It started back in 2014 in a best-of-three, first-round series against Army for a Robert Morris team so determined it was able to overcome the loss of goaltender Terry Shafer at the outset of a run that wound up taking the Colonials all the way to St. Paul, Minn., and the NCAA Tournament.

That was Year One of "The Streak."

Seven seasons later, the Colonials are hoping history continues to repeat itself.

They've now made it as far as the Atlantic Hockey Association's Final Four for six consecutive seasons and counting. And they've played in the AHA Championship Game and for a spot in the NCAA's 16-team field on four occasions during their six-season run to the semifinals.

So they know where they've been.

And, hopefully, where they're headed as the postseason commences.

It begins again with a first-round, best-of-three series with Holy Cross, starting Friday night at the Island Sports Center on Neville Island.

In that respect, at least, history has already begun to repeat. The Colonials have eliminated the Crusaders in each of the last three postseasons.

"It's been a weird, strange series of events that have seen us continue to play Holy Cross in the playoffs each year," head coach Derek Schooley observed. "That's a quirk you couldn't put money on happening.

"It's very odd that we continue to play each other year after year in different spots and seeds and in different locations. We just keep seeing each other."

In 2016-17, it was a second-round series at Colonials Arena (RMU won, 6-3 and 3-2).

In 2017-18, it was a second-round series at Holy Cross (RUM won, 4-1 and 5-1).

Last season, it was a first-round series on Neville Island (RMU won, 1-0 and 3-2).

They'll meet again, in part, due to RMU's inability to earn a point in its final regular-season series last weekend at Niagara.

That dropped the Colonials from fifth place to seventh, but how a regular season has ended has yet to become a deal-breaker in terms of extending "The Streak."

They've entered the postseason on a roll (11-4-3 from January of 2014 through the close of the regular season), as Atlantic Hockey's regular-season champions (in 2014-15) and after losing regular seasons (in 2017-18 and in 2018-19).

The players have come and gone.

The coaching staff has changed.

RMU's 9-0 record in playoff series the last six seasons has been the constant.

"It's a winning culture," senior defenseman Sean Giles maintained. "We'd like to be more consistent in the regular season but it seems like we find a way in the playoffs."

Added senior defenseman Alex Robert: "The way our playoffs work any team can make it at the end of the year. I just believe we've been able to kind of build on our strengths throughout the year, and then by the end we can finally put it all together and then have a good push."

It's time to start pushing as they traditionally have.

The emphasis this week for this team has been on working and playing together, on focus and preparation, on recognizing opportunities to build momentum and instances when momentum must be altered, on discipline, and on playing with an understanding that every play is critical.

The Colonials and Crusaders split a pair of games on Feb. 14-15 in Worcester, Mass.

RMU went 11-18-5 overall and 11-12-5-3 on the way to its seventh-place AHA finish.

Holy Cross went 9-16-3-2 and finished 10th in the AHA and 10-19-5 overall.

"Even though we have a young team, we've learned a lot from the beginning of the year," Giles said.. "You learn more from losing than winning.

"Hopefully, we're gonna get it done when it matters."