ROBERT MORRIS (4-0-0, 2-0-0 AHA) at ARMY (2-2-0, 2-2-0 AHA)
Friday, Oct. 24 & Saturday, Oct. 25 at 7:05 p.m. | Tate Rink, West Point, N.Y.

THE MATCHUP
As one of just three Division I men's hockey teams with a 4-0 record, Robert Morris University seeks to set a new program best for consecutive wins to start a season. The Colonials and Black Knights each have two Atlantic Hockey wins to their credit, tying them with Sacred Heart for the early league lead. This is the third time in team history that RMU has started 2-0 in conference (2007-08 and 2010-11 were the other occasions).

ABOUT ROBERT MORRIS
- Although the Colonials have scored 15 goals in four games, their defending has been more impressive. RMU has allowed just four goals; tied for the fewest in the nation among teams that have played four games.
- The Robert Morris penalty kill has been locked in, denying 15 of 17 opposing power plays for an 89.5 percent success rate.
- Goalies Terry Shafer and Dalton Izyk have been major parts of the goal-prevention success, as they have stopped 107 of 111 shots against thus far for a combined .965 save percentage.
- Fifteen of the 20 Colonials skaters to see action have at least a point. Top-line seniors Cody Wydo (3g, 3a) and Scott Jacklin (4g, 1a) have led the way offensively, as both are working on four-game point streaks to start the season.
- Two Colonials earned their first NCAA goals last Friday against Niagara: sophomore defenseman John Rey and freshman forward Brady Ferguson. Each added an assist Saturday.
- RMU is outscoring opponents 9-1 in the third period this season, including 6-1 last weekend.
- The Colonials have trailed for just 14:28 of game action this season; they have led for 124:48 of that time.

SCOUTING ARMY
- The Black Knights of the Hudson snapped a two-game losing streak when they downed Canisius 3-0 last Saturday, evening their record at 2-2 overall and in the AHA.
- Sophomore goaltender Parker Gahagen earned his first collegiate shutout Saturday, helping him get the AHA Goalie of the Week award. He has a .939 save percentage in three starts.
- Army went 6-28-0 last season, including a 5-22 mark in league, but the Black Knights took Robert Morris to three games in the first round of last spring's AHA playoffs before being eliminated March 9 at 84 Lumber Arena.
- Led by Tyler Pham's four points (2g, 2a), Army's top three scorers on the young season are freshmen. Connor Andrle has four assists in just three games, while Brendan McGuire tallied a goal and two assists during the weekend series against Canisius.
- The Black Knights are slightly more experienced on defense, where four blueliners are upperclassmen. Senior Maurice Alvarez has three points (1g, 2a) in the early going.
- Brian Riley has been behind the Army bench for more than two decades, the last 10 of which have been as head coach. He took over for his brother Rob in 2004; their father Jack started the Army hockey program in 1951.

COLONIALS IN THE MEDIA
Opportunistic RMU improves to 4-0 with home-and-home sweep of Niagara
Red-hot Colonials remain just outside both national rankings
Feature: Colonials have development plan for inexperienced defensemen
Prisuta on Pucks: Remembering their winning ways
Atlantic Hockey Podcast: RMU goalie Shafer discusses great start
RMU Sentry Media: Colonials' already ahead of last year's early pace
USCHO: Robert Morris' defense takes turn in spotlight

At the Polls: Although they remain just outside both official rankings, the Colonials bumped up to an unofficial 22nd in the USCHO's top 20 and 20th in the USA Hockey/USA Hockey Magazine top 15 after sweeping their second consecutive weekend series.

Measuring Possession: Although true time of possession isn't possible to measure yet, comparing shot-attempt totals is a reasonable method to determine which team has the puck more. Thus far this season, RMU has launched 49 percent of the shot attempts in its games so far, a measurement known as Corsi. The metric called Fenwick factors out blocked shots; since the Colonials make that a big part of their defensive game, it's no suprise they fare better there, with 51 percent of the non-blocked attempts.

Century Club: Forward Jeff Jones played his 100th collegiate game Oct. 11 vs. Lake Superior State, joining fellow seniors Jacklin and Wydo in the century club. Senior David Rigatti and juniors Brandon Denham, Matt Cope, Zac Lynch, Greg Gibson, Tyson Wilson, Chase Golightly, Evan Moore and David Friedmann all have a shot to reach that milestone this season.

Seeking a Breakthrough: After sophomore defenseman John Rey netted his first NCAA goal in his 40th game Oct. 17 vs. Niagara, there are two non-freshmen seeking their first RMU tallies: senior forward David Rigatti and sophomore blueliner Rob Mann. Rigatti (83 NCAA games) has gone the longest without an NCAA red light, while and Mann (13 games) didn't record a goal in limited action as a freshman.

VIDEO PREVIEW
Matt Gajtka sat down with head coach Derek Schooley and junior defenseman Evan Moore to talk about the team's defensive success, third-period dominance and more:


GAME NOTES