The Colonials are on the brink of winning a championship in the regular season and - perhaps - of identifying a go-to goaltender for the postseason.

That makes this weekend's series at RIT as intriguing as it is potentially historic for No. 19 RMU.

All season long it's been junior Terry Shafer and sophomore Dalton Izyk sharing starts in net.

But coming out of last weekend's bye it's been determined that the Colonials will no longer alternate goaltenders by design.

"We felt going forward we would eventually come to the point where we changed the rotation aspect of our goaltending situation," head coach Derek Schooley explained. "Coming out of a bye with four games to go in the regular season, we'll go on a game-by-game basis.

"We'll play the goaltender we feel gives us the best chance to win on that given night."

That doesn't mean Friday night's starter will be starting the rest of the way.

But starting this week the goalies will be notified on Thursday as to who gets the starting assignment on Friday and a different starter for the second game of a series/weekend is no longer guaranteed as a matter of protocol.

"You want to start refining your game for the playoffs and you want to go with whoever is giving us the best chance of winning on a nightly basis," Schooley continued. "We have tremendous confidence in both. Whoever plays, the coaching staff and the players will have confidence in their goaltender.

"They've both been solid. They've both been spectacular. They've both done their job in giving us everything we can ask from them. And they've both been great teammates and I'm sure they will support and cheer for whoever gets the starting assignment on a given night."

Shafer started the last time the No. 19 Colonials took the ice, a 1-1 tie on Feb. 7 against Canisius.

Izyk had started the opening game of that series, as he had the first game of every series beginning with a two-game set against Bentley on Jan. 9-10.

From the regular-season opener on Oct. 10 against Lake Superior through a two-game series against Bowling Green on Jan. 3-4, Shafer had for the most part been the designated Friday night starter and had then been followed into the crease the following night by Izyk.

Both have posted numbers worthy of a No. 1-goaltender designation.

Izyk is 11-3-0 with a 2.61 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage and three shutouts.

Shafer is 9-2-4, with a 2.02 GAA, a .933 SV%, and one shutout.

And both have contributed mightily toward backstopping the Colonials to the brink of the Atlantic Hockey Conference regular-season title.

Robert Morris (20-5-5 overall) has a 17-3-4 AHC mark good for 38 points, seven ahead of Bentley and Mercyhurst, tied for second in AHC play at 14-7-3.

Any combination of two points gained by the Colonials or two lost by both Bentley and Mercyhurst clinches the regular-season title for Robert Morris. 

RIT (12-13-5 overall) is fifth at 11-8-5 in conference. RMU swept the Tigers, 6-3 and 4-2, on Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at the Island Sports Center.

"If we are fortunate enough to win it, it would be another achievement that we haven't had in this program," Schooley said. "We're a young program that is still achieving a lot as we go and a league championship would be another step.

"Even if you're fortunate enough to win a regular-season championship it doesn't mean you've accomplished your ultimate goal. I just want us to have our game right going into the playoffs, to have them playing the right way."

A member of the WDVE Morning Show and a college hockey aficionado, Mike Prisuta also previously served as a reporter for the Beaver County Times and as a columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Michigan State University graduate got his start in the profession covering the Spartan hockey program.

Follow Mike on Twitter at @DVEMike.