NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – A tight game slipped away in the final minutes Friday night as Niagara scored three goals in the last three minutes to defeat the Colonials, 5-2. With the setback, RMU moves to 9-17-3 overall and 9-10-2 in Atlantic Hockey America play.
FIRST PERIOD
RMU wasted no time jumping ahead, striking on its first shot of the contest.
Michael Felsing found the back of the net off assists from
Trent Wilson and
Luke van Why to give the Colonials an early 1-0 lead.
Niagara answered later in the frame on its second power-play opportunity, as Marshall Finnie evened the score. The Purple Eagles carried a 10-6 edge in shots after the opening 20 minutes.
SECOND PERIOD
For the second straight period, RMU struck early. On the man-advantage,
Tanner Klimpke capped off a crisp passing sequence from Wilson and Felsing to restore the Colonials' lead at 2-1.
However, the special teams battle continued to loom large. Moments later, Niagara converted on the power play again, with Spencer Young tying the game at 2-2 heading into the final frame.
THIRD PERIOD
The third period featured back-and-forth play along with a parade to the penalty box for both sides. With just over three minutes remaining, Jacob Maillet broke the deadlock on the power play to give Niagara its first lead of the night.
In the closing minute, RMU pulled its netminder in search of the equalizer, but the Purple Eagles sealed the game with a pair of empty-net goals to secure the 5-2 decision.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Niagara outshot RMU, 34-21. Four different Colonials recorded three shots on goal.
- Felsing, Wilson and Julian Beaumont each finished the night with a +1 rating.
- In his 100th career game, Cameron Garvey won a team-high nine faceoffs.
- Special teams proved decisive, as RMU finished 1-for-7 on the power play while Niagara went 3-for-8.
- Defensively, the Colonials blocked 15 shots, with John Babcock, Patrick Johnson and Greg Japchen each recording three blocks.
- Freshman goaltender Charlie Schenkel made 29 saves in net.
MULTIPOINT EFFORTS
Pittsburgh native
Michael Felsing recorded a goal and an assist for his fifth career multipoint game and second of the season.
Sophomore forward
Trent Wilson tallied two assists after scoring twice in the previous game against Canisius, giving him four career multipoint performances.
UP NEXT
The series shifts back to Clearview Arena on Saturday, February 14 at 7:00 PM. The game will stream live on SportsNet Pittsburgh and FloHockey.
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