The Robert Morris men’s hockey team’s season came to an end on Sunday when the Colonials dropped the deciding game three of the Atlantic Hockey America conference semifinals, 5-0, to Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Conn.
With the win, the second-seeded Pioneers advanced to the championship series against Bentley. Robert Morris, which entered the AHA playoffs as the No. 3 seed, ended its 2025-26 campaign with a 16-21-3 overall record after losing the semifinal series 2-1.
Sunday’s first period kicked off with a power play goal by Pioneers forward Marcus Joughin, giving Sacred Heart the 1-0 lead early. In the final five minutes of the first period, Sacred Heart added two more goals, by forward Reid Pabich and defenseman Michael Rubin, respectively, to go up 3-0. The Pioneers outshot RMU 9-4.
In the second period, the Colonials outshot the Pioneers 17-6, but strong play from the Sacred Heart netminder Ajeet Gundarah kept his team up 3-0 after two periods.
Four minutes into the third frame, Sacred Heart’s Reid Pabich scored the second power play goal of the game for the Pioneers — and his second goal of the game — giving Sacred Heart a commanding 4-0 lead.
With eight minutes left, the Colonials pulled goalie Charlie Schenkel in a desperate attempt to get back into the game. But with five minutes left, the Pioneers added an empty net goal by Michael Rubin to seal the 5-0 win.
RMU coach Derek Schooley said he thought the Colonials played much better in the second and third periods.
“We threw everything at them that we could, so hats off to them,” he said. “We congratulate Sacred Heart — that was a hard series. I’m really proud of the effort our guys gave in the second and third. We could’ve easily packed it in, but we didn’t. That just shows you what kind of team we were all year.”
Schooley said he asked his players to “buy in a lot this year and I got it all.”
“This team was on par with our 2014 championship team that had a tough start but then went on a run,” Schooley added. “Right now, it’s time to honor this team because they were outstanding. They did everything we asked.
“We all punch above our weight class in everything we do — whether it’s our administration or our programs. We have a great athletic department that always does everything we need to be successful. RMU is a special place.”
Be First to Comment