Bye bye
The calendar says we’ve just finished the seventh weekend of the college hockey season, normally a busy time of the season.
But there were just four conference games played this past weekend, and Mercyhurst, Robert Morris, American International and Army West Point were off the schedule completely (the Black Knights and Yellow Jackets had games last Tuesday).
In non-league play, Canisius, Sacred Heart and Niagara went 0-5 against Big Ten competition. That dropped the AHC’s nonconference record to 9-35-3 (.223), about where the league was a year ago at this time.
Next weekend, Rochester Institute of Technology and Holy Cross are idle.
We’ll have to wait until January 2, 2016 to see a day when all 11 Atlantic Hockey teams are in action.
Deja Vu all over again
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Bentley and RIT go to overtime at the Polisseni Center, tied 2-2. The Falcons’ top line comes through at crunch time with the game-winner, and Bentley comes away with a hard-earned pair of road points.
That was the scenario on Friday.
And on Saturday.
The circumstances were slightly different — on Friday the Tigers forced overtime while on Saturday it was the Falcons that knotted the game late — but the result was the same.
Max French got the game-winner on Friday, his second of the game and sixth in just five games so far this season.
On Saturday, French helped set up the GWG by Andrew Gladiuk, his 60th career goal.
Gabe Antoni picked up both wins for Bentley. On Friday, the senior entered the game to start the third period in relief of starter Jayson Argue, who left with a lower-body injury. Antoni stopped all 13 RIT shots he faced in the third period and overtime.
On Saturday, he made 36 saves on 38 shots for the win.
Shooting gallery
Two school records were set this past weekend, both involving a large number of shots on goal.
RIT put a Division I era, school-record 56 shots on net during regulation on Friday, including 45 over the first two periods. Bentley goaltender Jayson Argue made a whole-game-and-then-some collection of saves (43) before leaving after two periods with an injury.
In Happy Valley on Saturday, Penn State and Sacred Heart combined for a whopping 112 shots on goal in the Nittany Lions’ 3-2 win.
SHU goaltender Brett Magnus made a school-record record 64 saves in the loss, including 45 over the final two periods. Magnus obliterated the previous Pioneer record of 54 saves set back in 2006.
