Game Notes

The Matchup: First-place in Atlantic Hockey will be on the line this weekend when the Bentley hockey team heads to Erie, Pa., to take on the Mercyhurst College Lakers. Both games will begin at 7:05 pm at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

The Falcons (13-8-3, 11-3-3 AHA) enter the weekend in second-place in Atlantic Hockey with 25 points, just two behind Mercyhurst with 27. Bentley defeated Holy Cross 5-3 last Saturday to extend its unbeaten streak to five (4-0-1), its second such streak of at least five games this season. As a result, they received votes in the USCHO national poll for the sixth straight week, receiving the third most votes of any team outside the top-20.

Mercyhurst (14-10-4, 12-2-3 AHA) split with Canisius last weekend. The Lakers won the first game last Thursday in Buffalo 3-1, but two nights later were beaten at home for the first time in league play 7-4. The Lakers are 5-1-2 since Jan. 3 and also received votes in the USCHO poll this week.

Follow the Games: The subscription based America One Sports network will carry the game live. Links to free audio and live stats can be found on Bentleyfalcons.com, and in-game updates will be provided on Twitter @BentleyFalcons.

Battle for First: With just 10 games left in the regular season, Bentley and Mercyhurst enter the weekend separated by just two points atop the AHA standings. This series has the potential for a lot of offense, as both teams are not only 1-2 in the AHA in goals per game, but both are in the top-10 nationally. The Falcons are first in the AHA and tied for fifth nationally at 3.50, and the Lakers are second in the AHA and ninth nationally at 3.46.

Needless to say, a lot of offensive talent will be on display. Mercyhurst's Matthew Zay and Bentley's Brett Gensler are ranked fourth and fifth in the nation in points per game respectively, both at 1.46. Bentley's Steve Weinstein (t-12^th, 1.29) and Alex Grieve (15^th, 1.25) and Mercyhurst's Daniel O'Donoghue (16^th, 1.21) are all in the top-16 nationally in points per game.

In goals scored, Bentley has three in the top-six nationally with Gladiuk tied for fourth (17) and Gensler and Grieve (16) tied for sixth with a host of players.

The series will also feature seven of the top-10 scorers in Atlantic Hockey, with Zay (1^st, 38 points), Gensler (2^nd, 35), O'Donoghue (3^rd, 34), Weinstein (4^th, 31), Grieve (t-5^th, 30), Mercyhurst's Ryan Misiak (t-7^th, 29) and Bentley's Andrew Gladiuk (9^th, 27) all featuring.

'Sader Sweep: Bentley completed its first ever clean sweep of a season series with rival Holy Cross with last Saturday's 5-3 win at the Hart Center. The Falcons took the first two games of the series by identical 3-2 scores, Nov. 16 in OT at the JAR and Dec. 28 at Frozen Fenway. In the most recent outing, Bentley broke a 2-2 tie at the start of the third period with two goals in the first 5:14. Defenseman Matt Blomquist found the back of the net just 20 seconds in, followed by Gladiuk's second power play goal of the night at 5:14. Though Holy Cross made it a 4-3 game with a goal from Tommy Dwyer at 10:56, the Falcons held on the rest of the way and sealed the win with an empty-net goal by captain Jared Rickord.

Coach Reaches a Milestone: Saturday's win was also the 150^th career win for head coach Ryan Soderquist. In his 12^th season behind the Bentley bench, Soderquist is a two-time AHA Coach of the Year (2009, 2012) and became the school's all-time leader in wins during the 2010-11 season.

Power Play Keeps Rolling: Bentley scored two more power play goals Saturday at Holy Cross, improving its percentage on the season to 28.1 (27-96), which is second in the country to St. Lawrence. The Falcons are 6-13 (46.1%) over the last three games and 10-28 (35.7%) over the last six. In AHA games only, they are a whopping 35.4% (23-65).

Gladiuk is tied for the national lead with 12 power play goals, which ties a school record held by Richard Starck, set during the 1995-96 season.

Bentley's penalty kill has killed off 14 straight, raising its percentage to 85.5 (94-110), best in Atlantic Hockey and 11^th nationally.

Record vs. the West: This weekend's series concludes Bentley's series with their western Atlantic Hockey counterparts. So far they are an impressive 6-1-3 and have taken 15 out of 20 points.

Captain Heating Up: Captain Jared Rickord has a goal in three straight games and four of the last six. He has six points in the last seven games.

Still Streaking: Brett Gensler has a 13-game scoring streak going, dating back to Nov. 29 against Air Force. During the streak he has a 13-15-28 scoring line and has 14 points (6g, 8a) over the last five games. He currently has 149 career points and is one away from moving into second place on the school's all-time scoring list. His head coach Ryan Soderquist holds down the top spot with 173 career points.

Century Mark: Senior goalie Branden Komm started his 100th career game on Saturday. Komm, who has the second best goals against average in Atlantic Hockey (2.36) and third best save percentage (.928), has started 44 straight games for Bentley.

Stanley Cup on Display: Anyone traveling out to Mercyhurst will have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of hockey's ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup, on Saturday night at the Ice Center. Mercyhurst's equipment manager Mike Folga served the same role for the New York Rangers during their 1994 cup winning season.

Up Next: Bentley concludes its six-game road swing next Friday night when they visit UConn for the first leg in a home-and-home series. The following night they return to the JAR for the first time in four weeks as they play UConn for the final time as Atlantic Hockey members. The Falcons won the first meeting this season, 3-0 on Nov. 15 in Storrs.