Pittsburgh, Pa. - An early goal from Erik Baskin proved to be enough as Robert Morris University men's hockey fell to Air Force 1-0 on Friday night in front of a big crowd at Colonials Arena.

Air Force netminder Billy Christopoulos earned his third shutout of the season, making 29 saves, thwarting the Colonials attempts at seemingly every turn. The Falcons junior stoned RMU senior Brady Ferguson on several breakaway chances, holding the sharp-shooting likes of Michael Louria and Luke Lynch off the board as well, despite the trio's 15 combined shots on goal.

WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Both teams had plenty of opportunity to do more damage than the 1-0 score reflects, with both teams taking a major penalty, which the respective penalty units killed off. Colonials sophomore defender Sean Giles was part of that effort, blocking five of RMU's 17 total blocked shots. Junior defenseman Eric Israel stopped three, while seniors Alex Bontje and Elias Ghantous each sturdied two.

Robert Morris outshot Air Force 29-23 and was 0-for-3 on the power play. The Colonials penalty kill units were a perfect 5-for-5 on the evening.

The Colonials (13-18-2, 12-13-2 Atlantic Hockey) are sitting in seventh place in the standings with 26 points, with one game remaining, against Air Force on Saturday night.

Based on current points available, Robert Morris can finish either fifth, sixth or seventh in the standings. A five-seed would give RMU a first round bye in the playoffs, sending the Colonials on the road to face the four-seed in the second round. To earn the five-seed, RMU must win and hope for Army West Point and RIT to lose their respective Saturday games. An RMU win, coupled with an Army win and an RIT loss, would give the Colonials the six-seed, hosting the 11th place team for a first round series. An RMU loss or tie would place the Colonials in seventh with a home series for the first round, hosting the ten-seed.

Saturday's game features more than just a battle for playoff position. The Colonials will honor the Class of 2018 seniors with a pregame ceremony, recognizing their accomplishments.

Robert Morris vs. Air Force
Saturday, Feb. 24 //  7:05pm
LIVE VIDEO  //  LIVE AUDIO Radio on 970 ESPN  //  LIVE STATS



COLONIALS MEN'S HOCKEY ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Snapchat  |  YouTube

--