PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Robert Morris University men's hockey team raised another Confluence Cup, claiming the program's second Three Rivers Classic championship with a 5-3 win over 8th-ranked Massachusetts-Lowell.

Robert Morris was first on the board with a power play goal by Brady Ferguson, his ninth tally of the season. The River Hawks responded in the final minute of the first period with a power play goal to knot the game at 1-1. In the second period, UMass Lowell scored twice in the span of 2:35 to jump ahead 3-1. But the Colonials responded. Just 22 seconds later, Zac Lynch potted his second goal of the tournament, sparking a Robert Morris rally. Matt Cope flipped a shot past River Hawks goaltender Kevin Boyle to tie the game at 3-3 and that score would hold through the end of the frame.

Brandon Denham, who scored his first career goal in the Three Rivers Classic in 2012, put the Colonials ahead for good 8:26 into the third period. The River Hawks continued to put pressure on Dalton Izyk and the Colonials defense, both standing strong. Lynch's tournament heroics weren't done yet. The Pittsburgh native senior stole the puck away from Massachusetts-Lowell, withstood a heavy hit on his way to the net and buried his third goal of the tournament into the River Hawks net.

The victory over the 8th-ranked River Hawks comes after the Colonials 6-4 decision over 14th-ranked Penn State, marking the second time in program history Robert Morris has defeated top 15 teams in consecutive games (January 8 & 10, 2010 vs. #1 Miami). With the pair of Three Rivers Classic wins and a victory over then 10th-ranked Michigan, RMU has three wins over top 15 programs in a single season, the most since the 2009-2010 season (January 8 & 10 vs. #1 Miami, January 30 vs. #6 Bemidji State, February 12 vs. #5 Bemidji State).

Lynch was named the tournament's most valuable player in addition to being named to the All-Tournament Team.



The six players listed below received All-Tournament Team honors:
 
F Troy Josephs – Clarkson
F Adam Chapie – UMass-Lowell
F Zac Lynch – Robert Morris
D Luke Juha – Penn State
D Michael Kapla – UMass-Lowell
G Terry Shafer – Robert Morris


 
Lynch helped push Robert Morris to the title with 4 points (3G-1A) and scored goals in the second and third period on Tuesday to help seal the win for Robert Morris. Shafer, who started the first game of the tournament for Robert Morris, stopped 52 shots on Monday night versus Penn State. In the 2012 Three Rivers Classic, Shafer made 59 saves versus Penn State in a win, which still stands as a single-game tournament record.

Robert Morris (11-4-3, 8-3-3 AHC) return to action on January 2, 2016 against host-team Dartmouth College in the Ledyard Classic in Hanover, NH.