Game Notes

The Matchup: Monday was the first skate, Tuesday the first practice, and now the first game at Bentley Arena is Friday night when the Bentley hockey team hosts Army West Point in the first game of a weekend series. Both games begin at 7:05 pm and can be seen on AtlanticHockey.TV

Bentley is coming off a split last weekend with Air Force, with a 2-0 victory in the first game and a 4-2 defeat in the second game. Army meanwhile split last weekend as well, at Canisius, with a 4-1 loss in the first game and a 3-2 victory in the second game.

Follow the Games: Both games can be seen on AtlanticHockey.TV, with coverage starting at 6:45.

Live stats for Friday and Saturday will also be available.

Last Time Out: Bentley closed out the JAR last weekend with a split against Air Force. Bentley won the first game 2-0 behind a shutout by senior goalie Jayson Argue, and goals from Luke Santerno and Jake Kauppila. Santerno's goal at 2:42 of the second period broke a scoreless deadlock, and was his 10^th goal of the season. Argue helped the lead stand up, as he finished the night with 28 saves. Kauppila then sealed it with an empty net goal with 1:13 remaining.

Air Force then rallied for a 4-2 victory in the final game at the JAR. Bentley jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 14 minutes of the first period on goals by Ryner Gorowsky and Kauppila. Air Force got back in it with a power play goal from Matt Serratore at 12:03 of the 2^nd period, then scored three times in the third. The tying goal came from Evan Giesler on the power play at 8:09, and the go-ahead goal came from defensemen Alex Mehnert at 11:22.

Looking at Atlantic Hockey: This is the second to last weekend of the regular season in Atlantic Hockey. Just five points separate 5^th place, and a first round bye, and 10^th place. Bentley is four points out of a first round bye and just two points out of a home spot in the first round of the playoffs. They trail Air Force and Niagara by just two points.

Army comes into the weekend in 6^th place with 24 points. Canisius leads the pack with 30 points, two points ahead of surging Mercyhurst and Holy Cross in second place.

Bentley Notes: Santerno is second in points among freshmen in Atlantic Hockey with 24. He's the first Bentley freshman to hit at least 10 goals in a season since Max French (11) in 2013-14. Jeff Gumaer in 05-06 and Erik Peterson in 07-08 hold the school record for goals by freshman in Division I with 16. Alex Grieve holds the record for points by a freshman (34), set in 2011-12 … junior Tanner Jago has the third most points among defensemen in Atlantic Hockey (21) … Gorowsky has one goal and three assists in his four games since returning to the lineup after an injury.

Series History: Bentley and Army have played in a number of big games in recent years. Last season, they played at Frozen Fenway, with the Falcons winning 3-1. Two seasons ago, they met at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, which saw a 6-2 Bentley win.

The all-time series, which began in 1981-82, has Army with a 27-23-13 lead. Bentley will be looking to avenge the earlier series this season, which saw the Black Knights take three points. The first game ended in a 3-3 tie and was a back and forth affair that saw three ties and three lead changes. Army then took the second game 4-0.

In games hosted by Bentley, the Falcons hold an 11-8-7 edge in games against Army.

Up Next: Bentley will close out the regular season next Saturday the 24^th with a home game against AIC. It will be the fourth meeting of the season between the two teams. The first two games ended in ties; 3-3 in Springfield on Oct. 10, 2-2 at the JAR on Oct. 24. Bentley then scored a 6-2 victory in Springfield back on Dec. 1. Six different players had a goal for the Falcons.

Tale of the Tape