If a solid team is built from the goaltender out, Bentley has what it takes to win plenty of Atlantic Hockey games this season.
The Falcon offense erupted for five third-period goals on the way to Saturday’s 6-2 win over previously undefeated Boston College, but Nicholas Grabko stole the show for much of the night and continued his outstanding start to the season by stopping 38 of the 40 shots he faced.
The sophomore from Channahon, Ill., leads Atlantic Hockey and ranks sixth nationally with a .948 save percentage through three games. He has stopped at least 32 shots in each, defeating the Eagles and Ohio State on consecutive weekends after a season-opening loss to another Hockey East foe, Northeastern.
“His compete is just through the roof,” head coach Ryan Soderquist said of Grabko, who started 12 of Bentley’s 16 games as an AHA All-Rookie goalie last season. “He’s kind of the backbone back there. He made some big, timely saves on a power play in the second period that generated some nice opportunities. He gave us the energy we needed and we took that forward. Stopping 38 pucks against BC is quite the task.”
Soderquist’s club has had a penchant for milestone victories, especially over the recent half of his 20-year tenure behind the Falcon bench. Bentley has earned 12 wins against nine different Hockey East programs since 2008-09 and has now defeated a school from its neighbor conference in each of the last six seasons it has played one.
The secret? A strong team game that played out ideally for the Falcons as they held BC off the scoreboard until early in the third period and seized chances at their own offensive end.
The netminder had a great view to watch his team’s season-best performance. Against the Eagles, sophomore Cole Kodsi scored the Falcons’ first two goals to lead the way, and fellow fourth-liner Dylan Pitera added another.
“We were blocking shots, got pucks out when we needed to, we were responsible defensively, and most importantly, we played in the offensive zone a lot,” Grabko said. “We learned that if we play our systems, keep teams to the outside, we’re responsible and we do those little things, we can be successful against anyone. These are highly skilled teams, but we have a good chance when we play like that and keep it to a low-scoring game.”
The Falcons, who now turn their attention to Thursday’s Atlantic Hockey opener at Holy Cross, have other non-conference tests ahead including a visit to Harvard to end the month of October and a home-and-home series with UMass Lowell in January.
“It’s a big moment, obviously, but we coach every game the exact same,” Soderquist said. “We didn’t want to go out there and act any differently (against a team like BC). We’re going to have pride in who we are, how we play and play the right way. The way we responded to their goals showed us being relentless. I was really proud of how our guys responded.”
Common(wealth Ave.) wins
Bentley and Sacred Heart have more in common than being Atlantic Hockey competitors, as they picked up wins against both halves of the famed “Battle of Comm. Ave.” on back-to-back nights. Ironically, it was the second consecutive victory for both clubs in the respective all-time series.
A night before the Falcons earned the win in BC’s first-ever visit to their home ice in Waltham, Sacred Heart scored twice in the latter half of the third period to take a 3-2 win out of Boston University’s Agganis Arena. The Pioneers controlled play to the tune of a 34-25 shot advantage, but it took a dramatic goal with 13 seconds left by senior Ryan Steele to win the game.
Arizona State transfer Justin Robbins made the most of the chance to start in place of senior Josh Benson and made a game-high nine of his 23 saves in the third period to clinch his first career victory.
“Justin is a student of the game and he was prepared for this moment,” SHU head coach C.J. Marottolo said of Robbins, who started just three games in two years at Arizona State. “He puts a lot of work into being prepared and working on his game, so this moment wasn’t too big for him, by any means.”
Power players
Two of Hockey East’s top three goal scorers have both hurt opposing teams in a big way on special teams, scoring at least two of their five goals on the power play.
Despite Providence’s losses to powerhouses Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth, Brett Berard (East Greenwich, R.I.) contributed a power-play goal in both games of the IceBreaker Tournament in Duluth, Minn. Five was his goal total in 19 games last year. Nick Poisson assisted on Berard’s two most recent goals, moving into a tie for the league lead with six assists this season.
BC senior captain Marc McLaughlin (North Billerica, Mass.) and Northeastern junior Aidan McDonough (Milton, Mass.) have both netted their handful of goals in just four games. McLaughlin scored his second power-play goal and added a shorthander during Friday’s 5-3 win over Northeastern.
Ironically, McDonough, who scored back-to-back goals on Friday, has yet to score a man-up goal after matching UMass junior defenseman Matthew Kessel’s league lead with six on the power play a season ago. Kessel scored his first in Saturday’s 4-2 win over AIC, which finished off a two-game sweep for the Minutemen.
Three more stars
Hockey East - Max Newton, Merrimack
The Warriors gained an instant leader during the second half of the shortened 2020-21 season when Newton became eligible to enter the lineup following his transfer from Alaska. Recently named the team’s captain, he has not missed a beat through this season’s first four games.
The Vancouver native enjoyed an all-around weekend at Colgate, finishing a two-goal, three-point performance with the game-winner and Merrimack’s third of four tallies in the third period of Saturday’s 5-3 win. He had four points on the weekend after scoring the team’s lone goal in a Friday overtime loss in addition to winning a whopping 36 of his 49 faceoffs.
ECAC - Michael Lombardi, Quinnipiac
The former Kimball Union standout from Barrington, R.I., has logged points in all three games for the 2-0-1 Bobcats after scoring a third-period goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Vermont. He notched a career-high with five tallies a year ago.
Lombardi has provided further depth scoring beyond the likes of senior Wyatt Bongiovanni and sophomore Ty Smilanic, the former who added the other goal against the Catamounts to help make Notre Dame grad transfer Dylan St. Cyr’s 14 saves stand up for a shutout in his Quinnipiac debut.
Atlantic - Luka Maver, American International
It has been a tough start to the year for AIC against Hockey East powers Providence and UMass, but the graduate senior winger made his presence felt in Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Minutemen.
Maver, who has a known knack for the net after scoring 11 goals as a freshman, was a key reason why the Yellow Jackets were able to level the score until the late stages of the game in Amherst. He scored late in the first period before assisting on classmate Chris Theodore’s goal in the following frame.
This weekend's hat trick
1. Center stage: For the third straight weekend, only one back-to-back Hockey East series will be taking place as Boston University faces a Merrimack team that just handed ECAC foe Colgate its first loss of the season. The set opens Friday in North Andover. Providence caps the weekend with a Sunday visit to New Hampshire.
2. Two more Atlantic openers: Holy Cross emerged from its first Atlantic Hockey series with a point at Mercyhurst, but two rivals will begin conference play this weekend. Bentley plays a two-game set against the Crusaders starting Thursday in Worcester, while three-time defending champion American International hosts Army West Point. Sacred Heart concludes a stretch of six straight against Hockey East teams at Maine before its league slate begins.
3. West vs. East: It is shaping up to be a busy weekend for NCHC teams around these parts as North Dakota plays twice at Quinnipiac, Colorado College visits Boston College and Northeastern, and undefeated Denver faces Providence and the Eagles. UMass Lowell will look to end Big Ten foe Michigan State’s three-game win streak when their weekend begins Friday at Tsongas Center.
