Watertown, Mass. – Robert Morris University men's hockey comes home from Bentley with the program's 200th all-time victory after a 4-1 win over the Falcons on Saturday. Head Coach
Derek Schooley has led the Colonials program to its 200th win since its inaugural season in 2004.
"To get 200 wins is a tremendous accomplishment for our program," said Schooley. "We couldn't have done it without the outstanding dedication of our alumni, current players and staff. I look forward to the next milestone."
Robert Morris went up 1-0 early in the contest and never trailed, holding a 3-0 lead for the second half of the game, before a late goal by Bentley snapped an
Andrew Pikul shutout streak, dating back to the midway point of the Colonials 4-4 tie with 11th-ranked Ohio State on November 5 in Pittsburgh. Pikul held the Buckeyes scoreless for the final 34:08 of that contest and shutout Dartmouth 3-0 in his next appearance on November 26. Pikul's shutout streak started at 10:52 of the second period against Ohio State ended at 150 minutes and 15 seconds, spanning six regulation periods, one five-minute overtime and 56:05 of Saturday's game.
The Colonials have only scored the first goal in five of their 15 games this season, but they made it six for 16 with a power play goal in the first period Saturday afternoon.
Timmy Moore, after blocking a pair of shots early in the first, cashed in on the offensive end.
Brady Ferguson,
Daniel Leavens and
Alex Tonge were circling the zone with the puck on the power play. Moore picked up the puck in front of the net and made no mistake in putting it home to give the Colonials a 1-0 lead. For Moore, it's his sixth goal of the season.
Robert Morris carried its 1-0 lead into the second frame, scoring two goals in less than three minutes, in the first five minutes of the period. Leavens narrowly missed on a shorthanded breakaway in the first, but found his redemption quickly in the second. Tonge skated up the ice with the puck, Ferguson and Leavens in stride. Tonge left the puck back for Ferguson, who connected with Leavens, scoring on a backhand over the left shoulder of Jayson Argue and into an open corner of the net.
The 2-0 lead didn't last long. Another power play chance for Robert Morris and as one of the nation's top teams on the man-advantage, the Colonials added to their lead.
Rob Mann took a pass from
Daniel Mantenuto at the point and continued the give and go as Mantenuto cut back off the right wall and through the circle. Mantenuto's shot bounced to the left and
Ben Robillard buried a juicy rebound for his third goal of the season. Robert Morris took a 3-0 lead less than five minutes into the second period, and that score would hold until the final four minutes of the game.
The Colonials controlled play through the third, keeping Bentley at bay until Drew Callin chipped in a shot near the cage that slipped past Pikul. The Falcons could never pull any closer as Robert Morris iced the game
"I thought we played a really complete game," said Schooley. "We had tremendous energy and we played hard. Every player contributed to the win."
Leavens finished the game with a goal and two assists, his fourth three-point game and fifth multi-point game of the season. Leavens and Ferguson extend their point streaks to ten games, as Ferguson dished a pair of assists Saturday. Tonge was also a three-point performer with a trio of assists, his fourth game of the season with three or more points and sixth multi-point game of the year. Mantenuto picked up his fourth assist of the season, fifth total point. Mann registered the first power play point of his career with the helper on Robillard's goal, his second assist in as many games and third of the season.
Robert Morris (9-5-2, 7-4-1 AHC) picked up two points in the conference standings will exit the weekend still in third place, three points behind Army West Point and one point back of second place RIT. RMU has a game in hand against both teams. The Colonials have one more weekend of Atlantic Hockey play remaining before the semester break, a home-and-home series with I-79 rival Mercyhurst, at 7:05pm in Pittsburgh on Saturday, December 17, before finishing on the road in Erie on Sunday, December 18 at 4:00pm.
Tickets for home games at 84 Lumber Arena can be purchased at
RMUtickets.com or by calling 412-397-4949. Robert Morris returns from the holiday break as the host squad for the fifth annual Three Rivers Classic at PPG Paints Arena as Ferris State and nationally ranked Boston College and Quinnipiac come to town, December 29-30. Tickets can be purchased on
ticketmaster for the Three Rivers Classic.
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