The most prolific rivalry in Robert Morris men's hockey history gets another dose of action this weekend when the Colonials take on Niagara in a home-and-home Atlantic Hockey series. The rivalry, which has spanned eight years and two conferences, will be revisited for the 39th time on Friday at Clearview Arena and the 40th occurence in Saturday's series finale at Dwyer Arena in Niagara, N.Y. Both contests are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. opening faceoffs.
Musket Shots
-The Colonials' next win will be the 100th in program history.
-Team point leader Cody Crichton has seven multi-point performances in his last 12 games.
-RMU is the only school in the nation with two goalies that rank in the top 20 for save percentage.
-Robert Morris boasts the only penalty killing unit in the country with a kill rate over 90 percent.
-For the second week in a row, RMU will look to end an opponent's four-game winning streak.
-Cody Wydo is one of the top scorers in the nation and is tied for third among all NCAA rookies with 12 goals this season.
-The Class of 2012 needs three wins to become the winningest class in school history.
Media Information:
This weekend's games, along with every Atlantic Hockey Association contest this season, can be viewed live at Americaone.com. Live stats can be found online at RMUColonials.com prior to each game. Audio for Friday's home contest can be found at RMUColonials.com (Gero Von Dehn and Bob Kennedy will have the call).
Follow RMU Online:
Want exclusive, up-to-the-minute access to the Robert Morris men's hockey team? Follow the team using Facebook (Facebook.com/RMUHockey) and on Twitter (@RMUHockey).
The Century Club:
Robert Morris' next win will be the 100th in program history. In eight years of Division I play (all under head coach Derek Schooley), the Colonials have amassed a 99-134-34 overall record including a 30-21-8 mark since joining the Atlantic Hockey Association in 2010-11.
Crichton Stays Hot:
Cody Crichton leads Robert Morris with 21 points and 15 assists this season -- stats that tie for fifth and third in the AHA, respectively. The senior had another pair of two-point games in last weekend's sweep at Connecticut and has now tallied seven multi-poingtperformances in his last 12 games. RMU is an impressive 9-0-1 in league play this year when Crichton tallies a point.
Killer Penalty Kill:
Robert Morris has retained the title of the nation's best penalty kill and is currently the only team in Division I hockey with a success rate above 90 percent. The Colonials have successfully killed off 102-of-110 penalties (92.7 percent) this season. Lake Superior State (89.6 percent) and Michigan State (89.4 percent) rank second and third in the nation, respectively.
Freshman on Fire:
Cody Wydo added notched his fourth game winner of the year last weekend improve his team-leading season total to 12 goals for the year. The newcomer ranks tied for 12th in the nation with 0.63 goals per game and is tied for 9th in the nation among freshmen with .088 points per game. Wydo, who ranks tied for second in the AHA in goals, needs one goal to match Chris Margott's RMU freshman record set in 2005-06.
Giving the Team a Plus:
Robert Morris features three of the top five AHA skaters in plus-minus this year including league-leader Josh Jones at plus-14. The senior, who is tied for 21st nationally in the category, has not recorded a minus rating this season. Fellow blueliner Tyler Hinds ranks third in the league at plus-11 while Cody Wydo sits tied for fourth at plus-10.
Keeping It Close:
All six of Robert Morris' games in 2012 have been decided by a goal or less (3-2-1). For the season, the Colonials have played very well in tight games with a 7-2-3 record in games decided by a goal or less.
Scouting the Purple Eagles:
Niagara is coming off a pair of home sweeps over Army and AIC and have outscored opponents 18-3 during that span. The Purple Eagles have also allowed a goal or less during the four-game unbeaten streak. Scott Arnold and Marc Zanette lead the Purple Eagles with 16 points each. Chris Noonan has taken on the majority of work in net for Niagara -- the goalie leads the AHA with a 1.81 GAA and a .937 save percentage (second in the nation). David Burkholder is in his 11th season behind the Niagara bench.
