"I thought we showed more mental toughness today, we just made too many mistakes defensively," said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. "We have to be more committed to defense if we want to be successful. Bentley is a good team. I thought they outworked us early. We got it going but some mistakes just killed us tonight."

Seniors Josh Heidinger and Carl Hudson and juniors Eric Rex and Matt Zuke each tallied a goal for the Griffs.

Senior Andrew Loewen stopped 30 shots in net.

Bentley (6-6-3, 5-3-2 Atlantic Hockey) opened the scoring 9:17 into the game. Micah Williams fired a shot in from the blue line but Loewen made the save. However, the rebound went right to Joe Campanelli and he found the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

Jordy Trottier stretched the Falcons' lead to two at the 13:51 mark when he got past the Canisius defense and beat Loewen one-on-one.

Canisius fought back in the second period with Hudson starting the comeback attempt. The senior scored with a two-man advantage just 30 seconds into the frame, cutting the defict to one. The power-play score was the 22nd of Hudson's career, tying the school's Division I record. Junior Cory Conacher and sophomore Dave Kostuch each registered an assist on the goal.

The Griffs tied the contest just four minutes later when Rex connected for his first goal of the season. Junior Chris Forsman sent the puck around the boards and to freshman Torrey Lindsay. Lindsay then chipped the puck out of the zone and to Rex. The junior skated into the Griffs' offensive zone and beat the Bentley goalie to knot the game at two.

The Falcons reclaimed their lead when Justin Kemmerer scored his second goal of the season at the 10:50 mark of the second period. Kemmerer found a loose puck near the goal and quickly sent it into the net for the 3-2 advantage.

Canisius once again fought back and knotted the game at three. While a man down, Heidinger gained possession of the puck, beat a Bentley defender and back-handed a shot into the net for his fourth goal of the season.

Zuke then gave the Griffs their first lead of the night just 139 seconds later, scoring his first goal of the 2009-10 campaign. The junior knocked in a loose puck from in front of the goal with sophomore Scott Moser and junior Derek Danowski each registering an assist.

Canisius' lead, however, would be short lived. Dustin Cloutier scored just 118 seconds after Canisius grabbed the lead to knot the game at four. Cloutier was charging the goal and Marc Menzione sent a pass off Cloutier's midsection and into the back of the net. Bentley then grabbed the lead 94 seconds later when Brett Hartung scored on the power play.

Canisius had a power play opportunity of its own when Bentley was whistiled for a penalty with just 50 seconds remaining. However, the Griffs could not find the equalizer as they dropped their third-straight contest.

The Falcons held a 35-26 advantage in shots and both teams converted one power-play opportunity. Canisius had seven chances with the extra man, while Bentley was 1-for-6.

The teams wrap up the two-game series tomorrow night. Game time at the Buffalo State Sports is set for 7:05 p.m.

Game Notes: Hudson tied the school's power-play record, held by Michael Cohen (2003-07) ... Hudson has scored 22 of his 33 career goals on the power plau (66.7 percent) ... Conacher had his four-game scoring streak snapped but matched his career high by posting a point in five-straight games ... Heidinger's goal was the Griffs' first short-handed score of the season ... Bentley has won seven-of-eight games against Canisius during the last two seasons.