PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The #20 Robert Morris University Colonials pushed their win streak to six games Sunday night with a 6-2 victory over the Niagara Purple Eagles.
The victory gave RMU its third win in four days and fourth straight against NU, the second consecutive week the Colonials have won three in four days.
Nick Jenny wasted no time getting RMU on the board Sunday, opening the scoring just 4:19 into the first on a perfect set play off an offensive zone draw.
Grant Hebert won the draw back to a ready and waiting Jenny near the top of the left circle who beat Brian Wilson with a perfectly placed wrister over the right shoulder.
With the Colonials buzzing off the early goal, they went to work hunting another, using an aggressive forecheck to disrupt the Niagara breakout and prevent the Purple Eagles from establishing any sort of rhythm in the offensive zone.
Despite a NU power-play, RMU held the Eagles to just two shots on goal in the opening frame.
The opportunistic RMU offense put a stranglehold on things in the middle frame as Justin Addamo scored twice in under two minutes to widen the Colonials lead to 3-0.
Randy Hernandez set him up for them first tally, circling around the net with the puck before firing a cross-ice feed to the winger at the top of the left circle who ripped a shot with time and space past Wilson.
Grant Hebert teed him up for goal #2, hitting him with a pass at the top of the crease for a back-door tap-in.
Santeri Hartikainen was next to get in on they action, picking off a pass at the RMU blue line on the PK before pulling away for a short-handed breakaway for his third of the year.
After Niagara got on the board Nolan Schaeffer kept the party going for the home side with his first of the year, stepping into one from the bottom of the circle that went five-hole on Mike Corson.
Nick Lalonde potted a tap-in for RMU's sixth to make it a no-doubter victory for the Colonials.
SCORING PLAYS
Jenny, 4:19, 1st - Assists: Hebert, Addamo
Addamo, 4:48, 2nd (PP) - Assists: Hernandez, Prkusic
Addamo, 6:39, 2nd - Assists: G. Hebert
Hartikainen, 8:45, 2nd (SH) - Unassisted
Billings, 9:36, 2nd - Assists: Sommer, Naumovski
Schaeffer, 10:50, 2nd - Assists: Lalonde, Lafrance
Lalonde, 2:38, 3rd - Assists: Lawson, C. Hebert
Naumovski, 14:45, 3rd (PP) - Assists: Sommer, Stanley
QUICK HITS
Sixth straight win for RMU…three wins in a four-day span for the second week in a row…Nolan Schaeffer scored his first of the season…Justin Addamo posted three points (1G, 2A)…11-3 is the best start in program history
QUOTEABLES
"We felt that if we got off to a good start and maybe get a couple that we'd put them back on their heels a little bit, especially with the emotional win last night. It's a challenging game, it's tough to win and we're just excited to be able to continue doing what we're doing." - Head Coach Derek Schooley
"Obviously going forward from yesterday we wanted to improve and not let the other team get into the game at all and shut them down early. Limiting turnovers, keep playing deep and keep chipping it forward, I think everyone on the team did their job and contributed in a big way." - forward Santeri Hartikainen
NEXT UP
With the Colonials' scheduled home-and-home next week against Canisius postponed, RMU is set to return to action on Tuesday, January 19 when they head to Mercyhurst for a mid-week clash.
