Moon Township, Pa. ? The Robert Morris University men's ice hockey team used five second-period goals to defeat Ala.-Huntsville, 5-2, Saturday night at the RMU Island Sports Center. With the victory, RMU recorded its single-season record 15th victory improving to 15-14-3 overall and to 10-7-2 in CHA action. The Chargers fall to 6-20-3 overall and to 3-13-3 in CHA play.
Ala.-Huntsville took a, 1-0, lead when Neil Ruffini beat senior goalie Christian Boucher (Orleans, Ontario / Cumberland Grads) after a Kyle Goodchild pass one second after Denny Urban's (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Ohio Blue Jackets) penalty expired at the 11:43 mark. Brenna Barker tallied the other assist on the play. The Colonials outshot the Chargers, 10-8, in the first period while the two teams went 0-for-3 combined with the man advantage.
RMU exploded for five goals in the second period including two goals in the first 2:02 of the period. Branden Gay (Calgary, Alberta / Drayton Valley Thunder) got RMU on the board at the 1:19 mark with Dave Cowan (Calgary, Alberta / Olds Grizzlys) and Boucher tallying assists on the play. Jason Towsley (La Salle, Ontario / Leamington Flyers) beat Charger goalie Cameron Talbot for his ninth goal of the game, with Urban and Joel Gasper (Crookstown, Minn. / Billings Bulls) tallying assists on the play. Scott Kalinchuk tied the game for the Chargers at two, just 2:11 later, but RMU scored three straight goals to end the second period including two goals on a five-minute major penalty assessed to Brennan Barker. Urban notched his six of the season just 11 seconds into the major penalty, with Chris Margott (Thousand Oaks, Calif. / Bay State breakers) and Chris Kaufman (Gig Harbor, Wash. / Helena Bighorns) picking up assists on the play. Logan Bittle (Peoria, Ill. / Soo Indians) tallied his second of the season at the 10:57 mark on the power-play with Ryan Cruthers (Farmingdale, N.Y. / Army) and Urban tallying assists on the play. Cruthers closed out the second period knocking a puck into a partial open net behind goalie Talbot with just four seconds left on the clock. Bittle and Scott Kobialko (Spruce Grove, Alberta / Camrose Kodiaks) each picked up an assist on the play, giving RMU a 5-1 lead heading into the second intermission.
UAH added a goal in the third period on the power-play at the 9:41 mark when Andrew Coburn made the score, 5-3. Gasper was called for a five minute major with 1:57 left on the clock for checking from behind but UAH could not capitalize as the Colonials defeated the Chargers, 5-2.
RMU outshot UAH, 37-23, while going 2-for-6 on the power-play. UAH went 2-for-9 with the man advantage.
Boucher tallied his 15th victory of the season, making 20 saves on 23 shots for the Colonials.
The two teams close out the regular-season tomorrow night at the Island Sports Center at 7:35 p.m., senior recognition will begin at 7:20 p.m.
Notes: With this evening victory, RMU set a new single-season mark for wins in a season with 15 marking the third straight season they have done so.
