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Bentley University 2017-18: Can I get an "AMEN!" from the congregation?

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  • #16
    Re: Bentley University 2017-18: Can I get an "AMEN!" from the congregation?

    Full schedule.

    http://www.bentleyfalcons.com/sports...20170630jucmrh

    From conversations with may of those in the know, the "target" opener for the new barn was that 1/5 weekend. My guess is that they penciled in Northeastern as a hopeful (but by no means guaranteed) OOC home opener. What the chances of that actually happening are... we'll see. The rink is progressing nicely. The exterior is taking form and the inside is starting to as well. Regardless, I'm excited for my first visit to a Bentley Hockey game (as an alumni )

    @BentleyTopShelf

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    • #17
      Originally posted by The Top Shelf View Post
      Full schedule.

      http://www.bentleyfalcons.com/sports...20170630jucmrh

      From conversations with may of those in the know, the "target" opener for the new barn was that 1/5 weekend. My guess is that they penciled in Northeastern as a hopeful (but by no means guaranteed) OOC home opener. What the chances of that actually happening are... we'll see. The rink is progressing nicely. The exterior is taking form and the inside is starting to as well. Regardless, I'm excited for my first visit to a Bentley Hockey game (as an alumni )
      Why would they have the opening of the long awaited, brand new, state of the art, on-campus arena......when No students are around? Makes no sense at all to me.
      Bentley University Hockey
      On-campus arena: Build it, and they will come...

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      • #18
        Re: Bentley University 2017-18: Can I get an "AMEN!" from the congregation?

        Originally posted by Snively65 View Post
        See post #4 from acohen527; finals have been over for about two months. :-)
        Haha you got me, sorry about that. Haven't been on the forum in awhile, but excited to get back into things.

        As promised, here's some intel about the incoming freshman class:

        This class may not be as exciting as last years, which arguably was one of the best freshman classes Bentley has ever had. But in my opinion, this incoming class provides a well rounded base of skaters that not only provides a good amount of skill but plenty of size, a category Bentley has seriously lacked in the last few years.

        To start, the player I'm most excited for is Brett Mennear. Mennear will most likely be the biggest asset to the Falcons from this freshman class both on and off the ice. Mennear is a 5'9 165 right handed center from Kelowna, BC. Sound familiar? This kid is basically a carbon copy of Max French, and while it's very unlikely Mennear will be able to fill the void left by French, he's about as close as you're gonna get. Mennear played 3.5 seasons for the West Kelowna Warriors, including the 15-16 RBC Cup championship season where he played on the same line as... Jonathan Desbiens. These two were dominant on the same line in the playoffs that year, with Mennear earning MVP honors in the Western Canada Cup with 4 goals and 2 assists in 5 games. That season, Mennear scored 42pts (18g24a) in 52 regular season games as he took more of a backseat role in the Warriors star-studded lineup.

        In 16-17, Mennear was sent to the Prince George Spruce Kings, where he was almost immediately named captain upon arrival. He then put on a display that proved he was a force to be reckoned with in the BCHL. Mennear posted 25-54-79 in 58 games with the Kings, good enough for 4th in points and 2nd in assists in the league. Comparatively, Jonathan Desbiens posted a 83 point BCHL season the year before. However, Mennear becomes more impressive when you look at his surrounding cast. Desbiens had two other teammates post 74+ point totals in 15-16, and had another teammate with 54. In 16-17, Mennear's closest teammate? 47 points, and it was a defenseman. Mennear got it done on his own, showing his incredible individual talent. Despite his efforts, the Kings weren't able to manage to make it out of the first round of the playoffs. However, Mennear's outstanding play did earn him BCHL Second-Team All Star status. From what I can tell, Mennear is a real game changer on the ice and will hopefully be able to contribute from day one. His only downside is his size at 5'9", but recent examples show us this shouldn't be too much of an issue (Schmidt, Desbiens, Gorowksy)

        Speaking of size, this class has it. 5 guys over 6 feet, including 3 players standing at 6'3". Those 3 guys will actually be the tallest players on the team (excluding goalies), as the current team only has 9 guys over 6' and none over 6'2". Here are the 5 guys over 6 feet, and their 16-17 stats:

        Luke Santerno - 6'3" 181 - Forward - RH shot - 16/17 BCHL Trail Smoke Eaters 33-31-64 57gms - 21 years old

