Game Notes

The Matchup: After stepping out of Atlantic Hockey play to take on Harvard last weekend, the Bentley University hockey team returns to conference action for a series on the road against Canisius, starting on Friday night. Both games from the HarborCenter in Buffalo will get underway at 7:35 pm.

The Falcons hung with 8^th ranked Harvard last Saturday night, but ultimately came up short in a 5-2 defeat. Bentley will come into this series with a 3-6-3 overall record and 2-4-2 in Atlantic Hockey games. Canisius enters the weekend at 5-8-2 overall and 4-3-2 AHC. The Griffs played just once last weekend as well, where they suffered a 5-1 defeat at home to Mercyhurst.

Both teams enter the weekend with similar profiles; strong defense and goaltending, but currently struggling to put the puck in the net. Both are top-four in Atlantic Hockey in scoring defense, Bentley is 4^th at 3.00 goals allowed per game, and Canisius is 2^nd at 2.67. Offensively, Bentley is 8^th in the conference with 2.42 goals per game, while the Griffs are 11^th at just 1.67.

In goal, Bentley's Jayson Argue is 5^th in Atlantic Hockey in save percentage (.919), and just had a streak of four games in a row with two goals allowed or less snapped in the Harvard game. Canisius' Charles Williams, a transfer from Ferris State, is 2^nd in the league in save percentage (.938). Both goalies have started every game for their team this season.

Follow the Games: Both games can be seen on the new AtlanticHockey.TV powered by Stretch Internet starting at 7:35. Click on the link to learn more about pricing plans if you haven't already signed up. Live stats will also be available for Friday night and Saturday night.

Last Time Out: Bentley hung with No. 8 ranked Harvard last Saturday night, but ultimately suffered a 5-2 defeat. The Falcon goals came from freshman Ryner Gorowsky, the 1^st of his career goal at 13:20 of the 2^nd period, and junior Kyle Schmidt on the power play at 17:26 of the 3^rd frame. Freshman defenseman Tanner Salsberry notched two assists, giving him five this season in just six games. Argue was solid in goal with 29 saves.

Freshmen Making an Impact Early: Gorowsky became the 6^th freshman to score this season for Bentley, which is 2^nd most of any team in Atlantic Hockey. Jake Kauppila is 3^rd on the team in points (6), and is T-2^nd in assists (5) with another freshman, defenseman Tanner Salsberry.

Overall, team captain Max French leads the team in assists (9) and points (11). Schmidt leads the squad with 5 goals.

Series Notes:

• Canisius leads the all-time series 28-24-5.
• Bentley has struggled against the Griffs recently with three straight losses and a 0-5-1 record in the last six meetings.
• The Falcons' last win was in game one of the 2014 Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals, 4-3 in overtime. Brett Switzer scored the winning goal just 40 seconds into OT.
• Prior to the last two seasons, Bentley went through a dominant stretch in the series. From the 2005-06 season through the 2013-14 season, the Falcons went 19-10-2 against Canisius.
• That total includes three postseason series, two that went the distance. The 2009 quarterfinals which Bentley won 2-1, and the 2014 quarterfinals that Canisius won 2-1. Both of those series were played at the JAR. Canisius won a 2013 first round series 2-0 in Buffalo.

Up Next: Bentley will return to the JAR the weekend of Dec. 9 for a series with Robert Morris in a rematch of last season's quarterfinal series. It will be the Colonials' first visit to the JAR since the 2013-14 season. The Dec. 9-10 series will close out the first half, with the finale on the 10^th beginning at 4:05. After that, the Falcons won't play again until Dec. 30 at Vermont.