MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – RMU scores their most goals in one game on the season to take down Stonehill, 8-1. The Colonials are now 5-13-3 overall on the year and the Skyhawks are now 0-19-0.
1st PERIOD
- RMU immediately got to work scoring three goals in the opening period.
- Stonehill was carrying the puck through the neutral zone until George Krotiris stripped the puck away. Moving in on goal, Walter Zacher made a filthy move past a defenseman and handed the biscuit off to Krotiris for an early 1-0 lead.
- For the second goal, the Colonials made a tape-to-tape play from one end to the other. Beginning the play, Michael Craig from the defensive zone dished a long pass to the tip of the neutral zone finding McKay Hayes. At the edge of the blueline, Hayes sauced a pass across the ice finding Jackson Reineke on the backdoor, scoring his fifth of the season to make it 2-0.
- With a minute remaining on their second power-play, the Colonials added one last goal before the end of the opening period. Tanner Klimpke found the back of the net with assists by Dallas Tulik and Gabriel Lunn.
2nd PERIOD
- Back on the power-play, the captain Rylee St. Onge rifled in another score in front of the home crowd. Tulik and Lunn both handed out the assists for the second goal in a row.
- Under two minutes later, forward Paul Maust found Lunn at the point. Throwing a shot on goal, the rebound bounced out to Zacher, slamming in RMU's fifth unanswered goal of the night.
- Stonehill finally answered with a goal, as Nolan FitzPatrick scored the away side's lone goal of the night, making it 5-1.
- Before the end of the middle frame, Zacher added his second of the night to increase RMU's goal total to six.
3rd PERIOD
- Entering the final period, Klimpke piled on, scoring his second of the contest. From his own zone, Klimpke skated through everyone in his way, taking the puck all by himself for a highlight reel goal.
- For one final goal, the Colonials orchestrated another tally on the man-advantage. Controlling possession in the offensive zone, alternate captain's Mitch Andres passed with Gavin Gulash. Freshman Luke van Why waited on the left side, receiving a pass from Gulash and unleashed a one-timer into the back of the net for his first career goal in his first NCAA game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
After 60 minutes, Zacher led the team in shots with six on goal. In the +/- department, Zacher as well as defenseman
Michael Craig finished with a team high +3. Dominating not only on the scoreboard but also on draws, RMU won 61% of their faceoffs (47-77).
Dallas Tulik won 12 of 18 draws. Centers
Cameron Garvey (10-14) and
Cameron Hebert (9-16) also finished with winning over 50% of their faceoffs. Defensively,
Trevor LeDonne blocked three shots, leading all Colonials in that category. Along with the team winning their fifth game of the campaign, graduate goaltender
Chad Veltri earned his fifth win of the season and 46
th of his career. The Pittsburgh product stopped 25 shots, posting a .962 save percentage.
SEASON HIGH'S
Tonight, the Colonials offense was on full display, scoring a season-high eight goals. The last time RMU scored eight in one game was back on October 24 of 2015 as they defeated Niagara on the road. On the man-advantage, RMU also scored a season-high four power-play goals. RMU's power-play unit finished 50% on the night (4-8). As a team, a total of 13 players chipped in on the scoresheet, reaching a new best in the 2023-24 campaign.
TRIP TRIP TRIPLE
Four Colonials finished the night with a three-point effort. From Kalamazoo, Mich., forward
Dallas Tulik produced his second three-point game in his career. Through his five years of Division 1 hockey, he's registered seven, two-point efforts. Freshman
Walter Zacher paced for his third multipoint game of his first-year campaign, including his first three-point effort. In 15 games, he owns three goals and 10 assists totaling 13 points. On the blueline,
Michael Craig dished out three assists for his first multipoint game. Freshman
Gabriel Lunn did the same and also handed out a natural hat-trick of assists, adding an apple on three consecutive goals.
FRESHMEN FORCE
Against the Skyhawks, freshmen
George Krotiris and
Tanner Klimpke each ended the night with two points. From Markham, Ontario, Krotiris now holds four goals and five assists in his young career. With a brace vs. Stonehill Klimpke remains the team-leader in goals with six. Through 19 games, he's paced for six goals and six assists.
FIRST GAME, FIRST GOAL
Joining the lineup for his first career NCAA game in 2024, freshman
Luke van Why didn't take long to score his first career goal. The first-year defenseman sniped in a power-play tally. From Hatfield, Pa., he registered two blocks and four shots in the game.
QUOTABLE
"We started off great and played very well with a lead. We created a lot of offense through our structure. When we were up 3-0 I asked the players to go win the second period and they did. When we were up 6-1 I asked them to win the third period and they did again. Veltri wasn't under siege in the third. We only gave up five shots in the final period so we did a very good job coming off a break."
– Head Coach Derek Schooley
"We had some really good performances from several players. Zacher and Klimpke both produced. I thought
Luke van Why was really good in his first game back from injury. Our freshmen are doing a very good job including our first line of all freshmen (Krotiris – Garvey – Zacher). Just have to make sure that they keep playing the right way. They're young and still learning."
– Head Coach Derek Schooley
"Tomorrow, we know it won't be easy. Stonehill is a prideful group. They're going to be looking for their first win of the year. They're a good team and have played some very good teams close. We can't overlook them and have to be prepared for what's thrown at us tomorrow."
– Head Coach Derek Schooley
"We can't look past tomorrow but we need to keep playing this way because our schedule doesn't get easier. We play some very challenging teams in Minnesota and RIT coming up soon."
– Head Coach Derek Schooley
UP NEXT
RMU will wrap up the series tomorrow against Stonehill, again at home. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at Clearview Arena.
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