PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Jan. 27, 2012 – Niagara's Chris
Lochner scored with just under three minutes left to give Niagara a 2-1 win
over the Robert Morris men's hockey team, snapping Eric Levine's four-game
unbeaten streak in net for the Colonials.
“Give
Niagara credit tonight. They got it done, and we didn't do enough to get the
win tonight,” Colonials head coach Derek Schooley said. “We didn't get a lot of
good looks, and now we have to bounce back in get a win on the road in a tough
building tomorrow night.”
Levine
(Wheeling, Ill. / Pembroke Lumber Kings) took the loss for the Colonials – his first
since Nov. 5 – but continued to play strong in net. The junior made 39 saves on
the night to extend his streak of 31 or more saves to five-straight games. The
loss dropped Levine to 6-3-1 on the season.
Robert
Morris (12-10-3 overall, 10-5-3 Atlantic Hockey) opened the night with a goal
from senior forward Nick Chiavetta (Harriburg, Pa. / New York Applecore) 7:08
into the game for the senior's sixth goal of the season and 35th career point.
The goal, which snapped a nine-game goal drought for Chiavetta, was set up by
freshman forward Cody Cartier (Sylvan Lake, Ontario / Canmore Eagles) and
freshman defenseman David Rigatti (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Texas Tornado), who
notched his first-career point on the play.
The
one-goal lead would not last, however, as Niagara (10-8-7, 9-4-5) would notch
two-unanswered tallies to pick up its fifth-straight win. Isaac Kohls notched
the equalizer with 36 seconds remaining in the second, and Chris Lochner picked
up the eventual game winner at 17:07 of the third period. Schooley would elect
for the extra attacker with just over a minute left, but the Colonials couldn't
find the net a second time – falling in a league series opener for just the
second time this season.
Robert
Morris' nation-leading penalty kill didn't see much ice time on Friday as the
two teams split just two penalties on the night. Chris Noonan picked up the win
for the Purple Eagles, making 27 saves to improve to 7-3-3 for the season.
The
Colonials close out the weekend on Saturday with the series finale at Niagara.
Saturday's contest is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET at Dwyers Arena.
-Robert Morris University, 2013 NCAA® Frozen Four® Host Institution-
