ERIE, Pa. – February 28, 2014 – The Robert Morris University men's ice hockey team headed into its final weekend of regular-season contests with a tilt against the Mercyhurst Lakers on Friday evening.  Still in contention for a first-round bye in the upcoming Atlantic Hockey playoffs, the Colonials and Lakers skated to a 5-5 tie, the fourth-consecutive tie between the two teams.

Robert Morris (13-15-5, 13-8-5 AHA) had the line of Matt Cope (Lakewood, Colo. / Wenatchee Wild), Greg Gibson (Burlington, Ontario / Amarillo Bulls) and Brandon Denham (Milton, Ontario / Oakville Blades) firing on all cylinders this evening, totaling three goals and eight points in the tie against Mercyhurst (18-12-7, 16-4-6 AHA).

In the game, Cody Wydo (Southgate, Mich. / Motor City Metal Jackets) tied the program record for goals in a season, picking up his 22nd of the year three minutes into the first period.  Wydo corralled a rebound in the left-wing circle and ripped a wristshot over the glove of Jimmy Sarjeant, the starting goaltender for Mercyhurst as the Colonials took a 2-0 lead early in the first period.

Prior to Wydo's goal, Robert Morris wasted little time to pick up the game's first goal as the Colonials needed just 17 seconds to take the lead.  From behind the goal line in the left-wing corner, Denham threw the puck on net only to have it find a hole and bounce off of and behind Sarjeant for the 1-0 lead.

Penalty trouble for the Colonials would allow Mercyhurst to get back into the game, tying the score with a pair of power-play goals.  The first of the two goals came seven minutes into the opening frame after a shot by Nardo Nagtzaam was partially stopped by Terry Shafer (Penfield, N.Y. / New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs) but managed to glide across the line to cut RMU's lead in half, 2-1.

With fewer than five minutes remaining in the first period, RMU allowed a second power-play goal that tied the game, 2-2.  A shot from the center of the ice by Nick Jones hit a body in front of Shafer and deflected behind the netminder as the Colonials' two-goal lead had vanished.

Mercyhurst would take the lead with just over a minute remaining in the opening frame.  After RMU failed to clear the puck out of its defensive zone, Kyle Just followed up his own shot to collect the rebound and chip the puck over Shafer's shoulder to put the Colonials down, 3-2.

On the power play to start the second period, RMU would need just 35 second to tie the game, 3-3.  After the initial shot from the points was saved by Sarjeant, Scott Jacklin (Kimberley, British Columbia / Trail Smoke Eaters) poked away at the loose puck and got it behind the goaltender as the Colonials pulled even with Mercyhurst.

The tie score lasted just 12 seconds before the Lakers took the advantage again with a goal from Tyler Shiplo.  Shiplo fired a puck on net after a faceoff win by the Lakers that got thru traffic and past a screened Shafer as the Colonials were down one, 4-3.

Two goals 44 seconds apart would give Robert Morris a 5-4 lead approaching the midway mark of the contest.  The first of the two goals came from Gibson who tied the game, 4-4, after one-timing a cross-ice pass past Sarjeant.

Cope would pick up the goal that put the Colonials ahead, 5-4, after one-timing a loose puck from the left-wing circle behind Sarjeant almost eight minutes into the second period.

Mercyhurst would pick up its third power-play goal of the contest with eight minutes remaining in the middle frame as Kyle Dutra fired a shot from the right-wing boards that beat Shafer to tie the game, 5-5.

The two teams would skate to a scoreless third period and overtime, allowing each team to earn a point in the AHA standings.  With the point, the Colonials pulled even with Air Force in a tie for fourth place.

Shafer finished the contest with 37 saves while facing 42 shots.

The Colonials will conclude the regular season with one final home game at 84 Lumber Arena when these two programs will meet tomorrow evening.  Prior to the game, scheduled to start at 7:05 p.m., Robert Morris will honor the six seniors on its roster for the program's tenth season.