PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Robert Morris University men's hockey team closes out a stretch of three consecutive games against Mercyhurst this Saturday when it hosts the Lakers at Clearview Arena. 

ROBERT MORRIS (11-5-0, 9-3-1 AHA) vs. MERCYHURST (6-6-1, 5-3-1-2 AHA)

Saturday, January 30 at 7:30 PM in Pittsburgh, Pa. 

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LAST TIME OUT

Robert Morris suffered its first back-to-back loss of the season last Saturday, dropping a wild 7-5 contest in Erie that featured five goals in less than eight minutes to close out the middle frame. 

While RMU was able to erase a 5-2 deficit and enter the third tied at 5-5 thanks to quick goals from Cameron Hebert, Nick Prkusic, and Santeri Hartikainen, a Joseph Bendorf power-play goal restored the lead for MU in the third before the Lakers sealed it with an empty-netter. 

KNOW BOBBY MO

• Robert Morris and AIC sit atop the Atlantic Hockey Table each tied with 26 points, though the Yellow Jackets have the overall lead thanks to an edge in win-percentage at .900 vs. .750.  Canisius is also at .750 in AHA play, though they've played just four games compared to 10 and 12 for AIC and RMU, respectively. 
• Senior Nick Prkusic is RMU's current leading scorer with 18 points (5-13-18) in 16 games. Grant Hebert and Randy Hernandez are both tied for second with 17 points each. 
• Prkusic has a chance to become the first Colonial to lead the team in scoring in back-to-back seasons since Brady Ferguson did so in 2017 and 2018. 
• With the debut of Matt Hutton agains the Lakers, all eight of RMU's true freshman have seen action this season.  Randy Hernandez currently leads the pack of rookies in overall scoring with 17 points including six goals, three of which have been game-winners. 
• While RIT's Will Calverly currently leads AHA in scoring with 19 points in just 11 games, Prkusic, Hernandez, and Grant Hebert round out the top four while Justin Addamo sits eighth. Nick Jenny currently leads all defenseman in scoring with five goals and twelve points. 
• With 17 points through 16 games, Randy Hernandez has a chance of breaking Chris Margott's single-season freshman scoring record of 27 set during the 2005-06 season.  
• RMU boasts one of the most potent offenses in college hockey this year with 62 total goals scored, trailing only Minnesota and Bowing Green for most in NCAA. Prkusic is currently tied for seventh overall in the country in scoring and his 1.12 points per-game is a career best. 
• After a 2-4 night last Saturday, the RMU power-play is humming along at a league-best 29.3% in AHA play. Justin Addamo leads the Colonials in PP goals with three. Two of Santeri Hartikainen's four goals this season have also come on the man-advantage.
• Junior pivot Aidan Spellacy has been RMU's most consistent performer in the dot so far this year, going 161-297 (54.2%) on face-offs through 16 games. Sophomore Santeri Hartikainen has also been excellent at 113-210 (53.8%).
• Robert Morris has been racking up the AHA hardware this season. Jordan Timmons was named AHA Player of the Week following his hat trick against Air Force, joining Nick Prkusic who also received the honor earlier this year. Additionally, Kyler Head was named Rookie of the Week opening weekend while both Nick Jenny and Nolan Schaeffer have been given Defensive Player of the Week honors. Prkusic and Hernandez were also named Best Player and Rookie for the month of November. Noah West has also enjoyed recognition for AHA, earning Rookie of Week, Rookie of the Month, and Goaltender of the Week honors in January. 
• The Colonials hold a remarkable 10-3 record when scoring first this year and have only given up the opening tally three times all season, although one of those losses was last week at Mercyhurst. 
• Kramer (Wexford) and Timmons (Bridgeville) add to RMU's long legacy of recruiting and training players from Western Pennsylvania.  Both are alumni of the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program and join Tyler Love and Roman Kraemer in playing their college hockey in their own backyard. 
• Head Coach Derek Schooley returns behind the bench for his 17th season as head coach flanked by a pair of new faces in assistants Mike Corbett and Ryan Durocher.  Durocher joins Robert Morris after two seasons as an assistant with the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League, while Corbett brings nearly two decades of college coaching experience  with him having spent seven seasons as the head coach of the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers as well as another ten as an assistant at Air Force. 

SERIES HISTORY 

Robert Morris has never lost three consecutive games to Mercyhurst in its 17 seasons. 

While they have had several extended winless skids against the Lakers over the years including an 0-2-1 mark in 2017 and an 0-2-4 stretch over the course off the 2013 and 2014 campaigns, a defeat Saturday for RMU would be a first for the program. 

SCOUTING THE LAKERS

With Saturday being the third meeting between these two squads in eleven days, there shouldn't be much mystery as to the type of game the Colonials can expect from the Lakers.

Mercyhurst blocked 23 and 20 shots in their last two showdowns earlier in the month, a style that has been a hallmark for head coach Rick Gotkin's squad this season. 

With ten power-play chances in two games against MU, the Colonial man-advantage could be a deciding factor on Saturday as RMU looks to avoid its third straight loss. 

THE SCHOOLEY FILE

One of the longest-tenured coaches at RMU, Schooley is entering his 17th season at the Robert Morris helm in 2020-21, carrying an overall record of 271-271-68 and a proud record of championship-level 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 eight-season span from 2012-20, Schooley's Colonials have averaged nearly 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 75 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 two Toronto Maple Leafs camps. On top of that, 19 RMU alums have taken part in NHL development/rookie camps.

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.

ON THE HORIZON

RMU closes out its non-conference schedule next week when they host the LIU Sharks for a pair at Clearview Arena on Thursday and Friday.