(Box from USCHO summary)
Saturday, January 4, 2003 at John A. Ryan Rink, Watertown, MA
BC 4, SHU 3                    MAAC GAME
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SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY (MAAC) 1  1  1 - 3     (4-7-4 overall, 4-4-1 MAAC)
BENTLEY COLLEGE (MAAC)         2  1  1 - 4     (7-9-0 overall, 6-4-0 MAAC)

After watching one BC go down to defeat Friday night, we went to our other
BC destination, Bentley College, Saturday night.  Bentley has struggled the
past few years in the MAAC conference, but has shown signs of revival under
first-year coach Ryan Soderquist.  After being almost a universal choice as
last-place team in the league in the pre-season ratings, they are currently
in third place with a 6-4 league record following a weekend sweep of Sacred
Heart.  It is their 3rd win in a row and 7th of the year only halfway
through the season, a marked improvement after recording only 4 wins per
year the past 2 years.

This was probably the best game I have seen Bentley play in the years I
have been watching (considering the raised level of play now that they play
Division I.)  They skate hard, forecheck aggressively, swarm on defense,
and now can string passes together instead of just pushing the puck forward
and hope for the best.  Combine that with good goaltending and some luck,
and they now are competitive in their league.  No longer will a MAAC team
approach a Bentley game with the idea that it is a breather, and that is a
good thing for the program and the league.  They will still struggle against
the top teams, and will have to give scholarships to compete in the future,
but it is a start.  Soderquist expects more from his players and so far they
have been producing.

The most surprising improvement has been on defense.  Bentley has leaked
goals like crazy since they joined the league.  Last year they had an
overall
goals against of 5.0 and 4.65 in the league.  This year the overall isn't
that bad, 3.31, but the league GAA is 2.1.  BENTLEY LEADS THE MAAC IN GOALS
AGAINST!  That is perhaps the most astonishing statistic in NCAA Div I
hockey this year.  Simon St. Pierre, the sophomore goalie, has provided a
consistency in the nets, and the team doesn't take as many penalties as
they used to.  Partly that is more discipline, but much of it is that they
skate much better now and don't get caught having to clutch, hold, and reach
to slow down the other team.  In general the MAAC has been improving, though
they still have a long way to go, and all the teams have been forced to
recruit smarter.  Bentley hasn't had scholarships to give, and the cost of
the school makes it a tough go for some families.  But they have been mining
the ranks of the junior leagues to gain players with more toughness and
experience, and it is paying off this year.  Bentley only skates 2 seniors
so they expect the progress to continue as their young players gain more
maturity and experience.

In this game Bentley came out playing aggressively, forechecking hard and
disrupting passing lanes for the Pioneers.  It paid off immediately when
they got a power play and broke out down the left side.  Brent Murphy fired
a slapshot that was saved by Eddy Ferhi but the rebound came straight out
through the slot.  New freshman Ryan Lessnau swept in all alone (where was
the SHU defense?) and slipped a low shot through Ferhi for a quick 1-0
lead.  Lessnau, added to the roster for the second semester, has played
two games and already has a goal and an assist.  Bentley continued the
strong play for the next 10 minutes and took a 2 goal lead when Joe Lovell
was sprung into the zone on the left wing, and he fired a laser of a
slapper high into the far side of the net.  Sacred Heart finally got things
going later in the period and started having some success down low.  They
got one goal back at 14:03 when a hard shot from the left side was saved
but the kicked rebound bounced off William Billinghurst as he drove to the
net and slid in through the scramble in the crease.

Bentley worked hard to start the second period like the first and some
tough work along the boards kept the puck in the SHU zone.  Lovell collected
the puck and drove to the net from the low left circle.  He slid across the
front of the crease, Ferhi went down, Lovell held it until he came out the
far side and then lifted it over the goalie into the net.  The game was
hard and physical the remainder of the period but St. Pierre was up to the
task in the Falcons' net until 17:44, when Martin Paquet collected a loose
puck in the slot and roofed it from in close.  They went to the third period
with Bentley holding the 1 goal lead.

Things went back and forth much of the period, with both teams having their
chances.  Sacred Heart won many of the faceoffs and were able to get the
puck to the net from outside, but St. Pierre was making the saves and his
defense was clearing rebounds and not giving up flurries in the slot.
Bentley restored the 2-goal lead at 6:29 when they worked the puck free to
the left point.  Kevin Osborne sent a hard shot through a screen in front
and it eluded Ferhi for the 4th Bentley goal.  SHU worked hard to try to
get the goals back but was unsuccessful until late in the period when they
got a power play.  It was almost killed by Bentley but shortly before it
ended Les Hrapchak had the puck low to the right of the goal and spotted
Garrett Larson camped at the far side of the crease.  He fired a hard pass
through the defense and Larson 1-timed it from point-blank range to make
it a 1-goal game for the final 1:19.  Despite pressing forward and pulling
the goalie, Sacred Heart was not able to get the equalizer and the Falcons
celebrated the win.

This was an entertaining game enjoyed by the sparse crowd (a couple of
hundred, maybe.)  Right now Bentley's players are having success and
reveling in the new situation.  No doubt they will have struggles yet and
are vulnerable should St. Pierre get injured in goal, but for now they have
met and exceeded all expectations for this year.  Sacred Heart continues
its inconsistent play; they were expected to compete for the top level this
year, and can't seem to put it together every game.  They worked hard this
game, but Bentley played them much better than they did earlier in the
year (a SHU win, 5-2.)  I was a bit disappointed in Martin Paquet, a senior
captain for SHU, when he took a misconduct late in the game after standing
over a hurt Bentley player and shouting down at him.  Perhaps he had cause,
there was a collision in the corner and perhaps he felt the Bentley player
had tried to hurt him or something, but it was a classless move at the
time.  Paquet is a very good player and an all-league candidate, so I guess
I expect a bit more.  Maybe he was just frustrated with the game?

I know the MAAC has not been competing at the same level as the other
leagues yet, but their games are still quite entertaining and fun to watch.
I recommend folks get out and watch when they get the chance.  Bentley
plays next Tuesday on the road at Fairfield, then has a home-and-home with
Army next weekend.  Sacred Heart plays Tuesday at Holy Cross, then hosts
the Cross the next Tuesday.

Rick McAdoo
"Volunteer reporter"
A content BC fan. GO EAGLES! GO FALCONS!