Storrs, Conn. – The Robert Morris
University men's hockey team needed a win in Saturday night's contest against
Connecticut to stay alive in the Atlantic Hockey playoffs. Unfortunately for the Colonials, game two of
the series followed a similar script to game one as RMU jumped out to an early
lead before allowing multiple goals to the Huskies to create a deficit too big
to overcome as the Colonials fell by a score of 4-3. The loss ended one of the best seasons in
program history with a school record of 20 wins.
Halfway through the first period,
senior forward Zach Hervato (Stittsville, Ontario / Smiths Falls Bears) would
open the scoring. Hervato's line mates
Colin South (Sewickley, Pa. / Bay State Breakers) and Jeff Jones (Revelstoke,
British Columbia / Merritt Centennials) would both assist on the only goal of
the first period as RMU would lead, 1-0, after 20 minutes of play.
The second period belonged to
Connecticut as the Huskies would net three goals in the session to take a 3-1
lead. The first goal that would tie the
score came less than two minutes after the start of the period. The following two goals that would give
Connecticut the lead for good came just sixteen seconds apart in the middle of
the period.
Down 3-1, Robert Morris would
battle back within a goal as defenseman Andrew Blazek (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Topeka
Roadrunners) would net his ninth goal of the season while the Colonials were on
a power play. Hervato would be credited
with the only assist on the goal as RMU would trail, 3-2, heading in to the
third period.
Connecticut would strike quickly
again in the third period to regain the two-goal advantage with a power-play
goal of its own just three minutes in to the third.
With less than four minutes
remaining in the game and potentially in the season for Robert Morris,
goaltender Eric Levine (Wheeling, Ill. / Pembroke Lumber Kings) was pulled in
favor of an extra attacker. The move
would quickly pay dividends as sophomore forward Cody Wydo (Southgate, Mich. /
Motor City Metal Jackets) brought the Colonials back to within a goal as 3:43
remained in the contest. Hervato and
South would each pick up their second assists in the game on Wydo's 21st goal
of the season.
Again with Levine on the bench,
the Colonials pressed for the game-tying goal but could not capitalize before
time ran out as Connecticut escaped with a 4-3 victory to take the quarterfinal
series. Levine finished the game with 26
saves as he ended the season with a 19-12-4 record.
The Colonials will return 21
skaters from this season's team that finished with a record of 20-14-4
including seven of the top ten scorers this season.