UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Led by a pair of goals from
George Krotiris, the RMU men's hockey team earned its first win of the season with a 5-2 victory over Penn State Tuesday night at Pegula Ice Arena. With the win, the Colonials improve to 1-4 overall, while the Nittany Lions fall to 0-4.
FIRST PERIOD
The Colonials came ready to play, putting together their strongest period of the season in the opening frame at Pegula Ice Arena.
It took just 20 seconds for RMU to get on the board. After
Patrick Johnson blocked a shot, the captain found himself on a breakaway. His wrist shot beat the Penn State netminder to give the Colonials a quick 1-0 lead.
With five minutes remaining in the period, RMU forced a turnover in the neutral zone and broke free on a 3-on-1 odd-man rush. Skating down the left side,
Brennan Faulkner delivered a perfect pass to
Michael Felsing at the back post, where he finished the play to extend the Colonials' lead to 2-0.
Penn State spent much of the opening frame in penalty trouble, taking four minor penalties. On RMU's fourth power-play opportunity in the final minute, the Colonials capitalized.
Ryan MacPherson unleashed a slap shot from the right side, and Krotiris pounced on the rebound for his second goal of the season, sending RMU into the first intermission with a 3-0 advantage.
RMU outshot Penn State 15-6 in the opening period and recorded six blocked shots.
SECOND PERIOD
The physical battle continued in the middle frame, with both teams spending time in the penalty box. RMU was whistled for four penalties in the period, but goaltender
Lucas Massie stood tall, stopping all eight shots he faced while the Colonials were shorthanded.
Penn State eventually broke through with five minutes remaining in the period, as Justin Poirier scored at even strength to cut into the RMU lead.
Later in the frame, the Colonials nearly recorded their first shorthanded goal of the season.
Bruce McDonald set up MacPherson in front of the net, but his attempt came inches short of crossing the goal line.
Through 40 minutes, the Nittany Lions held a 25-21 advantage in shots on goal.
THIRD PERIOD
Penn State continued to chip away at the deficit, pulling within one on a power-play goal from Poirier, his second tally of the night.
However, the Colonials responded with a key insurance goal late in the contest. With four minutes remaining, Krotiris put together an impressive individual effort, skating through the neutral zone, weaving past two defenders and driving toward the net before beating the goaltender on the near side to restore RMU's two-goal cushion at 4-2.
In the final minute,
Jackson Reineke found the empty net to seal the 5-2 victory and give the Colonials their first win of the 2026-27 campaign.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Penn State held a narrow 35-32 advantage in shots on goal, while 10 Colonials finished with a positive plus-minus rating. MacPherson led all skaters with a plus-three rating. The Nittany Lions won 39 of 71 faceoffs, while RMU's
Trent Wilson led the Colonials with 12 wins on 22 draws. RMU also recorded 20 blocked shots, including five from
Dominic Elliott. Making his first start of the season, junior goaltender
Lucas Massie turned aside 33 shots to earn his seventh career victory.
Johnson's goal 20 seconds into the contest marked the second-fastest goal to open a game in program history. Aidan Spellacy holds the record after scoring 14 seconds into RMU's game against RIT in 2019.
MULTIPOINT EFFORTS
Krotiris recorded the first two-goal game of his career and the seventh multipoint performance of his collegiate career. The Markham, Ontario, native has totaled 18 goals, 21 assists and 39 points during his time at RMU.
Gabriel Lunn recorded his first points of the season with a pair of assists, marking the third two-point game of his career. The defenseman has totaled two goals, 21 assists and 23 points as a Colonial.
Junior forward
Ryan MacPherson also recorded his first points in an RMU sweater, collecting two assists against the Nittany Lions. It marked the second multipoint effort of his career.
COLONIAL FIRSTS
Freshman forward
Brennan Faulkner recorded the first point of his collegiate career, assisting on Felsing's goal in the opening period. The London, Ontario, native has recorded seven shots and three blocked shots through the first five games of the season.
Freshman forward
Stanley Hubbard made his collegiate debut Tuesday night. The Albuquerque, N.M., native became the first all New Mexico player to appear in an NCAA Division I men's hockey game.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Tuesday's victory marked RMU's first win over Penn State since the 2015-16 season. It was the Colonials' fifth all-time victory against the Nittany Lions and their first win in Happy Valley since 2012.
UP NEXT
RMU begins Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) play this weekend with a road series against Bentley. The opening game is scheduled for Friday, October 23, at 7:00 p.m., followed by a 6:00 p.m. puck drop on Saturday, October 24. Both games will stream live on FloHockey.
Follow The Colonials: Facebook | X | Instagram | TikTok | LinkedIn | RMU Athletics Gameday App
