Men's Hockey | 11/25/2016 10:51:00 AM

College hockey aficionado and Pittsburgh media personality Mike Prisuta contributes regular commentary on the RMU men's hockey team. This is his latest:

Pittsburgh, Pa. - There was no Thanksgiving holiday break this week for Robert Morris. Not coming off of a bye.

And not with a pair of games against Dartmouth looming this weekend (Saturday, Nov. 26 at 7:05pm at 84 Lumber Arena; Sunday, Nov. 27, 2:05pm at PPG Paints Arena).

The Colonials practiced on Thursday.

But also found a way to acknowledge the occasion.

"The team came over to my house for Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday night, and then we practiced Thursday morning," head coach Derek Schooley reported.

The annual gathering has become something of a tradition at RMU.

"You always want to do things like that to show your appreciation for your team and your players," Schooley continued. "It's something we've done year after year. The guys get a good meal and we get a chance to give thanks for what we have.

"It's a lot of food and a lot of work being done by my wife to feed 30 people who eat like horses."

There's much for which the Colonials can be thankful for this season.

They've gone 3-0-1 in their last four games and 4-1-1 in their last six.

And at 5-3-2 overall they've played enough games in enough different venues against a large enough sampling of opponents to suspect the pieces of the puzzle are indeed beginning to come together for an inexperienced team with ten freshmen on the roster.

Carry-over Colonials might also be thankful for another shot at Dartmouth, which beat RMU last season, 5-1, in the semifinals of the Ledyard Bank Classic at Dartmouth.

The Colonials were coming off of a 5-3 victory over No. 8 Massachusetts-Lowell in the championship game of the Three Rivers Classic.

But they wound up getting outshot, 37-18, and outscored by as many goals as they would be all season (RMU also lost by four on Dec. 13 at Canisius, 6-2).  

"They spanked us pretty good," Schooley recalled of Dartmouth. "They took it to us.

"We had a tremendous amount of confidence after winning the Three Rivers Classic. They brought us back down to earth pretty quick."

Dartmouth celebrated its dominance by chirping the RMU bench.

"I don't think it carries over and becomes a rivalry but you remember when teams hand it to you pretty good," Schooley said. "It's not like it's bad blood or anything.

"We remember the fact they beat us pretty handily."

The Dartmouth series also affords Robert Morris an opportunity to continue another Colonials' tradition -- playing at the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Beginning in 2006-07, Robert Morris has crafted a record of 7-7-1 in games at Mellon Arena and the former CONSOL Energy Center.

The Colonials' annual appearances on NHL ice have included a 3-1 win over No. 1 Miami in 2009, a 1-0 win over No. 5 Miami in the championship game of the Three Rivers Classic in 2012 and a 6-4 takedown of No. 14 Penn State in the semifinals of last season's Classic, prior to the win over No. 8 Massachusetts-Lowell.

Dartmouth has acquainted itself with playing against ranked teams this season.

The Big Green's 2-2-2 overall record includes a 3-3 tie with No. 13 Harvard, a 3-2 win over No. 11 Michigan and a 6-3 loss at No. 7 Quinnipiac.

"It's always great when you can play in an NHL area and in the home of the Stanley Cup champions," Schooley said. "It's exciting for our players, exciting for our university and exciting for Pittsburgh college hockey."

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