KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Western Michigan's hockey team opened the regular season with a resounding 5-2 victory over Bentley College at Lawson Arena tonight. Three Broncos turned in multiple-point efforts to help lead WMU to the win, as juniors Patrick Galivan and Jeff LoVecchio each registered a goal and an assist, while sophomore Tyler Ludwig garnered a pair of assists. With the victory, WMU is 1-0 on the young season, while Bentley falls to 0-3.

“We need to have a real workman's approach to what we do and not turn the puck over. I think what happened to us in the second period, the momentum switched in their favor with their speed and their skill. We turned it over in neutral ice and gave them scoring opportunities,” head coach Jim Culhane said. “I was pretty firm after the second period, sayin ?hey, cut it out' and we responded well to it and I thought we played solid hockey in the third.”

Sophomore Cam Watson put the Broncos ahead 1-0 at 7:00 of the first period with his first career goal. Ludwig started the play, sliding a pass from the right point to Galivan on the left side. Galivan sent a one-timer toward the net and Watson tipped it past Bentley netminder Jason Kearney for the power-play score.

Galivan extended the Western Michigan advantage to 2-0 at 1:21 of the second with help from freshman Max Campbell and LoVecchio. Bentley sliced the lead in half 2-1 when Jaye Judd scored the Falcons' first goal this season at 7:12. Dustin Cloutier and Marc Menzione assisted on the play. Later in the period sophomore Chris Clackson would put the Broncos up by two once again when he found the back of the net at 18:34 to give WMU a 3-1 lead. Senior Brian Bicek and Ludwig helped set up the goal.

Freshman Ryan Watson recorded his first collegiate goal on a breakaway at 6:22 of the third, collecting the puck off the boards in the netural zone and taking it in alone. “I knew where I wanted to put it. I scored a goal like that yesterday in practice and as I was coming down I looked in that same spot and it was open,” Watson said.

Bentley's leading scorer from a season ago would record his first marker of the season when he scored at 12:36 of the third to bring the Falcons within two 4-2. Dain Prewett started the play, sending the puck from the left circle to Gumaer all alone in the slot on the right, and the junior left wing put it in the net before the goalie could recover.

The Falcons pulled Kearney in favor of the extra attacker with 1:10 left on the clock, but could not maintain control of the puck in the offensive zone, opening the door for an empty net goal by Lovecchio at 19:10. Junior Chris Frank earned an assist on the play, breaking up a pass and carrying the puck into the neutral zone before passing it ahead to LoVecchio.

WMU goaltender Riley Gill made 18 saves to earn the win for the Broncos, while Kearney stopped 25 shots for Bentley. Western Michigan outshot Bentley 30-20 and converted 1-4 power-play opportunities while holding the Falcons scoreless in their four chances.

Western Michigan and Bentley square off once again tomorrow night at 7:35 p.m. at Lawson Arena.