Pittsburgh sports media veteran and college hockey aficionado Mike Prisuta returns to RMUColonials.com to provide insights on the Colonials throughout the season.

They headed home for the holidays after having been shut out for the first time in 74 games more convinced than ever about where they're going and how they intend to get there.

"The older guys are the guys that are going to drive this team," head coach Derek Schooley observed after last weekend's 7-4 win and 3-0 loss at Mercyhurst.

"They were part of something pretty special (last season) and they've wanted to continue the momentum that we've gained (this season)."

That was the great unknown heading into 2014-15.

Would the Colonials pick up where they had left off at the conclusion of last season's 17-6-3 finishing kick to the NCAA Tournament in terms of recapturing the necessary motivation, work ethic, attention to detail and focus?

Or, would complacency, satisfaction or some other undesirable intangible set in and conspire to help make the first three months of this season as difficult as the first three months of last season (2-12-2) had been?

The resounding collective response has been an overall record of 11-2-3 that has the Colonials ranked No. 19 in the USCHO.com Top 20.

RMU's winning percentage of .750 trails only Harvard (9-1-2, .833), Michigan Tech (13-3-0, .812) and Vermont (13-3-1, .794) among the NCAA's 59 Division I teams.

"I think we've proven we were not complacent," Schooley said.

That was evident even in the 3-0 loss to Mercyhurst, the first defeat suffered in regulation by Robert Morris in 16 games in 2014-15.

Although they failed to score a goal for the first time since Jan. 15, 2013 at Air Force (2-0), the Colonials had significant edges in attempts (85-50), shots on goal (41-17) and scoring chances (18-6 as graded by the RMU coaching staff).

RMU played the type of aggressive, straight-ahead game it desires to play without succumbing to trading scoring chances with an opponent, something the Colonials know they won't be able to get away with should they make it back to the NCAA Tournament.

What resulted was assessed by Schooley as "probably our best game of the year."

That the puck somehow refused to enter the net was just a detail.

It's the style of play that should resonate.

The Colonials emerged from the setback still in possession of first place in the Atlantic Hockey Conference at 9-2-3 and with 21 points at the midpoint of their 28-game AHC schedule.

Those in hot pursuit of RMU have games in hand on the Colonials. Bentley (7-4-2) has 16 points in 13 games and Holy Cross (6-1-4) has 16 points in 11 games. Canisius (5-4-4) has 14 points in 13 games and Mercyhurst (6-3-2) has 14 points in 11 games.

So the Colonials' lead is less than commanding.

But their first-half points are already in the bank.

"We only lost seven points out of a possible 28," Schooley pointed out.

In securing those points the Colonials have been combustible in the offensive end (RMU leads the nation with an average of 4.12 goals per game) and dependable in net and in the defensive zone (the Colonials are second in scoring margin at plus 1.81 goals per game).

The headliner, as anticipated, has been senior captain Cody Wydo (11g, 14a), who ranks second nationally in points per game (1.56).

But RMU this season has been about so much more than the Cody Wydo Show.

Through 16 games of a 34-game regular-season schedule, RMU has demonstrated as much depth as it has determination.

The Colonials have for the most part been relentless, resilient and resourceful, and as competitive as necessary almost every time they've hit the ice.

The trick now will be to continue demonstrating as much after the Christmas break, beginning with an impending showdown against No. 20 Penn State in the Three Rivers Classic on Dec. 29 at CONSOL Energy Center.

"We've put ourselves in position to have a good second half," Schooley said. "We need to consistently play the way we've been playing."

A longtime member of the WDVE Morning Show, Prisuta also previously served as a reporter for the Beaver County Times and as a columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Michigan State University graduate got his start in the profession covering the Spartan hockey program. Follow him on Twitter at @DVEMike.