PITTSBURGH -- The Robert Morris University men's hockey team put the building blocks in place for a two-game weekend sweep, but couldn't construct a successful rally in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Niagara at the RMU Island Sports Center.

Although the Colonials (3-4-1, 2-3-1 Atlantic Hockey) mustered 82 total shot attempts and piled up more than 30 shots on goal for the third consecutive game, only freshman Nick Lalonde -- with his first collegiate two-goal game -- was able to beat Niagara goalie Brian Wilson. Those results left RMU still searching for its first winning streak of the 2018-19 season.

An 0-for-6 night on the power play didn't help matters, but the postgame mood was mixed because the opportunities were largely there. Niagara contributed to some of the attack-zone frustration, too, as the Purple Eagles (3-5-0, 3-3-0 AHA) blocked 27 shots while converting a 2-0 second-period lead into their first win on the Island since 2012, a stretch of nine games.

"I think when we're getting pucks on net and moving our feet to get open, as opposed to just making a play and then watching, we're a lot better," said RMU senior winger Michael Louria, who played in his 100th NCAA game. "They did a good job blocking shots. We just have to do a good job getting to the net and just playing a full game at our pace. There's a lot to build on, and we have to be a lot better."

Niagara scored three of its four goals as the result of defensive-zone turnovers by RMU, preventing a repeat of the shutdown performance from Friday's 3-1 win. At the same time, the Colonials didn't give the Purple Eagles much in terms of volume.

"They were playing with more urgency," Schooley said. "We turned too many pucks over, but they (all) seemed to end up in our net. Our 'D' was good and we can't blame our goalie for any of those goals. We just go from there."
 
As for Lalonde, he took over the team lead in goals, with three in his first eight games at this level. His first goal was a tidy deflection of Eric Israel's point shot with 4:38 left in the second period, pulling the Colonials within one. The Ontario native followed that up by whipping an extra-attacker wrister over Wilson's glove from the left dot with 57 seconds remaining to make it 3-2.

Fellow freshman Grant Hebert also shined, although he had to settle for a five-shot performance as he still pursues his first college point.

"I thought he was all over the ice," Schooley said of Hebert, who put his puck-protection and playmaking talents on display. "He could've had 10 points by now; he could've had four goals alone this weekend. ... We have to keep positive and keep working."

Junior goalie Francis Marotte's level never wavered in this one, as all three of Niagara's goals against him were point-blank chances. Alex Truscott (first period), Pittsburgh native Eric Cooley (second) and Ryan Cox (third) provided the Purple Eagles' offensive thrust, keeping RMU at arm's length for most of the night. Justin Kendall finished a two-point night with an empty-netter shortly after Lalonde's second strike.

On the positive side for the Colonials, Israel finished with two assists, giving the senior defenseman four points in four games. Luke Lynch ended up with an assist to go with a team-high six shots on goal and 13 total attempts, but his night was emblematic of RMU's search for another goal here and there.

"Every team's not going to be the high-scoring team that you're used to," Schooley said. "We knew we were going to have to be patient with this group of guys. We'll keep working on things we need to do to get better.

"The world is not ending. We've played eight games. Just keep going at it."

Robert Morris will now leave Atlantic Hockey play for a weekend to tackle a home-and-home series against nationally-ranked Penn State. The Colonials will invade Pegula Ice Arena in State College on Friday before hosting the Nittany Lions next Saturday. Click here to purchase tickets ahead of time, as seats are going fast.