Bentley Looks to Keep Streak Going This Weekend at Canisius
Setting the Stage: Bentley will look to extend its five game unbeaten streak this weekend when they travel up to Buffalo, N.Y. for a pair of games against Atlantic Hockey foe Canisius. Friday's game begins at 7:35 and Saturday's at 4:35.
Bentley's 3-0-2 streak, with all three of the wins in Atlantic Hockey play, has seen them move up to 8th in the tightly bunched standings with 16 points. That has them just three points out of a top-five spot, and a potential first round bye, with two fewer games played than the teams ahead of them.
Canisius meanwhile is 6-10-1 in Atlantic Hockey. After sweeping North Dakota at home three weeks ago, the Griffs dropped three straight to Mercyhurst and Robert Morris, before they snapped the streak with a 6-4 win over the Colonials on Saturday.
The Matchup: Bentley has scored 17 goals in its last four games and has upped its goals per game average on the season to 3.09, which is 2nd best in Atlantic Hockey, behind only Niagara's 3.20 average. They'll go up against a Canisius team that is allowing 4.00 goals per game, 11th in the league. They've allowed 23 goals in their last four games.
Bentley has lowered its goals allowed average to 2.91, 3rd best in Atlantic Hockey, behind Air Force and RIT. They've allowed just 10 goals over the last five games.
Bentley Takes Three From RIT: The Falcons took three points from RIT last weekend at Bentley Arena, with a 2-2 tie and a 5-2 victory. In Saturday's win five different players lit the lamp and they led 3-0 after two periods behind goals from Luke Santerno, Cody DePourcq and Jonathan Desbiens. RIT clawed back two goals in the 3rd period to make it a 3-2 game, but freshman Dylan Pitera scored a big goal with 4:32 remaining, assisted by Jakov Novak. Sophomore Brendan Hamblet finished it off with an empty net goal.
In Friday's 2-2 tie, Hamblet and Desbiens had the Bentley goals, giving them each two for the weekend.
Pelino On Fire: Falcons goalie Aidan Pelino has a .923 save percentage during Bentley's unbeaten streak, saving 120 of 130 shots faced. The junior has lowered his goals against average on the season to 2.85, 6th best in Atlantic Hockey. Pelino has also played the most minutes of any goalie in the AHA this season at 1,283.
He was named the league's Goalie of the Week on Jan. 15 after the sweep of Robert Morris.
Point Streaks: Junior forward Jonathan Desbiens has at least one point in 10 of the last 12 games, going back to Nov. 17 against Army. He has 14 points in that span, five goals and nine assists, and on the season is Bentley's 3rd leading scorer with 17 points on seven goals and 10 assists.
Senior Drew Callin has 11 points over the last nine games on three goals and six assists, and is the team's 2nd leading scorer with eight goals and 11 assists.
Sophomore Brendan Hamblet has the team's longest current streak at five games, with two goals and five assists.
Series Notes: Canisius holds a 32-25-6 edge in the all-time series. The first ever meeting between the two programs was back in the 1981-82 season. They've met in the postseason four different times, most recently in the 2014 quarterfinals.
They played four times last season. Canisius swept at home in mid-November by scores of 5-1 and 5-2. They played again at Bentley in late January and split. Canisius won the first game 3-2, but Bentley took the second contest by the same 3-2 score.
The teams will meet again at Bentley Arena in just two weeks on the weekend of Feb. 8-9. Next weekend Bentley hosts Air Force, while the Griffs have a home-and-home with Mercyhurst.