No. 17 ROBERT MORRIS (10-1-3, 8-1-3 AHC) at MERCYHURST (7-4-2, 5-2-2 AHC)
Saturday, Dec. 13 at 7:05 p.m. & Sunday, Dec. 14 at 4:05 p.m. | Mercyhurst Ice Center, Erie, Pa.

THE MATCHUP
Coming off their most prolific offensive weekend of the season, the 17th-ranked Robert Morris University Colonials carry a four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1) to Erie when they challenge in-state rival Mercyhurst to close the fall semester.

ABOUT ROBERT MORRIS
-  RMU scored 13 goals during a two-game sweep of Sacred Heart at 84 Lumber Arena on Dec. 5-6, including an eight-goal outburst Saturday. The Colonials are the highest-scoring team in Division I at 4.21 goals per game.
- Junior forward David Friedmann earned Atlantic Hockey Offensive Player of the Week for his five-point performance (2g, 3a) against Sacred Heart, including a four-point night on Saturday, RMU's first of the season.
- The forward line of Friedmann, Brady Ferguson and Daniel Leavens continues to terrorize opponents, combining for 24 points (10g, 14a) over the past four games. The trio had 13 points (4g, 9a) against Sacred Heart.
- Senior winger Cody Wydo tacked on three more points last weekend, giving him a conference-leading 21 (10g, 11a). He is 10 points shy of matching Nathan Longpre (138 points) for the most in RMU program history.
- The defense pairing of junior Chase Golightly and freshman Alex Bontje continue to drive play, as both are in the top 15 nationally with matching plus-11 ratings.
- RMU went 0-1-2 against Mercyhurst last season, including a pair of 5-5 ties in Erie. The Colonials are winless against the Lakers in six meetings since Feb. 11, 2012, going 0-2-4.
- FUN FACT: All time, RMU has won just 19 of 149 games when allowing four goals or more, but the Colonials pulled it off twice last weekend.

SCOUTING MERCYHURST
- Mercyhurst is rediscovering the form that made it last year's regular-season conference champion. The Lakers are 5-1-2 since the start of November, including a two-game sweep at Army last weekend.
- Although the Lakers are in fifth place in the AHC, seven points behind first-place Robert Morris, they have played three fewer conference games than the Colonials, so the standings are closer than they appear.
- Head coach Rick Gotkin is in his 27th season leading the Lakers, making him one of the longest-tenured coaches in college hockey. His team was picked to finish first in AHC in the preseason coaches' poll.
- Traditionally a dangerous offensive team, Mercyhurst ranks 14th in D-I with 3.31 goals per game this season. Freshman Jonathan Charbonneau leads the squad in points (13) and goals (9).
- Seniors Matthew Zay (11 points) and Zac Frischmon (10) have also produced thus far, but Saturday's game at Army belonged to freshman Jack Riley, who had four points (2g, 2a) against the team his dad Brian coaches.
- Last Friday's 3-2 win over Army marked the return of 2013-14 Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year Jimmy Sarjeant to the goal crease. The senior. who missed two weeks due to injury, has a .914 save percentage in 10 starts.

COLONIALS IN THE MEDIA
Friday Recap: Lynch's OT winning clinches wild victory on the Island
Saturday Recap: RMU buries Sacred Heart in offensive avalanche
Web Story: Colonials rise to No. 17 after weekend sweep
Prisuta on Pucks: Leavens' rise a product of opportunity and confidence
Colonials Corner: Despite big names, RMU defined by depth
RMU Sentry Media: Colonials focus on starting weekend strong
RMU Sentry Media: Photo gallery from Saturday's win
Radio Highlights: Dec. 5-6 vs. Sacred Heart

A Banner Year: The calendar year 2014 has seen the Colonials rise from the bottom of the Atlantic Hockey Conference to a league title and NCAA Tournament appearance, followed by a scintillating start to the 2014-15 season. Since beating Sacred Heart 2-1 on Jan. 3, RMU is 27-7-6 for a .750 points percentage. The Colonials have also been the highest-scoring program in the nation over that span, netting 160 goals in 40 games for a potent 4.00 goals-per-game average.

The Race Is On: Zac Lynch and Wydo continue to duel for the program's all-time lead in shorthanded goals. Lynch took the solo lead in that category by netting the fifth 4-on-5 goal of his Colonials career on Nov. 22 at American International. However, Wydo caught up with a shorthanded tally in the third period of RMU's overtime win over Sacred Heart on Dec. 5. 

Winning the Possession Battle: Thus far this season, RMU has launched 51 percent of the shot attempts in its games, a measurement known as Corsi. The Colonials fare even better in Fenwick, which factors out blocked shots, at 53 percent. In terms of shots on goal, RMU has owned 55 percent of those.

VIDEO PREVIEW 
Matt Gajtka sat down with junior forward Lynch, who was named RMU Student-Athlete of the Week for his four-point performance against Sacred Heart. Head coach Derek Schooley joined him as well, analyzing the Colonials' recent offensive outburst and what to expect from Mercyhurst:





GAME NOTES