Bentley University Falcons 2018-19: Goodbye JAR, hello Bentley Arena

[Snively65]

Miss the JAR yet?

Do not miss the JAR at all. The new arena is wonderful. Great sound system, really fine pep band, excellent management of the Jumbotron, decent food concessions, $5 beers, and free parking. Better attendance tonight for UML, an honest 1000 seats filled, as opposed to about half as many last night.

 

[ULowell'81]

Re: Bentley University Falcons 2018-19: Goodbye JAR, hello Bentley Arena

My wife and I attended the UML/Bentley game last night and wanted to congratulate the school/students/alum on the new rink. We sat in Sect 105 Row E and felt part of the game; given the risk of flying pucks you stay focused on game play. The sound system, video/scoreboard are excellent and the concessions inexpensive (water was half the price of the Tsongas). We were particularly impressed with the environmentally friendly/sustainability effort employed in it's design and build; kudos to the school. I would have liked to see the home team have had a bigger turnout but I'm sure the weather and conflict with the Sox likely played into it. Good luck going forward.

 

[schiegs]

My wife and I attended the UML/Bentley game last night and wanted to congratulate the school/students/alum on the new rink. We sat in Sect 105 Row E and felt part of the game; given the risk of flying pucks you stay focused on game play. The sound system, video/scoreboard are excellent and the concessions inexpensive (water was half the price of the Tsongas). We were particularly impressed with the environmentally friendly/sustainability effort employed in it's design and build; kudos to the school. I would have liked to see the home team have had a bigger turnout but I'm sure the weather and conflict with the Sox likely played into it. Good luck going forward.

Thank you for posting. I am curious to hear what people from outside the Bentley community think of our new digs. Glad you enjoyed it, and hope you can make it back someday, perhaps for future H.E. conference games. (I'm going to just put that down right there.)

 

[ULowell'81]

Re: Bentley University Falcons 2018-19: Goodbye JAR, hello Bentley Arena

Thank you for posting. I am curious to hear what people from outside the Bentley community think of our new digs. Glad you enjoyed it, and hope you can make it back someday, perhaps for future H.E. conference games. (I'm going to just put that down right there.)

One never knows. I plan on a return trip; perhaps as soon as the Harvard/Bentley game. My best friend is a Bentley alum and played baseball there from '78-'82 and as a result I spent a bit of time on the campus back in the day. It left me with affinity for the place; I think I'll grab a couple of tix for that (or another) game and surprise him with a night out including a hockey game at his Alma mater.

 

[Snively65]

One never knows. I plan on a return trip; perhaps as soon as the Harvard/Bentley game. My best friend is a Bentley alum and played baseball there from '78-'82 and as a result I spent a bit of time on the campus back in the day. It left me with affinity for the place; I think I'll grab a couple of tix for that (or another) game and surprise him with a night out including a hockey game at his Alma mater.

I did that last night for a UML fan/friend, but he got sick so was a no show. Hoping for better result (in two ways) with Harvard fan/friend.

 

[acohen527]

Re: Bentley University Falcons 2018-19: Goodbye JAR, hello Bentley Arena

Do not miss the JAR at all. The new arena is wonderful. Great sound system, really fine pep band, excellent management of the Jumbotron, decent food concessions, $5 beers, and free parking. Better attendance tonight for UML, an honest 1000 seats filled, as opposed to about half as many last night.

I went to the UML game as well. Really tough weekend for attendance all around considering Halloween weekend for students, and Red Sox games both nights. Hopefully the student section will be a bit more full and lively next weekend against Sacred Heart.

Overall, the boys didn't play too poorly. It's definitely a young team, especially on offense. Particularly, Garin, Pitera, and Novak stuck out as guys that show some really good signs as young players. Novak IS the real deal, but definitely needs some refinement. He made some really impressive plays but needs to catch up to the pace of play a little bit and needs to use his size to his advantage. I'm very excited for the player he could become though.

