MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The RMU men's hockey team resumes Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) play this weekend with a road series against Holy Cross. The Colonials will face the Crusaders on Friday, January 10, at 7:00 PM and conclude the series on Saturday, January 11, at 6:00 PM. Both games will broadcast live on SportsNet Pittsburgh and stream on FloHockey.
RMU LATELY
The Colonials (8-9-2, 5-5-1 AHA) enter the series after competing in the ASU Desert Classic last weekend in Tempe, Arizona. RMU fell 7-3 to #19/20 Arizona State in the opener and then dropped an 8-0 result to RV/RV UMass in the consolation game. Graduate captain
Mitch Deelstra led the team offensively in the tournament, scoring two power-play goals.
So far this season, RMU's offense has been driven by key contributors
Walter Zacher,
Tanner Klimpke, and
Michael Craig, who all lead the team with 17 points. Zacher is the team's leading goal-scorer with 11 tallies, while Craig has a team-high 13 assists. Captain
Cameron Garvey boasts a team-best +12 rating, and junior defenseman
Greg Japchen anchors the backline with a team-leading 28 blocked shots. Deelstra now has six tallies on the power play.
ALL-TIME VS. HOLY CROSS
Since 2010, RMU has dominated the all-time series against Holy Cross, holding a 20-10-3 (.652) record. The Colonials are 10-5-2 at home and 10-5-1 when visiting the Crusaders. RMU has recorded four shutouts in the series while averaging 2.97 goals per game.
Last season, the two teams clashed in Moon Township, with Holy Cross winning the opener 3-1 and RMU earning a 3-3 tie in the finale before claiming a shootout victory. Forward
Tanner Klimpke played a key role in the series, contributing two goals and one assist.
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
Holy Cross (8-11-1, 7-4-1 AHA) comes into the series aiming to snap a three-game losing streak. The Crusaders participated in the Coachella Valley Cactus Cup last weekend, dropping back-to-back overtime games to Omaha and Michigan Tech.
Offensively, senior forward Liam McLinskey leads the team with 10 goals and 18 points, while junior defenseman Mack Ollphant has a team-best 13 assists. Sophomore forward Ty Gagno is a key defensive presence, registering a team-high 22 blocked shots. Between the pipes, senior goaltender Thomas Gale has been a steady force for Holy Cross, starting in 19 games and earning eight wins, one shutout, and a .920 save percentage.
UP NEXT
Following the series at Holy Cross, RMU will return to Clearview Arena for an extended homestand, starting with a single game against Canisius on Tuesday, January 14. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM.
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