PITTSBURGH -- The team that went into the final weekend of the regular season feeling like it was on the verge of a breakthrough has indeed strung some results together.

And, in true keeping with the recent history of the Robert Morris University men's hockey program, the turnaround has occurred at the most important time of the season.

Behind 30 saves for junior goalie Francis Marotte, a second-period breakaway goal by sophomore Nick Prkusic and a season-high 24 blocked shots as a team, the eighth-seeded Colonials stifled No. 9 seed Holy Cross in Game 1 of an Atlantic Hockey first-round playoff series Friday night.

Resurgent RMU (13-20-2, 12-15-2 AHA) has now won three in a row and can clinch this best-of-three series with a victory Saturday night at the RMU Island Sports Center.

"Just the little details, we're doing them so much better," said Marotte, who tied Terry Shafer '16 for first in team history with his eighth career shutout. "Every play matters in the playoffs and we showed that tonight. We talked about getting hot at the right moment, and that's what we're doing right now. We're going to try to finish this tomorrow."

The Colonials are now 5-0 in the postseason against Holy Cross, including a pair of two-game sweeps in the quarterfinal round in 2017 and '18. It took a two-game sweep of Mercyhurst last weekend -- plus a few out-of-town results -- to give RMU home ice for the first round this year, but it had the same record at home and on the road this season.

However, the Colonials and Marotte have now authored three shutouts in 2018-19, all on Neville Island. Two of those clean sheets have come against the Crusaders (10-20-5, 10-15-4 AHA), who finished the season on a 6-3-2 run but lost first-round home ice on the final day of the regular year.

The visitors burst out of the gate at the start with a 17-shot first period and closed the game with some heavy pressure in a frantic effort to tie, but RMU's offensive chances seemed to have more bite, especially in a second period they largely controlled.

"It got a little tense, but that's playoff hockey and we found a way to get the job done," RMU head coach Derek Schooley said. "Whether it's 10-0 or 1-0, they all count the same. They were throwing pucks to the net, looking for tips and screens, but I thought territorially, we were pretty good. I don't like the fact that we played in our end that much (in the third period), but we defended well."



With senior Eric Israel missing his third straight game with injury and junior Sean Giles serving a one-game suspension, the Colonials' defense corps was down to four freshmen, plus junior Alex Robert (team-high five blocked shots) and sophomore Nick Jenny. Then first-year blueliner Nolan Schaeffer left the game due to injury late in the first period, further limiting the coaches' options.

But much like a heart-and-soul Senior Night victory six days ago, RMU proved up to the challenge of protecting a late one-goal lead. The Colonials improved to 9-0-1 this season when ahead through two periods, with the only tie occurring back in October. 

"We got a yeoman's effort out of a lot of guys, being down to five (defensemen)," Schooley said. "It was hard for 'em. It's good for the future, but it's not hurting us in the present, either."

Eight RMU freshmen in all made their NCAA playoff debuts: Forwards Aidan Spellacy, Nick Lalonde, Justin Addamo and Grant Hebert, plus defensemen Schaeffer, Brendon Michaelian, Aidan Girduckis and Geoff Lawson. Every one of them recorded at least one shot on goal or blocked shot, with Lalonde piling up three SOG and two blocks, Spellacy winning 14 of 18 faceoffs and Lawson getting in the way of three Holy Cross drives.

Prkusic insured the sophomore class was well represented. During a stretch of wide-open play early in the second period, the native of Alberta tipped a Holy Cross pass out to center and pursued it to create a clean break. Bursting in on senior Crusaders goalie Tommy Nixon, who finished the regular season red hot after blanking the Colonials on Feb. 16, Prkusic shoved a forehand shot high to the blocker side for his seventh goal of the season.

"I was going pretty fast," Prkusic explained after raising his season point total to 19, nearly quadrupling what he piled up as a freshman. "I thought that I might be able to catch (Nixon) by surprise."

The entire RMU team might've caught Holy Cross napping in the second period, what with the Colonials enjoying a 15-4 shot advantage and creating at least a couple more Grade-A opportunities in addition to Prkusic's game-winner. Senior captain Brandon Watt was stopped on a short breakaway of his own in the middle frame, while Luke Lynch passed up a shooting opportunity on a three-on-one rush to try to set up Addamo on the doorstep.

"To get that goal was big for us, but we had more chances after that," Schooley said, offering up a smirk. "We just need to start burying it and make my life easier and less gray. I don't know if I can take 15 more years of this."

The opportunities were fewer and further between for both sides in the third, so Marotte didn't have to don a hero's cape to preserve his ninth career playoff win, also a program record. He did resemble a Cirque du Soleil performer in the opening moments of the second when he cartwheeled to his right to snuff out Johnny Coughlin's golden chance with his blocker.

It was possibly the save of the season for a goalie who's had to work hard behind a more inexperienced Colonials team than he was accustomed to in his first two years on campus.

"I was ready to go and obviously they were shooting everything," Marotte said of this night. "I controlled the shots well tonight, so I felt good from the get-go. We're playing really well defensively the last couple weeks, so that makes my job a whole lot easier."

Friday night represented a great start to what the Colonials hope will blossom into a sixth consecutive trip to the AHA semifinals and a fourth straight berth in the final. Without the luxury of a first-round bye, the hill will be steep, but all involved have to be encouraged by how this spring has sprung.

"I think the first was a little playoff jitters, but the second was everyone getting on the same level and playing playoff hockey," Prkusic said. "We've been preaching about getting on a hot streak going into the playoffs. All the games are going to be close. The keys are taking care of the little things in your own zone, blocking shots, things like that."

Heating up late has become an RMU hallmark. The Colonials have won seven consecutive best-of-three series entering this postseason, dating back to March 2013. Since then, Schooley's team has only been vanquished in the single-elimination AHA final (three times) and semifinal (once). RMU won the conference tournament in 2014, clinching its first and only NCAA tournament appearance to date.

Saturday's Game 2 faceoff against Holy Cross is set for 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available ahead of time at Ticketmaster, or at the RMU Island Sports Center front door.