PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Robert Morris University men's hockey team erased a 3-1 deficit Saturday evening at Colonials Arena, winning 4-3 in overtime courtesy of a Nick Prkusic game-winner.
The win moves them to 10-15-3 on the season, including a 10-9-3-1 mark in Atlantic Hockey play.Â
"We needed that win," head coach Derek Schooley said. "Whether it's two points or three points, we needed that for our psyche. Really gutsy comeback down 3-1, we could have packed it in. Down 3-2, we've been there the last few weeks and haven't been able to find a way to tie it, but we were able to find a way tonight."
Nick Lalonde scored his second of the season, while Aidan Spellacy and Daniel Mantenuto also potted goals. Justin Kapelmaster made 33 saves in goal to earn the win.
After a disappointing result in game one, RMU came out firing Saturday night at The Island, using a series of big hits to set the tone physically and keep the Tigers from establishing any sort of rhythm early on.
The line of Kip Hoffmann, Darcy Walsh, and Nick Lalonde played a huge role in that early tone-setting, rubbing out an RIT puck carrier in the corner before Lalonde belted a Tiger coming through the neutral zone with a thundering check.
The physicality soon led to chances, and before long the line was chipping in more than just hits.
Gaining some momentum off a big kill on a Justin Addamo high-stick, Lalonde collected a pass from Kip Hoffmann coming through the neutral zone before ripping an absolute laser high-glove on Logan Drackett to give the Colonials the lead and the start they'd been searching for.
Buzzing, RMU hunted a second goal with tenacity, continuing to throw the body and generate opportunities from their physicality.
That physicality came back to bite them, unfortunately, as Nolan Schaeffer was whistled for a trip after colliding with a Tiger near the blue line.
While Kapelmaster made a few huge saves early in the kill, the RIT man-advantage eventually broke through with the equalizer courtesy of Jake Hamacher.
They would double their lead just over four minutes into the second after Jordan Peacock beat Kapelmaster on a wraparound.
Back to square one, RMU kept up the physical play trying to generate more chances off the cycle but some solid positioning and a number of timely clears from the RIT defense made quality looks hard to come by.
A second power-play opportunity yielded the best chance as Prkusic found himself on the doorstep with the puck, but a tie-up in front of the net prevented the junior from stuffing it home.
Hamacher would add his second of the game at 11:12 of the second to make it 3-1 and put RMU on their heels.
Undeterred, RMU continued to search for answers, and for the second game in a row some timely special teams delivered for them.
After scrum in front of the RIT cage led to another power play for Robert Morris, Daniel Mantenuto buried his second of the year, collecting a loose puck near the right hash before calmly waiting out Drackett and slipping it five hole to cut the lead to 3-2.
It appeared the Colonials tied it up with 25 seconds left in the second, however the goal was waived off due to goalie interference and they went to the dressing room down 3-2.
"We just had a good meeting in the locker room in between the second and third," Prkusic said. "We just had to come out and give it everything we had. It was one of our best periods of the year and it gave us a chance to win."
With the urgency ramped all the way up, Robert Morris searched in desperation for a third goal to bring them even as the third period opened.
"We've been putting lots of shots on goal, we just haven't been able to find ways to score," Schooley said. "We've out-shot teams night after night without any luck, and we were finally rewarded tonight."
Prkusic was denied on the doorstep again midway through the third on a dangerous chance after a pass out of the corner. Minutes later he nearly equalized once more, but Drackett was up to the task.
Another extended shift in the offensive zone with under six minutes to play ended after a few big shot blocks, as RIT continued to live dangerously and RMU searched in desperation for a third goal.
With time ticking down, RMU needed a hero. After posting 20 shots in the final frame, the 21st finally found its mark as Spellacy made it 3-3 after a mad scramble in front of the net. Tyler Love picked up his first career point on the goal that sent the game to OT.
After nothing in the first OT period, the game moved to 3-on-3, and time for a potential winner was running out. After coming so close in regulation, Prkusic finally found the twine with just over a minute left, ripping a wrister high-glove for the goal that sent RIT packing.
"I was just trying to find some space in the offensive zone," Prkusic said. "3-on-3 is kind of a possession game so we were just cycling trying to find a lane and Alex made a great pass and I was able to finish it."Â
The Colonials return to action next weekend when they head out to Worcester, Mass. for a weekend showdown with Holy Cross on Friday and Saturday night.
"We feel really good about ourselves to be able to get the points we got tonight," Schooley said.
