BENTLEY UNIVERSITY: Falcon pucks set to host Canisius

The Bentley hockey team will look to continue its recent strong play when they welcome in Canisius to Ryan Skating Arena for a weekend Atlantic Hockey series beginning tonight at 7:05 p.m. Tomorrow's game will start at the same time.

Bentley is 2-1-1 in its last four games and is 2-2-1 in Atlantic Hockey play on the season, good for five points and a tie for sixth with Holy Cross in the conference standings. Senior Jeff Gumaer currently leads the team in scoring with a line of 5-0-5. Senior Pat Percella (3-1-4) and sophomore Dustin Cloutier (1-3-4) are right behind him.

The Falcons are coming off a 1-0-1 trip to Mercyhurst. Prior to last weekend, they had won just once in 14 games all-time at the Mercyhurst Ice Center but Bentley came home with three points. They took the first game of the series 5-2 last Friday night, essentially winning the game in the first period when they scored three times in the span of just 1:07.

Canisius is 4-1-0 in its last five games and they are coming off of a sweep at home of Connecticut last weekend. The Golden Griffins are 4-1-1 in the conference, good for nine points and a second place position behind unbeaten and first place Air Force.

Canisius swept the Atlantic Hockey weekly awards this week off of its performances against the Huskies. Junior forward Josh Heidinger was named Player of the Week, freshman Dan Morrison was named Co-Goaltender of the Week and forward Dave Kostuch was named Rookie of the Week.

Senior Anthony Canzoneri leads all current Bentley players in points against Canisius with a line of 5-4-9 in eight games. Gumaer has a line of 4-3-7 in eight games.

Women's Cross Country
Nash set for DII Championships
Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania will be the site when Bentley University senior cross country standout Melissa Nash makes her third and final career appearance in the NCAA Division II Championships tomorrow afternoon at 1:15 p.m.

Nash, the Northeast-10 Conference individual champion, earned her trip to the nationals by finishing second in the NCAA Division II East Regional meet about two weeks ago at Franklin Park. It was the third consecutive runner-up finish for Nash in the regional.

Nash, in her two previous trips to the NCAA Championships, finished 66th in Pensacola, Fla. in 2006 (with a 6,000-meter time of 21:47.3) and 75th last year in Joplin, Mo. (22:29.8).

In her career, Nash has run 23 cross country races and has been the Falcons' top finisher 22 times, including the last 19.

Between 185 and 190 runners are expected to compete in tomorrow's race, which will be held at Cooper's Lake Campground with weather conditions expected to be frigid after a snowy day today in the Slippery Rock area.