Senior Success:
This year's 10-member senior class needs three wins to match last year's senior class for the most wins by a class in RMU men's hockey history. The Class of 2011 notched 53 career wins from 2007-10 including a program-best 18 wins last season. The Class of 2012 currently has 50 career wins.
Lyle's Game Streak Ends:
Senior James Lyle suffered an upper-body injury in last Saturday's win and is classified as week-to-week. The assistant captain will miss this weekend's series however, snapping Lyle's streak of of consecutive games played at 111 -- the longest active streak at RMU. The active streak will transfer over to Trevor Lewis (108) followed by senior Nick Chiavetta (107).
Playing with the Lead:
Through 24 games this year, Robert Morris is 10-1-1 when leading after the second period. Robert Morris is 5-0-0 when leading after the first period. Saturday's two-goal rally win over the Huskies gave Robert Morris just its first third-period rally win of the season.
Starting Strong:
The Colonials have come out of the gate strong this season, building a 6-2-0 record in series openers this year. The Colonials are also 7-4-1 in Friday night games. In the AHA race, the Colonials have picked up league points in seven of eight series openers this year including six wins.
Goaltending Tandem:
Robert Morris is the only school in the nation with two of the top 20 save percentages in the NCAA in Brooks Ostergard and Eric Levine. Ostergard (6-7-2) sits fourth in the nation at .935 while Levine (6-2-1) ranks 15th at .923. The junior, who also leads the AHA and ranks fifth in the NCAA with a ..722 winning percentage, currently boasts a four-game unbeaten streak and has made 30 or more saves in each game over that stretch.
Lewis Moving On Up:
Senior Trevor Lewis continues to climb the RMU record books as he closes out his college career. The Colonial captain ranks tied for fifth in career goals (29), tied for sixth in career points (72) and tied for seventh in assists (43). Oddly enough, Lewis is tied with Jason Towsley (2005-08) in all three categories. The next man in Lewis' sights is Sean Berkstresser (2004-07). Berkstresser sits fifth all-time at RMU with 77 points, fourth in goals with 32 and sixth in assists with 45.
Putting the Puck on Net:
When the Colonials put the puck on net, chances are they are going to win. Robert Morris holds an 9-3-3 record when tallying 30 or more shots. That record improves to an unbeaten 4-0-1 when the Colonials pester opposing goalies with 40 or more shots. On the other hand, RMU is 4-6-0 when tallying less than 30 shots this season.
Cramer Climbs the Ranks:
With 55 career points, senior forward Ron Cramer (0-6--6) needs just three more to tie Brett Hopfe (2004-07) for tenth on RMU's career points list. The forward's 36 career assists are just three behind Chris Kaufman (2008-11) for tenth on the program's career list.
Ostergard up for Hobey:
RMU senior goalie Brooks Ostergard has been tabbed as a nominee for the 2012 Hobey Baker Award and you can help him earn college hockey's top honor by voting between now and March 4 at HobeyBakerAward.com. The Hobey Baker Top Ten list of candidates will be released on March 15 while the Hobey Hat Trick finalists will be announced on March 29. The 32nd annual Hobey Baker Award will be announced on April 6 at the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Petersburg, Fla.
On the Horizon:
Robert Morris opens the final month of the regular season with a pair of home-and-home series with Canisius and Mercyhurst. Robert Morris then travels to RIT for a two-game set before closing out the regular season at home against Air Force. Five of the Colonials' final 10 games will be played at Clearview Arena.
Frozen Four Comes to PA:
The NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee has chosen the city of Pittsburgh as the site of the 2013 NCAA Frozen Four with Robert Morris University serving as the host institution in conjunction with VisitPittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. CONSOL Energy Center will host the historic event on April 11-13, 2013 with the event marking first NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship event held in the state of Pennsylvania. In addition, it will be the first major team sport in NCAA history to conduct its national championship in the city of Pittsburgh. Continue checking RMUColonials.com for updates leading up to the 2013 NCAA Frozen Four.
