NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – There were minimal scoring chances to be had in a gritty, hard-fought battle between the Purple Eagles hockey team and the Bentley Falcons Saturday night. The Falcons made the most of their limited opportunities, however, as Niagara fell 3-1 at Dwyer Arena to split the two-game weekend series.
With goaltender Joe O’Brien pulled for an extra attacker in the closing minutes, Dan Kolenda tallied his fifth goal of the season to help Niagara (2-10-2, 2-5-1 Atlantic Hockey) avoid being shut out. Niko Kovachis and TJ Sarcona picked up the assists on the goal, and O’Brien stopped 17 shots in the loss.
“They made plays and we didn’t,” head coach Dave Burkholder said. “We’re a hard-working crew, but it’s another night where you win the shot game and the penalty game, and you have nothing to show for it. Sometimes you tip your hat to all-league players, which they have two of.”
The Purple Eagles were excellent in the faceoff circle for the second night in a row, but they were unable to translate that to a winning effort Saturday. Niagara compiled a 39-24 faceoff advantage, with Derian Plouffe winning 15 of 20 opportunities to conclude an excellent weekend that included three goals and an assist in Friday night’s 6-4 Niagara victory.
Niagara also stayed perfect on the penalty kill, killing off all five Bentley power plays this weekend including a five-minute major penalty in the third period Saturday night. The Purple Eagles have not given up a power-play goal in three consecutive games now.
An early turnover in the Niagara zone allowed the Falcons (7-7-1, 5-3-1 Atlantic Hockey) to open the scoring just 30 seconds into the game. Andrew Gladiuk gloved down an errant pass at the blue line and found Max French for the goal on the first shot of the evening. Niagara led 8-5 in the shot column after one period of play, but failed to find the back of the net.
Niagara had a second-period goal by Stephen Pietrobon overturned after it was ruled that he kicked the puck in the net, and Bentley made it a 2-0 game shortly after that. A long clearing attempt was dumped straight on net, and O’Brien fumbled the loose puck as he attempted to cover it. Drew Callin was there for Bentley to capitalize on the misstep and score the eventual game-winning goal. Callin scored his second goal of the night from Gladiuk just 40 seconds into the third period to give Bentley a 3-0 cushion.
A scary moment occurred in the third period as Niagara’s Devin Campbell and Bentley’s Andrew McDonald got tangled up and crashed into the boards with 12:07 to play. McDonald was extremely shaken up on the play, and Campbell was assessed a major boarding penalty and game misconduct. Niagara killed the entire five-minute penalty, however, with O’Brien making three saves to keep the deficit at three.
In the final minute of regulation, Sarcona won a faceoff in the Bentley zone back to Kovachis at the point. The freshman defender fired a shot from the point, which ricocheted off a body and rolled to Kolenda, who had a wide-open shooting lane to beat Bentley netminder Gabe Antoni.
The Purple Eagles face the upstate rival RIT Tigers next weekend before a three-week holiday break. The series begins on Dec. 11 at the Gene Polisseni Center in Rochester before returning to Dwyer Arena on Saturday, Dec. 12. Tickets are available 9-5 Monday through Friday at the Dwyer Arena ticket office or by phone at (716) 286-TIXX (8499).
