Bentley flying after topping BC
Throughout the past decade, Bentley has gained a reputation as a Hockey East giant killer with eight victories over six different teams.
The plucky Falcons added their newest victim to the ledger yesterday, riding goals by four different players to leave Kelley Rink with a well-deserved 4-2 victory.
COLLEGES
“The word I’d use is respect. We’ve been fighting to bring respect to our program and I couldn’t be any prouder of the guys,’’ Bentley coach Ryan Soderquist said. “I thought we came out a little slow, deer in the headlights, but we were lucky in the first period that Aidan (Pelino) stopped some pucks for us. Then the goals gave us some momentum. We got our confidence going and the guys earned the win.”
Pelino finished with 23 saves, and the snakebitten BC shooters grabbed their sticks a tad tighter with each tick off the clock.
“We have to produce more 5-on-5 goals. I think we have the guys to do it. Now, we have to have the confidence. You have to be grinding. They don’t hand out goals,’’ said BC coach Jerry York, whose lineup featured 11 NHL draft picks compared to Bentley’s one. “Their kid played well in goal but that’s too easy a crutch for us.’’
The hockey gods smiled on the Falcons (4-7-1) when senior defenseman Tanner Jago drilled in a left point shot on a power play at 6:57. Jago’s shot changed direction after the puck struck BC forward Oliver Wahlstrom, who had ventured out in an attempt to block the bid.
A late roughing penalty issued to BC defenseman Luke McInnis at 18:52 of the second proved costly. Right wing Will Garin collected his own blocked shot in the left circle and rifled the puck home at 19:00 to give Bentley a 2-0 lead through two.
Bentley sophomore defenseman Matt Lombardozzi took possession of the puck along the left wall and onetimed a shot that eluded BC goalie Joseph Woll at 2:55 in the third.
“I was hopping off the bench and the puck somehow came to me. I fanned on my first attempt. The second time I got it on the half-wall. I was lucky that it went in,’’ Lombardozzi said of his first career goal.
BC (3-6-1) gained life when senior defenseman Michael Kim sent a rising shot from the blue line that sophomore left wing David Cotton tipped past Pelino at 8:59.
BC lifted Woll for an extra skater with three minutes remaining and it paid dividends. Wahlstrom retrieved a puck off the end boards and tucked it inside the near post for a 6-on-5 goal at 18:59. Falcons wing Jake Kauppila responded with an emptynet tally at 18:53 to foil any BC comeback hopes and snapping the Eagles’ four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1).
“It’s nice to get a Hockey East win,’’ Jago said. “We’ve been doing it every year since I’ve been here. It’s nice to keep up that tradition.” Boston University 3, UConn 2 — Ty Amonte scored the goahead goal 2:39 into the third period and the Terriers (4-5-1, 4-3-1 Hockey East) rallied past the Huskies (5-7-1, 2-6-1) in the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Patrick Curry and Logan Cockerill had the other goals for BU, which faces Union in today’s title game. Holy Cross 2, Merrimack 2 — Johnny Coughlin’s goal late in the second period was the equalizer as the Crusaders (1-7-2) rallied to tie the Warriors (4-9-1) in a nonleague game in Worcester.
RPI 2, UMass-Lowell 1 — Jon McDonald scored the lone goal for the host River Hawks (6-6-1), who fell to the Engineers (4-6-0).
Men’s basketball
Virginia 53, Wisconsin 46 — De’Andre Hunter had 20 points and nine rebounds to help the No. 4 Cavaliers (6-0) beat the No. 25 Badgers (5-1) in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
North Carolina 94, UCLA 78
— Coby White had 19 points and eight assists, Luke Maye added 16 points and eight rebounds and the No. 7 Tar Heels (6-1) topped the No. 17 Bruins (4-2) in the consolation game of the Las Vegas Invitational. Michigan 83, Chattanooga 55 — Iggy Brazdeikis scored 20 points and Jordan Poole added 14 to lead the No. 9 Wolverines (6-0) past the Mocs (2-5) in Ann Arbor, Mich. Kentucky 77, Tennessee State 62 — Keldon Johnson scored a career-high 27 points to lead the No. 10 Wildcats (5-1) over the Tigers (2-4) in Lexington, Ky. Michigan State 78, Texas 68 — Joshua Langford scored 29 points, Cassius Winston had 20 points and 10 assists, and the No. 11 Spartans (5-1) won the Las Vegas Invitational title, beating the Longhorns (5-1). Florida State 79, LSU 76 — Mfiondu Kabengele hit a 3-pointer with a half-second left in overtime, and the No. 14 Seminoles (5-0) advanced to the championship game of the AdvoCare Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., beating the No. 19 Tigers (5-1). Ohio State 89, Cleveland State 62 — Kaleb Wesson had 19 points and three teammates also scored in double
figures as the No. 23 Buckeyes (6-0) pulled away in the second half to beat the Vikings (2-4) in Columbus, Ohio. Purdue 84, Robert Morris 46
— Carsen Edwards scored 19 points and Ryan Cline had 17 as the No. 24 Boilermakers (5-1) routed the Colonials (3-3) in West Lafayette, La.
Football
Central Florida 38, South
Florida 10 — The No. 8 Golden Knights lost quarterback McKenzie Milton to injury but still trounced the Bulls (7-5, 3-5) in Tampa, Fla., to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 24 games and complete a second consecutive undefeated regular season.
Milton, eighth in Heisman Trophy balloting a year ago, hurt his right knee when he was tackled at the end of a 5-yard run in the second quarter. Darriel Mack Jr. replaced him and may make his second start of the year when UCF (11-0, 8-0) faces Memphis next week in the American Athletic Conference title game.
Texas 24, Kansas 17 — Sam Ehlinger threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score, and the No. 11 Longhorns (9-3, 7-2) held off the Jayhawks (3-9, 1-8) in Lawrence, Kan., to clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game.