Other offensive notes: I liked what I saw from Callin, Desbiens, and Gorowsky (before he got tossed), and they seem to mesh well with the younger guys. Something interesting that I picked up on as well... seems like we finally have some real depth in terms of lines. For the past 5 or 6 years, there's been "The Line" that is just stacked. I'm thinking of lines like Gladiuk-French-Schmidt, Gladiuk-Grieve-Switzer, Desbiens-French-Schmidt, that Soder would heavily favor throughout and especially towards the end of the game. This year, this doesn't seem to be the case. The last 5 minutes of UML were pretty evenly split between the top 3 lines, and it really lets guys catch their breath and gives us a good shot coming down to the wire. It doesn't seem like a line like that is going to be emerging anytime soon, and I think that's a good thing.

Defensively, I thought everybody looked good (especially Jago) with the exception of Lombardozzi. He made some sloppy plays and just looked uncomfortable overall. Speaking of uncomfortable, Pelino was not great in net. Seems like he is lacking a bit of confidence back there and was letting up some JUICY rebounds the whole night. Will be interesting to see if freshman Frasier Kirk gets some playing time in the future.

Should be at the game vs. Sacred Heart on Saturday, looking forward to it!

 

[Snively65]

I went to the UML game as well. Really tough weekend for attendance all around considering Halloween weekend for students, and Red Sox games both nights. Hopefully the student section will be a bit more full and lively next weekend against Sacred Heart.

Overall, the boys didn't play too poorly. It's definitely a young team, especially on offense. Particularly, Garin, Pitera, and Novak stuck out as guys that show some really good signs as young players. Novak IS the real deal, but definitely needs some refinement. He made some really impressive plays but needs to catch up to the pace of play a little bit and needs to use his size to his advantage. I'm very excited for the player he could become though.

Other offensive notes: I liked what I saw from Callin, Desbiens, and Gorowsky (before he got tossed), and they seem to mesh well with the younger guys. Something interesting that I picked up on as well... seems like we finally have some real depth in terms of lines. For the past 5 or 6 years, there's been "The Line" that is just stacked. I'm thinking of lines like Gladiuk-French-Schmidt, Gladiuk-Grieve-Switzer, Desbiens-French-Schmidt, that Soder would heavily favor throughout and especially towards the end of the game. This year, this doesn't seem to be the case. The last 5 minutes of UML were pretty evenly split between the top 3 lines, and it really lets guys catch their breath and gives us a good shot coming down to the wire. It doesn't seem like a line like that is going to be emerging anytime soon, and I think that's a good thing.

Defensively, I thought everybody looked good (especially Jago) with the exception of Lombardozzi. He made some sloppy plays and just looked uncomfortable overall. Speaking of uncomfortable, Pelino was not great in net. Seems like he is lacking a bit of confidence back there and was letting up some JUICY rebounds the whole night. Will be interesting to see if freshman Frasier Kirk gets some playing time in the future.

Should be at the game vs. Sacred Heart on Saturday, looking forward to it!

Excellent summary of the UML game, which also could apply to the HC gave the night before, when the three frosh that you mentioned scored their first collegiate goals and five goals total of the seven.

Sorry that I will be out of town this weekend. I look at both games as must wins, to make up for the dismal one point in the two games against AIC. The Falcons need to feast on the eastern division AHC teams, no matter how early in the season.

 

[schiegs]

Sorry, but weekend splits vs. Sacred Heart at home won't cut it.

 

[acohen527]

Re: Bentley University Falcons 2018-19: Goodbye JAR, hello Bentley Arena

Sorry, but weekend splits vs. Sacred Heart at home won't cut it.

Agreed. And they BARELY pulled out that win on Saturday. The student section was practically empty on Saturday as well, and the lack of the band emphasized the quietness.

Pelino was pulled after the first period for Jake Bryniarski, who allowed no goals during his time on the ice. Jake also picked up his first collegiate win, so congrats Jake!
Wondering whether Soder just wanted to give Jake a look, or if Pelino is injured. Despite the no goals allowed, well over 5 (probably closer to 10) pucks hit the post on fairly easy opportunities against Jake... I don't think he's a sustainable option in net. If you don't want to give Pelino a shot, give freshman Frasier Kirk a try.

