PITTSBURGH -- No doubt, the Robert Morris University men's hockey team was better Saturday than Friday, but that guarantees little in terms of getting a result.

For the first time this season, the Colonials were swept in an Atlantic Hockey weekend series, as a sharp-shooting Bentley squad skated out of the RMU Island Sports Center with a 5-1 win.

The story of this night could very well be told by the opening three minutes ...

• RMU leading scorer Alex Tonge broke in for a chance just seconds after the opening draw, but Bentley goalie Aidan Pelino made a reaction stick save.
• The Colonials' Luke Lynch burst toward the goal to hunt a loose puck, but a Bentley stick got in the way and blocked the shot out of play.
• Lynch drew a penalty on the play, giving RMU a power-play opportunity just 14 seconds into the game.
• Bentley fended off three shot attempts during the advantage, returning to even strength.
• The Falcons scored on their first shot on goal, with top point-getter Luke Santerno snapping a one-timer under the crossbar.

By the time Bentley defenseman and co-captain Tanner Jago drove the net and finished his own rebound past a sprawling Francis Marotte at 8:03, making it 2-0 following a second empty RMU power play, no one could blame the home team for feeling the frustration. 

"We were good, but at the end of the day, I don't like the scoreboard," head coach Derek Schooley said shortly after the final buzzer. "Our energy was very good in the first period. Our execution was not. We made some mistakes and they made us pay."

Indeed, the Falcons (7-11-2, 6-7-1 AHA) earned what they got this weekend, in the process climbing within two points of Robert Morris in the middle of the AHA standings. Bentley's junior goalie Pelino came up with 24 saves in a second consecutive strong outing. And in a story of local interest, Moon Township native Brendan Walkom netted a pair of goals for the Falcons, no doubt lifted by the presence of family and friends.

On the other side, the Colonials (8-13-1, 7-8-1 AHA) could certainly take solace in out-attempting Bentley (47-36) and having the majority of the scoring chances, but they were still left to analyze a fourth straight loss following a road win at American International 13 days ago.



"I thought we brought more effort today," said freshman Aidan Spellacy, who matched team highs in shot attempts (five) and shots on goal (three). "I thought we were better in certain areas. But I mean, we've just gotta put it all together.

"We saw bits and pieces where we pinned them in there, but we've just gotta weather the storm and bring it back to them. They capitalized on the opportunities they had and we didn't."

Spellacy generated one of RMU's closer calls, firing a rebound through Pelino and wide with Bentley ahead 3-0 midway through the second. Not long after that rotten luck, sophomore defenseman Nick Jenny broke the ice for the Colonials with three minutes left in the second, leading to a furious push before intermission. 

Jenny's goal, his second in as many games, was the result of a friendly couple of bounces. With an extra attacker on the ice, Jenny snapped a wrist shot that hit Pelino in the shoulder, hopped briefly on top of the goal, then trickled down the goalie's back. (Freshman Nick Lalonde earned an assist on Jenny's goal, giving him points in four straight games -- RMU's second-longest scoring streak of 2018-19.)

A brief video review confirmed that the puck fully crossed the goal line, but for the first time in six post-holiday games, the Colonials couldn't muster a second goal.

"The pieces are all there," Spellacy said. "It's just a matter of putting it all together. We have great players in the locker room. We have to find the confidence to go out and score goals and get wins. We're all there. We're working hard. We've got to get a bounce here and there."



The quest for better results will carry on away from Neville Island for the rest of the month, since the Colonials have four consecutive road games on their schedule. In fact, nine of the final 12 regular-season contests will take place away from Pittsburgh, with two in Buffalo, New York, against Canisius next up on the docket.

"We're going to find out what we're made of," Schooley said. "We're just going through a rough patch. We're not used to that here. This program is used to winning a lot of games, but we're just not there right now. ... We have to make it happen. We're close."

Perhaps the road could be a salve to a freshman-laden team that hasn't been able to string together a series of victories on home ice. Although the Colonials might not have been as good as the final score looked Friday or as far off the pace as it looked after 60 minutes Saturday, Schooley's team will continue to search for more nights when all aspects of their game are clicking.

"I can't fault our energy and our enthusiasm," Schooley said, "but we have to defend better."

Friday's faceoff against the Golden Griffins is set for 7:35 p.m. at the HarborCenter facility in Buffalo. Follow RMU men's hockey away from home on RMUColonials.com!