WORCESTER, Mass. - The Robert Morris University men's hockey team earned a weekend split on the road against Holy Cross Saturday night at the Hart Center, taking down the host Crusaders 4-2.
The win moves RMU to 10-16-4 overall, as well as 10-10-4-1 in Atlantic Hockey play.
Reid Cooper picked up his first career collegiate win between the pipes for RMU turning aside 29 of 31 shots. The all-captain line of Nick Prkusic, Daniel Mantenuto, and Luke Lynch combined for six points to help guide RMU to the win.
"You're only as good as your top-end guys, and our seniors really stepped up tonight," head coach Derek Schooley said. "We've been waiting for our seniors to have an impact on this team, and they finally stepped up and had an impact. You want your seniors to be your top guys, and they were all very good tonight."Â
After a fiery, physical finish to game one Friday night, the Colonials and Crusaders came out refocused on getting a big three points Saturday.
While both squads took care to finish their checks, the pace was a bit more cautious early on, as RMU and Holy Cross both tried to establish a feel for the game, probing the other on the forecheck while making sure to not give up a quick chance in the other direction.
Garrett Clegg almost beat Matt Radomsky off a quick shot in the slot, however the freshman net minder was able to get a shoulder on it.
After a few successive shifts of pressure in the RMU zone, Holy Cross struck first for the second straight game as Alex Peterson finished off a nice feed through the crease from Logan Ferguson for an easy back-door tap-in to make it 1-0.
Unlike Friday, the Colonials would not let Holy Cross build off that momentum, and soon mustered a response of their own.
An extended shift in the Holy Cross end led to good looks from Nick Jenny and Alex Robert from distance, however it was Mantenuto who finally cashed in for the Colonials, knocking a bouncing puck over the shoulder of Radomsky and into the back of the net to pull RMU even at 1-1.
A near-miss almost made it 2-1 at the onset of the second after a loose puck bounced over Cooper in the crease, but the keeper somehow managed to turn around for a diving swipe that kept the puck from crossing the line.
Cooper had to stay sharp minutes later after he turned away point-blank chances from Ryan Leibold and Alex Peterson.
"We thought we needed a little jump start, but we don't have the bodies to make lineup changes," Schooley said. "We thought we had the opportunity to get Reid a start after he earned it last night. He took advantage of this opportunity and ran with it. Good for him, and the key thing is he found a way to win."Â
Slowly but surely, RMU started to control the game, stringing together a number of shifts with extended zone time that put Holy Cross on their heels.
Hartikainen capped of the push with his third goal of the season, a wrister from the left circle that appeared to handicap Radomsky, bouncing up off his shoulder and into the back of the net to give RMU their first lead of the weekend.
With a rhythm firmly established, the Colonials contained to take it to Holy Cross, peppering the Crusader net with a new-found aggression and tenacity.
Lynch pushed it to 3-1 just over two minute later, firing a low shot from the top of the slot five hole on Radomsky.
The senior's fourth goal of the season put RMU in the drivers seat as the Colonials put together one of their most complete periods in recent memory, however they could not escape a late body blow from the Crusaders.
Charlie Barrow poked home a loose puck with just 0.3 seconds left on the clock in the second to make it a one goal game after 40 minutes of play.
Undaunted, the Colonials continued to press as the game wound into the third. Hartikainen nearly scored his second of the game on a laser of a shot coming down the wing, but his effort struck iron.
The Colonials also leaned heavily on their PK unit Saturday, particularly late in the game when they were called on to kill a Quinn Warmuth trip five minutes into the final frame. An aspect of special teams that had become a liability recently once again looked like an asset.
A Jacob Coleman shorty shortly thereafter punctuated what was a perfect night on the kill. The senior caused a turnover near the blue line and walked in on Radomsky, beating the freshman with a quick shot.
"We were five-for five and got some production out of our kill," Schooley said. "That's a very productive night, and I've said all along that we have guys that can be effective and get the job done that just weren't getting the job done, and you're seeing them do that now."Â
In need of a big three points on the road, RMU found exactly the formula they were looking for as they limited Holy Cross to just five shots on goal over the final frame and held on for the victory. They return to action next weekend for a home-and-home with Canisius on Friday and Senior Day on Saturday at the Island.Â
"I thought our third period was outstanding," Schooley said. "We only had a 3-2 lead, and we put the pedal to the metal. We put the gas down, only gave up five shots and found a way to get another goal instead of just being content to hold on. Good for our guys and we're really excited for this win."
