Pittsburgh, Pa. - Robert Morris University men's hockey settles for a split, falling 5-2 to Dartmouth in non-conference action at PPG Paints Arena Sunday afternoon following a 3-0 win Saturday night. Francis Marotte made 34 saves in just his second loss of the season (5-2-1). Brady Ferguson and Alex Tonge each netted goals for the Colonials, as the duo continue to sit first and second in scoring for Robert Morris.

Dartmouth scored twice in the first period to take a 2-0 lead and never trailed. Corey Kalk gained some redemption after being robbed of a goal by Andrew Pikul on Saturday night. Kalk scored the first goal of the game just 4:19 into the first. Troy Crema broke an 0-for-43 power play slump for the Big Green, chipping in two goals on the man advantage. Both Kalk and Crema finished with three-point performances.

Trailing 3-0, Robert Morris was able to get on the board in the second period with Ferguson's second goal of the year, 54 seconds after Dartmouth's third goal. Daniel Leavens found Tonge up the ice, before Tonge made a nifty pass through the Dartmouth defense to Ferguson who finished with a backhanded one-timer. Less than five minutes later, Dartmouth regained its three-goal advantage with Daniel Warpecha's first career goal, making it a 4-1 lead for the Big Green. Tonge scored in the third period, taking the puck after the faceoff win by Ferguson and putting it home for his eighth goal of the season.

Dartmouth dominated shots throughout most of the contest, firing 39 shots and 72 shot attempts. The Colonials blocked a season-high 26 shots, but struggled to defend in front of Marotte. Alex Bontje and Rob Mann led the way with four blocks apiece, Bontje totalling 10 blocks in the series.

"Can you really fault him for any of the four goals?" said head coach Derek Schooley. "Those were wide open nets. When you get outshot 33-13 for two periods, you're pretty much under siege the whole time."

The Colonials went 3-for-5 on the power play, allowing Dartmouth to score its first power play goal of the season.

"We had three opportunities to clear the puck and when you don't clear the puck, it always comes back to bite you," said Schooley.

After being outshot 33-13 through two periods, the Colonials played a more even third period, outshooting Dartmouth 11-6. 

"Unfortunately, it took us until [the second intermission] to flip that switch," said junior defenseman Bontje. "I don't know what it was before the game, but we didn't flip that switch early enough. We just have to be ready coming out of the gate and get on them right away."

"It's no excuses, especially for the older guys," said Ferguson. "We've been here before and we just took them lightly, especially the first two periods. You can't play one period, you have to play three."

Robert Morris (6-4-2, 4-3-1 AHC) has a quick turnaround with another home series on Friday and Saturday against Sacred Heart at 84 Lumber Arena.
 





















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