Per my last post, Lombardozzi had another bad game on the blue-line. The second of SHU's 2 goals was a puck that was VERY badly mishandled by Lombardozzi leading to a breakaway.
Solovyev looked particularly good Saturday, and Jago continues to be the leader of the team.

Callin put away the OT winner, but missed a couple wide open nets earlier in the game. Garin and Pitera continue to impress.

Overall, play has got to improve if they want to pick up a good seed in the Atlantic Hockey tournament. A conference record of 2-2-1 is not a horrible start, but probably better than their play indicates.

 

[Snively65]

Agreed. And they BARELY pulled out that win on Saturday. The student section was practically empty on Saturday as well, and the lack of the band emphasized the quietness.

Pelino was pulled after the first period for Jake Bryniarski, who allowed no goals during his time on the ice. Jake also picked up his first collegiate win, so congrats Jake!
Wondering whether Soder just wanted to give Jake a look, or if Pelino is injured. Despite the no goals allowed, well over 5 (probably closer to 10) pucks hit the post on fairly easy opportunities against Jake... I don't think he's a sustainable option in net. If you don't want to give Pelino a shot, give freshman Frasier Kirk a try.

Per my last post, Lombardozzi had another bad game on the blue-line. The second of SHU's 2 goals was a puck that was VERY badly mishandled by Lombardozzi leading to a breakaway.
Solovyev looked particularly good Saturday, and Jago continues to be the leader of the team.

Callin put away the OT winner, but missed a couple wide open nets earlier in the game. Garin and Pitera continue to impress.

Overall, play has got to improve if they want to pick up a good seed in the Atlantic Hockey tournament. A conference record of 2-2-1 is not a horrible start, but probably better than their play indicates.

Another great summary; thanks, as I was out of town. Ironic how Bentley students were a driving force to get a rink built on campus, but now their successors are no shows. Very sad, and may prove true that the vast majority of faculty who thought that the rink expenditure was unwise were correct. But, the rink was smartly cast as an All Events Center, and is a fine showpiece for overall student recruitment, not just hockey players.

 

[Snively65]

Re: Bentley University Falcons 2018-19: Goodbye JAR, hello Bentley Arena

Just a reminder that our first game ever against BC is 3 pm this Friday at Conte Forum.

I saw our 4-2 win over the U.S. Army at the Bentley Arena last Saturday night, and I thought that the Falcons played very well, although they still had to survive a 5-minute major. Cannot have any more of those, and especially against a team like BC.

 

[schiegs]

Just a reminder that our first game ever against BC is 3 pm this Friday at Conte Forum.

I saw our 4-2 win over the U.S. Army at the Bentley Arena last Saturday night, and I thought that the Falcons played very well, although they still had to survive a 5-minute major. Cannot have any more of those, and especially against a team like BC.

Another opponent checked off the wish list.

 

[schiegs]

Re: Bentley University Falcons 2018-19: Goodbye JAR, hello Bentley Arena

Final score from The Heights:

Heart and Hustle: 4
Talent and Tradition: 2

Nice win for the program. Looking forward to seeing the Eagles visit Waltham in two years.

 

[Snively65]

Final score from The Heights:

Heart and Hustle: 4
Talent and Tradition: 2

Nice win for the program. Looking forward to seeing the Eagles visit Waltham in two years.

Great game for our Falcons. Made the most of our PP with a couple of goals, mostly stayed out of the penalty box, played team D, and made lots of nice shovel passes through the neutral zone.

 

[acohen527]

Re: Bentley University Falcons 2018-19: Goodbye JAR, hello Bentley Arena

Final score from The Heights:

Heart and Hustle: 4
Talent and Tradition: 2

Nice win for the program. Looking forward to seeing the Eagles visit Waltham in two years.

I've heard they'll be visiting the new barn next season, but I may be mistaken. Whenever the game is, the Arena is going to be ROCKING. Will be a huge day for improving school spirit and a win would be monumental.

Moving forward... back on track! It's refreshing to pick up 3 wins in a row, including the BC game. Not only is it refreshing, but encouraging as well. Besides the 1st period, we OUTPLAYED that BC team. The Holy Cross game was a dominant one as well. The flow and pace that the boys are playing feels entirely different than it did earlier in the season. The freshman are finding their groove, and the older guys are playing really solid hockey.

