PITTSBURGH – The Robert Morris University men's hockey team returns home this weekend when they host Atlantic Hockey foe RIT for a pair of games on Friday, February 7 and Saturday February 8 at 7:05 p.m. EST.
ROBERT MORRIS (9-14-3, 9-8-3 AHA / 6th)
vs. RIT (14-11-3, 10-7-3-0-1 AHA/4th)
Friday, February 7 at 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, February 8 at 7:05 p.m.
PITTSBURGH, PA | COLONIALS ICE ARENA
STATS via RMUColonials.com
VIDEO via FloHockey ($)
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with Tim Benz & Mike Prisuta
CATCHING UP
The Colonials dropped a pair of road games last weekend as they closed out the remainder of their non-conference schedule against Arizona State on 1/31 and 2/1.
Despite out-scoring the Sun Devils 6-3 at even strength in two games, special teams struggles continued to plague the Colonials, who conceded five power-play goals in 120 minutes of hockey while also going 0-6 on the power play.
Despite the special teams struggles, a number of stand-out performances emerged in the desert for RMU. Nick Prkusic (2G, 1A) and Jacob Coleman (3A) each posted three-point efforts on Saturday, while the newly-formed fourth line of Nick Lalonde, Daniel Mantenuto, and Luke Lynch contributed both of RMU's goals on Friday evening. Lynch's two-point night Friday propelled him to 100 career points in his four seasons with the Colonials.
HISTORY LESSON
RMU will square off against RIT for the first time this season in a rivalry that dates back to 2005.
The Colonials are 13-14-5 all-time against the Tigers, including an 8-7-1 mark at home in Colonials Arena. Winless in their last three showdowns, Robert Morris' last win over RIT came back on October 26, 2018, a 3-0 home shutout.
The Tigers and Colonials fought to a 2-2 draw in their most recent matchup back on February 23rd of last season in Henrietta, N.Y. RIT clawed back from a 2-0 deficit, scoring a pair of goals in the third period including a power-play goal with just over five minutes remaining to tie things up.
Despite a 5-2 advantage in shots in OT, RMU could not nab the extra point and the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
OPPOSITION RESEARCH
A pre-season pick to finish fifth overall in the Atlantic Hockey standings, the Tigers currently occupy the fourth spot in the AHA with 33 points and a 10-7-3 conference record.
Winners of three of their last four games, the Tigers are coming off of a road split against Holy Cross last weekend that saw them rebound with a 4-2 win on Saturday after dropping the first game 4-3. The weekend prior, they swept Canisius in a home-and-home on the back of an offensive eruption that saw them score 12 goals in two games.
The Tigers boast the second-best offense in the AHA in terms of goals per game at 3.14 and have scored four goals or more in a game nine times so far this season.
While they average the third most power-play goals in Atlantic Hockey at 0.93 per-game, the Tigers have struggled defensively at times this year, as their 2.96 goals-against average ranks second worst in conference behind only Mercyhurst.
Individually, RIT is led senior forward Shawn Cameron, who leads them in both goals (13) and points (22), and currently have six skaters with double-digit points so far this season. A dynamic blueline led by Adam Brubacher has been a lynch pin of the Tigers' success this season as well, as the senior defender is currently tied with Cameron for the team lead in points.
SKATE FOR A CURE
Fans are encouraged to wear pink on Saturday to show your support for survivors of breast cancer, for those who are currently fighting the disease, and those who have lost their lives as RMU hosts Skate For The Cure. ZTA will have 50/50, raffle baskets, and bake sale to help support breast cancer research!
RMU will also host the fourth and final "Skate with the Colonials" of the season this Saturday, February 8th following men's 7:05 pm game vs. RIT in Colonials Arena. A half-hour skate with Colonial players beginning approximately 10 minutes after final horn is open to all and is free with your own skates. Skates can also be rented from the Island Sports Center front desk for three dollars.
KNOW BOBBY MO
• Despite a tough recent stretch, there is still reason for optimism that the Colonials penalty-kill will rebound and once again become an advantage. RMU has blanked the opposing power play in 13 of its 22 games to date, including a stretch of three consecutive goose eggs from Nov. 22-30. Among Atlantic Hockey teams, only Army, American International, and Sacred Heart have better PK rates than RMU.
• Senior transfer Kapelmaster has been a revelation in his first 19 RMU games, boasting a .932 save percentage that ranks ninth among Division I starting goalies. Formerly of Ferris State University, Kapelmaster has played 71 NCAA games, with a career .920 SV% that's 14th among actives.
• RMU started its Atlantic Hockey schedule with seven regulation wins in its first 11 games, the third time the program accomplished that feat. The only teams in Colonials hockey history to begin with better 11-game league records than this year's 7-2-2 start were the 2014-15 and 2015-16 editions, both of which started 7-1-3 en route to regular-season championships.
