WALTHAM, Mass. (November 1, 2024) – Things started very strongly on the road on Friday night for the Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team, which led just 59 seconds into the proceedings. Things did not end as well though. Bentley went 2-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill to win the special teams battle on the way to a 4-2 Atlantic Hockey victory at Bentley Arena. Jake Hewitt (Fitchburg, Mass.) scored his first goal in a SHU uniform.
 
"Tonight was obviously a disappointing result; we try to pride ourselves on playing, competing at a high level and winning races up and down the ice, but I thought Bentley did a much better job tonight in those areas," said head coach C.J. Marottolo after the game. "They really snuffed us out offensively; we couldn't get a forecheck going tonight."
 
SHU (2-4-1, 1-2-0 AHA) wasted no time getting things started, as Hewitt's first as a Pioneer came before most of the crowd had even found its way to their seats. Hewitt forced Bentley into a turnover just inside its own blue line and knocked the puck free to Paul Minnehan (Cypress, Calif.), who quickly returned it to Hewitt. The latter snapped a shot inside the near post to open the scoring.
 
Bentley (3-3-1, 2-1-0 AHA) had the lead before the first period was out though. On the power play at 16:58, A.J. Hodges tucked a shot inside the far post, through traffic, from the top of the left circle, for his third of the campaign. Just 34 seconds later, a Bentley rush picked up steam at the blue line and Oskar Bakkevig led a 3-on-2 from the left wing. Bakkevig drew John Driscoll (Littleton, Colo.), got him to leave his feet, danced around him and then picked the top corner for his second of the year at 17:32.
 
SHU had only four shots in the second period, but put one home on the power play in the final minute to level things at 2-2 heading into the third. From the right side, Matthew Guerra (Orlando, Fla.) sent it across to Hunter Sansbury (Lomita, Calif.) on the left side. Sansbury moved it up top to Driscoll, who put a bomb through traffic which found its way to the net for his second of the year.
 
Bentley got the last laugh with the man advantage though, as the Falcons struck for the game-winner at 8:14 of the third. Arlo Merritt initially put the puck towards the net from the right side and Stephen Castagna eventually cleaned up the rebound at the top of the crease for his first of the season.
 
"Their power play got it done and ours couldn't get it done; they won the special teams game," added Marottolo. "We've got to be way better tomorrow to put ourselves in a position to have success."
 
Bakkevig capped things with his second of the night, into an empty net, at 19:27, to create the 4-2 file.
 
The two teams will wrap up the weekend series on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Martire Family Arena.