Young Falcons ready to take off

Despite the losing record, there is plenty of optimism surrounding the Bentley College men's hockey team.

Coach Ryan Soderquist's squad includes a group of sophomores who picked up where they left off as freshmen. In 2005-06, Anthony Canzoneri led the Falcons with 31 points, followed by fellow freshmen Jeff Gumaer and Dain Prewitt with 24 each.

This season, Gumaer is tops with 28 points in 24 games, followed by Canzoneri (21) and Prewitt (18) as Bentley (10-14-1, 9-11 Atlantic Hockey) prepares to face American International College tomorrow and Saturday in a home-and-home series.

Gumaer, a 22-year-old native of Webster Groves, Mo., tied Bentley's Division 1 goal mark when he potted his 32d last Friday in a 3-1 win over Air Force, equaling Paul Markarian and Ryan Mayhew. Gumaer has 16 goals in 2006-07, three shy of Soderquist's school record for a season.

Gumaer said he's not focusing on individual goals because the team is struggling.

"It is exciting any time you get a chance to be a part of history," he said. "But I'm not really thinking about that. We have good nights and bad nights. We played well against Air Force last weekend [splitting the two-game series]. Before that, I don't know if it's just not playing 60 minutes or just coming out flat. Toward the end of the games we were competing, but maybe we weren't coming out [strong] in the first [period]."

Gumaer is playing on a line with Pat Percella and Marc Zwicky.

"They are both guys with good speed and just like to get the puck deep and work hard," said Gumaer, who also sees time with Canzoneri and Prewitt on the power play.

"Our power play has actually struggled lately," said Gumaer. "So I can't really say we're clicking lately necessarily, but any time I have a chance to play with them it's usually pretty exciting."

Gumaer believes he and his fellow sophomores are making strides.

"I feel like I've gotten better," he said. "I think [Canzoneri and Prewitt have] gotten better. Any time you get more experience, you're going to have more of an edge."

The Falcons are 7-3 at home, John A. Ryan Arena in Watertown, but 3-11-1 elsewhere.

"I wish I had the answer," said Gumaer. "Maybe we're a little more focused at home. We've got to be better on the road, that's the bottom line. I can't really explain the rest of it."

He does have an explanation for Bentley's success at home, though.

"It's kind of tough to get to, it's a cold place, and that has to help our home record," he said. "I'm sure teams hate to come play there. It's not ideal, but it's still hockey. Playing in Watertown definitely gives us an edge."

Gumaer is hoping the Falcons will make a run the rest of the season.

If he can surpass his coach's goal-scoring mark, that would be icing on the cake.

"We played well last weekend," Gumaer said. "We just have to build off that. Hopefully, we can get 4 points this weekend and keep it rolling. We need to rattle off some wins if we're going to do any damage."

Maine will have its hands full this weekend when it takes on New Hampshire in Manchester, N.H., tomorrow night and in Durham, N.H., Saturday. UNH has ascended to No. 1 in the rankings for the first time this season, garnering 31 first-place votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll and 36 first-place votes in the USCHO.com/CSTV poll. The Black Bears are ranked ninth in both polls.

Maine goes into the weekend boasting the nation's best power play with a 25 percent success rate. The Black Bears average 3.6 goals per game; the Wildcats average 4.04 and have an 18.8 conversion rate with the man advantage. Maine has allowed an average of 2.4 goals, while UNH has given up just 1.96. The teams are very close in penalty killing, with Maine having an 86.4 percent rate and UNH at 86.7 percent.

Harvard rallied from a two-goal deficit Tuesday to tie Quinnipiac, 2-2. The Crimson outshot the Bobcats, 41-18. Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold told the New Haven Register he was impressed by Harvard's performance. "That's the most dominated we've been in a number of years," he said . . . Northeastern, this writer's dark-horse pick to win the Beanpot, has won three of its last four games heading into tomorrow night's game against visiting Merrimack, the Huskies' last game before the Beanpot. Northeastern freshman Chad Costello, who scored the winning goal in a 6-1 victory at Maine last Friday and had his team's only goal in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Black Bears Saturday, was named Hockey East rookie of the week. Goalie Brad Thiessen, who stopped 60 of 63 shots in the split with Maine, was named Hockey East defensive player of the week. Friday's win was the Huskies' first at Alfond Arena since Nov. 12, 1998.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell can be reached at Marrapese@globe.com.