• Junior co-captain Nick Prkusic leads the Colonials in goals (nine) and total points (19) and is closing in on last year's total of 25. Senior Jacob Coleman is next with 15, while Sophomore Justin Addamo sits third with 13. Grant Hebert is next with 12, recently setting a new career high for a season.
• The Colonials return 19 players from last year's squad, 10 of those sophomores. The leading returning scorer is Pittsburgh native Luke Lynch, who last week recorded his 100th career point for RMU. Lynch shares the captaincy with fellow senior Daniel Mantenuto and junior Prkusic, marking the first time in more than a decade that three Colonials have worn the 'C.'
• Six freshmen join from across the hockey world, from western Canadians Garrett Clegg (Alberta) and Bradley Stonnell (British Columbia), to Ontario-born Darcy Walsh and Cameron Hebert, to Finnish forward Santeri Hartikainen, to Pittsburgh's own Roman Kraemer. Five of the six has played in at least 12 games and all have at least one point; Hartikainen leads the way with six (3g, 3a).
• RMU sports 16 underclassmen on the roster, the fifth-most in D-I. Winger Nick Lalonde led all freshman scorers last year with 16 total points, while Addamo paced the class with eight goals. Spellacy (11 points) and Grant Hebert (10) also chimed in up front, while defenders Nolan Schaeffer (37 games), Brendon Michaelian (28) and Geoff Lawson (23) got plenty of experience.
• Led by seniors Lynch and Jacob Coleman (Moon Township), the Colonials continue to showcase local talent. Sophomore Aiden Beck (Coraopolis) returns, joined by freshman Kraemer, who played for Serra Catholic before developing his talent at the Predators and Penguins Elite club programs. Kraemer co-starred with Cam Hebert in Johnstown, Pa., with the NAHL's Tomahawks.
• In addition to the 28-game AHA slate, the Colonials' six non-league games will be highlighted by another home-and-home against Penn State, with RMU hosting the Nittany Lions at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday, Jan. 11. Also, Robert Morris will travel to the Valley of the Sun to face Arizona State's fifth-year program on Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Both Penn State and Arizona State made the NCAA tournament last spring.
• According to a preseason coaches' poll, the Colonials were picked to finish seventh in the 11-team AHA. RMU has finished fifth or better six times in nine previous AHA seasons, headlined by back-to-back banner years in 2014-15 and 2015-16. The top five teams at the end of the season receive first-round playoff byes.
• Familiar faces return behind the bench, led by Derek Schooley, the only head coach the program has known. Michael Gershon is back for his fourth as an assistant, while former RMU leading scorer Ryan Cruthers '08 re-joins the team as an assistant following head coaching stints in America's top two junior leagues. Cruthers' 1.26 points per game remains the best mark in RMU history.
• The Colonials have added two-time U.S. Olympian and former RMU star Brianne McLaughlin-Bittle to the staff as a volunteer assistant. A Cleveland native, McLaughlin-Bittle runs her goaltending school and camps out of the RMU Island Sports Center and has been coaching at USA Hockey camps for multiple years. She is believed to be the first woman to coach an NCAA men's hockey team, regardless of division.
THE SCHOOLEY FILE
One of the longest-tenured coaches at RMU, Schooley is entering his 16th season at the Robert Morris helm in 2019-20, carrying an overall record of 247-247-63 into the season, plus a record of championship success in Division I men's hockey. The native of St. Louis led the Colonials to back-to-back Atlantic Hockey regular season titles in 2014-15 and 2015-16 and a postseason AHA title/NCAA tournament berth in 2014. In the seven-season span from 2012-19, Schooley's Colonials have averaged 20 wins per season and have consistently placed 20-plus student-athletes on the AHA All-Academic team.
Schooley has spent the past two decades coaching college players, starting with assistant roles at Cornell and the Air Force Academy. During his time at Robert Morris, Schooley has had 70 players go on to play professionally, from the AHL and ECHL to various leagues across Europe. Nine former Colonials have participated in NHL training camps, with the most recent being all-time top RMU scorer Brady Ferguson at the past two Toronto Maple Leafs camps. On top of that, 19 RMU alums have taken part in NHL development/rookie camps.
HONOR ROLL
The following players have been honored by Atlantic Hockey for their performance this season ...
Justin Kapelmaster - Goaltender of the Week (Oct. 15)
Brendon Michaelian – Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 12)
Sean Giles - Defensive Player of the Week (Jan. 21)
MARCH WITH THE COLONIALS
In addition to reports and videos on RMUColonials.com, check out Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for news and updates throughout the season.
NEXT UP
The Colonials head out on the road for a four-game swing beginning on February 14th at Holy Cross. After a weekend series against the Knights, RMU closes out the swing with a pair in Buffalo against Canisius on February 21 and 22.
