Bentley Visits Canisius for Playoff Rematch
The Matchup: The Bentley Falcons continue their road trip to begin the second half with a visit to Buffalo to take on Canisius College in an Atlantic Hockey series. It's a rematch for Bentley against the team it has played the last two postseasons. Both games from the new HarborCenter begin at 7:35 and can be seen live on AtlanticHockey.TV. Additionally, Saturday's game will be televised on Time Warner SportsChannel in the Buffalo area.
The Falcons got their second half started with a split at first-place Robert Morris last weekend. After dropping the series opener 3-0, they responded with a 1-0 victory on Saturday behind Max French's goal late in the third period, and a 29-save shutout by freshman goalie Jayson Argue. Both games were scoreless for more than 54 minutes between two of the top scoring offenses in Atlantic Hockey.
The Golden Griffins come into the weekend on a three-game winning streak. They swept Holy Cross at home over the weekend, winning both games by a 2-1 score. They followed that up by topping Mercyhurst on Tuesday 5-2 in Erie, in a game that was a makeup from earlier in the season.
Follow the Games: Newly rebranded AtlanticHockey.TV will carry every Bentley AHA game this season. Season ($150), monthly ($35) and single game ($10) passes are available. Live stats will be available on Bentleyfalcons.com and in-game updates will be on Twitter @BentleyFalcons.
Familiar Foes: These two programs have gotten to know each other quite well over the last several seasons. Since the start of the 2008-09 season they have played 23 times, with eight of those games coming in the postseason in three different seasons. Overall Bentley holds a 14-8-1 lead over the last six seasons, but the Griffs have won two of the three playoff series. The Falcons prevailed in the 2009 Quarterfinals 2-1, but Canisius has taken the last two. A sweep in the 2013 first round and a 2-1 upset in last year's Quarterfinals at the JAR.
Bentley is 5-4-1 in the last 10 games in Buffalo. The Griffs have a one-game edge in the all-time series, 25-24-4, which dates back to 1981.
Where They Stand: The Atlantic Hockey standings have gotten tighter at the top as the second half kicks into full gear. The top-five teams, Robert Morris, Canisius, Holy Cross and Mercyhurst and Bentley are separated by just five points. RMU leads with 23 points and is ahead of Canisius, who has surged into second-place with 20 points on the strength of its three-game winning streak. Holy Cross is in third with 19 points, one point ahead of Bentley and Mercyhurst in a tie for fourth. Holy Cross and Bentley have played one less game than the top-two teams, and the Lakers have played two less.
At the end of the regular season, the top-five teams receive a bye to the quarterfinals. There are seven weekends left in the regular season.
No Argument: Freshman goalie Jayson Argue recorded his first career shutout in Saturday's win over Robert Morris, blanking one of the top offensive teams in the country. It was the Falcons' third shutout of the season, with senior Blake Dougherty getting the first two (vs RPI Oct. 25, vs. Niagara Nov. 7).
In two starts over the weekend, Argue made 69 of 71 saves for a .972 save percentage. In Friday's game he made a season-high 40 stops. Argue has started seven of the last eight games since returning from an early season injury, and he's posted a 4-2-1 record with a 1.70 goals against average and .946 save percentage.
Back in Action: Captain Alex Grieve returned to the ice last weekend after missing nine games. Grieve scored the sixth most goals in the country last season with 25.
Odds & Ends: After the RMU series, Bentley's power play is under 30% for the first time since after the sixth game of the season. The unit is still at 26.7% (20-75) on the season, third in the nation behind Minnesota and Harvard. Andrew Gladiuk and French, who are both on the initial Hobey Baker ballot, are 7th and 8th in the nation, respectively in points per game. Gladiuk is at 1.33 and French at 1.32. Both are tied for 3rd nationally in goals (14). Senior Brett Switzer had his six-game scoring streak snapped on Friday, but he assisted on French's game-winner on Saturday. That was the second longest streak by a Bentley player this season. Defenseman Steve Weinstein had a seven-game point streak from Nov. 7-Nov. 28.
Up Next: Bentley returns to the JAR for the first time in six weeks when they host RIT. It will be Bentley's last two game home series of the season.