FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Led by captains Tanner Klimpke and Cameron Garvey scoring two goals each, the Colonials evened the semifinal series with a 5-2 victory Saturday night. RMU forces a decisive game three and sits one win away from the Atlantic Hockey America Championship Game.
 
FIRST PERIOD
Early in the game, the Colonials were shorthanded and Sacred Heart took advantage. From the right side, Felix Trudeau buried a one-timer into the back of the net to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
 
Through the remainder of the period, shots were limited as the Pioneers held a slight 7-6 edge.
 
SECOND PERIOD
RMU took control in the middle frame and applied pressure early, recording six shots in the first 90 seconds. On the seventh shot, Klimpke tied the game with a bar-down finish. Ryan Taylor and Garvey picked up assists on the play after working the puck down low to create the chance.
 
Shortly after the halfway point, RMU took its first lead of the night. Working the puck along the blue line, Luke van Why sent a pass over to Michael Craig. Off Craig's shot from the point, Garvey tipped the puck in to make it 2-1.
 
"Every time you go to the front of the net you pay the price," said Garvey. "Sometimes you get rewarded, but when you can score a goal, all of that pain goes away."
 
Under four minutes later, Taylor broke Klimpke free with a long pass from the defensive zone. Skating down the right side, the captain sniped his shot to extend RMU's lead. Max Wattvil added the secondary assist on the play.
 
Before the period ended, Sacred Heart's Marcus Joughin scored at even strength to bring the Pioneers within one, but it would be their final goal of the night.
 
THIRD PERIOD
Just over a minute into the final period, the Colonials capitalized on a turnover in Sacred Heart's defensive end. A defenseman failed to clear the puck, which fell right to the stick of Garvey. He quickly released a shot past the netminder to restore RMU's two-goal lead.
 
The Pioneers had one more power play opportunity and registered nine additional shots on goal, but Charlie Schenkel and RMU's defense stood tall to halt any comeback attempt.
 
With three minutes remaining and Sacred Heart's goalie pulled, Julian Beaumont added an empty-net tally off an assist from Jackson Reineke to secure the 5-2 victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• RMU outshot Sacred Heart 27-23. Klimpke, Garvey and Taylor each finished with a +4 plus/minus.
• The Colonials won 33 of 67 faceoffs, with Patrick Johnson winning a team-high 13 draws.
• Defensively, RMU blocked 16 shots, led by John Babcock with three.
• Sacred Heart went 1-for-2 on the power play while RMU finished 0-for-1.
• In net, Schenkel recorded 21 saves to earn his 11th career victory and third career playoff win.

 
THE CAPTAINS COME UP CLUTCH
With two goals and an assist, Garvey now has 11 goals, 14 assists and 25 points this season, ranking third on the team in points. The performance marked his 12th career multi-point effort and third career two-goal game.
 
Klimpke recorded his sixth career two-goal game and 18th multi-point effort. He now leads the Colonials with 16 goals, 15 assists and 31 points this season. The Calgary, Alberta native has also continued his playoff success, averaging over a point per game with eight goals and two assists for 10 points in nine career postseason contests.
 
POINT STREAK
With two assists tonight, senior Ryan Taylor extended his point streak to three games. Over the last three playoff contests, he has recorded two goals and two assists. Taylor now has four multi-point performances this season.
 
QUOTABLE
On the playoff win: "We weathered the storm in the first period and settled into our game and had a big second period. Garvey scored a big goal for us in the third and then we managed the play after that. I thought we did everything we needed to do, and then when we didn't, Charlie was there. This team has a tremendous amount of belief in ourselves." – Head Coach Derek Schooley
 
On scoring two goals: "Tonight, Tanner and I got credit for the goals and assists but a lot of the momentum starts with the shifts before. It's a full team game so I don't want to take all the credit. Everybody showed up tonight." – Captain Cameron Garvey
 
On facing adversity: "Our group has gotten so much closer as the season's gone on and we really believe in each other. When we have all four lines contributing, that's when we see success. Everybody knows how important their role is – it doesn't matter in our group whether you're playing five or 25 minutes a game. We have the belief that if we play the right way, we're a tough team to beat." – Captain Cameron Garvey
 
AROUND THE AHA
No. 1 Bentley defeated No. 4 Holy Cross to advance to the 2026 AHA Championship Game. As the top seed, Bentley will host the winner of this series on Saturday, March 21.
 
UP NEXT
RMU will look to clinch the series against Sacred Heart tomorrow at Martire Family Arena. Puck drop is set for 5:00 PM, with the game streaming on FloHockey.
 
Follow The Colonials: Facebook | X | Instagram | TikTok | LinkedIn | RMU Athletics Gameday App