WALTHAM, Mass. – Canisius defeated Bentley 6-3 on Saturday night to come away with a split of the weekend series between the two teams after the Falcons won the opener 2-1 on Friday night.

Canisius jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and held on the rest of the way. Bentley chipped away with two goals in the 2^nd period and one in the 3^rd period, but weren't able to get any closer than trailing by two goals.

Sophomore defenseman Drew Bavaro (Bradenton, Fla.) got Bentley on the board at 1:23 of the 2^nd period with a shorthanded goal. Grad student Ko Sato (Nishitokyo, Japan) won a defensive zone faceoff and chipped the puck forward to Bavaro. Bavaro then skated into the offensive zone and unleased a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle that beat Canisius goalie Jacob Barczewski to the near side.

Bavaro's 5^th goal of the season made it a 3-1 game.

Canisius though answered back less than two minutes later as right win Ausitn Alger scored, one of his three points on the night.

Just past the halfway mark of the period, grad student Matt Lombardozzi (Leominster, Mass.) scored his second goal of the weekend, this one the power play. Defenseman Hunter Toale (Coral Springs, Fla.) passed the puck in front of the net from the right boards and the puck kicked back out to Lombardozzi on the point. Lombardozzi then one-timed his shot past Barczewski through the five-hole to make it a 4-2 game at the 11:12 mark.

The teams then traded goals early in the 3^rd period. Canisius left wing Daniel DiGrande scored 1:17 into the period, but Bentley's Dylan Pitera (Culver, Indiana) answered back exactly two minutes later. Sophomore Cole Kodsi (Boca Raton, Fla.) played a pass around the boards and the puck found its way to Pitera in the left faceoff circle, who then lifted a shot past Barczewski to make it a 5-3 game.

That was Pitera's second goal of the season.

That however was as close as Bentley could get the rest of the way. DiGrande sealed the win for Canisius with an empty net goal with 1:29 remaining.

Bentley's record goes to 4-5 overall and 2-2 in Atlantic Hockey. They will be in Colorado for two games next Friday and Saturday against Air Force.