I really like the lines that Soder has put out the last few games. This includes freshman defenseman Luke Orysiuk, who played his fist career game against BC and picked up his first career goal against Holy Cross on Saturday. He was also on the first power-play line. He was an All-NAHL defenseman out of Fairbanks and a pretty highly regarded prospect, so I'm wondering if he's only seeing his first action now due to injury. Regardless, he impressed me all weekend long and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him as the season moves on.

Another guy who has impressed me recently is Michael Zuffante. The sophomore put up 6 points in 35 games last season, but has already matched that total through 11 games this year. He has also been pretty good on the PP, picking up a goal against HC Saturday. I really like the way he is seeing the puck, and his ability to find his man anywhere on the ice. Hopefully he can keep up the good play.

We should pick up a vote or two in the poll this week coming out later today. Next up, Mercyhurst series this weekend and then Harvard next Tuesday which I plan on attending. A win against a decent Harvard squad would be really impressive. Don't know exactly, but we haven't beaten them in a LONG time. Go Falcons!

 

[schiegs]

Re: Bentley University Falcons 2018-19: Goodbye JAR, hello Bentley Arena

Numbers vs. Hockey East:

All-time record vs. teams now in HE: 31-51-5*

All time record vs. HE teams when played: 10-19-3

Never lost vs.: BC
Never beaten: MC, UVM
Never played: PC
.500 or better vs.: BC, BU, UMass, UNH, NU, Maine

*Includes games against UConn and MC before they joined HE

 

[Snively65]

Numbers vs. Hockey East:

All-time record vs. teams now in HE: 31-51-5*

All time record vs. HE teams when played: 10-19-3

Never lost vs.: BC
Never beaten: MC, UVM
Never played: PC
.500 or better vs.: BC, BU, UMass, UNH, NU, Maine

*Includes games against UConn and MC before they joined HE

Great stats, schiegs!

I did not realize that we had lost a game in Orono.

Hoping that we see a lot of HEA teams making visits to our rink over the next few years. Was NU the only HEA team to visit the JAR?

 

[Snively65]

Re: Bentley University Falcons 2018-19: Goodbye JAR, hello Bentley Arena

Falcons dominated in the first, ending period with 3-1 lead. Unfortunately, they came unraveled in the second, taking way, way too many stupid penalties, giving the Lakers two 5-3 PPG's. Third period was more even, but despite Falcons huge SOG advantage, they could not put the puck in the net, losing 5-3, with Lakers ENG. Two very evenly matched teams, I think, made for a very entertaining game.

Official attendance listed at about 1000, which might be a bit inflated with no show STH's, but the new arena was at least loud and noisy on Friday night, and the Falcons band was superb. The arena and the team certainly deserve better attendance, especially by students.

 

[schiegs]

Falcons dominated in the first, ending period with 3-1 lead. Unfortunately, they came unraveled in the second, taking way, way too many stupid penalties, giving the Lakers two 5-3 PPG's. Third period was more even, but despite Falcons huge SOG advantage, they could not put the puck in the net, losing 5-3, with Lakers ENG. Two very evenly matched teams, I think, made for a very entertaining game.

Official attendance listed at about 1000, which might be a bit inflated with no show STH's, but the new arena was at least loud and noisy on Friday night, and the Falcons band was superb. The arena and the team certainly deserve better attendance, especially by students.

I think Tuesday's game against Harvard will paint a much better attendance picture, as there appears to be about 200-300 tickets left. It's a bit difficult to rally the student body for games against Mercyhurst, Sacred Heart, and Canisius, and they aren't bringing busloads of visiting fans. Name brand opponents, and winning; that will get you more attendance.

 

[Snively65]

I think Tuesday's game against Harvard will paint a much better attendance picture, as there appears to be about 200-300 tickets left. It's a bit difficult to rally the student body for games against Mercyhurst, Sacred Heart, and Canisius, and they aren't bringing busloads of visiting fans. Name brand opponents, and winning; that will get you more attendance.

Plus, we have multiple scores to settle with Hahvud.