Men's Hockey | 2/22/2017 9:10:00 PM

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. - They began preparations for the final weekend of the regular season with the understanding that fourth place was their most likely destination and aware their postseason position and postseason opponent might be known before the puck drops on Saturday night at Niagara. 

But the Colonials nonetheless intend to take the ice with a sense of purpose, at Niagara and again on Sunday night at Heinz Field against the Purple Eagles.

"Consistency for 120 minutes on a weekend," head coach Derek Schooley said of RMU's No. 1 objective. "To get that you have to play consistently for the first 60 minutes, then you worry about the next 60."

It was the second 60 (the second 61:56, to be exact) that allowed Robert Morris a much-needed exhale last Saturday night against Mercyhurst.

A 7-4 loss in the series opener at Mercyhurst had dropped RMU to 0-2-1 in its last three games and to 1-3-1 in its last five.

But senior Ben Robillard's harsh-angle goal in overtime secured a 3-2 Senior Night victory that kept the Colonials' alive in the race for third place in the Atlantic Hockey Conference and strengthened their grip on fourth place, the last spot in the standings accompanied by a bye in the first round of the AHC Tournament and a home series in the second round.

"We've had an up-and-down second half," Schooley said. "To be able to get a bye and home ice is what everybody strives for. We have an opportunity to get that.

"We need to feel good about our team going into playoffs."

Securing the fourth spot would check that box.

So would consistently resurrecting elements of their game the Colonials had put on display with regularity while achieving an overall record of 13-6-3 through a sweep of AIC on Jan. 6-7.

Robert Morris will take on Niagara at 17-11-4 overall and 13-10-3 in conference.

"We knew we were going to have to find different ways to win hockey games and I think we've down that," Schooley said. "We've been able to score. We've been able to win tight-checking games. We've had one of our better defensive years in a long time. We just need to make sure we play the right way.

"It's not like we forgot how to win hockey games. Every team goes through a rough patch at certain points. Hopefully, we went through ours. You get better through adversity."

The feel-good story that was the game-winner against Mercyhurst coming off the stick of Robillard, a often-injured but persistent contributor in recent seasons, reminded the Colonials everything and anything is still possible.

"We needed that for our mental health," Schooley said.

After getting it, the Colonials could once again look ahead rather than behind.

The view in front of them includes a potential first-round bye and second-round home ice.

It includes another 20-win season.

It includes this year's seniors winning four more games and surpassing last year's seniors' 87 wins, the most for a class in RMU history.

And it includes a Sunday night appearance at the home of the Steelers.

That's an eyeful even if a third-place finish isn't necessarily on the horizon this weekend.


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