PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Robert Morris University men's hockey team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2020 Atlantic Hockey tournament Sunday night at Colonials Arena, taking down the Holy Cross Crusaders 5-1 to take the series 2-1 and stay undefeated in best-of-three playoff series on The Island.
They will travel to Fairfield, Ct. for a best-of-three series against Sacred Heart beginning on Thursday, March 12 in the AHA quarter-finals.
Daniel Mantenuto opened the scoring for Robert Morris, while Nick Jenny recorded a power-play goal for the second consecutive game. Jacob Coleman, Alex Robert, and Garrett Clegg also scored, while Justin Kapelmaster made 32 saves between the pipes to earn the victory.
"I thought we were pretty complete tonight," head coach Derek Schooley said. "We did a good job getting one early, which was huge. Once we got that, I think it kind of woke us up a little. Holy Cross did a really good job of tilting the ice at the end of the first and in the second, and I thought we did a really good job of tilting it back in our favor."
For a team that struggled at times throughout the regular season with starting games on the right foot, the Colonials managed to open the scoring for the second straight game Sunday night on the Island.
After a Jenny blast got the ball rolling for RMU in the first Saturday against the Crusaders, it was Mantenuto who provided the spark in game three, picking up a loose puck out of a net mouth scramble before flicking a quick wrister high glove on Matt Radomsky to give RMU the lead just 2:12 into the game.
The goal marked the third point of the series for Mantenuto following a two-assist performance in Saturday's overtime win and the 16th point in 19 career playoff games for the senior.
Kapelmaster picked up right where he left off from the previous two games as well, coming up with a huge stop on a Holy Cross wrap-around attempt one shift after the Mantenuto goal to keep the Crusaders from stealing back any of the momentum earned by RMU from its early lead.
After 20 minutes it proved the difference maker as the Colonials clung to a 1-0 lead despite conceding 14 shots on goal.
More Kapelmaster heroics opened up the second frame as the senior net minder robbed Ryan Leibold on a 2-on-1, coming all the way across the crease to make the glove save on Leibold's one-timer off the rush.
A few momentum-building shifts had RMU knocking on the door for a second goal midway through period number two. A structured neutral-zone forecheck saw RMU pick off a number of Crusaders passes, stymieing the Holy Cross attack and preventing them from gaining the zone with possession of the puck.
One of those stops led to a rush the other way for RMU, however Robert could not finish off the sequence.
Luckily for the Colonials, Jenny's scoring touch hadn't worn off from game two. The junior blue liner doubled RMU's lead to 2-0 with his second power-play goal in as many games at 11:57 to put RMU firmly in the driver's seat.
The offensive outburst from Jenny was a welcome sight for a Colonials squads that is at its most dangerous with an active, confident blue line driving play and putting pucks on net.
"We want to make sure we're good in the offensive zone, good at getting pucks through," Schooley said. "Nick got a puck through and got a puck through last night, Alex jumped in a hole on the rush. Credit to Holy Cross, they did a great job of blocking shots and making it hard on our D, and our D did a very good job of finding lanes and creating offense through it."
Though a Brendon Michaelian minor set them up shorthanded to start the third, RMU entered the final period holding its first two-goal lead of the series.
The Colonials finished off the night a perfect 2-2 on the penalty kill, and shortly thereafter slammed the door shut on Holy Cross's season.
Jacob Coleman made it 3-0 on the man advantage less than three minutes into the final frame, picking up a loose puck on the halfwall and firing a low shot on Radomsky after Justin Addamo made a nice play to keep possession of the puck after losing his stick.
Alex Robert and Garrett Clegg added a fourth and fifth goal for good measure as the Colonials kept coming in waves, punching their ticket to the second round and a date with Sacred Heart in the process.
For a veteran-led RMU squad that prides itself on post-season success, Sunday's win was an affirmation of everything that has made Robert Morris a perennial tournament contender year-in and year-out.
Three of RMU's five goals came off a senior's stick, while five recorded at least a point. Luke Lynch earned an assist on the Robert tally in his now program-record 155th career game, while the senior Kapelmaster backstopped the Colonials with 32 saves in goal.
It marked just the latest chapter in a legacy of postseason excellence from a Colonials squad that has now eliminated Holy Cross four straight years.
After being a goal away from elimination themselves, the Colonials now face a quick turnaround as they move on to face the Pioneers and look to make it seven straight AHA semi-final appearances.
"You rely on your seniors because they've been here," Schooley said. They have to be your best players. We'll see if there's the same magic that's been there before where we continue to play, but that's the goal."
