelice’s 50th season as coach of the baseball team. The statue depicts “Coach” gazing in the direction of DeFelice Field, located across the street from the arena.
Final Thoughts
The term “bandbox” is often used to describe small ballparks, but not hockey rinks. If we were to co-opt the term to use for hockey, it would describe The Bentley Arena perfectly. This cozy facility with its eco-friendly design is a hidden gem in the crowded Boston hockey scene.
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