WALTHAM, Mass. – When the Bentley Falcons opened Coach DeFelice Ice Rink on Friday night, there was a Super Bowl-type vibe through the building. A special night rippled waves through college hockey, and Bentley debuted what it hopes will be the genesis of a vibrant hockey culture. But the game itself was a wash as the Army West Point Black Knights cleaned up a 5-1 victory for two points.
On Saturday night, the Falcons gave a first glimpse at what they hope will become the expectation.
Jake Kauppila broke behind the Army West Point defensive line and beat goaltender Cole Bruns in the third period, breaking a 2-2 stalemate as Bentley earned its first victory in the Bentley Arena, 4-2, on Saturday night.
“(Friday) was a tough game,” Bentley head coach Ryan Soderquist said. “To rebound tonight and get it done under a little bit more pressure where we felt we had to get a win tonight in this building, they rose to the occasion. We played our best hockey through the third period and got stronger, so we’re extremely excited about (Saturday’s result).”
The teams traded first period goals, setting the stage for a drama-filled, electric atmosphere. Bentley’s Tanner Jago scored first, giving Bentley a goal after a pass from Kyle Schmidt came during a 4-on-3 power play. But the Black Knights tied the game less than a minute later, with the sides back even on 5-on-5, when Conor Andrle scored a tying goal that beat netminder Aidan Pelino.
Bentley took a 2-1 lead shortly thereafter when Army put the Falcons back on the power play. The Falcons executed to prime examples, shooting passes around from Schmidt to Jonathan Desbiens. Desbiens found a streaking Luke Santerno on Bruns’ backside, and he buried a redirect in the low slot to give the Falcons a second lead.
“We focused on power play in film, and those guys have a lot of pride,” Soderquist said. “Those guys have a lot of pride, and they were let down (on Friday). They wanted to answer, and they did.”
Army rallied once more, tying the game in the second period when Dominic Franco tipped a shot from Alex Wilkinson past Pelino. But the Bentley goalie slammed the door shut for the rest of the game with help from his defense. Blue-liner Chris Buchanan helped block two wide open opportunities down the stretch, including one where he sprinted off the bench and sprawled his body across the ice.
“Special teams and goaltending win games,” Soderquist said. “Aidan made some huge saves with a toe save at the end of the first period. Chris is a great leader on our team. He does the little things that guys on the bench notice that don’t show up on the stat sheet. He had a huge long body on that block and blocked another at the end of a 3-on-2. He does those things, and emotionally he’s a big leader in our program.”
It set the stage for Kauppila’s breakaway goal in the third. Late in the game, Andrew McDonald iced the victory with an empty net goal that sent many of the Bentley faithful into a frenzy.
For Army West Point, the two power play goals for Bentley proved to be the difference. The Black Knights went 1-for-7 on the power play but were unable to break the bank other than Franco’s goal. This came despite three power play opportunities in the second period alone. Still, the unit’s weekend, which helped them win on Friday, stood up against the Falcons on the overall scale.
“Our penalty kill has been great all year,” Riley said. “We put ourselves in a tough spot last week and took too many penalties. We took too many (on Friday), and when you don’t want to give a team an opportunity early. But I really like our power play and penalty kill. They zip it around and get looks, but Bentley has good special teams too.”
The split sets the stage for a wild final week. Army West Point returns home to play Sacred Heart with a first-round bye and potential quarterfinals series at stake for their Senior Night festivities. “We know that Sacred Heart is a very good team,” Riley said. “We’re going to have to be really good in all facets, and we’ll have to get back this week and get back to work to come up with some points next weekend.”
For Bentley, the emotional win on Saturday provided them with the first hockey victory in the new barn. That it came on a night when the school honored former coaches and team alumni made it all the sweeter.
“It’s the first win in the new building,” Soderquist said. “We had a lot of alumni, family and friends here. There were a lot of guys who played in the program for 50 years, and that made it a really special night. They were in the building for our first win, so we’re pretty proud of that. That’s the most important thing tonight.
“We’re getting there,” he said. “It’s been a busy week. We moved in, skated on Tuesday, had a few days and then played two games. Getting a win makes it feel like a home, and now we can start playing some hockey and have some fun with it.”
