BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Michael Louria was knocking on the door all Saturday afternoon at Webster Bank Arena, but the Robert Morris University senior winger went ahead and knocked the whole thing down in sudden death.

Louria's score with 2:17 left in overtime completed a dramatic comeback for the RMU men's hockey team and delivered a 2-1 road victory at Atlantic Hockey foe Sacred Heart. The Colonials (6-7-1, 5-4-1 AHA) have won three of four overall and two of their past three away from home as they chug toward the semester break.

"I was just trying to shoot the puck as much as possible, and luckily one went in tonight," said Louria, who had a game-high nine shots on goal. "Huge win for us to battle back on the road in the third."

Saturday's result ensured RMU wouldn't drive back to Pittsburgh empty-handed, which seemed especially important after Sacred Heart (3-8-2, 3-6-1 AHA) grabbed a win Friday night with a late goal.

This time around, the Colonials played spoiler as time wound down, when Alex Tonge finished a fine dish from Daniel Mantenuto with 4:10 left in the third, forcing overtime. Tonge's tally gave the senior 113 points as a Colonial, passing RMU Hall of Famer Denny Urban for seventh on the program's all-time scoring list.

In the extra period, junior goalie Francis Marotte made a spectacular lunging save on SHU's Nick Boyagian just moments before RMU's veteran trio of Tonge, Mantenuto and Louria generated the game-winner. On the decisive play, Tonge fed the puck to the right faceoff circle for Mantenuto, who spun a pass in front for Louria to score his 26th career NCAA goal, but his first since the season opener 13 games ago.

"Mike's a good player," head coach Derek Schooley said. "He's just been a little bit snake-bit recently. I liked his game. We thought he was on (his game) after the first period, so we got him a little more ice time with Tonge and Mantenuto."

The end of the Saturday matinée triggered equal parts relief and jubilation for Robert Morris. For the second straight game, the Colonials found the going tough against the Pioneers, particularly when it came to sustained offensive pressure. Through 60 minutes, Louria's afternoon was emblematic of the team's, as he fired eight shots in regulation with nothing to show for it.

All it takes is one play to turn things around, though. First of all, Tonge's neat finish at the net-front seemed to turn the emotional heat up a few notches on the visiting bench.

"After we tied the game, we had our best seven minutes of the weekend," Schooley said. "We played with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm after that."

A power play that spanned the end of the third period and the start of overtime bore no fruit, but that missed chance didn't weaken the Colonials' continued push. On the verge of getting swept in a weekend series for the second time this season, RMU's upperclassmen took the lead, from Marotte in the crease and Eric Israel on the blue line to an experienced core of forwards. 

By the time Louria's lit the lamp with his third career overtime goal -- tied for the most among active Division I players -- the entire complexion of the long trip to Connecticut had changed. 

"It shows you have to find a way to win a hockey game," Schooley said. "You go into a tough place to play and you find a way to grind out a couple points. It'll make for a happier bus ride home than the alternative."

Through two periods, Saturday's game bore several similarities to Friday night, specifically the 1-0 Sacred Heart lead. Unlike Friday, the home team was the better side in the second, though. In the middle frame, the Pioneers unleashed 15 shots on goal, with Marotte denying 14 of those.

Marotte has now allowed two goals or fewer in nine of his 14 starts this season. With the RMU victory, he took over solo third place on the program's all-time wins list, with 40.

The only shot to beat either goalie through 40 minutes was a dart thrown by Pioneers sophomore Jordan Kaplan, who scored to Marotte's blocker side from the right circle 1:04 into the second. Liam Clare made the play happen with a backhand pass through bodies.

After leaning on special teams in their two-win performance against Mercyhurst last weekend, the Colonials had to get it done at five-on-five Saturday. Bumping Louria to Mantenuto's wing seemed to help all involved, culminating in the two most important sequences of the afternoon.

"The last few games I was getting great opportunities and it just wasn't going in," Louria said. "My linemates in both games were moving the puck really well and we were getting a lot of O-zone time, especially with Tonge and Mantenuto. Those guys are so skilled and can make plays out of nothing. It seemed like there was an instant chemistry there."

With only one weekend series left in the first half of the season, the Colonials will aim to take a lesson from their collective performance at Sacred Heart. Previous to Friday, RMU had never lost to the Pioneers in seven seasons together in the AHA, but of course, none of that has any bearing on the present day.

"They're a really good team that likes to play fast," Louria said of SHU. "We can't just look at our previous record against them and assume it's going to be easy. 

"We have to bring our best effort every single night if we want to win. It's college hockey every team is good and we need to have that mindset every game if we want to be a consistent team In our league."

Now back above .500 in league play, RMU hosts Holy Cross at the Island Sports Center next Friday (7:05 p.m.) and Saturday (4:05). For tickets and further information, visit RMUColonials.com.