In the landscape of the Greater Boston college hockey scene, nobody is going to mistake a game between Northeastern and Bentley for a Beanpot final. There’s no trophy handed out, and their games typically don’t take on the magnitude of a late season drama festival.
If Friday’s 1-1 tie at the John A. Ryan Arena is any indication, however, the rivalry is real, and the battle between the two teams is just heating up.
“It was a great battle both ways,” said Bentley coach Ryan Soderquist, “and I couldn’t be more happy with the way that our guys battled. We played 65 minutes, left everything on the ice. We found ourselves unfortunately on the wrong end of a lot of marginal calls, and we had to withstand it — but we did. The bottom line is that early in the season, you want to see what kind of guys you have in your locker room, and I couldn’t be more proud of the way our guys responded in this game.”
As has been the case throughout college hockey, an abundance of penalties reared their head. Atlantic Hockey officials called a combined 30 penalties for 79 minutes, including 19 for 57 minutes on the Falcons. The Huskies found themselves with 13 power plays, including two in overtime, while the referees whistled a combined nine hooking penalties on both teams.
Both goals came on special teams, with Northeastern’s Nolan Stevens opening things up on a five-on-three power play in the first period. Though it gave his team a one-goal lead, it was all they could do to crack Bentley goalie Jayson Argue, who stopped 15 shots in the first frame alone.
“We had a lot of chances, and we just couldn’t convert,” said Northeastern coach Jim Madigan. “We have to be better on the power play, and our personnel is better than one goal.”
The Falcons came back to tie things up in the second period when Alexey Solovyev threw one underneath goalie Ryan Ruck’s leg pad with just under three minutes expired. With Jake Kauppila in the penalty box, it registered as a short-handed goal in the second straight game for Bentley.
From there, the game turned into a grind of physicality, penalties, and heart-stopping moments. Both Argue (34 saves) and Ruck (22 saves) stood tall in their creases, stoning multiple breakaways and wide open looks.
“It wasn’t good enough,” said Madigan. “We knew this was going to be a tough game because of the way Bentley skates and applies pressure in a small building. We couldn’t generate enough Grade A scoring opportunities and make enough plays. They were running at us, which we knew, but we didn’t show enough poise in making plays.”
The tie improved Bentley (1-0-1) to 2-0-1 in its last three games against the defending Hockey East champions. After a sweep last year of the Huskies (0-1-2), the Falcons now travel to Matthews Arena to shoot for four consecutive undefeated games in a row against Northeastern. In the young, budding relationship between the two schools, Bentley is 4-2-1 against Northeastern, putting them on the map and developing an intensity on the ice between the two institutions.
“I have to give a great deal of credit to Coach Madigan and his staff to let these games happen back and forth (at Bentley and at Northeastern),” said Soderquist. “I have a great deal of respect for him and his program to come off campus and play us (at the JAR). Now that we’ve been playing annually, you can see guys starting to get into the chippiness and start to take it more seriously than just their average nonconference game.”
That chippiness reared its head with scrums throughout the game. As the final horn sounded, the Falcons and Huskies exchanged a meeting of the clans as helmets and pads went flying. They would meet at center ice for a mutual handshake of respect, but it sets the stage for another battle as the tide shifts to Hockey East home ice.
“I think it’s good that we’re two local schools, and they’re a good hockey club,” said Madigan. “(Ryan Arena) presents some presents some different challenges, more so for the ice surface than the amenities, but they’re a good club. Sometimes teams in (Hockey East) don’t understand sometimes how good some of the teams in all of the other leagues are. Bentley is a good hockey club, and they’ve taken it to us for the last couple of years.”
The teams, who have their rivalry extended at least through next year, will duel again on Saturday night.
Atlantic Hockey results
Army West Point 3, Sacred Heart 0
Army scored once in each period, including goals inside the first four minutes of the first and second, to earn its second straight victory over the Pioneers. Six Black Knights earned their first points of the season in the win, while Conor Andrle notched his fourth of the year with an empty-net goal late.
Union 5, at American International 4
AIC bounced back from three different deficits to tie the game, including a two-goal deficit after the second period, but Nick DeSimone’s goal with under five minutes remaining elevated the Dutchmen past the Yellow Jackets in their MassMutual Center debut.
Penn State 7, at Mercyhurst 0
The visiting Nittany Lions outshot the Lakers by a 33-8 margin through the game’s first two periods to win the Snowtown Throwdown. Nate Sucese scored twice and David Goodwin and Kevin Kerr added two assists.
Air Force at Arizona State
(late game)
Canisius at Alaska
(late game)
