Box Score

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – November 1, 2013 - The Robert Morris University men's ice hockey team hosted in-state rival Penn State at a sold-out 84 Lumber Arena on Friday evening.  In front of a crowd of 1,352, junior forward Cody Wydo (Southgate, Mich. / Motor City Metal Jackets) stole the show with four goals in the 5-4 loss to the Nittany Lions.

Wydo's four goals ties the Robert Morris (0-5-1, 0-0-1 AHA) single-game program record that had stood since 2009 spanning 147 games.  The record was originally held by Nathan Longpre when he scored four goals against Quinnipiac during the 2009-2010 season.

Penn State (2-3-1, 0-0-0 Big Ten) would take the game's first penalty five minutes into the opening frame.  The penalty would allow RMU's power play to take the ice and 22 seconds later the Colonials would pick up the game's first goal.  Wydo would pounce on a loose puck in the crease and flick a backhanded shot over a diving Matthew Skoff to make the score 1-0.  An initial shot from Tyson Wilson (Brockville, Ontario / Brockville Braves) from the blue line was stopped by Skoff who also stoned a pair of rebound attempts from Zac Lynch (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Bay State Breakers) before the puck squirted to Wydo at the right post.

Robert Morris' advantage would last through the remainder of the first period and two minutes into the second period before Penn State got on the board and tied the game.  Prior to Friday's contest, RMU had allowed ten goals in the second period while only finding the back of the net twice.  That trend would continue as Penn State picked up three goals in a span of eight minutes while the Colonials netted one goal.

Streaking down the right-wing boards from the defensive zone, Eric Scheid would beat RMU goaltender Terry Shafer (Penfield, N.Y. / New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs) with a wrist shot from the right-wing faceoff dot.  Scheid entered the zone on a two-on-one and looked off the RMU defender who was in the slot protecting against the pass before taking the shot that would tie the game, 1-1.

Six minutes later, the Nittany Lions would take the lead with a power-play goal from Luke Juha.  After winning an offensive-zone faceoff with the man advantage, the puck made its way to the left point where Juha let go of a slapshot that whizzed by Shafer who was screened on the play.

Just over a minute after Penn State took the lead, the Nittany Lions would increase the deficit facing Robert Morris with a goal to make the score 3-1 midway through the second period.  A turnover in the defensive zone by Robert Morris led to a goal by Tommy Olczyk.  Olczyk was positioned in the slot and capitalized on a quick pass off of the turnover to beat a sprawled out Shafer.

With less than two minutes remaining in the second period, Wydo would pick up his second goal of the game.  Wydo started the sequence picking off a pass in the defensive zone and sprung Scott Jacklin (Kimberley, British Columbia / Trail Smoke Eaters) into the neutral zone along the right wing.  While Jacklin was stood up at the offensive blue line, the puck continued into the offensive zone where it was picked up by Ben Robillard (Ottawa, Ontario / Ottawa Jr. Senators).  Robillard eluded the backcheck of a Nittany Lion before dishing a saucer pass over a second defender that came diving back towards the crease.  The pass landed right on the stick of Wydo who was able to direct it behind Skoff to make the score 3-2.

Down a goal heading into the third period, it would take Wydo and his band of Colonials a little more than three minutes to tie the contest.  Coming in all alone on Skoff, Wydo was impeded and awarded a penalty shot.  On the penalty shot, Wydo made his way towards Skoff and unleashed a wristshot from the slot that eluded the goaltender between his blocker and pad to tie the game, 3-3.  Wydo became the first Colonial since Adam Brace during the 2011-2012 season to record a hat trick.

Just two minutes after battling back to tie the contest, RMU would allow consecutive power-play goals to Penn State.  The first of the two goals came from Casey Bailey who pounced on a rebound conceded by Shafer to make the score 4-3.  Shafer sprawled out to make numerous saves on the Nittany Lions while the Colonials were down a man before the puck bounced into the slot where Bailey was positioned for the go-ahead tally.

With less than two minutes remaining in the third, Penn State would pick up what turned out to be the game-winning goal from Mike Williamson.  On the man advantage, the Nittany Lions took just four seconds to make the score 5-3.  Winning the initial faceoff after the RMU infraction, the loose puck bounced to Williamson in the slot who snapped a shot past Shafer.

With Shafer pulled for an extra attacker, Robert Morris pulled within a goal as 12 seconds remained on the clock when Wydo picked up his fourth goal of the game.  Positioned at the left post, Wydo flicked home a deflected point shot with a defender on his back to make the final score 5-4.  Jacklin and Lynch each picked up their second assists of the evening on the goal.

Robert Morris would finish the game with 52 shots on goal, the most since the Colonials go 58 shots on net against American International during the 2012 Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals.  Shafer finished up the contest with 36 saves, one shy of his personal best.

Special teams played a huge factor in the contest as Robert Morris went one of six with the man advantage while Penn State capitalized on three of its seven power plays.  The power-play goal in the first period for RMU marked the fifth-consecutive game that the Colonials have scored with the man-advantage.  RMU has now allowed a power-play goal against in four-consecutive games and multiple goals while on the penalty kill in three-straight contests.

With his four goals on the evening, Wydo moved into third all-time in goals scored with 41 career goals.  Wydo entered the game with the fifth-most in RMU history and surpassed Ryan Cruthers and Brace with his performance against the Nittany Lions.  Adding the four goals to his season output, Wydo now ranks third in the NCAA and first in Atlantic Hockey with seven goals in the season. 

Lynch and Wydo both extended their point-streak to four games while Lynch's two assists match a career best from last season against RIT.

After allowing five goals for the second time in the last three games, Robert Morris suffered its first loss to the Penn State program.  The two teams will meet again in the second-annual Three Rivers Classic where they will clash in a semifinal matchup on December 27.

Robert Morris returns to Atlantic Hockey action as the host a pair of conference foes next weekend when Canisius and RIT make the trip to Pittsburgh.  The Colonials will first take on the Golden Griffins of Canisius on Friday evening with a 7:05 faceoff at the 84 Lumber Arena.  RMU will then take on RIT the following night at the same time.