Pittsburgh, Pa. - The Robert Morris University men's hockey team did everything but put the puck in the net in their only exhibition game, a 1-0 loss to Ryerson University on Saturday night at 84 Lumber Arena.

RMU outshot the visiting Rams 35-22 and the margin was even wider in shot attempts (71-44), but Ryerson goalie Troy Passingham was equal to every challenge in the shutout. Colonials junior Zac Lynch had the best opportunity to get the home team on the board when he drew a penalty shot 8:11 into the third period; his wrister banged off Passingham's pad from point-blank range.

The Colonials entered the third period down a goal, and they responded by firing 16 shots and 32 attempts in an action-packed final 20 minutes. Senior Jeff Jones had a good look moments before Lynch's penalty shot, but his left-circle one-timer hit the post. Despite pulling freshman goalie Andrew Pikul with 1:26 to play, RMU couldn't find a way to squeeze the puck past Passingham.

"It was very good to play another team," RMU head coach Derek Schooley said. "Obviously we're disappointed in the outcome, but we got a lot of things accomplished that we wanted to work on."

Due to the modified rules for exhibitions, the Colonials were able to dress all of their healthy players. 20 RMU skaters saw action, plus all three goalies. Junior Terry Shafer, sophomore Dalton Izyk and Pikul each manned the net for a period.

RMU sprinted off the line in its first action since its first-ever NCAA Tournament game March 29, gunning 14 shots on target to Ryerson's three in the opening period. For the game, freshman forward Brady Ferguson led the Colonials with seven shots. Senior winger Cody Wydo, fresh off setting program records for goals (31) and points (54) last season, had six shots on the night.

However, Ryerson bounced back in the second period and netted the evening's only goal midway through. Jason Kelly grabbed a loose puck from the left wall and snapped a low shot under Izyk with 7:22 remaining in the frame. The Rams, who compete in the Canadian collegiate ranks, enjoyed a 14-6 shot edge in the second, forcing Izyk to hold strong.

"At the end of the day, it's an exhibition game after we've had legitimately eight hours of practice," Schooley said. "We've got a lot of things to improve and we'll get to work on those this week."

It was a penalty-laden game - Ryerson took 11 for 52 minutes while RMU had five for 21 - but neither team could capitalize on the advantage. Although the Colonials power play went 0 for 6, the penalty kill extinguished all four Rams opportunities.

RMU returns to the Island Sports Center on Friday for its regular-season opener against Lake Superior State. Faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m., with another matchup against the Lakers scheduled for Saturday evening. Pittsburgh's College Hockey Team will play a program-high 17 games at 84 Lumber Arena this season.