After clinching home-ice for the first round of the the Atlantic Hockey playoffs earlier this week, the Robert Morris men's hockey team now looks to improve its standing and possibly earn a first round bye as one of the top four teams in the league. The Colonials (14-13-3 overall, 12-8-3 Atlantic Hockey) begin that quest this weekend with a two-game series against second-place RIT (17-10-3, 14-6-3) in Rochester. With just five league points seperating the top seven teams in the league, RMU is still very much in the hunt.
Musket Shots
-Just five points seperate the top seven teams in the AHA including both of this weekend's teams.
-RMU is the only school in the nation with two goalies that rank in the top 15 for save percentage.
-Robert Morris boasts the only penalty killing unit in the country with a kill rate over 90 percent.
-The Class of 2012 needs two wins to become the winningest class in school history.
-Robert Morris topped RIT 4-0 earlier this year and is 3-2-1 all-time against the Tigers.
-The Colonials are looking for their first-ever road win over the Tigers.
-Cody Wydo needs one goal to tie Chris Margott's RMU freshman record of 13.
-Robert Morris has clinched at least home ice for the first round of AHA playoffs.
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.
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League Race Heats Up:
Canisius' loss on Tuesday clinched home-ice for Robert Morris in the first round of Atlantic Hockey playoffs, but the Colonials are still hunting for a first round bye. Just five points seperate the top seven teams in the league including Robert Morris (tied for sixth) and RIT (second). With the new AHA playoff format, the top four teams in the standings will recieve byes while seeds 5-8 will host 9-12. Robert Morris currently trails Niagara and Mercyhurst (tied for third) by just three league points. Air Force -- RMU's opponent next weekend -- currently leads the AHA with 32 points.
First Time for Everything:
Robert Morris will look for its first-ever win on the road against RIT this weekend. The two teams have only met once at Ritter Arena with the Tigers edging RMU 3-2 in overtime on 10/29/10. The Colonials are 3-2-1 all-time against RIT.
No Easy Goals This Series:
Robert Morris picked up a 4-0 win over RIT on Dec. 17, but goals have been hard to come by against both teams this year. The two teams rank first and second in the league in save percentage with just a slim margin seperating the programs. RIT leads the league with a team save percentage of .929 while RMU ranks second at .928.
Offensive Surge:
Goals don't come easy in the Atlantic Hockey Association, but when the Colonials do score, chances are the result is going to be a win. The Colonials are 10-0-0 when scoring four or more goals in a game including last Saturday's 4-2 win over Mercyhurst.
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 120-of-129 penalties (93.0 percent) this season. RMU has also tallied three short-handed goals this season.
Wydo Nears Rookie Mark:
With 12 goals already this season, rookie Cody Wydo needs just one more to tie Chris Margott's RMU freshman record -- set in 2005-06. Wydo sits tied for fifth among all NCAA rookies in goals but has not tallied a goal since Jan. 20. His assist in last Saturday's win over Mercyhurst snapped a six-game point drought for the freshman.
couting the Tigers:
The Tigers bounced back after being swept at Air Force two weeks ago by sweeping Canisius in a home-and-home series last weekend. RIT is tough to beat at Ritter Arena this year, boasting a 9-2-3 home record with both losses coming to non-conference opponents. Mike Colavecchia leads RIT with 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists). Shane Madolora ranks first in the league in winning percentage at .696 and second in both save percentage (.932) and goals-against average (1.91).
Senior Success:
This year's 10-member senior class needs jus one more win 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 52 career wins.
Goaltending Tandem:
Robert Morris is the only school in the nation with two of the top 15 save percentages in the NCAA in Brooks Ostergard and Eric Levine. Ostergard (8-9-2) sits eighth in the nation at .930 while Levine (6-4-1) ranks 15th at .917.
Racking Them Up:
Senior forward Ron Cramer needs just 20 more penalty minutes to match Jeff Gilbert's (2004-07) RMU career record. Cramer, who currently sits second in the category, overtook Gilbert for first all-time in career penalties earlier this seasonand now sits with 104 career offenses.
Wilson Sets Them Up:
Robert Morris' top scoring defenseman, freshman Tyson Wilson has tallied an assist in each of the last four games and currently leads the blue-line corps with 15 points (two goals, 13 assists).
The Century Club:
The Colonials celebrated the program's 100th win earlier this year in a 6-4 win over Canisius at Clearview Arena (2/3/12). The victory was also head coach Derek Schooley's 100th career win. In eight years of existence, Robert Morris holds a 101-138-34 overall record. The Colonials program is also 25-17-8 in league games since joining the Atlantic Hockey Association last year.
Keeping It Close:
Nine of Robert Morris' 12 games in 2012 have been decided by a goal or less with the exceptions being RMU's 6-4 win over Canisius and both of last weekend's games against the Lakers. All 12 games of 2012 have been decided by two goals or less.
Playing with the Lead:
Through 30 games this year, Robert Morris is 12-1-1 when leading after the second period. Robert Morris is 7-1-0 when leading after the first period.
On the Horizon:
Robert Morris closes out the 2011-12 regular season next weekend with a two-game home series against AHA leading Air Force. The Falcons topped RMU 4-2 in Colorado Springs on Oct. 16 to open the AHA season.
Lewis Moving On Up:
Senior Trevor Lewis continues to climb the RMU record books as he closes out his college career -- adding a pair of assists last weekend. The Colonial captain ranks tied for fifth in career goals (29), sixth in career points (74) and tied for sixth in assists (45). Lewis
needs three points to tie Sean Berkstresser (2004-07) for fifth and three goals to tie Berkstresser for fourth in goals. Lewis and Berkstresser are currently tied for fifth in assists with Ryan Cruthers (2005-07) ahead on the horizon with 47 career helpers.
Cramer Climbs the Ranks:
With 56 career points, senior forward Ron Cramer (0-8--8) needs just one more to tie Brett Hopfe (2004-07) for tenth on RMU's career points list. The forward's 38 career assists are just one behind Chris Kaufman (2008-11) for tenth on the program's career list.
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.
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.
Early Signings:
Earlier this year, RMU inked a pair of forwards for next year's freshman class in David Friedmann and Zac Lynch. Friedmann, a Toronto native, is currently skating with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in the OJHL while Lynch, a Pittsburgh named as a player to watch for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by NHL Central Scouting, skates for the Bay State Breakers in the EJHL.
Pennsylvania Proud:
