Men's Hockey 1/3/2014 11:08:00 PM

Colonials Travel to Sacred Heart to Kick Off 2014

GAME NOTES at Sacred Heart (1/4 and 1/5)
Sacred Heart Game Notes

Games #17-18

Robert Morris at Sacred Heart

Milford Ice Pavilion (1,000)

Milford, Conn.

Saturday, January 4, 2014 - 7:05 p.m.

Sunday, January 5, 2014 - 4:35 p.m.

Video: www.americaonesports.com

live stats: www.sacredheartpioneers.com

About Robert Morris

- Robert Morris kicks off a four-game road trip to the state of Connecticut that will see the Colonials play four games in seven days, starting with a pair of contests against Sacred Heart on Saturday, January 4.

- Last weekend, RMU looked to defend its 2012 Three Rivers Classic title in this season's edition of the tournament; the Colonials were unable to do so losing both games by a score of 3-2 against Penn State and Bowling Green.

- Entering the weekend with a record of 2-12-2, the Colonials hold a conference record of 2-5-2 which places them in a tie for tenth place in Atlantic Hockey.

- RMU's only wins this season have come against Canisius and Holy Cross while also earning points with ties against Niagara and Mercyhurst.

- Sophomore forward Zac Lynch leads the Colonials with ten assists and 18 points while junior forward Cody Wydo leads RMU with 12 goals.

- Sophomore goaltender Terry Shafer has played in 14 of Robert Morris' 16 games this season, earning a record of 2-10-2 with a 3.59 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.

Against Sacred Heart

- Robert Morris and Sacred Heart last met in the first round of the 2013 Atlantic Hockey Playoffs where the Colonials swept the Pioneers, winning the necessary two games by scores of 4-1 and 6-1.

- Having met Sacred Heart nine times in the ten-year history of the program, RMU has yet to be defeated by the Pioneers, holding a record of 8-0-1 overall while winning both games on the road against this weekend's opponent.

- The Colonials have played at the Milford Ice Pavilion just once in the 2011-12 season in a game the RMU won by a score of 5-2.

Scouting the Pioneers

- Sacred Heart currently sits in a tie for seventh place in Atlantic Hockey with a conference record of 4-7-0 to go with an overall record of 5-13-0.

- This season, the Pioneers have defeated UMass-Lowell, Bentley, Army, and Connecticut.

- In its most recent games, Sacred Heart fell in the championship game of the UConn Hockey Classic against Quinnipiac, 5-0, after defeating Connecticut by a score of 3-0 in the semifinal round.

- Freshman forward Justin Danforth leads the Pioneers with 11 assists and 13 points while junior forward Drew George leads the squad with five goals.

- Sophomore Alex Vazzano has started 15 of Sacred Heart's 18 games this season for a record of 3-11-0 with a goals-against average of 4.03 and a .891 save percentage.

Guarding an Empty Net

RMU is one of just ten teams in the NCAA yet to allow an empty net goal this season. Of the ten teams, the Colonials have spent the most time with an extra attacker on the ice, over 17 minutes.

One-Goal Losses

This season, Robert Morris has lost six one-goal games. The Colonials are one of two teams in the AHA with at least five one-goal losses, joining Holy Cross who has five such losses. In the NCAA, Robert Morris trails Michigan Tech who has seven one-goal losses to lead the nation. RMU has the same amount of one-goal losses as Alabama-Huntsville and Dartmouth while Alaska, Bowling Green, Colorado College, and Notre Dame each have five losses by one goal.

Line Shuffling
In 16 games this season, Robert Morris and head coach Derek Schooley has not kept the same trio of forwards together for more than five games, South-Lynch-Jones and Cope-Rigatti-Denham. Defensively, one pairing - Renwick and Golightly - has skated together in 12 of the 16 games this season.

Making the Grade
With the fall semester concluded, all 26 student-athletes on the roster earned at least a 3.00 grade-point average, including three players with a perfect 4.00 GPA. The team's cumulative 3.68 GPA was the highest of any semester in the ten-year history of the program.

Everybody Making a Point
Every RMU skater that has dressed for a game this season has recorded a point. Freshman goaltender Brandon Lane also joins the list after earning an assist on Nov. 16 in his first-career start at Air Force.

Four Games, Seven Days
With this four game road trip to the state of Connectiuct, Robert Morris will play four games in just seven days; kicking off the trip with the pair of games this weekend against Sacred Heart.

In It for the Long Haul
Returning from the holiday break, Robert Morris will kick off ten consecutive weeks of competition with the Three Rivers Classic starting this weekend. Over the ten weeks, the Colonials will play 20 games, nine of which will be on the road with the remaining 11 contests at home. So far, RMU has a record of 0-2-0 in these games.

Winning with Special Teams
In victories this season, Robert Morris' power play has clicked at 25.0 percent (3/12) while its penalty kill has allowed just one goal while successfully killing 83.3 (5/6) percent of the penalties committed. In losses, the Colonials' power play has been at 17.2 percent (10/58) and their penalty kill operating at 64.9 percent (37/57).

The Defensive Corps
With three underclassmen goaltenders, the defense of Robert Morris will be counted on to stand tall and take pressure off of the trio. Senior defenseman Andrew Blazek has done just that as he currently leads the team with 47 blocked shots. Blazek's total is the second highest in the AHA and ranks sixth in the nation.

Assisting the Team
Prior to the beginning of the season, head coach Derek Schooley announced that the Assistant Captain honors would be awarded on a monthly basis. For the month of October, senior defenseman Evan Renwick held the honor before is was passed along to the current assistant, junior forward David Rigatti for the month of November. Rigatti kept the honor for the month of December as junior forward Cody Wydo joined him in wearing the 'A'. Both Rigatti and Wydo were named full-time assistants starting in January.

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