        Jakov Novak - 6'3" 201 - Forward - LH shot - 16/17 NAHL Janesville Jets 11-17-28 52gms - 18 years old

        Nick Rutigliano - 6'1" 201 - Defense - RH shot - 16/17 BCHL West Kelowna Warriors C* 3-14-17 45gms - 21 years old

        David Giunta - 6'0" 187 - Defense - RH shot - 16/17 BCHL Coquitlam Express 4-17-21 51gms - 20 years old

        Michael Boyle - 6'3" 194 - Defense - ? shot - 16/17 USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints 5-6-11 57gms - 19 years old

        Out of this group, I think Santerno and Rutigliano are the real bright spots. Rutigliano was also a part of that 15/16 WK Warriors RBC Cup team, and was captain of the warriors this past year. Santerno was the top contributor on his BCHL squad and provides the rare size/scoring dual threat. Novak is young and was actually a C-list prospect for this years NHL draft. If his game develops, he could become a real threat with his size. Giunta is a local from Lynnfield MA, and should provide as a solid blue-liner. Boyle is the only USHL recruit in this class, which is always helpful in terms of college readiness. His 114 penalty minutes were 11th most in the USHL last year, leading me to believe he could play somewhat of an enforcer role.

        The rest:

        Brendan Hamblet - 5'11" 170 - Forward - RH shot - 16/17 USHS The Rivers School C* 15-25-40 31gms - 18 years old

        Charlie Marchand - 5'11" 185 - Defense - RH shot - 16/17 AJHL Brooks Bandits 3-23-26 60gms - 19 years old

        Hamblet hasn't played in any major junior leagues, with his limited experience coming in the form of high school (prep school?) hockey, and midget U18 hockey. At 18 years old he has a lot of potential, but questions arise as to whether his game can translate to the college level with his limited experience. Marchand has been committed since the end of 2015 and his game should translate well to the NCAA. He's played 3 years on a very dominant AJHL team in the Brooks Bandits, one of the teams that gave the WK Warriors a run for their money in 15/16. Marchand had an offensive decline last year, but expect his offensive numbers to rise once again at the college level.

        OVERALL NOTES:

        - Size is a big asset for this class. The Falcons desperately need size in order to win puck battles along the boards with their heavy reliance on the dump and chase.

        - This is the first year the Falcons have had two true freshman (Novak and Hamblet) on the squad in recent memory, not to mention two other players just a year older than them. Maybe the new rink is bringing in younger, more talented recruits. This is the first time (in my 4 years as a Falcon) I've noticed freshmen under 20 years old on the roster, and there are 4 of them.

        - 3 local players from Mass (Rutigliano, Hamblet, Giunta) could provide some more fans at the JAR in the first half of the season

        - 8 incoming freshmen compared to 5 outgoing seniors. 4 D-men coming vs. 2 leaving, 4 Forwards coming vs. 3 leaving. Will there be cuts? Will Soder just have an expanded roster. We won't know the answers to these questions until much later in the year, but the spike in injuries the last couple of years lead me to believe that there might be a few extra skaters on Soder's bench this year. My guess is that one or more of Salsberry, Kucerovy, or Sieckhaus will either be cut or are leaving the team, it'd be very interesting if Soder expanded the roster by 3 guys.

        I'm excited for this team. My expectations are not as high as they've been in the past, but it will be really interesting to see how these guys perform. The young talent will be the driving force behind their success; if they produce, the team will win. If the freshmen/sophomores disappoint, it will be a LONG season. Only time will tell.

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        • #19
          Re: Bentley University 2017-18: Can I get an "AMEN!" from the congregation?

          Excellent summary post, 527. And, thanks for posting schedule link here, TTS. And, I agree, schiegs, it would not make sense for the opener in the new rink on campus to happen before classes resume on January 16th. I recall that there was speculation in the new rink thread that perhaps NU could reschedule their visit to a Tuesday evening later in January.

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          • #20
            Re: Bentley University 2017-18: Can I get an "AMEN!" from the congregation?

            Great notes and insight, acohen. Thanks!
            Bentley University Hockey
            On-campus arena: Build it, and they will come...

            Comment


            • #21
              Originally posted by schiegs View Post
              FINALLY!!! We will have our long-awaited new arena up and running, hopefully in time for the 2nd half of the season. While that topic rightfully dwarfs all other talking points, a few other things to consider:

              -Schedule?
              -Baseless speculations on future conference affiliation?
              -Recruiting?
              -Predicitions?
              -Who will be the first opponent in the new digs?

