Robert Morris Colonials (1-3-0 ; 0-0-0 CHA)
vs. #18 Quinnipiac University Bobcats (3-0-0 ; 0-0-0 ECAC)
Friday, Oct. 30, 2009 - 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009 - 7:05 p.m.
RMU Island Sports Center - Pittsburgh, Pa.
Live Game Stats
Game Notes in PDF
Media Information: For live game streaming, visit RoMo TV at www.rmucolonials.com for an audio and video broadcast of each game. A subscription is required. Live statistics will also be available on the RMU site.
2008-09 RMU vs. QU Series Recap: Last season, RMU made the trip to Hamden, Conn. and battled the Bobcats to a split. On Friday night, Quinnipiac edged Robert Morris 5-4 while the Colonials exploded with eight goals on Saturday night to win, 8-5.
Top Story: After losing both contests in a hard fought series at Ferris State, the Colonials return to the Steel City this weekend to open their home season against the undefeated and nationally ranked, #18 Quinnipiac University Bobcats. In last Friday's contest in Big Rapids, Mich., the Colonials rallied with two late goals to send the game into overtime. However, FSU got a quick game winner to net the 5-4 win. On Saturday, freshman Eric Levine had an impressive first appearance as he stopped 48 shots in the 1-4 Colonial defeat.
Ferocious Foes: Only four games into the young 2009-10 season, the Colonials have faced three opponents that boast a combined record of 11-4-1. Robert Morris kicked off the season against #16 Alaska and UA-Anchorage at the Brice Alaska Goal Rush. Alaska has knocked off #5 Michigan, while UA-Anchorage toppled #3 North Dakota last weekend and received votes in the USCHO poll this week. Ferris State also picked up twenty votes in the latest poll after sweeping RMU and extending their record to an impressive 5-1.
Scouting the Bobcats: The yet to be beaten Bobcats come into this weekend's series after enjoying a one week rest from action. Quinnipiac, members of the ECAC, opened the 2009-10 season on the road at Ohio State and easily swept the Buckeyes with 4-2 and 3-1 victories. On Sat., Oct. 17, the Bobcats edged Bentley 3-2 in OT to stay perfect and open their home season with a win. Head Coach Rand Pecknold is now in his 16th season at QU and owns a career record of 284-183-45. Senior Brandon Wong has lead the scoring charge for the Bobcats with two goals and four assists in just three games.
Ranked Teams at the Island: It has been nearly two years since RMU hosted a nationally ranked team at the RMU Island Sports Center. The Colonials played three ranked teams at home in the 2007-08 season, all of which were ranked 19th at the time. (Niagara twice and Princeton once) This season, RMU has yet to face a ranked opponent at home but holds a 3-3 all-time record against ranked teams at home. All three wins have come against Niagara.
Preseason Prognostications: According to a poll by the head coaches of College Hockey America (CHA), the Robert Morris University men's hockey team has been tabbed to finish third in the conference for the 2009-10 season. Leading the pack with two first place votes and eight points was Bemidji State, who last year won the CHA regular season championship and CHA Tournament. With the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Beavers went on to upset Notre Dame and Cornell to reach the NCAA Frozen Four. Last year's regular season runner-ups, Niagara, garnered the second most votes with seven points. After an impressive late season run and an appearance in the CHA Championship game, the Colonials were picked to finish third with six points. Behind Robert Morris with three points was Alabama-Huntsville.
CHA Preseason Honors: Juniors Nathan Longpre and Denny Urban were named to the Preseason All-CHA team after break-out seasons in 2008-09. Longpre finished the season second in the CHA with 12 goals and 29 assists behind now RMU alum, Chris Margott. Urban returns for the 2009 campaign after notching four goals and 23 assists last season as one of the top offense producing defenseman in the conference.
New Faces: For the 2009-10 season, Robert Morris has added two new coaches to the Colonial staff. Matt Nicholson and Mark Workman will both bring a variety of playing, coaching and recruiting experience to the program. Nicholson, played four years at Colgate University before a professional career in the Central Hockey League (CHL). For the last two years, he has worked at Div. III Adrian College while helping the Bulldogs to a 53-4-1 record. Also joining Nicholson is Workman who graduated from St. Scholastica. After working as a both an assistant and head coach as his alma mater, Workman has spend the last six years at Ivy League, Brown University. Former forward, Kyle Burton, will also be working for RMU hockey in new capacity this season. Due to a medical condition, Burton will hang up his skates and take on the role of student coach in the 2009-10 season.
Flash Forward: Nathan Longpre, now a junior, had a break out year in 2008-09. He was honored as a CHA First Team selection and finished the regular season ranked 8th nationally for most assists. Also a 2009 NHL Pittsburgh Penguins Camp Invitee, the forward should continue to be one of the biggest scoring threats in the CHA. Fellow junior, Chris Kushneriuk will also return as one of the Colonial's top forwards. A transfer from Wayne State University in 2008, Kushneriuk had a stellar second half in 2009 as he posted 15 points in 21 games and won a CHA Offensive Player of the Week award
Dominating Defense: The Colonials only lost two defensemen to graduation at the end of 2009. With a very solid defensive core returning, Schooley believes the defense will be one of the strongest parts of the Colonial's game during the 2009-10 season. Junior blueliner, Denny Urban, has a proven track record of being both a defensive and offensive threat. Last season, he posted the most points out of all defenseman in the CHA. With four goals and 23 assists, he earned three CHA Defensive Player of the Week honors and was also named to the All-CHA First team.
Outstanding Ostergard: A huge part of the Colonials success late in 2008-09 was now sophomore goaltender, Brooks Ostergard. Ostergard earned his first career win with a shutout victory over Bemidji State in mid-February. From that point on, Ostergard led the Colonials on a seven game unbeaten streak and into the CHA Finals. He boasted a 2.57 GAA and a .917 save percentage to make him the second best goalie in CHA action.
