#20 ROBERT MORRIS (21-6-5, 18-4-4 AHC) vs. NIAGARA (4-24-4, 4-18-4 AHC)
Friday, Feb. 27 at Dwyer Arena, Lewiston, N.Y. | Saturday, Feb. 28 at 84 Lumber Arena, Pittsburgh, Pa.
LISTEN: Google Hangouts (Friday) and 970 ESPN (Saturday) | WATCH ($): AtlanticHockey.TV 
LIVE STATS: Friday and Saturday | TWITTER: @RMUHockey

THE LEAD
ABOUT ROBERT MORRIS
- Robert Morris will try to add to its program-record total of 21 wins, 18 of which have come in league play. RMU's 40 points in AHC action are the second-most accumulated since 2009-10, when RIT piled up 45 and made the Frozen Four; Niagara had 42 points in 2012-13.
- The Colonials' thrilling comeback win last Friday at RIT marked the fifth time in eight games that they have earned at least a tie when trailing after two periods (2-3-3). Just as impressively, RMU is 7-3-2 this season when allowing the first goal, as it did last Friday.
- With an assist Saturday, Brady Ferguson set a new team record for points by a freshman. Ferguson has 25 points so far (11g, 14a), besting Nathan Longpre's prevous standard set in 2008-09.
- Wydo netted the game-winner Friday, but secondary scoring came through all weekend at RIT. David Friedmann had four points (1g, 3a) against the Tigers, while Greg Gibson scored three goals. Defensemen Chase Golightly (goal), John Rey (assist) and Tyson Wilson (assist) all recorded points as well.
- FUN FACT: Six of the Colonials' past eight games have been decided by one goal, a stretch of tense action that also includes a tie. RMU has gone 6-1-1 over this span.

MATCHING UP WITH NIAGARA
- While the Colonials have been in first place all season, the Purple Eagles have seen the other side of that coin in their most challenging season of 16 in Division I hockey. Niagara's previous low for wins in a season was 12, set in 2009-10.
- Despite the disappointing season-long results, the Purple Eagles put forth a fine effort last weekend vs. Air Force, earning a win and a tie to snap a 19-game winless streak. Niagara blew out the Falcons 6-1 last Friday, then rallied from 4-1 down to get the draw in Saturday's rematch.
- Although Niagara's team defense has struggled, allowing the most goals per game (4.31) in Division I, senior Isaac Kohls has been a bright spot on the offensive side. Kohls leads the Purps in points (17) and assists (11) and is tied with goals leader Hugo Turcotte (8) in shots on goal.
- Goaltending has been a sore spot for coach Dave Burkholder, with sophomore Jackson Teichroeb seeing the most playing time (25 games). Niagara's team save percentage is a lowly .873, with Teichroeb coming in at .888 individually.
- Niagara has a 23-14-9 edge in the all-time series, but RMU has won four in a row, including last year's AHC semifinal game, a 5-4 overtime victory at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y.

COLONIALS IN THE MEDIA
Friday Recap: Wydo's late goal clinches RMU's first regular-season title
Saturday Recap: Long unbeaten streak ends as RIT rallies for split
Web Story: Colonials set new standard with fifth-straight national ranking
Prisuta on Pucks: Honoring a senior class that grew with the program
NCAA.com: Watch Lynch and Wydo team up for one of college hockey's plays of the week
Beaver County Times: Colonials wrap up regular-season championship in style
City of Champions: RMU can't be denied top spot in AHC power rankings
Trib Live Radio: Coach Schooley catches up with Ken Laird and Josh Taylor
David Todd Show: Gibson joins Pittsburgh's ESPN Radio drive-time program

Five Year Plan: Robert Morris has risen to national prominence over the past five seasons, all of which have seen the Colonials finish at .500 or better. Since joining Atlantic Hockey in 2010-11, RMU is 95-67-24 overall - the 13th-best winning percentage among 59 Division I teams over that span. On top of that, the Colonials have won at least 13 conference games in each of the past five years and have never finished lower than fifth in the AHC.

Cody Keeps Climbing: After a program-record 31-goal, 54-point junior year, Hobey Baker Award candidate and Senior CLASS Award finalist Wydo has paced RMU's attack once again. The Michigan native, who entered the season as the active Division I leader in goals, has 40 points (19g, 21a) in his first 32 games, the eighth-highest total in the nation. His five-point night Jan. 17 vs. AIC gave him the all-time program scoring record, passing Longpre. 

Kudos from Atlantic Hockey: The Colonials have not only succeeded on a team-wide basis this season, they've also earned several individual honors. Wydo and Dalton Izyk earned Atlantic Hockey monthly awards in October, Daniel Leavens won player of the month for December and Zac Lynch claimed the prize for January. RMU has won 16 AHC weekly honors in total this season; Friedmann (two), Wydo (two), Terry Shafer (two) and Izyk (three) have all won multiple weekly awards.

PLAYER INTERVIEW
Rigatti joined Matt Gajtka to talk about RMU's remarkable season to date, his role with the team, and being part of the most successful senior class in the history of the program:



GAME NOTES