First Falcons First
This story first appeared on the New England Hockey Journal
website. To read the original story written by Jim Connelly
click here.
By Jim Connelly
If you're talking about first place in Atlantic Hockey and
you're talking about a team called the Falcons, one might assume
you're referencing defending champion Air Force.
But thanks to hot start by the ‘original' Falcons, it's
Bentley College surging up to the top of the Atlantic Hockey
standings.
Bentley is 4-2-1 in its first seven league contests - having won
two out of three last week. The lead, as you'd expect at this time
of year, is ultra slim - just a point over Army, with plenty of
other teams within striking distance thanks to games in hand. But
seeing Bentley, picked ninth out of 10 in the preseason coaches'
poll, at the top is certainly eye-opening.
The Falcons have certainly seen an increase in offensive
performance out of the gate, but the biggest difference from last
year's squad that posted a disappointing 12-22-1 record is between
the pipes. Rookie Joe Calvi has taken over the starting job for
Bentley, and has posted a 4-4-1 record with a stingy 1.75
goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.
Calvi has been a busy man in the Bentley net. In all but one start,
he's faced 20 or more shots, including a career-high 38-save
performance in a 5-1 win over AIC.
Bentley may face one of its toughest tasks this weekend when it
travels to Army to face the Black Knights for two league games.
NEHJ Player of the Week
Owen Meyer, So., Army In a weekend sweep of AIC, Meyer led the
Black Knights offensively. He scored a goal in Friday's 4-3 victory
before adding his first career hat trick in Saturday's 7-1 win.
Looking Ahead
Bentley at Army, Friday & Saturday, Nov. 16 & 17 Though the
season is young, this weekend's Bentley-Army match-up is a battle
of the league's top two point-getters. Bentley enters the weekend
with a 4-2-1 league record, while Army is just a point behind at
4-1-0. Army rides a two-game winning streak into the weekend and
has won four of five after starting the year with three losses.
Around Atlantic Hockey
Air Force
Last weekend was a night-and-day tale for Army goaltender
Andrew Volkening. After making a career-high 36
saves in Friday's 2-1 overtime win, Volkening was pulled after
falling behind 4-0 in Saturday's rematch.
AIC
The Yellow Jackets struggled on the weekend, as they were swept in
a two-game series against Army. But a bright light was seeing
senior Jereme Tendler break through offensively,
scoring a goal and two assists, his first points of the season.
Army
Sophomore forward Owen Meyer's hat trick Saturday
against AIC was the first by a Black Knight since Chris Casey in
March of 2004. ... Luke Flicek not only
leads the team with 12 points, he also has one of the nation's best
plus/minus ratings at plus-9.
Bentley
Friday's win against UConn matched with Tuesday's victory over
Sacred Heart extended Bentley's unbeaten streak to four games
-matching the longest in program history. That streak came to an
end Saturday night in the rematch with Connecticut.
Canisius
The Griffs certainly could consider themselves "Saturday Night
Specials." In the opening game of two-game weekend series,
generally played on Friday nights, Canisius is 0-4-0. In series
finales, though, the Griffs are 2-0-2 - including a 4-2 against
Holy Cross this past Saturday.
UConn
The Huskies picked up only their second win of the season Saturday,
an overtime victory over Bentley - snapping a five-game losing
streak. One bright light for UConn is the play of its penalty kill,
which has allowed just four goals in 37 man advantage
opportunities.
Holy Cross
Senior Dale Reinhardt became the 38th
Crusader to reach the 100-point mark with two assists against
Canisius on Saturday night. Reinhardt currently is sporting a
seven-game point scoring streak.
Mercyhurst
Something plaguing the Lakers this season is allowing goals to the
opposition immediately after they score. In each of the last four
games, the Lakers had given up a goal within a minute of scoring
themselves, making momentum sometimes difficult to maintain.
RIT
The Tigers are in the midst of a six-game, 20-day homestand, which
is a good thing considering that they're 0-2-0 when playing outside
of Rochester this season - allowing six goals in each of those
losses.
Sacred Heart
The Pioneers are in the midst of a 17-day layoff from league play.
After remaining idle last weekend, Sacred Heart will travel to
Niagara this weekend for a non-league matchup. Their next league
game won't come until Thanksgiving weekend when they travel to
Mercyhurst.
