THE BASICS:
Score: Bentley 4, Holy Cross 3
Records: Holy Cross (10-13-5, 9-8-5 AHC); Bentley (14-11-3, 12-7-3 AHC)
Location: Watertown, Mass. (John A. Ryan Skating Arena)
Date: Friday, Feb. 6, 2015
Time: 7:05 p.m.
The Lead: Brett Switzer broke a 3-3 tie with the game-winner with 4:55 left in the third period as the Holy Cross men's hockey team fell to Bentley, 4-3, on Friday evening at the John A. Ryan Skating Arena in Atlantic Hockey action. These two teams will conclude their two-game home-and-home series on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass., at 7:05 p.m.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Crusaders took a 1-0 lead at 10:41 of the first period when junior captain Matt Vidal (Manorville, N.Y.) scored off a rebound from a shot by sophomore Brett McKinnon (Kelowna, British Columbia). The goal was his fifth of the year.
- Junior Brett Lubanski (Farmington Hills, Mich.) increased the Holy Cross lead to 2-0 when he netted a power play goal. Junior Karl Beckman (Okemos, Mich.) fired a shot that was saved by Gabe Antoni but Lubanski then found the back of the net on the rebound. The goal was Lubanski's sixth of the season. Vidal also recorded an assist on the goal.
- Senior captain Matt Ginn (Lindsay, Ontario) , who was making his first start in net in six games due to an injury, made 13 saves for the period keeping the Falcons off the scoreboard. Bentley outshot Holy Cross, 13-10, while the Crusaders went 1-2 on the power play and the Falcons went 0-2.
- Bentley cut the Crusader lead to 2-1 at 9:04 of the second period when Andrew McDonald netted a power play goal. The goal was his third of the year.
- Just 1:10 later, freshman T.J. Moore (Edina, Minn.) knocked in a loose puck from in front of the net for his team-leading eighth goal of the season. Freshman Scott Pooley (Granger, Ind.) and sophomore Mike Barrett (Orland Park, Ill.) each posted an assist.
- At 16:50 of the second period, McDonald scored his second goal of the contest as he fired a shot past Ginn to make it a 3-2 game.
- Bentley outshot Holy Cross by a 12-11 margin in the second period, while the Falcons went 1-2 on the man-advantage.
- At 2:04 of the third period and Bentley on the power play, Ginn made an outstanding glove save off a shot from Andrew Gladiuk.
- The Falcons tied the contest at 3-3 when Michael Reardon netted his fourth goal of the season at 5:16.
- At 9:43 of the third period, the Crusaders went on a five-on-three power play for 1:29 but were unable to find the back of the net.
- Bentley took a 4-3 lead at 15:05 when Switzer blasted a slap shot from the blue line for his eighth goal of the season.
- The Crusaders went with an empty net with 1:17 left but were unable to score the equalizer for the 4-3 final score.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Bentley outshot Holy Cross, 33-29.
- The Crusaders went 1-5 on the power play, while the Falcons went 2-6.
- Ginn recorded 29 saves, while Antoni posted 26 saves for Bentley.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The Crusaders are 1-1-0 versus Bentley this year as Holy Cross won 4-2 earlier this season on Nov. 25 in Worcester.
- Ginn returned from an injury making his first start in six games.
- Moore now leads the team with eight goals this season.
- Barrett is on a four-game point streak.
UP NEXT:
- The Crusaders return to action on Saturday, Feb. 7 when they host Bentley at 7:05 p.m.
BE PART OF THE ACTION THIS SEASON:
- To purchase tickets for the 2014-2015 Holy Cross men's hockey season go to GoHolyCross.com/Tickets or call (508) 793-2573.
KEEP CONNECTED:
- There are numerous ways to stay connected with the Holy Cross men's hockey team. Follow the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossMHockey and on Facebook. You can also get the latest news and results on the team sent directly to your e-mail. To sign up for e-mail alerts go here: http://www.goholycross.com/list-signup.
