Bentley coach Ryan Soderquist was quick with a quip when it was suggested that he might not have an easy time scheduling another game against Boston College any time soon.
“We’re looking to play again tomorrow,’’ he joked.
Soderquist is feeling good about his team, and with good reason. The Falcons are punching above their weight in the early going, upsetting BC, 6-2, last Saturday, a couple of weeks after a 2-1 win over Ohio State.
Boston College was ranked sixth in the country heading into last Saturday’s game at a sold-out Bentley Arena on the Waltham campus.
It’s one thing to schedule top non-conference opponents, but it’s quite another to come away with a win. “It definitely helps in recruiting,” Soderquist said.
Bentley now is 2-0 against BC, with the first win coming in November 2018, a 4-2 decision at Conte Forum.
The Falcons game plan this time around was not complicated.
“We wanted to do a good job of limiting odd-man rushes against, make sure we clogged up the neutral zone and make them have to dump pucks, not allow them to enter the zone with possession. We did a really good job of that.
“If you are going to make teams dump pucks, then you’re going to have to retrieve pucks really well, too. I thought our D corps retrieved really hard, first on pucks and made the first pass out of the zone,’’ said Soderquist.
“We knew that we wanted to throw the first punch and get the first goal. BC is a team you don’t want to be chasing. Then you’re in trouble.’’
Bentley’s fourth line -- Cole Kodsi, Lucas Vanroboys and Dylan Pitera – contributed the first two goals and the last goal.
“They played great. They are the engine of our team. They play hard, heavy. If there was one line that led us, showed us the way, it was the fourth line,’’ said Soderquist.
This season’s team is built a bit differently than recent Bentley squads.
“In years past we’ve been a little bit more top line and first power-play had to lead the way. We do have a lot of veterans and a lot of depth this year, so our lines are more balanced. We have our top line and three balanced lines from there,’’ said Soderquist, a Bentley alum and the school’s all-time leading scorer.
“He’s an absolute warrior. The guys love to play for him. Obviously, he’s had a couple of really big games for us to start the year. He competes every shift. We see how hard he works and the effort that he gives and that makes us want to go out and do the same for him,’’ said Soderquist.
Facing a perennial national contender in BC, the Falcons weren’t intimidated in the least.
“I think our chip on our shoulder is pretty big in terms of trying to prove who we are. We know the pride that we have in our locker room and the work that we put in on the ice and in the weight room and how we train over the offseason. We take a lot of pride in that. Guys play with a chip on their shoulder and with something to prove,’’ said Soderquist.
“We’ve structured it this year where we’re a bit older, with some returning fifth-year guys and a really strong leadership group in the senior class, so I think that can help us be battle-ready, as well.’’
Soderquist, in his 20th season behind the Bentley bench, has seen memorable victories against teams that are higher in the college hockey pecking order.
“At each stage, we’ve had some big wins – you go back to the first Hockey East win we had up at Maine (in 2009) and beating BU (in 2013). But the game the other night was special because of the fans and the pride in having Boston College on our campus with a sold-out building.
“I’d definitely have to rank that up there with the top wins, if not the top win, for our university as a whole. Just to be able to share that together with a sold-out crowd was great. All those other great wins have been on the road. So there were a lot of people in the building, a lot of students, a lot of alumni. A lot of the community was in there supporting us. For all those factors combined, it was probably the biggest win we’ve had.’’
Providence College blueprint
Kris Mayotte will be in familiar surroundings this weekend when he brings his Colorado College Tigers to Boston to face Boston College and Northeastern.
The former Providence College assistant coach is in his first season as head coach in Colorado Springs. He says the Tigers deserve better than their 0-2-2 record so far. Both of the losses were by one goal.
So what should we expect to see from Colorado College this weekend?
“We’re a four-line team, six D. We don’t have anybody that stands out over anybody else in a big way. I think it has a Providence College blueprint feel. We play hard. We get to the net, we backtrack hard. We work above pucks. We finish hits. It has that type of feel and I think we actually have a roster that fits it pretty well,’’ said Mayotte, who helped recruit Michigan’s No. 1-ranked team as an assistant in Ann Arbor for the last two seasons.
“I think that’s what’s allowed us to play such good hockey even though we’re not getting the results. We have a lot of really hard-working, good kids that are great character guys, buy into the team first and do all that stuff. I think what you’ll see is that we have that type of team.’’
When friends meet
Kohen Olischefski was Denver’s captain last season. When he decided to enroll at Providence College as a grad transfer, he immediately started looking forward to facing his former teammates. That will happen on Friday night when the Friars host the eighth-ranked Pioneers.
“That one’s been circled on the calendar for a long time,’’ said Olischefski, who has settled in at center between Brett Berard and either Cody Monds or Michael Citara.
“It’s going to be weird, for sure. It will be a very unique experience, something I’m looking forward to very much. It will be awesome,’’ he said.
“I spent four years with a lot of them, so they are close friends. Ever since my decision to come here we’ve been talking about what the game will be like. I’m really excited for it.’’
