MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The RMU men's hockey team is set to travel to USAF Academy, Colo., for a two-game series at Air Force. The series opens Friday, December 5 at 9:00 PM ET, followed by the finale on Saturday, December 6 at 6:00 PM ET. Both games will stream live on FloHockey.
RMU LATELY
RMU (3-9-2, 3-2-1 AHA) enters the weekend coming off a productive series against Mercyhurst, picking up five of six points in conference play. The Colonials earned a 3-1 road victory in Friday's opener in Erie, with goals from
Gabriel Lunn,
Cameron Garvey and
Michael Craig.
Patrick Johnson,
Trent Wilson,
Tanner Klimpke,
Ryan Taylor,
Luke van Why and Craig all recorded assists, while goaltender
Charlie Schenkel turned away 20 shots for his third career win.
In Saturday's finale, the Colonials battled to a 1-1 tie before securing the extra point in the standings with a 3-2 shootout win. Craig scored RMU's lone regulation goal in the final five minutes, while Garvey, Taylor and
McKay Hayes converted in the shootout.
Statistically, Klimpke and Taylor continue to lead RMU with nine points apiece. Klimpke, along with Garvey and
Jackson Reineke, share the team lead with four goals. Freshman
Bruce McDonald remains RMU's top distributor with seven assists, while junior forward
George Krotiris holds the team's best plus/minus at +2. On the back end, freshman
John Babcock leads all Colonials with 27 blocked shots. In net, Schenkel has started 13 games, earning three wins with a .896 save percentage.
ALL-TIME VS. AIR FORCE
Since the program's founding in 2004, RMU and Air Force have met 47 times, with the Colonials holding a 17-25-5 record. Last season, RMU earned one point in the series against the Falcons. Craig notched four assists across the two matchups, while
Michael Felsing and Klimpke each tallied two goals and an assist. Van Why and Garvey each added a pair of helpers.
Klimpke has been particularly effective in the matchup, averaging a point per game with four goals and one assist in five career appearances against Air Force.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Air Force (8-6-2, 5-4-1 AHA) comes into the weekend after earning four of six points in their series against Canisius, winning 6-3 on Friday and tying 3-3 on Saturday before falling 2-1 in the shootout.
Senior defenseman Chris Hedden leads the Falcons with seven goals, while sophomore forward Nick Sajevic sits atop the team leaderboard with 16 assists and 18 points. Will Dawson has been strong defensively with 26 blocked shots. Goaltender Domnik Wasik has appeared in 11 games, earning seven wins, one shutout and a .919 save percentage.
As a team, Air Force averages 3.1 goals per game while allowing 3.4. Their power play operates at 16.7%, complemented by a strong penalty kill at 85.5%. In the faceoff circle, the Falcons hold a 51.0% win rate.
UP NEXT
RMU will pause for a short break before opening a home-and-home series with Sacred Heart. The Colonials travel to Fairfield, Conn., on Tuesday, December 30 for a 4:00 PM matchup. RMU will then host the Pioneers on Saturday, January 3 at 4:00 PM at Clearview Arena. Both games will stream live on FloHockey, while Saturday's contest will also air on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
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