Pittsburgh, Pa. - Robert Morris University men's hockey looks to gain ground on its third place position in the Atlantic Hockey conference standings when the Colonials travel to face Bentley University in Watertown, Massachusetts this Friday and Saturday.

Robert Morris is receiving votes in the USCHO.com poll and is 19th in the PairWise rankings, used to mimic the criteria for assembling the at-large portion of the NCAA tournament field. RMU enters the weekend one win away from the program's 200th victory, all under head coach Derek Schooley.

The Colonials sit in third place in the Atlantic Hockey standings with 13 points, behind first-place RIT (16 points) and second-place Army West Point (14 points). Robert Morris has three cconference games in hand on RIT, who hosts Providence in non-conference action, and one game in hand on the Black Knights who host Holy Cross.

Robert Morris enters the series with the top 3 scorers in Atlantic Hockey in Brady Ferguson (12G-13A-25P), Alex Tonge (10G-10A-20P) & Daniel Leavens (4G-15A-19P). Eric Israel is the second-leading scoring defenseman in Atlantic Hockey (3G-11-A-14P), ranked 10th in the NCAA. Freshman goaltender Francis Marotte leads the nation in save percentage with a .947 mark. 

GAME INFORMATION
Friday, December 9, 7:05pm                 Saturday, December 10, 4:05pm
Live Stats  |  Live Video ($)                     Live Stats  |  Live Video ($)

RMU Game Notes (.pdf)                          Bentley Game Notes (.pdf)

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SERIES HISTORY
The Colonials are 9-8-2 all-time vs. Bentley, but possess a 1-4-1 record on the road against the Falcons, including an 0-3-1 mark at John A. Ryan Arena in Atlantic Hockey play. This is RMU's first visit to The JAR since the 2013-14 season. Bentley swept that series 4-1 and 7-2. The last seven games in the all-time series have been played in Pittsburgh, with RMU holding a 5-2-0 record in that span. Last season, the Colonials hosted and swept the regular season series with 5-1 and 5-0 victories and won a playoff series, with Bentley taking the opening game 4-3 before Robert Morris finished with 4-1 and 6-3 wins.

FIRST PLACE FRANKY
Freshman goaltender Francis Marotte (7-2-1) leads NCAA men's hockey with a .947 save percentage. Marotte is fifth nationally with a 1.75 goals against average (2nd in AHC) and holds a 7-2-1 record, making 9 starts and playing in 11 of the team's 14 games. Marotte has stopped 302 of 319 shots.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING
Daniel Leavens & Brady Ferguson are each riding 8-game point streaks.

POWER UP
RMU's power play is 5th in the nation & 3rd in Atlantic Hockey (23.7 %). Robert Morris is 2nd in the league in power play goals with 18, while RIT leads with 19. Ferguson leads Atlantic Hockey with 12 power play points, tied for 5th in NCAA. RMU's 18 power play goals account for 39.1% of the team's total goals.

THE KILLERS
After allowing 10 power play goals in the first four games of the season, the Colonials penalty kill has only allowed 6 power play goals in the last eight games (49-for-55, 89.1%)

BLOCK PARTY
A pair of defenseman lead the Colonials in shot blocks. Senior captain Rob Mann and junior assistant captain Alex Bontje pace the squad with 27 blocks apiece.

SHARPSHOOTERS (Most Points in NCAA, Three Teammates)
78 – Mike Vecchione, Spencer Foo, Sebastian Vidmar (Union)
69 – Tyler Kelleher, Patrick Grasso, Matias Cleland (New Hampshire)
66 – Zach Aston-Reese, Dylan Sikura, Adam Gaudette (Northeastern)
64 – Brady Ferguson, Alex Tonge, Daniel Leavens (Robert Morris)

NOVEMBER REIGN
Leavens was the Atlantic Hockey Player of the Month for November after scoring 11 points on 4 goals & 7 assists. Two of Leavens goals were game-winners including one shorthanded goal.

OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Robert Morris is 18th in the nation in goals per game, scoring at a 3.29 goals/per game clip.

QUICK ON THE DRAW
Ferguson (57.1%) leads RMU in faceoffs & is 5th in the league in faceoff percentage and 43rd in the NCAA.

GOAL BREAKDOWN
The Colonials have scored 31 goals in winning efforts, 9 in losses, 6 in ties. RMU has only scored 8 goals in the first period, with 20 coming in the second, 18 in the third. 28 of RMU's 46 goals have come on the road.

PLAYING FOR PUPS
This week, Robert Morris men's hockey announced a new initiative to raise money and awareness for shelter dogs, "Playing For Pups." The idea started with senior defenseman John Rey, a dog-lover with a passion for making sure shelter dogs find a good home and receive proper treatment. Funds raised through "Playing For Pups" will go to the Western PA Humane Society. Donations can be made on the "Playing For Pups" GoFundMe Page.

MUST-READ MATERIAL
Prisuta on Pucks: Taking a Dual Role  |  Feature on Spencer Dorowicz embracing change and a dual role for the Colonials

ROAD TO REVOLUTION
Get to know the Robert Morris men's hockey team with an all-access look at life inside Colonials hockey. Catch up on this season's episodes.



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