PITTSBURGH -- The game's ebbs and flows kept a feisty crowd at the RMU Island Sports Center on the edge of their seats, but visiting Michigan Tech struck the final blow of Saturday's opening night fight, winning 2-1 in overtime.
The Huskies' Alec Broetzman decided the game by firing a short-handed wrister past RMU goalie
Justin Kapelmaster with 44 seconds left in sudden death, but the ending hardly seemed just to the men in Colonials' colors.Â
For one, the winning two-on-one rush for Michigan Tech (1-0-0) came just moments after a controversial offside call at the Huskies' blue line. For another, senior transfer Kapelmaster had shined in his RMU debut, giving the Colonials (0-1-0) a chance to tie the score, which they did on
Justin Addamo's third-period jam job.
"I thought we played pretty well," head coach
Derek Schooley said. "Good first game for us. Obviously we had a lot of chances to score, early especially. One game's not going to define our season. We've got to put (the result) behind us quickly and move on."
Sporting gray alternate jerseys for the first time in several years, the Colonials emerged from their six-month hiatus with gusto, outshooting their non-conference guests 12-5 in the opening frame. Unfortunately, Michigan Tech senior goalie Matt Jurusik was on from the start, too, robbing Addamo and
Nick Prkusic in the first with a strong glove hand.
Both teams crossed the line a few times early, resulting in 10 combined power plays through two periods. The Huskies' Alex Smith notched the lone conversion three minutes into the second, shoving the rebound of a deflected point shot under Kapelmaster's right leg.
But Kapelmaster's 29-save body of work in his first RMU action was stellar. The former Ferris State Bulldog brought plenty of bite from the start, smothering Smith's point-blank chance midway through the first, then snuffing out Raymond Brice's golden backdoor chance in the second with a quick push left.
"Justin made a very good first impression," Schooley said. "I thought he was outstanding. He made some acrobatic saves. It's unfortunate we didn't capitalize on one of our early chances to give him a cushion."
At least one of the late opportunities found the twine. After Michigan Tech racked up 14 shots on goal in the second, the Colonials tilted the ice back the other way for the third.
With 11 1/2 minutes left in regulation, an aggressive forecheck by
Nick Lalonde created a chance for
Alex Robert to pump a point shot on net. Jurusik made the first stop, but Addamo powered the rebound through the Huskies' goalie from the right edge of the crease.
"We got back into a good forecheck, which we struggled with in the second period," said Addamo, who led last year's RMU freshmen with eight goals. "Getting the puck deep, making the 'D' turn their feet and pinning them in their zone. Not making it a back-and-forth game."
The Colonials seemed on the verge of victory late in OT, but Lalonde was robbed in the low slot by Jurusik following Robert's steal in the right corner. Although slashing was called against the Huskies on the play, RMU couldn't get set up in the offensive zone.
On an attempted neutral-zone regroup, the puck was turned over, leading to Broetzman's stinging game-winner from the right circle.Â
"We gotta make sure we manage the puck well during the entire game," Addamo said. "Starting the season, that was the theme of the week. We can do a better job at it."
RMU will aim for a split with their WCHA opponent on Sunday afternoon at the Island Sports Center. Faceoff is set for 3:05 p.m.
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