Pittsburgh, Pa. - The Robert Morris University men's hockey team can only control what happens on the ice, but a hot start to the season has earned increasing respect from the outside.

Although the 4-0 Colonials remain outside the formal national rankings, the gap between them and the teams with numbers next to their names continues to shrink. One week after standing at an unofficial 24th in the United States College Hockey Online and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls, RMU moved up to 22nd and 20th, respectively, in those surveys.

The Colonials' highest-ever ranking in the USCHO poll was No. 19 during the 2012-13 season, but they are just three spots shy of that after receiving 67 votes this week. Only Nebraska-Omaha (78 votes) stands between RMU and the top 20. Mercyhurst (one vote) was the only other Atlantic Hockey team to get mentioned.

RMU placed even higher according to USA Hockey, which officially ranks the top 15 teams in Division I. The Colonials picked up six more votes from last week, pushing them one spot ahead of Minnesota-Duluth and Nebraska-Omaha, both of which tied for 21st. No other AHA squads received votes.

Although Robert Morris has never been ranked in the USA Hockey top 15, it reached No. 18 on several occasions in the now-defunct Inside College Hockey poll during the 2010-11 season.

Following a home-and-home sweep of AHA rival Niagara last weekend, RMU (2-0 AHA) continues league play this weekend with a pair against Army in West Point, N.Y.

The Colonials will face off at 7:05 p.m. on Friday and Saturday with the Black Knights, whom they eliminated in a first-round playoff series last spring on their way to the program's first conference championship and NCAA tournament berth.

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