WATERTOWN, Mass. – A hat trick by sophomore Brett Gensler (St. Charles, Mo./Youngstown Phantoms), with the second and third goals coming in the third period, helped Bentley University rally for a 6-6- tie in a back-and-forth encounter with Holy Cross Tuesday night in Atlantic Hockey action at Ryan Skating Arena.

Bentley led 4-1 at one point in the first period, but Holy Cross reeled five unanswered goals to lead 6-4 after Brandon Nunn scored 1:12 into the third period.

Gensler though got the Falcons back in the game with an important goal just 1:15 later, finishing off a 3-on-1 by himself and beating goalie Derek Kump to the glove side. He then tied the game at six and completed the hat trick at 13:01 with a breakaway goal, beating Kump with a nice deke move after receiving an outlet pass from freshman Alex Grieve (Calgary, Alberta/Westside Warriors) in the neutral zone.

That was the last goal of the game however, though Holy Cross put plenty of shots on net the rest of the way and had a power play opportunity with 2:07 left in overtime.

Freshman goalie Blake Dougherty (East Amherst, N.Y./Bay State Breakers), who came on for starter Branden Komm (Williamsville, N.Y./Northfield Mount Hermon) in the second period, helped keep Bentley in the game when they were behind and helped keep it tied after Gensler's goal. As Holy Cross outshot the Falcons 23-10 over the third period and OT, he stopped 22 of those shots in his first extensive action of the season.

The Falcons looked like they would cruise to victory on this night as they jumped out to a 4-1 lead after just 13 minutes.

Senior Trent Bonnett (Butler, Pa./Mahoning Valley Phantoms) netted the first goal of the game at 4:58, only for it to be answered right back by Holy Cross' Kyle Atkins at 5:37. Grieve gave Bentley a 2-1 lead at 6:12, and just 10 seconds later, junior Brett Hartung (Tallahassee, Fla./Wichita Falls Wildcats) found the back of the net on a break off the ensuing face-off for a 3-1 lead. Gensler made it a three-goal lead with a power play goal at 13:03.

Holy Cross though would score twice before the period was over to trail just 4-3 at intermission, and they tied the game at 6:19 of the second on Andrew Cox's goal. They took the lead at 5-4 with just under five minutes left in the period after Gianni Baldassari scored on a wrist shot in the slot off a turnover, spelling the end of Komm's night.

Gensler's hat trick was the first by a Bentley player since the 2009-10 season, and he had an assist on Grieve's goal in the first period for a four-point night. Grieve, with a goal and two assists, and sophomore Zach Marginsky (Auburn, N.Y./Syracuse Stars) with two assists, also had multi-point nights.

The Falcons go to 7-5-5 in Atlantic Hockey with the tie, while the Crusaders move to 8-6-3 in the league. Bentley is back in action on Friday night for the first game of a home-and-home with Army at Tate Rink in West Point.