Jonathan Desbiens
Jonathan Desbiens

Desbiens Nets Hat Trick as Bentley Battles Back for 3-3 Tie With Niagara

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – Sophomore Jonathan Desbiens (Montreal, Quebec) netted a hat trick to help Bentley battle back and earn a 3-3 tie with Niagara on the road Friday night.

Bentley trailed 3-1 after a goal by Niagara's Sean King 5:15 into the 3rd period. But Desbiens, who scored two of his three of his goals on the power play, scored with 4:48 left in regulation to cut the deficit to 3-2. He then potted the tying goal with 6.9 seconds left in regulation to knot the game at 3-3 and send the game to overtime, where it finished tied.

Desbiens' second goal came with Bentley on a 5-on-3 power play and was with 14 seconds left on the two-man advantage. Defenseman Alexey Solovyev (Moscow, Russia) blasted a slap shot on net that Niagara goalie Brian Wilson saved, but Desbiens was there to clean up the rebound to get Bentley to within 3-2.

In search of the tying goal and with time running out, Bentley goaltender Jayson Argue (Swan River, Manitoba) was pulled for an extra-attacker with 1:18 remaining. The move paid off when a slap shot by defenseman Tanner Jago (Brandon, Manitoba) from the left side was saved by Wilson, and the puck trickled across the goal line, and Desbiens was there to poke in the rebound for the tying goal just seconds before the game ended.

Argue made four saves in OT for Bentley, and Wilson made three as neither team could find the winning goal in the extra five minutes

After a scoreless first period, Niagara jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals by Tanner Lomsnes at 4:05 and Johnny Curran at 12:16. However, Desbiens struck for the first time, on the power play, at 15:40 to get Bentley on the board. Jago and freshman Luke Santerno (Smithers, B.C.) had the assists.

Argue made 33 saves, with 13 coming in the 2nd period.

It's the second career hat trick for Desbiens, who had his first in a win over RIT last season.

These two teams are back at it in the series finale tomorrow night at 7:05.