Box Score

MILFORD, Conn. – January 5, 2014 – The Robert Morris University men's ice hockey team needed just 16 seconds of play in overtime to earn its first sweep of the season with a 2-1 victory over Sacred Heart on Sunday afternoon.  Playing out in a similar fashion to yesterday's contest, the Colonials would score first before allowing the Pioneers to tie the game before RMU would ultimately prevail with the win.

Playing hero for Robert Morris (4-12-2, 4-5-2 AHA) in the contest would be Scott Jacklin (Kimberley, British Columbia / Trail Smoke Eaters) who netted his fourth goal of the season to give the Colonials the overtime victory over Sacred Heart (5-15-0, 4-9-0 AHA).  Jacklin found the loose puck amongst a forest of bodies in the Pioneer crease and found a way to deposit the puck in the cage behind the Sacred Heart goaltender, Alex Vazzano.

As was the case in yesterday's contest, Robert Morris would get on the board first; this time the game's first goal wouldn't come until six minutes into the second period.  Ben Robillard (Ottawa, Ontario / Ottawa Jr. Senators) snapped an eight-game goal drought with his third marker of the season when he deflected a shot from the point past Alex Vazzano, the starting goaltender for Sacred Heart.

RMU's advantage would be short-lived as it would take Sacred Heart just 51 seconds to respond and tie the game.  The goal that tied the game for the Pioneers came from Chad Filteau after he corralled a rebound given up by Terry Shafer (Penfield, N.Y. / New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs) and snuck a shot past the RMU netminder who was making his 15th start of the season.

Shafer would finish the game with 30 saves, making the victory the eighth game this season that he has recorded a minimum of 30 stops.  Shafer's record improves to 4-10-2 this season while his goals-against average continues to drop, 3.23, and his save percentage is on the rise, .912.

Entering the weekend with the nation's worst penalty-kill percentage, 66.2 percent, Robert Morris killed off all six opportunities that Sacred Heart had today en route to going a perfect 10-for-10 on the penalty kill this weekend.

The victory pushed RMU above Sacred Heart in the Atlantic Hockey standings as the Colonials now have 10 points and are now in sole possession of eighth place.

Only halfway through its nine-day Connecticut road trip, Robert Morris will return to action on Thursday evening when the Colonials will battle the Connecticut Huskies in the first game of a two-game series.