Pittsburgh, Pa. / Island Sports Center - The Robert Morris University men's hockey team set a new team record stretching their win streak four games following a 4-2 victory against Bemidji State at the RMU Island Sports Center Friday night. The Colonials also tied the program win record as they improved to 12-13-1 and set a new mark for wins in College Hockey America play at 8-7-0. The Beavers fall to 13-10-4 while falling to 8-3-4 in conference play.
The Colonials got multi-point efforts from senior Doug Conley (East Amherst, N.Y. / Tri-City Storm), junior Logan Bittle (Peoria, Ill. / Soo Indians) and sophomore Chris Margott (Thousand Oaks, Calif. / Bay State Breakers). Conley finished with three assists while Bittle had a goal and two assists and Margott tacked on a goal and an assist.
Rob Sirianni had a goal and an assist and Blaine Jarvis had two assist for Bemidji State.
Robert Morris opened the scoring 4:17 in and never trailed in the game. Margott one-timed a pass from behind the net by Conley. Sirianni tied the game at 13:29 with a power play goal. John Vadnais took a shot from the left point that Colonials goaltender Joe Tuset (Eagan, Minn. / Northern Michigan University) turned away, but Sirianni jumped on the rebound in the slot and buried it.
Bittle put the Colonials up 2-1 with his own power play marker 18:25 into the second period. The junior forward picked a rebound on the backside of the crease after Matt Climie stopped a shot from the right circle by Conley.
Junior forward Ryan Cruthers (Farmingdale, N.Y. / Army) stretched the RMU lead to 3-1 3:02 into the third period. Senior Aaron Clarke (Peterborough, Ontario / Niagara University) started the play out of the defensive playing the puck forward to junior Joel Gasper (Crookston, Minn. / Billings Bulls). Gasper found Cruthers cruising down the right win. Cruthers buried the puck high of the crossbar and in to put the Colonials up 3-1.
Ryan Miller scored with the extra attacker for Bemidji at 18:19 finishing off a scramble in front of the net with Sirianni and Blaine Jarvis earning the helpers. Robert Morris ended any hopes of a Bemidji State comeback when junior David Boguslawski (Cottage Grove, Minn. / Tri-City Storm) found the empty net with 27 seconds left in the third period with assists by Conley and Bittle.
Tuset improved to 5-4 on the year by making 35 saves while Climie was saddled with the loss while making 22 saves. Each team was 1-8 on the power play.
These two teams meet again Saturday, February 10, at 7:35 p.m. at the RMU Island Sports Center.
