Box Score
West Springfield, Mass. - Marc Menzione earned a hat-trick as the Bentley Falcons downed the American International College ice hockey squad 5-1 in an AHA match-up Saturday evening. The Jackets drop to 0-3-1 overall and 0-2-1 in the AHA while Bentley improves to 2-5-1 overall and 2-1-1 in the conference.
The Falcons notched the contests first score just over 10 minutes into the first-stanza. Paul Scalici scored after redirecting a Jaye Judd wrist-shot from right outside of the blue-line. Scalici goal was on the power-play.
The Yellow Jackets evened the score with 13 seconds remaining in the first-period.
David Turco (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) fired a beautiful pass to
Chris Bolognino (Carol Stream, Ill.) right in front of the net. Bolognino took the feed and tipped it past a helpless Joe Calvi.
Mike McMillan (Sault Ste Marie, Ont.) was credited with an assist on the goal. Calvi turned away 10 shots in the opening period.
Bentley took a commanding lead in the second-period scoring three times. Menzione scored the initial goal of the frame for Bentley when he took a face-off feed from Dustin Cloutier and fired a slap-shot past the glove of AIC goalie
Tom Fenton (Sarnia, Ont.). The goal was scored at the 11:40 mark.
The Falcons tallied another score less than 23 seconds later when Menzione stole the face-off skated into AIC territory, swung around the net, and punched the puck into the goal.
Bentley, who out shot the Yellow Jackets 15-14 in the period, scored again with under three minutes on the board. Dain Prewitt drifted through the Jacket defense, fell to his knees, and fired a goal past Fenton with a defender right in his face, making the score 4-1.
Menzione eventually earned a hat-trick 10 minutes into the third-frame when he scored on a pass from Erik Peterson from outside of the circle, making the score 5-1.
The Yellow Jackets out shot the Falcons 39-30. Fenton stopped 25 shots in net for AIC while Calvi turned away 38 shots for Bentley.
AIC will square off against Army in a home-in-home series next weekend. The first of the two games will be played in West Springfield at the Olympia Ice Center, while the Saturday night contest will be played on the road in West Point.
