Derek Schooley didn't specifically mimic James Franklin's comparing of Pitt to Akron, but the Robert Morris University men's hockey coach still managed to capture the spirit of the thing as it relates to playing Penn State.

"Any time you play a local team there's a little more hype, whether it's us and Mercyhurst or us and Penn State," Schooley maintained regarding the Colonials' upcoming home-and-home series with the Nittany Lions. "I think the guys feel a buzz in the air, especially on campus."

RMU, PSU and Mercyhurst are the only NCAA Division I hockey-playing members that have a Commonwealth campus in common.

But they're not three of a kind.

Robert Morris and Mercyhurst are fellow Atlantic Hockey combatants.

Penn State is the big school from the Big Ten.

Robert Morris and Mercyhurst have been to the NCAA Tournament.

Penn State has been to the last two, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2016-17, where the Nittany Lions dropped a hard-fought 6-3 decision to Denver, the eventual NCAA champion.

"You're gonna play big games all year, games that people are gonna remember," Schooley continued.

"You remember rivalries."

This one began in 2012-13, when Penn State made the jump from club hockey to Division I as an independent. The sticks came up shortly thereafter.

And the blood that has boiled and occasionally hit the ice ever since has been of the "bad" variety.

Former Colonials goaltender Terry Shafer confirmed as much after backstopping then-No. 19 Robert Morris to a 4-2 victory over Penn State in the 2014 Three Rivers Classic.

"To be honest, we don't like Penn State," Shafer announced.

The all-time series stands at 4-4-0 in the wake of Penn State's 5-2, 7-4 sweep last season.

"I don't think it's anything over the top," Schooley said. "The players may say differently. We've been playing for a while now. Alums of both schools will be at both games. There will be excitement at RMU when they play here and some excited RMU fans watching us play at Penn State. 

"We've had some good games."

The ones coming up this weekend -- Friday night at Penn State's Pegula Ice Arena and Saturday night at Colonials Arena on Neville Island -- provide for Robert Morris another chance to make a statement.

Penn State checks in at 6-1 and ranked No. 6 in this week's USCHO.com Top 20.

The Nittany Lions swept then-No. 17 Clarkson, swept Niagara (8-2, 4-1) and defeated then-No. 13 Princeton on the way to a 6-0 start.

Penn State suffered its first loss of the season last Saturday night, 4-3 in overtime to Arizona State.

RMU is 3-4-1 overall (2-3-1 in Atlantic Hockey) after last weekend's home split with Niagara, a 3-1 win and a 4-2 loss.

The Colonials' victims include then-No. 20 Bowling Green (3-2 on Oct. 12 on Neville Island). The Falcons are No. 10 this week.

RMU has fashioned a 22-30-3 all-time record against ranked opponents.

"We played at a high pace, our compete level was huge, we did a good job on special teams and we played the right way," Schooley said of the victory over BG. "If you do that, it gives you a chance to win."

That's the case whether the opponent is Penn State or Mercyhurst.