NIAGARA, N.Y. – March 10, 2012 –The 2011-12 Robert Morris men's hockey campaign came to an end on Saturday night as the Colonials fell 2-1 to Niagara in Game Two of the Atlantic Hockey Association quarterfinals at Dwyer Arena.

“We played hard and competed, and I was really pleased with our effort. It definitely stings, but I'm proud of our guys and proud of the way we kept fighting all weekend,” Colonials head coach Derek Schooley said.

Junior defenseman Tyler Hinds (Orleans, Ontario / Nepean Raiders) gave the Colonials (17-17-5) a first-period lead with his third goal of the year at 16:26, showing that Niagara goalie Chris Noonan was beatable with an unassisted shot from the point that beat the screened goaltender.

But the lead wouldn't last long as the Purple Eagles (17-10-9) would answer back quickly when Isaac Kohls would tally his eighth goal of the season and second of the weekend just over a minute later at 17:41 after being set up by Kevin Ryan and Giancarlo Iuorio.

After two quick goals for the second-straight game, the two rivals showed just how evenly matched they were – playing a scoreless battle for over 40 minutes.

But the final bounce would go Niagara's way as Chris Lochner corralled a loose puck in the RMU defensive zone and slip the game-winning goal in with 15.2 seconds left to end the Colonials' season.

Senior Brooks Ostergard (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Bay State Breakers) would close out his final college game with another stellar performance in net for the Colonials, making 42 saves on the night. Chris Noonan picked up the win with a 26-save performance.

Robert Morris went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill on Saturday to finish the weekend 5-for-5 and close out the season with the nations' top penalty kill.

-Robert Morris University, Host Institution of the 2013 NCAA Frozen Four at Pittsburgh's CONSOL Energy Center -