MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – In a back-and-forth, high-scoring matchup, the RMU men's hockey team saw its early lead slip away as LIU capitalized on offensive surges to take game one of the non-conference series, 6-3, Friday night at Clearview Arena. With the loss, the Colonials move to 2-4-1 overall to start the 2025-26 campaign.
FIRST PERIOD
For the seventh straight contest, RMU struck first. Less than five minutes into action,
Patrick Johnson buried his second of the season to give the Colonials the early edge, with
Braden Rourke and
Connor Gourley setting up the tally.
LIU answered quickly, however, as Isaac Lambert evened the score just four minutes later. The Sharks then took their first lead of the night when Onni Leppänen found the back of the net, marking his first of the game.
Despite trailing through 20 minutes, RMU generated strong offensive pressure and outshot LIU, 13-9.
SECOND PERIOD
RMU opened the middle frame with energy, but LIU converted on its chances. At the 7:33 mark, Leppänen struck again for his second of the night, doubling the Sharks' lead. After the midway point, Dylan Kinch extended the advantage to 4-1.
The Colonials were limited to six shots in the period while the Sharks carried momentum, posting 11 shots on goal.
THIRD PERIOD
Fresh legs came in net to begin the third as
Lucas Massie entered in relief of
Charlie Schenkel, making his first appearance as a Colonial.
The Sharks kept pushing, adding a fifth goal early in the frame. RMU answered at 9:53 on the power play when
Cameron Garvey roofed a feed from
Trent Wilson, cutting the deficit to 5-2.
LIU responded quickly with another strike, but RMU continued to battle. Just 30 seconds later,
Dominic Elliott fired home a long-range snipe for his first of the year, assisted by
Dario Beljo and
John Babcock.
An LIU game misconduct at the 16:44 mark gave RMU a full three minutes and 16 seconds on the man advantage. The Colonials generated four shots in the closing stretch but couldn't convert, falling 6-3.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- RMU outshot LIU, 30-27, with four Colonials registering three shots apiece.
- Special Teams: RMU went 1-for-3 on the power play and went a perfect 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
- Gabriel Lunn recorded a team-high three blocked shots.
- Michael Felsing, Beljo and Wilson each finished +1.
- RMU dominated the faceoff circle, winning 42 of 70 draws (60.0%).
- Bruce McDonald led with 12 faceoff wins.
- Garvey posted the best percentage, winning 68.8% of his draws.
- In goal: Schenkel made 16 saves through two periods; Massie stopped five shots in the third.
- Rasmus Larsson made his first home appearance of the season and recorded one shot on goal.
UP NEXT
RMU looks to bounce back and split the series against LIU on Saturday, November 8 at Clearview Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM.
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