Men's Hockey | 12/7/2017 8:00:00 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. -  Penn State is back in the national rankings, just in time, perhaps, for Robert Morris.

The Colonials are 21-25-3 all-time against teams in the USCHO.com Top 20, including a 3-0-1 mark last season and a 3-1-0 record the season before that.

Robert Morris has beaten No. 1 twice (Miami in January of 2010). The Colonials have knocked off No. 2 (Notre Dame in January of 2007), No. 5 (Bemidji State in 2010, Miami in 2012) and No. 8 (Boston University in 2007, UMass-Lowell in 2015), among others, through their first 13 NCAA Division I seasons.

They've been at their best, for the most part, when the lights have shined the brightest.

And that's a characteristic the Colonials will have a chance to rediscover this weekend against the No. 18 Nittany Lions (Friday at 7:05pm, PPG Paints Arena; Saturday at 7:00pm, Pegula Ice Arena in University Park).

"We have not let the moment define us," Schooley said of RMU's success in such situations. "We have defined the moment."

A little more of that would go a long way this time around.

RMU takes on Penn State for the first time since Dec. 28, 2015 with an overall record of 5-9-1, including a 3-7-1 stretch after a 2-2 start. The Colonials have struggled when they fail to score the first goal and they've had a tougher time than they anticipated scoring or preventing the decisive goal late when games have been hanging in the balance.

They remain confident of what they can yet become, but to be that they have to "get to playing the way we're capable of playing and we have to do it consistently for 60 minutes," Schooley emphasized.

Penn State will arrive at the home of the NHL's Penguins with an overall record of 9-7-2.

The Nittany Lions were No. 10 in the USCHO.com preseason poll after a late-season run that saw them win the Big Ten Tournament and reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016-17.

Penn State fell out of the top 20 after absorbing a 5-3, 1-0 sweep on Nov. 10-11 at No. 6 Notre Dame, but the Nittany Lions have gone 4-0-2 in their last six.

Penn State has lost twice to Atlantic Hockey Conference teams this season, 3-2 in overtime to AIC on Oct. 20 and 7-4 to Mercyhurst on Nov. 3, both at home.

"They have very good forwards, mobile defensemen, a good goalie in Peyton Jones and they get a lot of shots at the net," Schooley assessed. "They funnel pucks and throw pucks at the net from everywhere. We have to defend away from the puck because there will be rebounds.

"We have to be ready to play our best."

That has often been the case in such situations, particularly against Penn State.

RMU is 4-2 all-time against PSU, including 3-1 in the Three Rivers Classic (2012-15) and 2-0 when Penn State is a ranked opponent (No. 20 in 2014, No. 14 in 2015).

"We've had good starts against them, we've been ready to play," Schooley said. "The moment has not gotten past us."

The opportunity to play Penn State again -- ranked or otherwise -- is potentially energizing for a Robert Morris team in search of a spark.

"Obviously, we were disappointed when they chose not to continue playing in the Three Rivers Classic," Schooley said. "We feel playing a home-and-home series this year and an already scheduled home-and-home series next year will reinvigorate the rivalry."


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