PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The #20 Robert Morris University men's hockey team will play a three-game set against the Niagara Purple Eagles this weekend, traveling to Lewiston for a Thursday night showdown before returning to Clearview Arena for a home series on Saturday and Sunday. 

ROBERT MORRIS (8-3-0, 6-1-0 AHA) vs. NIAGARA (2-5-3, 1-4-3-1 AHA)

Thursday, January 7 at 5:05 PM in Lewiston, N.Y. 

Saturday, January 9 at 7:35 PM in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Sunday, January 10 at 4:05 PM in Pittsburgh, Pa. 

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LAST TIME OUT

The Colonials are coming off of a busy weekend that saw them earn three wins in a four-day stretch, knocking off Niagara 6-1 on New Years Eve before completing their first sweep of RIT since the 2014-15 campaign on Sunday evening. 

A spectacular performance from Noah West in net for RMU helped the Colonials to a big win against Niagara despite being outshot 17-6 in the first period. 

Despite the loss of Jordan Timmons to injury in game one vs. RIT, RMU's depth was on display against the Tigers as the Colonials scored seven goals in two games from five different goal scorers. 

KNOW BOBBY MO

• The Colonials sit at 6-1 in Atlantic Hockey play, having won six straight conference games since dropping the league opener against Canisius on 11/27. Their 18 points tops the AHA standings, though AIC is still ahead based on conference win-percentage at 5-0 vs. 6-1 for the Colonials. 
• Junior Grant Hebert is RMU's leading scorer through 11 games with 14 points (5G, 9A) and is currently riding an eight-game point streak. Nick Prkusic ranks second at 12 while Jordan Timmons leads Robert Morris is goal scoring with eight in ten games. 
• The Colonials returned to the national rankings this week, currently sitting at #20 overall in the USCHO National Poll following their sweep of RIT. It marks the second time this season that RMU has cracked the Top-20 in the USCHO Poll, having also occupied the #20 spot from December 14-21 following their sweep of Air Force. 
• Seven true freshman have seen action so far for Robert Morris this season, with Kyler Head, Randy Hernandez, Gavin Gulash, David Lafrance, Brian Kramer, Noah West and Matthew Guerra all drawing into the lineup. Hernandez currently leads the pack of rookies in overall scoring with 11 points including five goals, three of which have been game-winners. 
• Noah West has been superb so far in his rookie season in Moon Township, having started each of the last six games in goal for RMU while posting a 5-1 record. The Pittsboro, IN native has been one of the best stoppers in the country this season and currently sits eighth overall in NCAA in SV% (.938) amongst goalies who have played at least five games.
• The Robert Morris power play continues to be an asset for an offensive unit that has been one of the most potent in Atlantic Hockey as well as all of college hockey this season. RMU's current mark of 23.4% (11-47) ranks 20th nationally and produced a big goal in Sunday's win over RIT. 
• RMU boasts a top-three offense in college hockey through January with 41 total goals scored, tied with Arizona State and just five off of second-place UMass. Junior Grant Hebert is currently tied for sixth overall in the country in scoring with 14 points in 11 games. 
• Junior pivot Aidan Spellacy has been RMU's most consistent performer in the dot so far this year, going 112-198 (56.6%) on face-offs through 11 games. Sophomore Santeri Hartikainen has also been excellent at 93-171 (54.3%).
• Robert Morris has been racking up the AHA hardware so far 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.
• The Colonials have made the best of a condensed schedule so far this year, rattling off three straight wins in four days a week ago. A re-scheduled make-up game against Niagara this week will see RMU face a similar challenge as they play on the road Thursday before a home series on Saturday and Sunday. 
• 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 

The Colonials thumped Niagara 6-1 in their only prior matchup of the season on New Years Eve, the first regulation win for the Colonials in Lewiston since 1/9/2018. 

Six different goal-scorers found the back of the net for RMU in game one, including freshman Gavin Gulash who scored the first of his NCAA career in the second period. 

SCOUTING THE PURPLE EAGLES

Niagara currently sits at 2-5-3 overall and has played twice since its last meeting with the Colonials. 

The Purple Eagles hosted a struggling Air Force team for a pair this past Sunday and Monday, dropping a resounding 7-2 win on the Falcons in game one. 

Walker Sommer played the hero for the Eagles in game two, securing the extra point against AF with the deciding goal in a shootout Monday night.  The redshirt junior currently leads his squad in scoring with five goals and eight points on the season. 

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 267-268-68 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 faces Canisius in a home-and-home series next week, traveling to Buffalo for a Thursday night showdown at the Harbor Center before the rubber match at Clearview two days later on Saturday, January 16.