BOSTON, Mass. - Northeastern topped Bentley, 4-1, behind goals from four different players and an 18-save performance from goaltender Brad Thiessen. Freshman Steve Quailer scored the first goal of the game and sophomore Tyler McNeely scored the game-winner. Joe Vitale and Wade MacLeod also scored for NU. Bentley's Erik Peterson scored in the third period.
Northeastern improved to 6-1-2 overall and remains 4-1-1 in Hockey East while Bentley dropped to 2-4-0 overall and remains 1-2-0 in Atlantic Hockey.
Northeastern scored the first goal of the game at 14:11 when Quailer redirected a pass from Alex Tuckerman. Jim Driscoll passed the puck down the left side to Tuckerman in the corner. Tuckerman centered it for Quailer in front and Quailer put it past Bentley goaltender Kyle Rank. It was Quailer's second goal of the season. The Huskies outshot Bentley 10-4 in the first period.
The Huskies outshot the Falcons by a wide margin again in the second period - this time 17-3 - and again came away with just a goal. The Huskies cycled the puck in the early minutes of the second period on a power play. Denis Chisholm passed it from the right point to Mike Hewkin on the left. Hewkin fired a slapshot that Rank saved, but the rebound went to an open McNeely on the right side of the crease. McNeely put it in the net to make it 2-0 at 4:13. The power play had expired three seconds earlier so the goal came at even strength.
Bentley came out strong in the third period and got the game within a goal at 10:59. Thiessen had the puck in front of the crease and tried to pass it out to a Husky teammate, but Bentley's Peterson intercepted it and was all alone in front. He fired a point-blank shot top shelf past Thiessen to make it 2-1 at 10:59.
NU came back less than a minute later to get the lead back up to two goals. MacLeod banked a pass off the glass to Vitale in the neutral zone and Vitale had open ice in front of him. He skated in through the right circle and scored at 11:52 in the third period.
The Huskies put the game away with an empty-net goal by MacLeod at 19:31. Both teams took too many men penalties with under two minutes remaining and Bentley pulled Rank so it was 5-on-4. MacLeod fired the puck over the net and Vitale went behind the net and dug it out, sent it to the front and MacLeod put it in to make it 4-1 at 19:31.
The Falcons had four power plays in the third period, including a 5-on-3 that lasted 1:49, but the Huskies held them scoreless on all four. NU held Bentley to 0-for-7 on power plays in the game. It was the second game in a row that the Huskies were perfect on the penalty kill. NU opponents are scoreless on their last 19 penalty kills.
The Huskies have a pair of Hockey East games next weekend. NU plays Vermont in Burlington on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on 890 ESPN Boston and WRBB Radio. On Sunday, the Huskies take on Boston University at Agganis Arena at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on 890 ESPN Boston.