              Discuss.
              Looks like there are posts in response to most of these thought-provoking challenges, except for predictions. So, here are mine for final regular season rankings (no ties in points this year).

              1. Canisius
              2. Rob Mo
              3. Air Force
              4. Army
              5. 'Hurst
              6. H Cross
              7. Bentley
              8. RIT
              9. AIC
              10. S Heart
              11. Niagara

              So, similar to last year's final regular season rankings, with a few flop flops up or down one or two places. And, with Bentley moving up one place and Sacred Heart down one, once again I predict that Bentley will be hosting Sacred Heart at home in the first round. But, this year I predict that Bentley will get to the AHC tourney in Rochester.

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              • #22
                Re: Bentley University 2017-18: Can I get an "AMEN!" from the congregation?

                Will post my predictions in the Atlantic Hockey Thread.
                Last edited by Blitz; 08-05-2017, 06:36 PM.

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                • #23
                  Re: Bentley University 2017-18: Can I get an "AMEN!" from the congregation?

                  Bentley has poached two assistants this week, one from Niagara, and one from Providence? This may be a stretch, but might the new arena be opening up new recruiting opportunities (players and staff)?

                  "Poached" may be a strong word.
                  Bentley University Hockey
                  On-campus arena: Build it, and they will come...

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Bentley University 2017-18: Can I get an "AMEN!" from the congregation?

                    So it looks like my intel on prospects was a little off... (my info came from Elite Prospects)

                    Bentley released list of 9(!) new freshman coming in next year. The differences from my list were Matt Lombardozzi and Michael Zuffante, and minus Jakov Novak. I was under the impression that the two I missed were '18-19 prospects, but I guess I was wrong. It also looks like Bentley has Michael Boyle listed as a forward in their post. Here's the link to that post:
                    http://bentleyfalcons.com/sports/mic...20170808mt5uic

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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by acohen527 View Post
                      So it looks like my intel on prospects was a little off... (my info came from Elite Prospects)

                      Bentley released list of 9(!) new freshman coming in next year. The differences from my list were Matt Lombardozzi and Michael Zuffante, and minus Jakov Novak. I was under the impression that the two I missed were '18-19 prospects, but I guess I was wrong. It also looks like Bentley has Michael Boyle listed as a forward in their post. Here's the link to that post:
                      http://bentleyfalcons.com/sports/mic...20170808mt5uic
                      Thanks for posting link, 527. West Kelowna, Coquitlam, and Prince George; I like!

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Bentley University 2017-18: Can I get an "AMEN!" from the congregation?

                        Oops, our thread was about to slip off the boards from deep down on page 2.

                        Only 19 days to the first puck drop for the Falcons in Springfield, Tuesday night, October 10th, if I am not mistaken.

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                        • #27
                          Re: Bentley University 2017-18: Can I get an "AMEN!" from the congregation?

                          Yes! Game was recently moved from AIC to our beloved JAR. Not sure why. But it is officially now a home opener!

                          @BentleyTopShelf

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                          • #28
                            Re: Bentley University 2017-18: Can I get an "AMEN!" from the congregation?

                            Still eyeballing the AFA weekend as the most likely grand opening. Now that the new barn is a fact, I'm actually pretty jazzed to see NEXT season's scheduling, as there are a list of teams that owe us a return trip.
                            Bentley University Hockey
                            On-campus arena: Build it, and they will come...

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Originally posted by The Top Shelf View Post
                              Yes! Game was recently moved from AIC to our beloved JAR. Not sure why. But it is officially now a home opener!
                              Thanks for heads up; I had not checked for schedule changes.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Bentley University 2017-18: Can I get an "AMEN!" from the congregation?

                                Originally posted by schiegs View Post
                                Still eyeballing the AFA weekend as the most likely grand opening. Now that the new barn is a fact, I'm actually pretty jazzed to see NEXT season's scheduling, as there are a list of teams that owe us a return trip.
                                After speaking with those in the know this weekend at the homecoming festivities, I confirm that is the most likely scenario.

                                Between the group of us, think we can compile who owes us a return?

                                I know UMass Lowell does for sure. Who else?

                                @BentleyTopShelf

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